The Future of Medicine

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Priscilla Chan, MD, pediatrician and co-founder of Biohub, a first-of-its-kind research initiative combining frontier AI with frontier biology to accelerate progress toward curing or preventing all disease.

Dr. Chan shares how her experience caring for children with rare and undiagnosed conditions shaped her commitment to transforming how science is done. She discusses how patient-led research communities are driving breakthroughs, and how new approaches to data sharing and collaboration are reshaping the pace of discovery.

The conversation explores Biohub’s work to build a “virtual cell”—a comput...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, clinician, AI researcher, and Associate Professor at Stanford, whose work focuses on combining human and artificial intelligence to improve clinical decision-making.

Dr. Chen reflects on the rapid rise of AI in medicine, and the moment he realized everything had changed. He also walks through surprising findings from his research, including studies showing that AI alone can sometimes outperform doctors using AI tools. He explains why this happens, from human bias and “automation errors” to the ways AI systems are designed to agree with user...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Eric Topol, MD, cardiologist, scientist, bestselling author of Super Agers, and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, whose work has helped shape the field of digital medicine and the use of data, genomics, and artificial intelligence to personalize care.

Dr. Topol reflects on how medicine is shifting from treating disease to preventing it, and why extending health span—the years we live in good health—may be one of the most important goals in modern science. He explains how advances in biomarkers, wearable technology, and AI are...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Alexis Thompson, MD, MPH, pediatric hematologist and internationally recognized expert on sickle cell disease whose work helped lead to the first approved gene therapies for this serious condition.

Dr. Thompson reflects on the extraordinary transformation of sickle cell care over the course of her career. From the early days of newborn screening and simple interventions like penicillin to today’s breakthrough gene therapies, the field has experienced what she calls “an amazing arc” of progress.

Dr. Thompson also walks through the remarkable science behind gene therap...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, physician, epidemiologist, and Editor-in-Chief of JAMA, whose work sits at the center of how today’s most influential medical research is evaluated, communicated, and translated into practice.

Dr. Bibbins-Domingo takes us inside the high-stakes world of scientific publishing, exploring how editors weigh evidence, interpret peer review, and decide when research is strong enough to move the field forward. She explains why “no scientific study is perfect,” and what that reality means for clinicians, researchers, and the public.

In this conversation, Dr. Bi...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Mark Skylar-Scott, PhD, bioengineer and researcher at Stanford University, whose work sits at the forefront of 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Skylar-Scott explores the bold challenge of organ manufacturing — why it’s one of the hardest problems in medicine, and why there is good reason for optimism. He explains how advances in bioprinting, vascular engineering, and scalable cell production are opening new possibilities for creating functional human tissues and, one day, whole organs.

In this conversation, Dr. Skylar-Scott shares his journey from engi...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Anna Lembke, MD, psychiatrist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine, and author of the bestselling book, Dopamine Nation.

In this conversation, Dr. Lembke explores how modern life reshapes our brains — from digital media and compulsive overconsumption to addiction, recovery, and the science of pleasure and pain. She explains why “the more pleasure we get, the less happy we are,” and shares insights into how dopamine drives desire in today’s always-on world.

She reflects on her clinical work in addiction medicine, the role of radical...

In this powerful episode of The Future of Medicine, host Dr Euan Ashley sits down with Dr. Miriam Mutebi, a breast surgical oncologist at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Mutebi discusses the rising incidence of cancer in low and middle-income countries, where 70% of global cancer deaths occur despite only 5% of resources being allocated to these regions.

She shares her personal journey into medicine and surgery, reflecting on the challenges she faced as one of the few women in a predominantly male field. Dr. Mutebi highlights the importance of patient-centered care, emphasizing the value of...

What does it really mean to care for patients in an era increasingly shaped by technology?

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, host Dr. Euan Ashley is joined by Dr. Arthur Kleinman — psychiatrist, medical anthropologist, and one of the most influential thinkers on illness, caregiving, and the human experience of medicine. Across a wide-ranging and deeply reflective conversation, Dr. Kleinman explores the enduring distinction between curing disease and caring for people, arguing that medicine cannot succeed without truly understanding patients’ lived experiences.

Drawing on decades of clinical practice, teaching, and scholarship — includ...

In this compelling episode of The Future of Medicine, we dive into an insightful conversation with entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Cuban. Known for his no-nonsense approach, Cuban brings his entrepreneurial spirit to the forefront of one of America’s most pressing issues: healthcare.

Join us as we explore Cuban's perspectives on the broken healthcare system, the escalating drug prices that impact millions, and his vision for reforming a system that often prioritizes profit over patient care. Through candid anecdotes and bold proposals, he challenges the status quo and highlights the innovative solutions he believes can create a mo...

In this special episode of The Future of Medicine, host Euan Ashley sits down with Jennifer Doudna, Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of CRISPR-Cas9, to explore the dramatic ascent of genome editing and what it means for the future of medicine. From the promise of precision therapy that could be “one-and-done” to the challenges of translating groundbreaking science into scalable treatments, this conversation dives deep into science, ethics, policy, and the art of communicating complex ideas to the public.

What you’ll hear:

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we sit down with Dr. Sumbal Desai to explore how consumer health technology is reshaping medicine at scale — and why the human connection between patient and physician remains central to care. From breakthrough blood pressure sensing on wearables to a world-spanning hypertension predictor, Desai shares the design philosophy, scientific basis, and real-world impact behind Apple’s health initiatives. The conversation also delves into practicalities of bringing health data to the bedside — how physician-facing reports are crafted to be digestible in under a minute, how faxes and PDFs are being replaced by smarte...

In this episode of The Future of Medicine, host Dr. Euan Ashley sits down with William Flanary, MD—better known to millions as Dr. Glaucomflecken—for a candid, funny, and deeply human conversation about medicine, media, and what it means to be a physician in the digital age. Recorded during a Stanford Department of Medicine Grand Rounds event, the discussion blends clinical reality with storytelling and comedy to reveal how one ophthalmologist built a second career as a creator, educator, and advocate.

What you’ll hear

Episode Description Welcome to the Future of Medicine, a podcast from Stanford Department of Medicine. Meet the thought leaders reshaping how we understand disease, deliver care, and imagine what’s possible in human health. Built around Stanford Medicine Grand Rounds, one of the longest-running and most respected forums in academic medicine, this show features world-renowned physicians, scientists, innovators, and policy leaders from across the globe, plus Stanford faculty. They span the full spectrum of modern biomedical discovery—from breakthrough therapeutics and cutting-edge genomics to health equity, digital health, global health, neuroscience, AI, and the redesign of care syst...