

The Minor Consult
Stanford Medicine
The Minor Consult explores leadership with innovators, changemakers, and risk-takers.
Hosted by Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, the podcast convenes top minds from across fields to share their perspectives, impart lessons from their careers, and discuss the complex challenges leaders face today. Through their conversations, Dr. Minor unearths the qualities and skills that leaders need to succeed in turbulent times.
Dr. Minor has served as Dean since 2012 and is also a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Stanford Medicine has emerged as a leader in the Precision Health revolution, which emphasizes preventive, personalized health care and leverages advances in biomedicine to treat and cure complex diseases. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Disclaimer: Lloyd Minor has no financial interests in or formal relationships with the organizations of his guests.
Hosted by Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, the podcast convenes top minds from across fields to share their perspectives, impart lessons from their careers, and discuss the complex challenges leaders face today. Through their conversations, Dr. Minor unearths the qualities and skills that leaders need to succeed in turbulent times.
Dr. Minor has served as Dean since 2012 and is also a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Stanford Medicine has emerged as a leader in the Precision Health revolution, which emphasizes preventive, personalized health care and leverages advances in biomedicine to treat and cure complex diseases. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Disclaimer: Lloyd Minor has no financial interests in or formal relationships with the organizations of his guests.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 18, 2024 • 32min
S7 Ep6: Medicare Director Dr. Meena Seshamani on Negotiating Drug Prices & Empowering Community Health Care
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, director of the federal Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, for a conversation about supporting holistic health care through the country’s government insurance program for seniors. They discuss Medicare’s role in advancing prescription drug affordability and the importance of family caregivers and community workers in helping seniors attain their optimal health. They also explore practical approaches Medicare has deployed to advance health equity, and discuss what needs to be done to ensure the program’s financial strength and viability for generations to come.

Dec 4, 2024 • 42min
S7 Ep5: Stanford Medicine’s Michael Pfeffer and Nigam Shah on Scaling AI in Clinical Care
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Michael Pfeffer, MD, chief information and digital officer at Stanford Health Care, and Nigam Shah, MBBS, PhD, the health system’s chief data scientist, for a conversation about how AI is being used to augment health care. They explore how AI is helping clinicians access troves of data to inform patient care and how it’s helping ease their clerical burden, allowing more time for meaningful interactions with patients. They also discuss the guardrails in place to protect privacy and ensure reliability, as well as what is needed to scale AI tools to benefit as many patients as possible.

Nov 20, 2024 • 40min
S7 Ep4: Exploring AI Innovation: Psychiatrist John Torous on How AI Could Transform Mental Health Care
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes John Torous, MD, director of digital psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, for a conversation about AI’s potential to expand access to mental health care and enhance diagnosis and treatment. They discuss how AI can help detect mental distress from an individual’s digital footprint and how it can use data to inform personalized care plans. They also explore the promise and pitfalls of chatbots, how consumers can assess digital health tools, and how the mental health field is evolving to integrate digital health with in-person care — to the benefit of more patients.

Oct 30, 2024 • 40min
S7 Ep3: Exploring AI Innovation: Coalition for Health AI CEO Brian Anderson on guiding responsible AI in biomedicine
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dr. Brian Anderson, co-founder and CEO of the Coalition for Health AI, for a conversation about guiding the responsible development and use of AI in health care. They discuss how government, technology companies, health systems, and patient groups are working together through CHAI to create standards for safe and effective AI tools. They also explore CHAI’s work to build a national network of quality assurance labs to test new AI technologies, and they discuss ways that medical education can prepare physicians of the future to leverage AI’s potential for the benefit of patients around the world.

Oct 2, 2024 • 30min
S7 Ep2: Paul Simon on Musical Inspiration & His Hopes for a Cure for Hearing Loss
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes legendary musician Paul Simon for a conversation about his latest album “Seven Psalms,” and what it was like to lose hearing in his left ear as he was writing and recording it. In addition to Simon’s musical influences and songwriting process, they discuss his advocacy and involvement with the Stanford Institute to Cure Hearing Loss; and they explore Simon’s views on leadership and hopes for future medical advancements.

Sep 18, 2024 • 32min
S7 Ep1: 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki on Elevating Preventive Health through Consumer Genetics
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe, for a conversation about how personal genetics can empower consumers to drive healthier futures. They discuss how 23andMe has evolved over nearly two decades, including pioneering direct-to-consumer genetic testing. They also explore challenges and opportunities of partnering with health care providers, the potential for genetic data to elevate preventive health care, and how AI could accelerate innovation in medicine.

Jun 5, 2024 • 38min
S6 Ep6: Grammy-Winning Violinist Itzhak Perlman on the Necessity of Practice & the Art of Performance
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman for a conversation about the joy of performing, the importance of practice, and how musicians hone their unique sound. They discuss the nuances of teaching music, the connection between audience and performer, and how Perlman’s musical expression has changed over a career spanning six decades. They also explore some of Perlman’s most memorable performances, including at Barack Obama’s inauguration and performing Igor Stravinsky’s Concerto in D for the legendary composer.

May 22, 2024 • 29min
S6 Ep5: Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi on Breaking Barriers & Making Discoveries in Scientific Research
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD, 2022 Nobel laureate in chemistry, professor of chemistry and director of Sarafan ChEM-H at Stanford University, for a conversation about her journey breaking barriers in scientific research. They discuss how her early passion for organic chemistry laid the foundation for her prize-winning work, and how the new field that she founded, bioorthogonal chemistry, has led to the development of better diagnostic testing and targeting for medical treatments. They also explore obstacles historically faced by women and LGBTQ scientists, the importance of fostering diversity in research labs, and how curiosity-driven discoveries can change lives for the better.

May 8, 2024 • 26min
S6 Ep4: ‘Fresh Air’ Co-Host Tonya Mosley on the Power of Storytelling and the Importance of News Literacy
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes veteran journalist Tonya Mosley, co-host of the National Public Radio program “Fresh Air,” for a conversation about the power of stories to connect people across communities. They discuss her experiences reporting around the country, the importance of addressing implicit bias in journalism, and her approach to conducting meaningful long-form interviews. They also explore why news literacy is essential for the youngest generation, and how her family and roots in Detroit inspired her latest podcast, “She Has a Name,” along with other personally significant works.

Apr 22, 2024 • 35min
S6 Ep3: World Health Organization Special Envoy Dr. Vanessa Kerry on Climate Change as a Global Health Crisis
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes physician Vanessa Kerry, World Health Organization Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health and CEO of Seed Global Health, for a conversation about the broad-reaching impact of climate change on human health. They discuss global priorities for addressing the climate crisis, strategies for supporting health care workers in developing countries, and why a historic moment at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference presents an opportunity for international momentum. They also explore the origins of Seed Global Health, lessons to be gleaned from its model of training and investment, and the importance of leading by example.


