Inside UVA

This week, President Ryan sits down with Dean Cedric Rucker, veteran of Admissions and Student Affairs at both UVA and the University of Mary Washington. Dean Rucker describes his early life under segregation in Virginia, his time as the first Black male student on campus housing at Mary Washington, and his 40-year career in Admissions and Student Affairs, first recruiting students and then building trust with the student body. After Dean Rucker's retirement from UMW--which named the University Center in his honor--he was asked by President Ryan to become as Interim Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at UVA, where he now serves and lives on the Lawn.

This week, President Ryan sits down with Dr. Bruce Greyson, a Professor of Psychiatric Medicine and former Director of UVA's Division of Perceptual Studies. Dr. Greyson is an expert on near-death experiences--the unusual experiences reported by patients who come close to death or are pronounced dead, which include enhanced thinking, strong emotions, paranormal experiences, and visions of another realm. Dr. Greyson describes his history documenting near-death experiences, the questions they raise in neuroscience and philosophy, and his latest book: "After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond."

Welcome to another season of Inside UVA! This week, President Ryan sits down with Malcolm Brogdon--an NBA player for the Portland Trail Blazers, Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association, an activist and philanthropist, as well as a Double Hoo. Malcolm discusses his time playing for UVA Basketball under Tony Bennett, his decision to finish his Master's before joining the NBA, lessons learned from his mother, and his work advocating for clean water and racial justice.

Tim Longo has been UVA's Chief of Police and Associate Vice President for Safety and Security since 2019, and he served as Charlottesville's police chief for fifteen years before that. In this episode, he and President Ryan discuss his long history in law enforcement, his duty to UVA students and parents, and what he thinks police need to do to rebuild trust in local communities. They also discuss the process for sending Community Alerts, including the rationale for sharing and withholding certain information. This episode was recorded in two parts: the first in November 2022, a few days before the tragic shooting that resulted in the deaths of UVA students Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry, and Lavel Davis Jr. The second part was recorded in May 2023, and includes a discussion of the shooting, the community aftermath, and the law enforcement response in subsequent months.

Madison Morey is the libero and team captain for UVA Women's Volleyball. In this episode, she discusses her rise to the role of captain, the importance of discipline and communication in the student-athlete life, and her growth-focused mindset for dealing with failure and overcoming adversity.

Eventually, most of us will find ourselves caring for a loved one as they reach the end of their life. This is an experience nurse Jonathan Bartels has spent his career helping patients and families navigate. Building on his experience in palliative care, in the ICU, the ER, and studying comparative religion and mysticism, he worked to implement a practice known as "The Pause" at UVA Hospital. The Pause is essentially a moment of silent reflection for the care team and the family after a patient passes away. The goal of The Pause is to help all those involved process the patient's death and appreciate their life with the goal of promoting resiliency and healing. In this episode, Nurse Bartels discusses his long career in nursing, compassionate care, and his new hot sauce company.

Ava MacBlane is the editor in chief of the Cavalier daily, an independent student run news organization. She previously served as managing editor for the Cavalier Daily’s one hundred and thirty-third team, as well as the news editor and News Senior Associate Editor. She's also a member of the University Guide Service and a dedicated thespian. In this episode she and President Ryan chat about student journalism at UVA.

Dan Willingham is a cognitive psychologist whose research focuses on the intersection of learning, memory, and education. As an applied researcher, he focuses on communicating psychological principles to educators, using science to help teachers understand student minds and teach more effectively. His latest book, "Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy" focuses on optimizing the learning process—using strategies that encourage retention and understanding while avoiding procrastination and burnout.

Today, we're sharing a conversation with an extremely distinguished UVA alumnus! This episode is a special cross-promotion with a new podcast at UVA, Hoos in STEM, and the featured interview was not conducted by President Jim Ryan. Subscribe to Hoos in STEM: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hoos-in-stem/id1671045329 https://open.spotify.com/show/0gjo3bwE5z1xsLIBHKS3f8 https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9waW5lY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC9ob29zLWluLXN0ZW0 https://www.stitcher.com/show/1057004 https://www.pandora.com/podcast/hoos-in-stem/PC:1001057004 https://virginiaaudio.org/#/hoos-in-stem/ Once in a blue moon, a scientist comes along who revolutionizes the state of our world. Today’s guest, UVA alum Dr. Francis Collins, is one such scientist. After conducting research that isolated the genes that cause disorders like Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis, Dr. Collins went on to lead one of the most audacious projects in the history of science: the Human Genome Project. He also served as the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Science Advisor to the President. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Collins about his career, as well as his strong beliefs that science and faith come hand-in-hand — and he gives us a surprise musical performance!

Dr. Christopher Holstege wears a lot of hats around the university. A toxicologist by training, he recently worked with UVA students and the local master naturalists to develop a guide to the poisonous flora and fauna in the Charlottesville area. He's also put this knowledge work, navigating the wilderness, as an avid trail runner. As director of Student Health and Wellness, he's interested in novel ideas that promote student well-being. And as a research physician, he and his team are frequently studying and publishing their research on the efficacy of their programs. Listeners should know that this episode also discusses mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health challenge, there are a lot of resources available. UVA students can get in touch with Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, online at: https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/CAPS UVA staff and faculty also have access to free mental health resources including counseling through the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program better known as FEAP. https://uvafeap.com Charlottesville area community members can also seek mental heath care at: https://regionten.org https://thewomensinitiative.org https://www.cvillefreeclinic.org Suicide & Crisis Hotline Call 988 or Text 988 LGBT National Hotline 1-888-843-4564 Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860 National Alliance of Mental Illness HelpLine 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)