Next Generation Medicine Lectures

April 2, 2026

Obesity treatment is changing faster than ever. Here, Dr. Ellen Schur, a pioneer in obesity medicine and founder of the medical weight management program at the UW Medicine Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery, dives into the science behind the headlines.

Dr. Schur explores how brain inflammation affects appetite and provide essential context on the revolutionary new class of weight-loss medications. Learn the biology behind the trend and what the future of metabolic health looks like.

Jan 28, 2025

The UW School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership Next Generation Medicine lecture series invited Irl B. Hirsch, MD, from the University of Washington, as its winter 2025 speaker on January 28, 2025. Dr. Hirsch is one of the foremost experts on diabetes.

More than 133 million Americans live with diabetes or pre diabetes. About one third of those diagnosed with diabetes are treated with insulin and could benefit from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Dr. Hirsch's presentation included a history of diabetes management, how CGM technology has evolved, with use expanding beyond individuals with diabetes and new over-the-counter devices.

Jun 24, 2025

Researchers and care providers are struggling to learn how to treat people who have used substances never intended for human consumption.

We're in the "era of synthetics," says Caleb Banta-Green, Ph.D., UW acting professor in psychiatry and behavioral health, and drug epidemiologist. He and Spokane provider Amy Burns, M.D., of Providence Psychiatry will discuss data, intervention, medication, and how the community can help.

Oct 21, 2025

An informative session on how nutrition can impact fertility. Judy Simon is highly regarded clinical nutrition instructor and registered dietician at the Nutrition Clinic at UW Medical Center. As coauthor of "Getting to Baby: A Food-First Fertility Plan to Improve Yours Odds and Shorten Your Time to Pregnancy," she discusses how to fuel for fertility and provide scientifically grounded advice for reproductive health.

October 17, 2024

Nora Disis, MD, a physician-scientist at the UW School of Medicine, was the featured speaker for the Fall 2024 Next Generation Medicine lecture series in Spokane, WA. During her presentation, Dr. Disis shared the latest in her research to develop a breast cancer vaccine that teaches the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy breast cancer cells. Having dedicated her career to learning how the body fights cancer and to developing a breast cancer vaccine, Dr. Disis is confident that such vaccines will become a standard treatment for cancer within the next decade.

April 9, 2024

The Effects of Sleep on Brain Wellness, presented by Jeffrey Iliff, Ph.D., from the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Renowned UW School of Medicine researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Iliff, shares groundbreaking research that demonstrates why getting enough sleep is key for brain wellness, and what you can do to help ensure you're getting the type of sleep your brain needs to function at its best.

Oct. 11, 2023

Learn about the latest research and treatments for Alzheimer's Disease from renowned expert, Thomas Grabowski, M.D., director of the UW Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and medical director of the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center. Dr. Grabowski talks about the risks and benefits of the newly approved infusion medication, Leqembi. Silvia Russo, M.D., a cognitive and behavioral neurologist with Providence Medical Group in Spokane joins Dr. Grabowski for the Q&A discussion that follows the lecture.

Winter 2023 — Webinar

Diabetes Types 1 and 2: What You Need to Know

Irl B. Hirsch, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair, UW School of Medicine

Panelist: Dr. Carol Weisham, Endocrinologist

It's estimated that more than 34 million people in the U.S live with some form of diabetes, and more than 7 million have not yet been diagnosed. Roughly 90 million U.S adults have prediabetes, and every year 1.5 million more Americans receive a diagnosis.

What is diabetes? What is the difference between Types 1 and 2, and why is there an increased prevalence of Type 1? What has research taught us about other forms of diabetes, including "atypical diabetes"? If you have diabetes or just want to learn more about it, join us for a fascinating webinar with diabetes expert Dr. Irl Hirsch, Professor of Medicine, Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair, UW School of Medicine.

Local experts and panelist include Carol Wysham, MD, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Specialist at MultiCare and Anneke Van Slote, ARNP, BC-ADM, Diabetes Management Nurse Practitioner at Providence Health Care.

May 2, 2023

If you are interested in nutrition, you have likely heard the term, 'gut microbiome', but what is it, and why is it important? Dr. Chris Damman, clinical associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at UW Medicine shares how our bodies are transformed by bioactive compounds in the foods we eat. He addresses how a new approach to what we put in our bodies is inspiring next generation nutritional approaches to non-communicable diseases.

Fall 2022 — Live Lecture

The Fentanyl Crisis: How to Keep Loved Ones Safe

Caleb Banta-Green, Ph.D., Acting Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at the UW School of Medicine, Affiliate Professor at the UW School of Public Health

Panelists: Dr. Amy Burns, Psychiatry at Providence Sacred Heart, Misty Challinor, Director, Treatment Services, Spokane Regional Health District, and Dr. Caleb Holzer, Providence Chewelah Family Medicine Clinic, and Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Chewelah

Drug overdose deaths have reached record highs in the U.S., among teens and adults. One drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin and roughly 100 times stronger than morphine is largely responsible: illicitly-made fentanyl. What is fentanyl? Why has it become so popular? Why is fentanyl such a deadly drug? How can we protect our loved ones and better support the health of our communities? Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, Acting Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at the UW School of Medicine, and an Affiliate Professor at the UW School of Public Health, will discuss the answers to these questions and more. He is regularly quoted in national and local news media about drugs, addictions, and their impact, including most recently in The New York Times. Banta-Green is an executive sponsor of Washington State’s Opioid Overdose Response Plan and served as a Science advisor on overdose response to the director of the White House drug policy office.

A special thanks to our partners for helping us bring this event to Spokane: Providence Sacred Heart, MultiCare Spokane, Inland Northwest Behavioral Health, Spokane County Medical Society, Spokane Regional Health District, and the University of Washington Population Health Initiative.

Spring 2022 — Webinar

Kids and Concussions & Fall Prevention and Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults

Monica Vavilala, M.D., Director for the Harborview Injury Prevention Research Center (HIPRC), Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics

Kushang Patel, Ph.D., MPH, HIPRC Research Core Director, Research Associate Professor, Dept. of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Adjunct Professor in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

The Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC) is a worldwide leader in injury cause and prevention research. Founded in 1985, HIPRC is affiliated with the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center, the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, located in Seattle. Presenting at this webinar will be Monica Vavilala, MD, HIPRC director and professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, and Kushang Patel, PhD, MPH, HIPRC research core director, research associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and adjunct professor in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. During the Q&A portion, the presenters will be joined by Frank Jackson, DO, medical director for Brain Injury at Providence St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center in Spokane.

Summer 2021 — Webinar

Stressed & Depressed: The Effects of COVID-19 on Mental Health

Paula Nurius, Ph.D., Professor, School of Social Work, University of Washington

Megan Kennedy, Director, UW Resilience Lab

Panelist: Dr. Amy Burns, Associate Program Director for the Psychiatry Residency program at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital in Spokane

Spring 2021 — Webinar

COVID-19 Vaccines & Variants: What You Need to Know to Help End the Pandemic

Vin Gupta, M.D., Affiliate Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation

Winter 2021 — Webinar

Making Sense of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Deborah Fuller, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology, UW School of Medicine

Panelists: Dr. Gretchen LaSalle, Family Physician at MultiCare in Spokane and vaccine proponent, and Dr. Dan Getz, Chief Medical Officer for Providence Health Care in Spokane

Fall 2020 — Webinar

COVID-19: Is There an End in Sight?

John Lynch, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, UW School of Medicine, and Head of the UW Medicine COVID-19 Response Team

Panelists: Christa Arguinchona, RN, Program Manager and Coordinator for the Providence Special Pathogens Unit in Spokane, and Dr. Bob Lutz, Health Officer for the Spokane Regional Health District

Spring 2020 — Webinar

Well-Being and Resilience During COVID-19

Ann Browning, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Well-Being, UW School of Medicine, and Founding Director, UW Resilience Lab

Spring 2019 — Live Lecture

The Invisible Wounds of War

Christine Mac Donald, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery

Fall 2019 — Live Lecture

Climate Change & Your Health

Kristie Ebi, Ph.D., Professor, Global Health, and Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences

Spring 2018 — Live Lecture

The Opioid Epidemic

David Tauben, M.D., Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and Chief of Pain Medicine at the UW

David Tauben, M.D., is a renowned pain expert and University of Washington School of Medicine clinical professor in the Department of Medicine, and the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Chief of Pain Medicine at the University of Washington. In this lecture, held in Spokane, WA on April 19, 2018, Dr. Tauben presented on The Opioid Epidemic, and how, over the past 20 years, the use of prescription opioid medication to relieve chronic pain has grown at an alarming rate. The opioid epidemic is hitting especially hard in smaller cities and rural communities with fewer resources to deal with this complex problem. He also shared his thoughts on the treatment of chronic pain and what patients need to know.

Fall 2018 — Live Lecture

Dogs and the Science of Human Aging

Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology

Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D., is recognized globally for his research on the basic biology of aging. He is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He obtained his Ph.D. from MIT in 2002. At the lecture in Spokane, WA on October 9, 2018, Dr. Kaeberlein presented on Dogs and the Science of Human Aging. The premise of his research is that understanding the molecular mechanisms of aging will lead to interventions that slow the onset and progression of age-related chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and others. These common human ailments are also associated with similarly high levels of occurrence in our aging canine companions. Researchers have found significant similarities in how age affects disease risk in humans and dogs, and are on the cusp of learning how to increase longevity in both dogs and their people.

Fall 2017 — Live Lecture

Vaccines to End Cancer

Nora Disis, M.D., Associate Dean, Translational Health Science, Professor of Medicine

Nora Disis, M.D., Fel. ’93, is a renowned UW Medicine cancer researcher and UW School of Medicine associate dean for translational science, and directs the UW Medicine Tumor Vaccine Group, the largest academic research group dedicated to the development of cancer vaccines in the United States. Dr. Disis’ work is at the forefront of bringing laboratory discoveries into clinics and classrooms. In this lecture, held in Spokane, WA on September 14, 2017, Dr. Disis presented on Vaccines to End Cancer, and spoke about how next generation medical research at the UW is uncovering how the body’s immune system can be employed to fight cancer.