The Mindfulness Podcast with Dr. David Black
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Episode 47: Virtual reality for the delivery of mindfulness-based addiction recovery |
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| I'm joined by Eric Garland, PhD, Professor of Health Sciences at the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Garland's research centers on developing innovative programs for addiction treatment, and he is the creator of the Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) program. In addition to his role as a clinical researcher, he is a licensed psychotherapist and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, with over 20 years of clinical experience in addiction treatment. We examine his new work in using virtual reality to deliver mindfulness training programs. Materials discussed: Garland, E. L., Recasens, M., Taple, B. J., Donaldson, G. W., & Weisberg, R. B. (2024). Virtual reality-based Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE-VR) as an adjunct to medications for opioid use disorder: a Phase 1 trial. Annals of Medicine. Garland, E. L., Nakamura, Y., Bryan, C. J., Hanley, A. W., Parisi, A., Froeliger, B., ... & Donaldson, G. W. (2024). Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for veterans and military personnel on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain: a randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Psychiatry. |
Episode 46: The quest for reproducible scientific research continues |
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| I'm joined by John Ioannidis, MD, DSc, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Stanford University, where he co-directs the Meta-Research Innovation Center (METRICS). Known for his groundbreaking work in evidence-based medicine, meta-research, and statistical methods, he is one of the most cited scientists globally. His influential 2005 paper, "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," has reshaped scientific discourse around research reliability and reproducibility. Dr. Ioannidis has published extensively across multiple fields, including clinical medicine, public health, and biomedical sciences, earning recognition for his critical assessments of research quality. In 2023, he was elected President of the Association of American Physicians. We discuss reproducibility in science and meta-research. Materials discussed: Ioannidis, J. (2018). Meta-research: Why research on research matters. PLoS Biology. Ioannidis, J. (2005). Why most published research findings are false. PLoS Medicine. Munafò, M. R., Nosek, B. A., Bishop, D., ... Ioannidis, J. (2017). A manifesto for reproducible science. Nature Human Behaviour. Black, D. S., Ioannidis, J., Phei Wee, C. Kirkpatrick, M. (2024). Sex differences in cigarette smoking following a mindfulness-based cessation randomized controlled trial. Addictive Behaviors. |
Episode 45: Supporting family caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease through mindfulness training |
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| I’m joined by Philippe Goldin, PhD, Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis, where he teaches and conducts research in the fields of clinical psychology and cognitive-affective neuroscience. As a clinical neuroscientist, he specializes in using functional neuroimaging in combination with randomized controlled trials to study how cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based interventions affect brain function and behavior in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. His research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying emotional regulation and therapeutic change. He is a co-founder of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, which integrates mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices into leadership development programs. We discuss his new trial testing a mindfulness-based intervention on caregiver distress among people caring for those with Alzheimers Disease. Materials discussed: Sánchez-Pérez, A., Quesada-Rico, M. P., Mendialdua-Canales, D., Hurtado-Pomares, M., Navarrete-Muñoz, E. M., Valera-Gran, D., ... & Goldin, P. (2024). Effect of an 8-Week Mindfulness Meditation Training Program on Psychological Distress in Caregivers and on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness. |
Episode 44: Brain mapping mindfulness and the global effort to decode the neuroscience of meditation |
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| I’m joined by Todd Braver, PhD, a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also holds the Chair in Human Values and Moral Development. Dr. Braver’s research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying memory, attention, and controlled processing. Specifically, he investigates how the prefrontal cortex maintains information in working memory and the role of the dopamine neurotransmitter system in these processes. Recently, he has been integrating these approaches with meditation and mindfulness in a series of innovative studies. In our discussion, we explore the latest advancements in brain imaging methodologies and large-scale initiatives aimed at uniting neuroscientists to deepen our understanding of the brain correlates of mindfulness and meditation. Materials discussed: Lin, Y., Tang, R., Braver, T. S. (2022). Investigating mindfulness influences on cognitive function: On the promise and potential of converging research strategies. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. Lin, Y., White, M. L., Wu, D., Viravan, N., Braver, T. S. (2024). Distinct mindfulness states produce dissociable effects on neural markers of emotion processing: evidence from the late positive potential. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. Ganesan, S., et al. (2024). ENIGMA-Meditation: Worldwide consortium for neuroscientific investigations of meditation practices. |
Episode 43: Supporting patient transition from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to home
Jul 2024 |
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| I am joined by Christopher Cox, MD, MPH, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. He directs Duke’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and works as an ICU physician and clinical researcher. His research focuses on understanding and improving care for critical illnesses and designing and testing healthcare technologies in the ICU setting. His overall goal is to enhance the quality of care and outcomes for individuals experiencing serious illnesses. In this discussion, we explore his research on using mobile interventions to reduce patient distress following ICU hospitalization. Materials discussed: Cox, C. E., Gallis, J. A., Olsen, M. K., Porter, L. S., Gremore, T., Greeson, J. M., ... & Hough, C. L. (2024). Mobile Mindfulness Intervention for Psychological Distress Among Intensive Care Unit Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal mMedicine. Cox, C. E., Gallis, J. A., Olsen, M. K., Porter, L. S., Gremore, T. M., Iwashyna, T. J., ... & Hough, C. L. (2024). Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Addressing Psychological Distress Among Survivors of Hospitalization for COVID-19 Infection. CHEST Critical Care. |
Episode 42: Maternal mindfulness and cardiometabolic health during pregnancy |
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| I'm joined by Karen Lindsay, PhD, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with expertise in maternal and child health, nutrition-stress interactions, and mindful eating. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and of Population Health and Disease Prevention at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), as well as the Early Career Chair for Integrative Health in the UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. Her research focuses on clinical and community-based studies on nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, particularly the nutrition-stress interplay during pregnancy. She investigates the potential for prenatal mindfulness-based interventions to enhance maternal health behaviors, cardiometabolic health, and clinical pregnancy outcomes, with lifelong implications for offspring health and disease risk. Materials discussed: Lindsay, K. L., Guo, Y., & Gyllenhammer, L. E. (2024). Mindfulness and cardiometabolic health during pregnancy: An integrative review. Mindfulness. Lindsay, K. L., Most, J., Buehler, K., Kebbe, M., Altazan, A. D., & Redman, L. M. (2021). Maternal mindful eating as a target for improving metabolic outcomes in pregnant women with obesity. Frontiers in Bioscience. |
Episode 41: Enhancing children's math skills through digital games with mindfulness prompts |
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| I’m joined by Bruce McLaren, PhD, Associate Research Professor at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on leveraging gaming and technology to support education and evaluating the impact of game systems on performance outcomes. He has over 20 years of experience in the commercial sector, applying research ideas to practical problems using Artificial Intelligence techniques. From 2000 to 2002, he served as Director of eCommerce Technologies at OpenWebs Corporation, where he led a team of engineers in developing an intelligent B2B trading product. He also spearheaded numerous expert system projects during his more than 10 years at Carnegie Group, Inc. In his academic role, he has researched and developed educational technology that utilizes AI techniques to assist teachers in moderating collaborative e-Discussions and online arguments. He is the current Secretary and Treasurer and a past President of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society. Materials discussed: Bereczki, E. O., Takacs, Z. K., Richey, J. E., Nguyen, H. A., Mogessie, M., & McLaren, B. M. (2024). Mindfulness in a digital math learning game: Insights from two randomized controlled trials. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. |
Episode 40: The mindful surgeon: the state of research and ethos of the scalpel |
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| I'm joined by Carter Lebares, MD, a gastrointestinal surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. She serves as the Director of the UCSF Center for Mindfulness in Surgery. Her research interests encompass resilience and mindfulness in surgery, mindfulness and nutrition in metabolic syndrome and obesity, the neuroendocrine and cognitive effects of stress on learning and performance, and endoscopic surgery for diseases of the esophagus and stomach. Additionally, she has developed the Enhanced Stress Resilience Training curriculum for surgeons. Together, we explore the application of mindfulness in the surgical profession and explore the surgical ethos. Materials discussed: Coopersmith, A. S., Shroff, Y. V., Wen, G. A.,... Lebares, C. C. (2024). Mindfulness Based Interventions for Surgeons: A Scoping Review. Annals of Surgery. Lebares, C. C., Hershberger, A. O., Guvva, E. V., Desai, A., Mitchell, J., Shen, W., ... & Harris, H. W. (2018). Feasibility of formal mindfulness-based stress-resilience training among surgery interns: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Surgery. |
Episode 39: Lifestyle interventions to safeguard brain health and reduce dementia risks |
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| I am joined by Ryan Mace, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research. His research combines mindfulness, lifestyle modifications, and digital health tools to promote brain health and reduce dementia risk factors in diverse aging populations. Supported by an NIA K23 Career Development Award, he is refining and testing a novel group mindfulness-based lifestyle program for older adults with early dementia risk factors (“My Healthy Brain”). His research aims to redefine brain health such that promoting healthy lifestyles and well-being to reduce dementia becomes a priority earlier in the lifespan. Materials discussed: Mace, R. A., Stauder, M. J., Hopkins, S. W., Cohen, J. E., Pietrzykowski, M. O., Philpotts, L. L., ... & Vranceanu, A. M. (2024). Mindfulness-Based Interventions Targeting Modifiable Lifestyle Behaviors Associated With Brain Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Mace, R. My Healthy Brain: a mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention to modify early risk of dementia in older adults. NIA grant 1K23AG075257-01. |
Episode 38: Chief cancer surgeon reviews use of mindfulness in operating room
Feb 2024 |
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| I am joined by Timothy M. Pawlik, MD, PhD, MPH, MTS, MBA, FACS, FSSO, FRACS (Hon.), who serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Urban Meyer III and Shelley Meyer Chair for Cancer Research. He also holds the position of Surgeon in Chief at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Additionally, Maryanna Klatt, PhD, from Ohio State and Director of their Integrative Medicine program, joins me for a second time (see episode 20). We engage in an excellent discussion concerning their review of mindfulness trainings for patients before, during, and after surgery. Moreover, we explore the potential promise of mindfulness training for surgeons in the operating room to enhance awareness in the present moment, possibly leading to improved precision in care and better patient outcomes. Materials discussed: Palmer Kelly, E., McGee, J., Klatt, M., Beckers, G., & Pawlik, T. M. (2024). The Use of Brief Mindfulness Interventions in the Context of Perioperative Care. The American Surgeon. Lam, C. N., Silke, O., Itamura, J., Salem, G., & Black, D. S. (2020). Mindfulness training by telephone before and after orthopedic surgery: a feasibility study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. |
Episode 37: Adherence to the DASH hypertensive diet |
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| I am joined by Eric Loucks, PhD, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. His research focuses on human aging and health, with an emphasis on adapting and testing the efficacy of mindfulness programs. He wrote a book called The Mindful College Student, released in 2022. We discuss his recent clinical trial that tests an adapted mindfulness program to support adherence to the DASH diet for hypertension management. Materials discussed: Loucks, E. B., Kronish, I. M., Saadeh, F. B., Scarpaci, M. M., Proulx, J. A., Gutman, R., ... & Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2023). Adapted Mindfulness Training for Interoception and Adherence to the DASH Diet: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. Loucks, E. B., Schuman‐Olivier, Z., Saadeh, F. B., Scarpaci, M. M., Nardi, W. R., Proulx, J. A., ... & Kronish, I. M. (2023). Effect of Adapted Mindfulness Training in Participants With Elevated Office Blood Pressure: The MB‐BP Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Heart Association. |
