Circle of Willis

Content Warning : Mentions of Domestic Violence and Childhood Poverty Today's episode features a conversation with our show founder and host, Dr. Jim Coan! In addition to hosting Circle of Willis, Jim is a Professor of Psychology at UVa, where he directs the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Lab. He is also the principal of Brown Residential College. Circle of Willis is about to undergo a lot of developmental changes as we adapt our production over the next several months. It seemed like a perfect time to interview Jim to cap off the initial phase of this show! His story is one of struggle and triumph, and is a rarity in upper academia. Hopefully you are intrigued and inspired just as much as we are by this conversation with Jim Coan - as well as the greater context clips of his younger sister Sandra provides. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming Monday, December 26th we interview our host Jim Coan about his unique path to academia.

Today's episode features a recent conversation with physicist and writer Alan Lightman during his visit to Brown College at the University of Virginia in October 2022. Dr. Lightman's prominent work in both science and the humanities challenges the divide between fields and he discusses his approach of both disciplines through a creative lens. Eventually, we get a little taste of what he does best - demonstrating the innate poetry of what we know, and don't know, about our universe. Are scientific and artistic pursuits really so different in their motivation? Alan Lightman presently serves as Professor of the Practice of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His new docu-series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science will premiere on January 7th, 2023 on public television stations and stream online at PBS.org. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming on Monday, December 12th, a conversation with Alan Lightman about finding a creative outlet through physics and writing!

Today's episode features a conversation with psychologist and author Sarah Rose Cavanagh. What role do emotions play in the classroom and what can teachers do better to effect learning outcomes for the better? What can we learn about seemingly cognitive activities from affective strategies and analysis? Sarah Rose Cavanagh is presently an associate professor of Psychology at Assumption College. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming on Monday, November 28th a conversation with Sarah Rose Cavanagh about the intersection of emotions and education - how can we be more effective in the classroom?

Today's episode features a conversation with developmental and comparative psychologist Felix Warneken. When do humans develop the ability to help one another and how does that differ from the behavior of our closest evolutionary relatives? If everything we do is ultimately self preservation on a biological level, how does altruism fit into our understanding of our own psychology? Felix Warneken is presently a professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming on Monday, November 14th a conversation with Felix Warneken about the psychological development of altruistic behaviors in children - an adorable episode about helping each other!

Content Warning : This episode discusses sensitive topics including autopsy, execution, and miscarriage that may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. What is the Circle of Willis...and why is this show named after it? Sage and production assistant Kaylyn Feeley set out to learn more about physician Thomas Willis and stumble across a tale fitting the Halloween season. Special thanks to our guests: Zoltan Molnar for explaining Thomas Willis's biography and the historical impact of his scientific contributions; and Stephen Marrone for bringing us up to speed on dualism and monism in the 17th century! Subscribe and share! If you love what you hear, rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts! Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content.CircleOfWillisPodcast.com This episode features the music of Blue Dot Sessions: Darklit Carpet Olsted Valkan Elainne Chapter Crumbtown Lacaille Kilkerrin Glass Stopper Hardwood Lullaby Chel Taza Akonan Heath Il Villardo Her Caliber Idle Corridor Nightlight Lamprey In Passage Arizona Moon Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming Halloween Monday, October 31st - Producer Sage Tanguay and Production Assistant Kaylyn Feeley quest to learn more about the name of the podcast - Circle of Willis. Simple questions take them to grisly and enlightening moments of the mid 17th century in England and they return with a cyclical tale for Jim Coan. Content Warning : This episode will discuss matters of autopsy, executions, miscarriage, and other sensitive topics. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Make sure to listen to Part 1 first! Today's episode continues our conversation with Peter Sterling about allostasis and how the human body adapts to environment. In Part 2, we follow these concepts to their inevitable conclusions about the way we work and live. Peter Sterling is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a lifelong activist and advocate for progressive change in society as well as the field of neuroscience. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming Monday, October 17th - The second half of a conversation with Dr. Peter Sterling, connecting the health implications of allostasis to the way we think about society and labor.

Episode Notes Today's episode features Peter Sterling, a stand-out in the field of neuroscience. In Part 1 of this conversation, Peter explains the concept of allostasis and how the human body is constantly responding to external stresses. Peter Sterling is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a lifelong activist and advocate for progressive change in society as well as the field of neuroscience. Stay tuned for Part 2, when the conversation expands in terms of implications for individual health and social organization. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Coming Monday, October 3rd - The first of two parts of a conversation with Dr. Peter Sterling about how adaptive the human body is to environment every moment...and what that means for our long-term health.

Episode Notes Today's episode features John Allen, an old colleague of Jim's from the University of Arizona. They discuss the complexity of Frontal EEG Asymmetry, the development of scientific tech during their careers, and the winding path of research. John Allen is a Distinguished Professor in the University of Arizona's Psychology Department specializing in Clinical and Cognition Neural Systems where he is the director of the Psychophysiology Lab and the Depression Risk Lab. CircleOfWillisPodcast.com Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Coming Monday, September 19th - a conversation with Dr. John Allen about Frontal EEG Asymmetry and how the path of successful science can be long and winding. A failed hypothesis can be just as useful as a proven one. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy Labor Day and welcome back to Circle of Willis! This episode celebrates the labor of love with a conversation between Jim Coan and Drs. John and Julie Gottman. It was recorded in 2019 at a live event hosted by Fountain Books in Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the release of their book Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love. Through their extensive research and observation of couples, the Gottmans outline the importance of communication and the acceptance of conflict in a strong relationship. Using their own relationship experiences, they condense their findings into a handful of basic tenets that are easily understood, but sometimes a challenge to adopt in practice. Love is hard work! After a long hiatus, this podcast is back with a bang...and a new producer : Sage Tanguay. Look for new episodes every other Monday from here on out! Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more content. Circle of Willis is a production of the Virginia Audio Collective at WTJU 91.1 FM and Brown Residential College at the University of Virginia. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Coming on Monday, September 5th - a conversation with Drs. Julie and John Gottman about their book Eight Dates. Recorded LIVE in Richmond, Virginia in 2019. The Gottmans provide insight into what makes relationships work or fail Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Welcome to Circle of Willis, my podcast about science and the scientists who do it, brought to you by generous folks at VQR, the Center for Media and Citizenship, and WTJU Radio at the University of Virginia here in Charlottesville. Folks, sometimes the chaos swirls and the lights dim. Sometimes things go very wrong and we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Sometimes those who’ve dedicated their lives to helping don’t know how to help, or, more likely these days, they don’t have the tools they need. And despite what you may have heard, laughter is not the best medicine. But in Part 2 of our conversation, my guest TIM CUNNINGHAM is here to remind us that sometimes laughter is the only medicine available, that laughter can catalyze the kinds of social connections we need most during our times of trial, and that laughter might even make those medicines that are the best more effective. Maybe that’s why Pablo Neruda once wrote, Take bread away from me, if you wish Take air away But do not take from me your laughter Humor has an almost mystical power to make life a little better, sometimes a LOT better. That’s why, in addition to being the VP for Practice and Innovation at Emory Healthcare, a Registered Nurse, and a Dr. of Public Health, Tim Cunningham is a professional Clown, trained at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre up in Northern California, and a board member of CLOWNS WITHOUT BORDERS, which you are going to hear all about in just a few moments. Tim is going to tell us how being a professional clown has informed his work, world view, and personal life, and how all of that converged in all too real moments of life and death in a time of pandemic. ———————— Folks, the Music on Circle of Willis is written and performed by TOM STAUFFER and his band THE NEW DRAKES… For information about how to purchase their music, check the “Music if Circle of Willis” page at circleofwillispodcast.com Circle of Willis is Produced by SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN and brought to you by VQR and the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia… And that Circle of Willis is a member of the VIRGINIA AUDIO COLLECTIVE! You can find out more about that at Virginiaaudio.org. Special thanks Circle of Willis Associate Producer GRACE BOYLE, NATHAN MOORE, General Manager and swell guy at WTJU FM in Charlottesville, VA, and tough as nails editor-in-chief PAUL REYES at VQR—otherwise known as the Virginia Quarterly Review, winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, in 2019, and finalist for the same award right here in 2020. If you like this podcast, how about giving us a little review at iTunes and letting us know how we’re doing? It’s super easy and we like it! Or send us an email by going to circleofwillispodcast.com and clicking on the “contact” tab. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

WELCOME BACK to CIRCLE OF WILLIS, my podcast about science and the scientists who do it. In this episode, I introduce you to TIM CUNNINGHAM, VP for Practice & Innovation at Emory Healthcare, super nice guy, and badass who's given more of himself than you have to the cause of health, well being, and even literal survival. Here in Part 1 of our interview, we talk about how caregivers and patients endure pandemics like the one we’re going through right now, from a guy who’s been through one before, as a pediatric nurse in Sierra Leone during the Ebola Crisis. Watch for Part 2, coming up in a couple of weeks, where Tim and I talk about the existential and life affirming practice of Clowning, and indeed about how Clowning dovetails with nursing and medicine, especially during times of crisis. Yes, I'm talking about being a literal professional clown. Tim is that, too. Folks, the Music on Circle of Willis is written and performed by TOM STAUFFER and his band THE NEW DRAKES… For information about how to purchase their music, check the “Music if Circle of Willis” page at circleofwillispodcast.com Circle of Willis is Produced by SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN and brought to you by VQR and the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia… And that Circle of Willis is a member of the VIRGINIA AUDIO COLLECTIVE! You can find out more about that at Virginiaaudio.org. Special thanks Circle of Willis Associate Producer GRACE BOYLE, NATHAN MOORE, General Manager and swell guy at WTJU FM in Charlottesville, VA, and tough as nails editor-in-chief PAUL REYES at VQR—otherwise known as the Virginia Quarterly Review, winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, in 2019, and finalist for the same award right here in 2020. If you like this podcast, how about giving us a little review at iTunes and letting us know how we’re doing? It’s super easy and we like it! Or send us an email by going to circleofwillispodcast.com and clicking on the “contact” tab. Find out more at http://circleofwillispodcast.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.