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.
S9 Ep1: Karl Deisseroth’s Big Idea: Decoding Brain Circuits to Understand the Human Mind
Oct 15, 2025
Show notes
In an episode of his Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, for a conversation about how his groundbreaking research is reshaping our understanding of the brain and the experiences that define us as human. They delve into the origins of optogenetics — a revolutionary technology Deisseroth pioneered using light to map how the brain drives emotion and behavior — and they explore his vision for Stanford Medicine’s Human Neural Circuitry research program. Deisseroth also reflects on the beauty of scientific discovery, the role of humility in research, and how advances in brain science are opening new avenues for understanding and treating mental illness.
S8 Ep7: Fortune AI Editor Jeremy Kahn on How AI Is Rewiring Our Lives
Sep 16, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Jeremy Kahn, award-winning journalist and AI Editor at Fortune, for a conversation about the transformative potential and societal risks of artificial intelligence. They discuss opportunities for AI to accelerate medical breakthroughs and personalize education, as well as the threat of overreliance on AI to critical thinking, writing, and social skills. They also explore how AI is reshaping jobs and business models, the role of regulation in balancing innovation with safety, and the geopolitical stakes as global competition in AI intensifies.
S8 Ep6: Wellcome Leap CEO Regina Dugan on Practicing Innovation as a Discipline
Aug 13, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Regina Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap, for a conversation about how to tackle complex global challenges through bold innovation. They discuss why emotional engagement is essential to achieving scientific progress, how high-risk, high-reward models can translate to health research, and the importance of addressing underfunded areas, such as women’s health. They also explore strategies for removing barriers to innovation and how redefining failure can lead to more meaningful progress.
S8 Ep5: JPMorganChase Vice Chairman Peter Scher on How Corporate Responsibility is Good for Business
Jul 16, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes JPMorganChase Vice Chairman Peter Scher for a conversation about the evolving role of corporate responsibility and its intersection with business strategy. They discuss Scher’s leadership in JPMorganChase’s $200 million investment to revitalize the city of Detroit, as well as the firm’s work in other urban environments supporting business and growing communities. They also explore his work with Morgan Health, the firm’s business unit focused on improving the quality and delivery of employer-based health care, and how AI, data, and innovation are reshaping health care.
S8 Ep4: Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington on Behavioral Changes that Transform Health
May 14, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington for a conversation about the connection between mental health and physical health and how tiny changes to behavior can have a profound impact. They discuss the transformative moment that led to Arianna’s pivot to wellness in 2016, and they explore the potential for AI to democratize personalized health coaching and make a meaningful difference across communities.
S8 Ep3: Stanford Women's Basketball Legend Tara VanDerveer on Lessons Learned through Coaching
Apr 09, 2025
Show notes
In a special episode recorded in front of a live audience, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford’s legendary women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer for a discussion about her extraordinary 40-year career. They discuss the coaching philosophy that led her teams to three NCAA Championship titles and an Olympic gold medal, along with her approach to developing talent and fostering resilience. They also explore the art of making half-time adjustments, learning as a leader, and the future of women’s athletics.
S8 Ep2: Exploring AI Innovation: insitro CEO Daphne Koller On AI In Drug Discovery
Mar 05, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Daphne Koller, PhD, founder and CEO of insitro, for a conversation about AI’s potential to transform drug discovery. They discuss how machine learning algorithms can accelerate the drug design process, quickly identifying biological patterns and predicting outcomes. They also explore the challenges and opportunities of founding a startup in Silicon Valley, and how insitro’s collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies are advancing therapeutics for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other conditions.
S8 Ep1: Exploring Al Innovation: Google Chief Health Officer Karen DeSalvo on How Al Is Personalizing Health Care
Feb 19, 2025
Show notes
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Google’s Chief Health Officer, for a conversation about how AI can help inform and advocate for patients while supporting clinicians and increasing access to care around the world. They discuss AI tools that Google has developed to accelerate diagnostics, particularly in lower-resource areas, and they explore the potential for AI to serve as a personal health assistant for patients. They also discuss Google’s strategy for providing accurate, meaningful health information to the general public, and the challenges and opportunities of integrating AI technologies into clinical care.
S7 Ep6: Medicare Director Dr. Meena Seshamani on Negotiating Drug Prices & Empowering Community Health Care
Dec 18, 2024
Show notes
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.
S7 Ep5: Stanford Medicine’s Michael Pfeffer and Nigam Shah on Scaling AI in Clinical Care
Dec 04, 2024
Show notes
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.
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