Advances

You may have heard of Dry January and mocktails, but what is being "sober curious" really about? Sans Bar's Chris Marshall explains the growing movement and shares how he's building inclusive, alcohol-free communities.

Since 2014, Aspen Ideas: Health has gathered innovative thinkers and doers to elevate and accelerate bold approaches to better health for all. Director Ruth Katz reflects on the last decade of inspiring conversations and connections, which have influenced the work of many of our extraordinary speakers, fellows, and attendees. Check out the new booklet, "Celebrating 10 Year...

Everyone has a story to tell – and sharing them reminds us of our common humanity. Few know this better than StoryCorps CEO Sandra Clark. Over the last 20 years, the organization has collected, archived, and shared the extraordinary stories of everyday people. Learn about the powerful ways storytelling and listening can help cultivate empathy and foster understanding.

Effective design can improve the experiences, devices, services and spaces of healthcare, says Bon Ku of the Health Design Lab. The physician and Aspen Ideas: Health speaker shares how his fellow clinicians can benefit from embracing the mindset of a designer.

For health researchers, space is proving to be a unique laboratory to explore stem cells, pharmaceuticals, 3D bioprinting, food science, and more. Ahead of Aspen Ideas: Health, TRISH's Dorit Donoviel explains how collaboration and open science can help advance these "out-of-this-world" discoveries for all mankind.

In today's society, sleep is often seen as a luxury, but Project Sleep's Julie Flygare wants us to envision a world where pulling a “sleep-all-nighter” is the new badge of honor. Prior to her Aspen Ideas: Health conversation, the sleep advocate shares seven fascinating facts about sleep and how we can better access its power to improve our waking lives.

Aspen Ideas: Health is where the arts meet health. Ahead of the 10th annual event this summer, we're looking back at some of the innovative artists, musicians, actors, filmmakers, playwrights, and dancers who have shared their creative expressions of the mind, body, and spirit on our stages. Explore how the arts help expand our understanding of health and well-being.

Over the last nine years, Aspen Ideas: Health has welcomed nearly 700 inspiring women leaders to our stages to share their bold approaches to better health. In honor of Women's History Month, we're taking a look back at just some of the many highlights. From medical researchers and clinicians to entrepreneurs and activists, meet 9 change makers who are breaking barriers to...

From the "War on Cancer" to the "Cancer Moonshot", extraordinary progress continues to be made in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Research is driving life-extending gene therapies, immunotherapies, and other targeted therapeutics forward. Otis Brawley of Johns Hopkins University explains the latest developments at the cutting-edge of cancer care.

For people with post-traumatic stress disorder, therapy assisted by the drug MDMA may provide lasting relief, with a new way of seeing their trauma and themselves. Rachel Yehuda explains the pioneering study of this promising therapy. Presented by Mount Sinai Health System.

Soon, we may be able to visualize any biological process in the human body, at any scale, in real time. Here’s what it will take to get there. Presented by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Race, ethnicity, age, sex, environment, and other social determinants of health can all impact how different people respond to the same medicine or vaccine. This is why diversity and inclusivity at every stage of the medical research process are critical to learning about the safety and efficacy of potential treatments for all patients. Presented by Pfizer.

"My organization in Tulsa is making pregnancy tests, emergency contraception, and condoms available, but these solutions need to be scaled and distributed more broadly." Laura Bellis, a 2022 Aspen Healthy Communities Fellow, discusses ways to support reproductive autonomy beyond abortion access.

Meet Kistein Monkhouse, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's bridging gaps in patient/provider communication with a storytelling app that empowers people to own the narrative of their health journey.

Can the data collected through smartphones, wearable sensors, and passive monitoring devices be turned into actionable knowledge about the environmental impacts on our health? Meet three innovative researchers who are using these technologies to unlock the mysteries of Crohn’s disease and more. Presented by the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Hospitals and health systems have a critical role to play in turning health equity talk into action. Learn how the field is using strategic investments to drive innovative solutions forward. Presented by the American Hospital Association.

Two pioneering doctors are saving lives and making surgeries safer with new, innovative approaches. Presented by Mount Sinai Health System

If you're fully vaccinated, are you protected from COVID-19? Will we need booster shots? What's the best way to keep children safe as they return to school? Infectious disease experts weigh in. Presented by Mount Sinai Health System.

Building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are significant opportunities to expand the use of rapid testing to address many health challenges around the world- from infectious diseases like malaria and HIV to non-infectious health needs like prenatal care. Learn how Abbott is intentionally approaching product development to democratize, decentralize and...

Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry had to quickly adapt to confront the rapidly evolving challenges facing its patients, customers, and employees. Learn how three key decisions enabled Merck & Co. to accelerate innovation in 2020 and why these lessons will be critical to future success in addressing the most pressing healthcare challenges.