The Nexus Podcast

In early May, the storied Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta – which is the nation's largest regular intercollegiate rowing event – will return to the region's waterways. From a competitive standpoint, last year brought a historic performance from the Rams women's rowing team. For the first time in program history, multiple boats medaled in a single Dad Vail. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we speak with third-year head coach Michiel Bartman, whose curriculum vitae includes three Olympic medals as a competitor for the Netherlands, where he was born and raised. "For us, the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta is the most important race of the season,” he says. “With the Jefferson in front of the title, it gives me extra boost. Obviously, we always want to do well, but it gives an extra meaning to the Dad Vail, for sure.” SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

Where in the world has Phil the Ram been? You may have noticed that the University’s loveably tough mascot hasn’t been on the sidelines or in the gyms for a good long while. Well, that’s come to an end! Today – at a pep rally for the playoffs-bound Rams’ women’s and men’s basketball teams – Phil re-emerged from what’s been a challenging few months for our beloved horned sheep. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we’ve been greenlit to share the true story (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) of how all that enthusiasm nearly came to an end over on the Ronson sledding hill. Phil learned that lesson the hard way but the challenging predicament leading to his return also reaffirms his love for a University’s collaborative spirit as his “extended family” came together in his time of deepest need, instilling in him with the strength, confidence and bionic horn that will help Phil celebrate Jefferson’s bicentennial year and lead it into its third century. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

As the Jefferson family celebrates its Bicentennial year, we thought it was the perfect time to dig through the history books and examine famous “Firsts” from the University past be they locally, nationally or internationally. To be sure, Jefferson has improved lives in the region going into its third century in so very many ways. The 10 Jefferson Firsts that we’ve highlighted for this episode set us apart from the crowd. This episode of the Nexus Podcast hones in on groundbreaking advances spanning from our institutional birth all the way through this very moment. There are some that you likely already know about, although we’ll offer some fun background. Others? Yeah, they’ll come as a surprise. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

As the Jefferson family celebrates its Bicentennial year, we thought it was the perfect time to dig through the history books and examine famous “Firsts” from the University past be they locally, nationally or internationally. To be sure, Jefferson has improved lives in the region going into its third century in so very many ways. The 10 Jefferson Firsts that we’ve highlighted for this episode set us apart from the crowd. This episode of the Nexus Podcast hones in on groundbreaking advances spanning from our institutional birth all the way through this very moment. There are some that you likely already know about, although we’ll offer some fun background. Others? Yeah, they’ll come as a surprise. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

In previous episodes of the Nexus Podcast, experts from across the University showcased how Jefferson trains students to focus on sustainable practices in the classroom and beyond. Those areas ranged from fashion-design students creating new garments from repurposed Converse sneakers and vintage gloves and the impacts of climate change and climate related disasters on health and healthcare delivery, to the creation of the multidisciplinary Institute from Smart and Healthy Cities. Still, the topic is of such acute interest to students and faculty here at the University that – to commemorate October’s standing as Campus Sustainability Month – we will revisit the area and highlight additional means through which the focus turns to sustainability. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, you will hear from those who established our College of Architecture and the Built Environment as one of the earliest programs to zero in on sustainable design as an area of focus. You’ll also hear from folks at the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce who, upon fielding requests from students interested in learning more, are in the second year of offering an “Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment” elective which applies sustainability on a more granular level. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

The term “urban legends” often gets thrown around when talk turns to fantastical stories that veer more toward myth than reality. When it comes to Thomas Jefferson University, though, the phrase “hidden gems” better describes a litany of interesting features of our campuses often hiding in plain sight. For this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we delved deep into Jefferson’s history – be that physical or via foggy recollections – to get the skinny on unexpected, underappreciated highlights of the world surrounding us. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

On June 16 and 17, the University’s Marcus Institute of Integrative Health will host its fourth annual Advances in Mind-Body Medicine conference to examine the emerging topic of how mind, body and spirit play important roles in one’s health. At the helm of the event – led by the first-ever department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at a medical school in the United States – is Dr. Daniel A. Monti, the Institute’s founding director and chief executive officer. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we speak with Dr. Monti about topics that experts will cover at the conference, including brain health, stress and immune health, mindfulness-based interventions and advanced mind-body strategies for specialized populations. We also speak with a keynote speaker and panelist Pat Croce, best known for his earlier life roles as a popular (and energetic) physical therapist and president of the Philadelphia 76ers who found himself on a path toward becoming more mindful and introspective even before a 2020 diagnosis of T Cell Lymphoma. For more information about the conference, or to register, email IntegrativeMedEd@jefferson.edu or visit the event link. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

In a city in the throes of a debilitating opioid epidemic, faculty and students at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have undertaken a mission of awareness and education related to combatting overdoses and saving lives. It is a daunting task that requires an all-hands response to – in a true Jefferson sense – help improve lives. From the Rams for Recovery group and the Student Opioid Response Team to lessons within the nursing, population health, medical, health-communication design, trauma counselling and many other programs, harm-reduction efforts include learning how to safely administer Suboxone and Narcan (which has come into play in real-life situations) and mapping out and improving the patient treatment journey in Philadelphia. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, experts across many fields of study at the University discuss the epidemic’s societal impacts locally, its impacts within the health-care world and what people can do to help. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

Sustainability is more than a catchphrase. The goal of helping future generations safely co-exist on, and with, Earth has become a way of life. It’s a tangible focus in a wide array of academic pursuits at the University as the topic itself is of utmost importance to students. With April serving as Earth Month – and April 22 deemed Earth Day – it’s the perfect time to showcase how Thomas Jefferson University trains students to focus on sustainable practices in the classroom and well beyond. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, you will hear from students, faculty and alumni who explain how sustainability comes into play in their areas of expertise ranging from fashion-design and textiles, to how climate change impacts health and healthcare delivery. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

Back in March, a group of nine students from the University’s College and Architecture and the Built Environment boarded a plane for a long trek to Malawi, a landlocked nation in southeastern Africa. Under the guidance of Chris Harnish – associate professor of architecture specializing in healthcare design – they spent two weeks meeting with high-ranking government officials, industry professionals and academic peers to get a better understanding of health design and infrastructure. In this episode of The Nexus Podcast, we not only highlight their amazing trip, but look at Thomas Jefferson University’s ties to the nation, dating back more than a decade. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

Among the many things that set Thomas Jefferson University apart in the higher-education world is its approach of instilling the humanities – or Nexus Learning – across all undergraduate programs. This can be seen through the Hallmarks Program for General Education, Humanities and Health offerings for health sciences majors, and the JeffMD program. These skills are not only critical to employment success, but the backbone of a Nexus Learning approach bolstered by the merger between Jefferson and Philadelphia University. In this episode of The Nexus Podcast, we examine the history of Humanities education here (starting well before the merger), and examine visions for the future, including exciting new advancements across the Jefferson community. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

On a recent Tuesday afternoon at Raven Hub learning space, second-year students Corinn Mabry and Sofia Corcoran sat amid a group of 15 students to discuss the lofty challenge they’ve set before themselves. The duo is at the helm of a new student club dedicated to bringing a radio station (call letters: WPHU) back to Thomas Jefferson University. In this episode of the Nexus Podcast, Mabry, Corcoran and the club advisor discuss the lofty goal of bringing campus radio back to Jefferson. We also dive into the history of campus radio dating back decades to Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science’s WTEX. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

When the University's Institute for Smart and Healthy Cities launched in January 2021, it marked the start of a multi-college effort to advance the development of the urban environment through collaboration across the architecture, design, engineering, health and science disciplines. In April, the Institute announced the first round of Smart & Healthy Cities Fellowship Grants, which represent single-year seed funding to support transdisciplinary research on a variety of topics. For this episode of The Nexus Podcast, we spoke to Institute leadership, as well as several grant recipients, to discuss how this mission represents the cross-disciplinary opportunities brought about by the 2017 merger of two distinguished universities. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

When people visit the University’s East Falls campus on tours, they hear about it from the RAMbassadors. When students talk amongst themselves, the topic comes up. When alumni look back on their time at the University, it's amongst the most common memories. We’re talking, of course, about Chicken Finger Thursday, which is the mouth-wateringly popular highlight of the culinary schedule. For this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we compiled an oral history of the decade-plus-old dining-hall event, speaking with people on both sides of the counter about what makes Chicken Finger Thursday so special. We apologize in advance for any ensuing hunger pangs. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

For more than 20 years, the Thomas Jefferson University’s annual fashion show was the “hot-ticket” event for the fashion-design program. Mirroring industry trends, the end-of-year showcase has evolved into a Fashion Design Film that highlights students’ design processes, inspirations and backstories. We speak with program director Farai Simoyi, dean Michael Leonard and a pair of students who discuss how this transition gives graduates a leg-up in an evolving future of work environment. SOCIAL CHANNELS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

Born in Russia, Thomas Jefferson University adjunct professor Aleksandr Kvasov has spent his professional life focusing on cross-cultural conflict resolution, peace psychology and global education. In this episode of The Nexus Podcast, he offers historical context to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and discusses what it could mean in the future globally and locally. Social Channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university

At Thomas Jefferson University, a team of industrial-design students have teams up with the Center for Autism and Neurodiversity in an effort to create neurodiverse friendly chairs for the Specialty Care Pavilion. In this inaugural episode of The Nexus Podcast, we embedded with the “neurodiverse furniture” team as they conceptualized, fabricated and developed a product which could bring comfort to a wide array of patients once the Pavilion opens in 2026. Read more on The Nexus about this project, and how architecture can help those with autism engage with the world. Social Channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonUniv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffersonUniv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffersonuniv/?hl=en TikTok: @_jeffersonuniv_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffersonUniv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thomas-jefferson-university