Causes or Cures
"For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots"
Causes or Cures is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Eeks—an independent, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a passion for breaking down complex health topics into bite-sized, easy-to-understand insights. Dr. Eeks works as a public health consultant, in the realm of epi/scicomms. She's all about making science relatable and often uses her blue-collar sense of humor to drive the message home.
On this podcast, Dr. Eeks talks with experts from around the world—doctors, researchers, public health pros, and more—to dive into the latest hot topics in health and research, all in a down-to-earth kind of way.
DISCLAIMER: Some topics are more controversial than others, so keep in mind that this is information only and not health advice. Dr. Eeks doesn't endorse any of her guests' views, and despite a strict health routine, nor does she endorse any products, supplements, oils, magic socks or potions. Causes or Cures is not a "news site." It's about having conversations, and Dr. Eeks is confident that she can have a respectful conversation with anyone, even people who think far differently than she does. (At least that's been her experience at hole-in-the-wall bars.) The point is to not take anything here as Gospel. Sometimes Dr. Eeks' dog Barnaby makes his opinion known, but the good news is that he's a smart dog. Most importantly, she hopes this podcast encourages folks to stay curious, empathic, hopeful, compassionate, honest, open-minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful thing, delightfully messy, and one that many take for granted.
The views on this podcast do not reflect the views of anyone she contracts with or consults for. You can contact Dr. Eeks through her website, bloomingwellness.com.
Causes or Cures
The First Real-Time Platform to Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness, with Professor Maggie Wang
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Professor Maggie Wang about the first, real-time platform to predict the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The podcast is based on her and her team's work published in Nature Medicine in June of 2022. The platform has the potential to be used for other vaccines as well.
In the podcast, Professor Wang will discuss the research behind the platform, how vaccine effectiveness relates to "genetic distance"; how, when using the platform, the different COVID-19 vaccine platforms compare; why over 80% of variation in vaccine effectiveness is due to the genetic distance measure; how the platform can predict vaccine effectiveness by vaccine type and geopgraphical area; reverse vaccinology, and the larger, practical implications of this real-time platform.
Professor Wang is founder and director of BethBio, a biotech company located in Hong Kong that focuses on vaccine development and translating frontier research results into vaccine technologies. She is also the Co-Director of the Master of Science Program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Review Editor for Human Genetics.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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