Headscratchers Season 2
HeadScratchers is a mini-cast produced by the Duke University School of Medicine featuring experts from the School of Medicine answering intriguing questions about health and science. Tune in and email us your questions today at lindsay.key@duke.edu.
Host/Producer: Lindsay Key
Audio Producer: Anna Cassell
Sound Engineer: Ivan Panarusky
Executive Producer: Jill Boy
Consultant: Alison Jones
What Causes a Person’s Immune System to Weaken?
Immunology expert Dr. Allan Kirk, MD, PhD, discusses what compels the immune system to respond to danger, and how our immune systems change over time.
Dr. Kirk is a transplant surgeon and the chair of the Department of Surgery. He is also professor in the Departments of Immunology and Pediatrics at Duke.
What Factors Contribute to Someone Getting Cancer?
Cancer expert Kelly Marcom, MD, discusses the role that genetics and environmental exposure play in the role of understanding why a person develops cancer.
Dr. Marcom is a professor of medicine and member of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). He is part of a team of experts at DCI that offers genetic testing and counseling to people diagnosed with cancer, as well as people at risk of developing cancer.
What’s the Difference Between Habit and Addiction?
Addiction expert Nicole Schramm-Sapyta, PhD, discusses signs of addiction, who is most vulnerable, and the best antidote.
Dr. Schramm-Sapyta is an associate professor of the practice in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science.
Coronavirus: Why Did It Catch Us Off Guard?
Infectious disease expert Greg Gray, MD, PhD, FIDSA, discusses why COVID-19 spread so quickly, why it’s so deadly compared to other viruses, and what we should be doing to prevent another pandemic.
Dr. Gray Is an infectious disease epidemiologist, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and member of the Duke Global Health Institute.