Stay Connected***No longer adding new episodes*** On The Record was co-hosted by Sheilah Kast and Ashley Sterner. Sheilah and shared conversations with audacious artists, intrepid scientists, community leaders and more. And of course, tales from the beloved Stoop Storytelling Series.
On The Record was produced by Melissa Gerr. Jon Ehrens created the theme music. Louis Umerlik designed the logo.
Copyright: © 2024 WYPR Baltimore
Our skin is our biggest organ; its proper care can be lifesaving. What if healthcare providers don’t have evidence to draw on for treatment?
Dr. Chesahna Kindred, a Howard University dermatology professor, and owner of Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Columbia, talks of life-threatening situations that show up because Black skin is rarely included in dermatological research trials … and how she’s trying to change that.
And software developer Avery Smith, whose wife died of melanoma that was not treated aggressively, is developing an app to educate and assist people with Black skin:
“I’m trying to create a tool that I wish existed when my wife was here. And I know that there are people everyday that are going through this issue that are aggravated that they cannot find references to their skin issues.”
Links: Melalogic, Kindred Hair & Skin
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
When the pandemic canceled concerts and postponed recitals, musician Brendan Slocumb had time to try something new. What resulted is a gripping mystery about a stolen violin and a dark family secret that threaten to thwart the dreams of classical violinist Ray McMillian.
Like Slocumb, Ray is African American. While writing Ray’s arduous path to success, Slocumb drew on his own experiences facing prejudice from colleagues and conductors, “They see your name on an application or they see you walk in and the decision is already made. If you performed poorly that would be one thing, but if you really did the work and it's just because of what you look like, that’s what really hurts.”
Brendan Slocumb will be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 21st. Details here.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Children under age five are the only group still without a COVID vaccine. That may change next month, when the FDA reviews versions from Moderna and Pfizer.University of Maryland pediatrician Dr. James Campbell discusses why it took so long to develop a vaccine for young children.Then, Baltimore moms Bethan McGarry and Nora West both have toddlers. We hear about the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. McGarry says trying to keep her son safe has been isolating, “It really feels frustrating and limiting. I feel like it puts my spouse and I in really challenging positions all the time."
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Marcus Jerome Williams wants to help your garden grow. The University of Maryland Master Gardener and home horticulture educator gives tips about where, when and what to plant -- And encourages experimenting with hydroponics and vertical gardens. Williams is happy to note a positive outcome of pandemic gardening:
“People have taken a heightened sense of wanting to know how to grow their own food and also they want to know how to be more self-sufficient, and how to just grow their own food and know where their food is coming from.”
Plus, Patty Mochel from the Green Towson Alliance talks about the competition that’s getting people to convert lawns to native plant havens for birds and insects.
Links: Univ. of Maryland Yard and Garden, Univ. of Maryland Extension, Rainwater harvesting info, Feed Our Future, Green Towson Alliance Native Garden Competition, Green Towson Alliance.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Here’s a Stoop Story from Brittany Gardner, who foundconfidence in her voice during the pandemic.
Get to know the Stoop Storytelling Series here. The next live show is May 11th at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The theme is "Hitched: True Personal Tales About Weddings."
Also, the St. Francis Neighborhood Center’s “Spring in Paris” fundraiser is this evening, 7 to 10 p.m. in Reservoir Hill. French-themed fashion, music and art projects by St. Francis’s young people, French wine-tasting, hors d’oeuvres and classical piano by Ryan Shookman. More information here.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
More than 80 million Americans have contracted COVID, and as many as one-third were left with lingering symptoms. Maybe brain fog, or unremitting fatigue.
Epidemiologist Priya Duggal leads the Johns Hopkins long COVID study. Every new COVID infection could turn into long COVID, Duggal warns, and researchers don’t yet know why, "For severe COVID, we had a very clear profile of who may be most likely to get hospitalized. Obviously other people also got hospitalized that weren’t older, or weren’t male, or didn’t have comorbidities, but the majority of people sort of fit a profile. We don’t have that for long COVID.”
We hear about emerging research into the causes and effects of long COVID.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
As Maryland’s comptroller for the past decade and a half, Peter Franchot has wielded one of just three votes--along with the governor and state treasurer--on the powerful Board of Public Works. As Franchot sees it, his know-how as comptroller prepares him to be governor, so he’s running for the Democratic nomination. Franchot rejects the idea that his pattern of cooperating with the Republican governor, after sparring with the previous Democratic executive … won’t play well with Democratic primary voters.
“I speak up. People like that, they want somebody who is going to be - have an outsider perspective. I happen to have insider skills in addition to having that perspective.”
Peter Franchot on jobs, transit, housing, crime and the Bay.
Links: Peter Franchot, Register to vote, July 19 primary in Maryland, MDElections2022.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
The nonprofit ‘Kenya Connect’ mobilizes volunteers in Maryland and people in Kenya to raise the learning level and health of poor pupils whose schools were pummeled by the pandemic.
Intern Rael Mutunge, in Kenya talks about the challenge that entices students to boost their reading power. Catherine Streator, a sophomore at Garrison Forest School, tells how getting sanitary pads to girls at puberty can keep them in school and deter pregnancy. And Sharon Runge, director in the U.S., describes her dream for Kenya Connect:
“Our goal is to see our community being lifted out of poverty through the power of education that more of our students go on to secondary school and university, and become a part of the growing economy in Kenya.
Links: Kenya Connect Mothers Day project, Kenya Connect.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Civil rights lawyer and former Maryland and U.S. secretary of labor Tom Perez is running for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor.
We ask the Montgomery County resident how he plans to address the rising cost of housing and to expand access to health insurance.
Plus, Perez says jobs are a priority. He says fully implementing the Blueprint for Education and tackling the state’s transit challenges will attract employers.
Read more about the Perez campaign platform here.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Last year, doctors told Johns Hopkins neuroscientist and author David Linden that he has eighteen months or less to live. Linden has terminal cancer, found during a routine medical test. As he faces the end of life, he’s thinking deeply about how our brains react to such news.
Linden has researched the brain for decades, from its evolution and plasticity to sensory perception and memory formation. He talks about approaching his diagnosis and the last chapter of his life, with the same intense curiosity.
Read his piece in The Atlantic, "A Neuroscientist Prepares for Death." Listen to Linden's 2021 interview on Midday, about his latest book, "Unique: The New Science of Individuality." This interview originally aired February 8, 2022.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
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