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What is your favorite fictional villain or monster? Do they have a medical condition that led them on the path of evil? How medically accurate is that? Perhaps that character wouldn’t have a been a bad guy were it not for neglect or other people’s hubris? Our experts for this episode are Ron Cook, D.O., Chief Health Officer for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Alan Pang, M.D., assistant professor in the school of medicine and surgeon with Texas Tech Physicians, previous guests. They talked to us about the medical realities behind some popular villains and monsters and separated the fact from fiction when it comes to monsters’ and villains’ physical appearances or underlying medical conditions.

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Respiratory illness season is practically here. What can you do to protect your lung health right now? Tushi Singh, M.D., and Ricardo Franco, M.D., both pulmonologists with Texas Tech Physicians, are back for another episode, this one on lung cancer and what we can do to keep our lungs healthy, especially during this time of the year. You will definitely gain a better appreciation for your lungs after listening.

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Our introduction reminds our listeners that they are getting evidence-based advice and here's an example of how our experts are doing just that. Texas Tech Physicians Orthopedic Surgeon Matthew Kraeutler, M.D., wants to preserve our knee joints and delay or avoid the need for a total knee replacement. He describes the three primary factors involved with preservation of the knee joint -- joint alignment, meniscal status and ligament stability -- and how a deficiency in one can affect the others.

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September is National Preparedness Month, but we should be prepared for disasters regardless of the time of year. In addition to being prepared, it's good to know also what role public health has when it comes to preparing and responding to disasters. Amal Mitra, DrPH, MBBS, chair of the department of public health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Julia Jones Matthews School for Population and Public Health explains how those in public health prepare for disasters, especially water safety, sanitation and disease surveillance. Mitra also highlights long-term long-term health issues post-disasters, such as PTSD, cardiovascular disease and sleep disturbances. He also shares his experience of what it was like to live in an are impacted by Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago.

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Our health and well-being can affect our sexual health. Illness and disease affect men and women when it comes to physical relationships. Oftentimes, those issues take a toll on our mental health. Don't suffer in silence. Talk to a medical professional. Our guest experts for this episode are two advance practice nurse practitioners from the department of urology, Melissa Bowyer, APRN, and Kristen Sharma, APRN. Both are with Texas Tech Physicians and see patients in the TTUHSC Multispecialty Clinic at the UMC Health and Wellness Hospital. They answered our questions about what health issues could affect our sexual health and tell us that there is hope

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In part two of this special series, we take our listeners on the journey of childhood cancer, from diagnosis to survivorship. This is the story of Emmie Rangel, a four-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer. Because she and her family live in a rural area, they had to travel for hours in order to receive a diagnosis and then for treatment and other emergencies. This episode shifts to a narrative format from our usual interview/question and answer format.

Part 1: Hope in Every Step

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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is one of the leading causes of disease-related deaths in children. Thanks to advances in treatment, early detection and specialized pediatric oncology, survival rates for many childhood cancers have improved.

This is part one of a two-episode series on childhood cancer. Mohamad Al-Rahawan, M.D., pediatric oncologist with Texas Tech Physicians, answers our questions about childhood cancer and explains why and how it's different from cancer in adults. Dr. Al-Rahawan also encourages our listeners to support the upcoming Lubbock Pediatric Cancer Walk on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.

In the next episode, you’ll hear again from Dr. Al-Rahawan and how a family dealt not only with a cancer diagnosis for their daughter, but how they managed having to travel for treatments and emergencies and being away from the rest of their family.

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By now, college students have had time to settle into their new routines. That's why now is the time for them to get to know their student health center. Our guest for this episode is Erika Radford, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians family medicine doctor and assistant medical director at Student Health Services. She talks to us about the many services available for students at TTUHSC and TTU, but make sure to check with your university or college health center because many of them offer the same types of services. Dr. Radford tells us what students can expect to find at the health center, what screenings students should strongly consider getting and why it's worth your time and money to visit your student health center.