The H.E.A.R.T. doctor

How many people knew what they wanted to do when they were 9? Sure, maybe you wanted to be a rockstar or a fire fighter, but a psychologist? Well we know one person at least! Dr. Lindsey Rodriguez is a social psychologist interested in the science underlying close relationships. As the director of Healthy Emotions and Relationship Theories (HEART) Laboratory she and her colleagues are looking for new ways to help people with difficult relationships.

We talked to Lindsey about her work studying how alcohol can be harmful and helpful in romantic relationships, and how to do that in a scientific manner.

Season 7ScientistsIncApril 2, 2020Pour Tap Roomscience, scicomm, #2scis, alcohol, relationships, psychology, Women in STEMComment

Addiction and attachment in monogamous mammals

Part III of our Stanford Special.

Dr. Natalie Nevárez is first generation Mexican, the first in her family to go to college, but only the second to receive a scholarship from Pornhub (yes you read that right), and she’s proud of all of these things! She talked to us about her past and present research looking at how animals form attachments, and the importance of social networks in tackling problems like addiction. Natalie also talked to us about struggling through grad school, getting therapy and her love for community colleges. You can follow her fighting the good fight on twitter.

Season 6ScientistsIncFebruary 22, 2019Stanford universityscience, scicomm, #2scis, biology, podcast, neuroscience, brain, addiction, attachment, monogamy, relationshipsComment

The queen of oxytocin

Oxytocin is often touted as the “love hormone”, but it’s also the focus of neuroscientist Dr. Bianca Jones Marlin. Bianca sat down to tell us about her work on how trauma can be inherited, and how oxytocin helps the brain to adapt to caring for a newborn. Join us to hear about her experiences growing up in a unique family, how they inspired her research career and her own personal love story.

Now she’s a scientist, educator and communicator, and she’s shared her work in many venues, including taste of science in NYC. You can keep up with her appearances on twitter.