A new podcast series is featuring Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system, engaged in one-to-one conversations with campus researchers, students and educators who are changing lives and making an impact.
The “Heart to Heart” podcast — named as a nod to Gold’s background as a heart surgeon — launched with an interview with Shane Farritor, the David B. and Nancy K. Lederer Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Farritor discusses innovation, creativity and Virtual Incision, a company that he co-founded. He is working to transform abdominal surgeries with a miniaturized, first-of-its-kind surgical robot, MIRA — which was tested on the International Space Station earlier this year, where it completed its first surgery demo in zero gravity.
Not only could MIRA impact surgical care in space, it could be applied in places that don’t have surgical specialists — such as on the battlefield or in hospitals located in rural areas.
“In Nebraska, some local hospitals have a general surgeon, but the difficult cases get sent to Lincoln or Omaha to work with a specialist,” Farritor said. “What if instead, you could have that specialist dial into a community hospital or critical access hospital and perform the surgery in partnership with a local surgeon? That could have huge benefits for people in rural Nebraska.”
Gold noted that university faculty like Farritor are at the forefront in critical fields, including agriculture, engineering, early childhood education, national defense, and cancer research and care. Farritor and others like him are changing the conversation in their areas of expertise. The "Heart to Heart" podcast will provide Nebraskans a chance to hear directly from these faculty members, as well as from staff and students.
"The teaching and research efforts at the University of Nebraska are transformative," Gold said. "We are proud to share the stories of our colleagues who are educating the next generation, strengthening our communities, and addressing the significant challenges of our era."
New episodes of “Heart to Heart” will be released monthly and will feature faculty, staff and students from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha, as well as community members. Episodes will include a broad range of education and research-related topics such as athletics, counterterrorism, agriculture, student success, healthcare, K-12 education and many others.
Listeners can email ideas for future podcasts to Jackie Ostrowicki at jostrowicki@nebraska.edu.
