Blum Center Program: Sun Safety and Skin Cancer
The Blum Center hosted a skin‑cancer awareness session led by Dr. Shinja Doss, a board‑certified dermatologist, to educate patients on sun safety, risk factors, detection methods, and self‑monitoring techniques. Dr. Doss highlighted that skin cancers account for more diagnoses than all other cancers combined, emphasizing that early detection makes them highly treatable. She outlined major risk factors—ultraviolet exposure, lighter skin tones, red hair, family history, age over 50, immunosuppression from organ transplants, and chronic scars—and stressed that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70. Practical recommendations included applying SPF 30+ sunscreen liberally, reapplying every two hours or after water exposure, wearing UPF‑rated clothing and broad‑brimmed hats, and using smartphones to photograph and track lesions over time. The session underscored that individuals can partner with clinicians by surveilling their own skin daily, potentially reducing advanced disease rates and associated healthcare costs.
DCC Conversations with Caregivers - Strategies for Navigating the Dementia Caregiving Challenge
The video is a conversation on strategies for navigating the dementia caregiving challenge, featuring a seasoned caregiver who shares personal experience, free resources, and a recently published guide. It underscores the growing prevalence of unpaid caregivers—over 12 million in the United...
McCance Seminar Series: Rachel Bennett, PhD
Dr. Rachel Bennett presented evidence that tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease drives microvascular dysfunction, not just the reverse. In tau-overexpressing mice she observed increased vessel tortuosity, non-perfused capillaries, blood–brain barrier leakage, impaired functional hyperemia and upregulation of endothelial adhesion molecules...
Leveraging MGB’s Clinical and Scientific Discovery Engine to Benefit Communities Around the World
Dr. Jonathan Rosand, a neurology leader at Mass General Brigham and Harvard, outlined how an academic medical center’s clinical and scientific engine drives discovery across neurocritical care, stroke genetics, recovery and prevention. Framing his talk around six guiding questions, he...
Why They Give Back
The video showcases three volunteers at Massachusetts General Hospital describing why they give back, emphasizing personal histories that drive their commitment to support patients and families. Ting Yan cites her immigrant upbringing and language barriers as motivation to guide non‑English‑speaking families....
Blum Center Program: Meaning, Purpose, and the Science of Fulfillment
The session, hosted by the Blum Center, featured Carmen Alvarez, a certified positivity and mindfulness facilitator, who led a monthly program exploring the science of meaning, purpose and fulfillment after attending a global summit in Madrid. Alvarez presented research showing that...
Blum Center Program: Loneliness & Health - How Social Connections Impact Our Well-Being
The Blum Center’s educational seminar, led by intern Gavin Dukus, examined how social connections—or the lack thereof—affect physical and mental health. The session defined social connection’s structure, function and quality, contrasted it with social isolation and loneliness, and outlined the...
McCance Seminar Series: Roy Perlis, MD, MSc
The seminar highlighted how artificial intelligence is reshaping psychiatric practice, from ambient AI scribes that automatically document visits to language‑model decision‑support tools that suggest treatments. Dr. Roy Perlis described early experiments at Mass General Brigham, noting that AI scribes saved...
McCance Seminar Series: Tracy Young Pearse, PhD
Dr. Tracy Young‑Pearse presented a seminar on leveraging induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to dissect how Alzheimer’s disease (AD)‑associated genetic variation influences cellular function, with a focus on microglial biology and the blood‑brain barrier. By deriving iPSC lines from...
Blum Center Program: Aging & Skin Health - Supporting Healthy Skin Over Time
The Blum Center’s educational session, led by public‑health intern Veronica Stanche, focused on aging skin and practical strategies for maintaining healthy skin over time. The presentation covered basic skin anatomy, the integumentary system’s protective functions, and how the epidermis, dermis,...
Blum Center Program: Preparing for Your Medical Appointments
In an April 8, 2026 webinar, RN Cara McNally outlines practical steps patients can take to maximize the value of primary‑care or specialist visits. She emphasizes reviewing health records, preparing focused questions, and ensuring necessary documents are on hand. The presentation also highlights...
Blum Center Program: Spill the STI Tea: A Conversation with the Mass General Sexual Health Clinic
The Blum Center’s "Spill the STI Tea" session brought together clinicians from Mass General’s Sexual Health Clinic to demystify sexually transmitted infections during STI Awareness Week. Program manager Eric Jakori introduced nurses, a community health worker, and an infectious‑disease...
Understanding a Neurovascular Disease with Rerouted Vessels and Overexcited Circuits
The grand‑rounds presentation centered on Sturge‑Weber syndrome, a neurovascular disorder marked by facial port‑wine birthmarks, leptomeningeal capillary malformations, and early‑onset epilepsy. Dr. Anna Pinto reviewed the disease’s classic triad, its embryologic distribution, and the recent shift from purely radiologic description to...
Healey Community Q&A Webinar: March 12, 2026 | CNM-Au8 Expanded Access Update
The Healey Community Q&A webinar on March 12, 2026 featured Dr. Jinsey Andrews presenting interim results from the NIH‑funded CNM‑AU8 expanded access program (EAP) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The program targets patients ineligible for traditional clinical trials, offering them...
Blum Center Program: Reset and Renew: A Mindful Transition Into Spring
The Blum Center’s spring edition of its well‑being series featured a live, recorded session titled “Reset and Renew: A Mindful Transition into Spring,” hosted by health‑education specialist Amy Sam and facilitated by certified mindfulness trainer Carmen Alvarez. Alvarez framed the...