Open Mics with Dr. Stites

Open Mics with Dr. Stites - Reducing the Risk of Breast Cancer

Today we're talking about breast cancer. It's a diagnosis no woman wants to hear. But there is research into drugs that may reduce the risk of breast cancer and alleviate symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes. Interested in breast cancer prevention research? Email  [email protected]  to Learn More Or call 913-588-7791

Migraine Relief Surgery

Freedom from migraines without a pill spray or drug. Migraine relief surgery offered close to home. Why patients are desperate for a permanent fix and how to tell if you're a candidate.

Maternity Deserts

More and more women are facing long drives to deliver their babies. How far is "too far" for adequate prenatal and maternity care? The challenges and solutions in ensuring every mother receives the care she deserves.

Heat Therapy for Alzheimer’s

Taking a dip, for Alzheimer’s research. How can hot tubs help your brain health? We show you the science of a study that sounds almost too good to be true. What scientists are measuring while participants soak.

Nanotechnology Implants

Nanotechnology, implanted in the brain and spine. Remarkable research is letting paralyzed patients walk again. The blurry boundary between what's your brain at work and what's technology. Meet researchers teaching AI to decode your thoughts.

Research Growth at KU Medical Center

More research than ever is happening at KU Medical Center. How do millions of dollars in federal grants trickle down to the everyday patient? The explosive growth of research into cancer, Alzheimer's and so much more.

COVID in Historical Context

Masks, shutdowns and a brand-new vaccine. To live through COVID was to witness history. But how will history remember the pandemic? COVID in a historical context. How the world suffered and learned through other pandemics.

Genetic Counseling For Cancer

Genetic tests are changing healthcare and doctors aren't the only experts who should read your results. We show you the science behind genetic counselors how their niche expertise can help prevent misdiagnosis.

New Prostate Cancer Drug - "Heat Seeking Missile"

When prostate cancer spreads a new kind of treatment can seek it out and destroy it. The radioactive particle that doctors compare to a “heat seeking missile" providing a better life, with fewer side effects.

Flash Radiation

Instead of 6 weeks of radiation, imagine needing just one second of treatment. The amazing promise of "flash radiation” which could spare your tissue and your immune system. We ask how close this medical breakthrough is to reaching patients.

Love's Connection to the Heart and Mind - Plus, Chiefs Kingdom Celebrates

Why do married people live longer? What does a loving relationship do to the brain? Does sharing a bed actually improve sleep health? The Science of Love. The surprising health benefits of a loving relationship.

Pulmonary Hypertension

What happens when high blood pressure reaches inside your lungs? The changing treatments for pulmonary hypertension. Meet one young woman hoping new medicine will help reclaim her life.

Four Years After the Start of the Pandemic - Where Do We Stand Now?

After nearly four years of the covid pandemic, where do we stand now? The virus is still out there, and vaccination rates are lagging. Hear what leading doctors across the metro are seeing in their hospitals.

Interstitial Lung Diseases

Scar tissue inside the lungs, with an interstitial lung disease, symptoms don't start until the damage is done. Life with an I.L.D. means putting effort into every breath. We discuss treatments and training that give patients more air.

FAP - Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

A rare condition comes with a choice, remove your colon, or wait for cancer. New research aimed at delaying the cancer as long as possible. The important first step and need for new treatments.

"All of Us" Research Program

No two people are the same and that means the best healthcare is tailored to the individual. Creating a database that can shape the future of medicine. We look at what the "All of Us" research program wants from you.

Risk Reducing Surgeries & Choices for Breast and Ovarian Cancer

It's called "the Angelina Jolie effect." More women than ever are having their breasts or ovaries removed, just in case, they get cancer. Risk-reducing surgery. We ask doctors when it makes the most sense and hear from one woman who made a drastic decision based on her genetics.

Living Kidney Donation Niece to Uncle

Steve Thon, kidney recipient and Cindy’s uncle A diehard Kansas Jayhawks fan, eight years ago Steve started experiencing renal disease. He felt sick all the time and was close to going on dialysis right before his niece surprised him with a call about being a living kidney donor.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Silvia Byer learned she had breast cancer while she was thousands of miles from home, on vacation, overseas. She had no clue one of the world's leading experts in her specific kind of cancer was waiting for her back home. The treatment and research that helped Silvia, and countless other future patients.

Living with Epilepsy

Living with epilepsy means never knowing when the next seizure will strike. What happens when you treat the seizures at their source? Meet one man reclaiming his life thanks to a unique brain implant.

Weight Loss Medication and Exercise

We've all heard about the new group of medications, GLP-1 drugs, and the FDA has approved these and others to help people lose weight. When used for the right reasons, like avoiding pre-diabetes for example, these injectable drugs can be lifesaving. But the weight loss from these medications alone won't provide all the health benefits you need. You've got to exercise! And there is now research and science to back that up.

Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Breast Reconstruction

Skin Removal Surgery

Show Me the Science: How Proton Therapy Revolutionizes Cancer Treatment

It’s Pink Week – the first week in October dedicated to all things breast cancer. Learn more about how new proton therapy is a gamechanger for treating cancer.

Regional Chief Medical Officer Panel on Planning for COVID, Flu, RSV

Chief medical officers from around the region discuss plans for COVID, flu, and RSV in the upcoming months. Guests include Dr. Jennifer Watts, chief emergency management medical officer, Children’s Mercy; Dr. Mark Steele, executive chief clinical officer, University Health; Dr. Chaksu Gupta, FCAP, CMO, Liberty Hospital; Dr. Jennifer Schrimsher, public health officer, Douglas County; infectious disease physician, Lawrence Memorial Hospital; Dr. Cliff Jones, vice president, subspecialty medici...

From a Stomachache to Emergency Surgery in 24 Hours

Most patients walking into an Emergency Department get treated and go home. We meet one man who ended up needing to be rushed to the operating room, as well as the emergency surgeons standing by for cases like his. Guests include Dr. Jennifer Hartwell, section chief, emergency general surgery, and Mary Perry, RN, clinical program coordinator, emergency general surgery.

What is Fatigue and When Should You See a Doctor?

Fatigue is common among older adults and finding the cause is important. We explain the medical meaning of fatigue and when it's worth seeing a doctor. Guests include Dr. Christian Sinclair, hospice & palliative care specialist, and Dr. Jessica Kalender-Rich, geriatric specialist.

Keeping an Eye on Macular Degeneration

Millions of people either have or will develop macular degeneration at some point. If untreated, it can cause blindness. We'll show you how it's diagnosed and treated through the eyes of a Kansas City woman who has it. Guests include Dr. Radwan Ajlan, comprehensive ophthalmologist.

Preventing the Next Pandemic: Other Infectious Diseases Beyond COVID Health Care Professionals Are Monitoring

We all know about COVID, but there are other infectious diseases that keep the specialists awake at night. Dr. Dana Hawkinson shares what he's watching worldwide and here at home to keep us safe along with the other health care professionals working together to guard against the next pandemic.

Why Older Adults Now Need Three Vaccines This Fall

Older adults need 3 vaccines this fall, Flu, COVID and the first ever shot for RSV. We walk you through the complicated vaccine schedule with world-renowned vaccine expert Dr. Gregory Poland.

Helping the Millions Suffering Long COVID

Long COVID is not getting the same attention or funding as COVID itself. We’ll meet two researchers leading the push to simply define what Long COVID means, and help millions of patients in the process. Guests include Dr. Mario Castro, pulmonologist with The University of Kansas Health System and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research at The University of Kansas Medical Center, and Dr. Cliff Rosen, endocrinologist, associate editor at the New England Journal of Medicine; and the D...

Post-Transplant Skin Problems

A life-saving gift sometimes leaves a troubling mark. From rashes to lesions to infections, organ and bone marrow donations can lead to skin disorders. Dermatologists delve into post-transplant skin problems, why they happen and how they're treated. Guests include dermatologist Dr. Adela Cardones.

Patients, Doctors and Pharmacists Navigating Global Drug Shortages

How do doctors, pharmacists and patients navigate global drug shortages? Guests include Rick Couldry and Dr. Holzbeierlein.

Show Me the Science: An Unusual Form of Chemotherapy Where Drugs Are Administered Through the Belly

Our experts dive into an unusual form of chemotherapy called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy – or HIPEC – where drugs are administered through the belly. Guests include Dr. Mazin Al-Kasspooles.

Beyond the CPAP Machine – The Growing Range of Sleep Disorder Treatments

Learn more about the challenge of diagnosing sleep disorders and the growing range of treatment options that go way beyond a CPAP machine. Guests include Dr. Christopher Larsen and Dr. Damien Stevens.

Improving Health Care for Rural America

Learn how The University of Kansas Health System is improving healthcare for rural Kansans and how overall healthcare needs are changing for rural America.

The Importance of Wellness Exams

Some people wait to see a doctor until they're sick. But from a doctor's perspective, they still want to see patients even when they're feeling fine. Our experts talk about the way a routine a wellness exam, also called a "check-up," is perhaps the most important interaction you can have with your healthcare provider.

The End of the COVID Emergency: What Does That Mean for Patients, Providers and the Future of Vaccines?

Experts discuss the end of the COVID emergency. What does it mean for patients, providers and the future of vaccines? Guests include the health system's medical director of infection prevention and control Dr. Dana Hawkinson, the health system's Director of Admitting Loretta Stoufer and the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Gregory Poland.

The Science Behind Why Item’s Like Headscarves, Wigs and Prosthetics Are Crucial for Cancer Patients

Headscarves, wigs and prosthetics are crucial for cancer patients during and after their treatment. But it’s more than just the visual benefits. We show you the science behind why these personal items make a mental difference. Guests include Lizzie Wright, social worker and Program Director at Turning Point, and Judy Newell, the Appearance Center Manager at Missys' Boutique.

New Alzheimer’s Research Changing the Way Doctors Think About Diets

From allergies to Alzheimer's, inflammation contributes to all kinds of problems. But it's also a fundamental immune response meant to protect us. New research is changing what doctors think about inflammation and what we should be eating. Guests include Dr. Winston Dunn, Dr. Selina Gierer and Dr. Matt Shoemaker.

How Fecal Transplants Are Saving Lives

You've heard of a blood bank. But what about a stool bank? A fecal transplant may sound strange or even gross, but the procedure is saving lives. We’ll look at who qualifies and why. Guests include gastroenterologist Dr. Mollie Jackson.

Why Pregnant Black Moms Are at Risk And What to Do About It

Pregnancy and childbirth should be safe and joyful. But America has a maternal health problem. Black mothers in particular are at risk. Meet an expert who has dedicated her life to keeping black mothers and babies healthy. And how she's working with others to fix the disparities.

Training the Immune System to Eliminate Cancer with CAR-T and CRISPR

When standard chemotherapy wasn’t working for one patient, a blend of two remarkable therapies – CAR-T and CRISPR – trained the immune system to exterminate the cancer. Guests include patient Katie Kopp and Dr. Joseph McGuirk, hematologist and medical oncologist and the Division Director of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Possible Changes in Organ Donation Rules How it Could Affect the Midwest

The federal government recently outlined a plan to revamp the nation's organ transplant system, hoping to make it more efficient. We’ll talk with transplant doctors and a U.S. Senator about what those changes could mean for us in the Midwest.

Three Years of the Pandemic: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Headed

It’s been three years since the pandemic broke out. We’ll talk with Dr. Lee Norman, former Kansas Health Secretary, about what we’ve learned and where we’re headed.

Healing and Preventing Women’s Sports Injuries, Plus: Live From Royals Spring Training

Getting off the sideline and back in the game. One high school athlete went from crutches to an operating table, then back to the pitching mound. Our Women in Sports series turns its focus toward injuries, both healing them and preventing them. Plus a live report from Royals Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.

Outgrowing His Implant – Alex Goodwin’s Survival Story Reaches Halfway Around the World

Alex Goodwin's cancer survival story reached halfway around the world. What happens now that Alex is outgrowing the implant that helped save his life six years ago? We will talk live with Alex, his father and his doctor.

New Research Shows Better Outcomes for Some of the Worst Strokes

Every minute matters when you have a stroke. New research could change how doctors react in those critical moments. We highlight brand new research on "Show Me The Science" focused on better outcomes in some of the worst strokes. We’ll hear directly from a survivor.

How Old is Too Old for a New Heart?

Most heart transplant programs would not operate on a 74-year-old man. How old is too old to get a new heart? You’ll meet a man who found out why age is sometimes just a number.