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In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Eugene Manley, founder of the STEM & Cancer Health Equity Foundation, for a powerful conversation about representation, health equity, and the structural barriers that continue to shape cancer outcomes.

Drawing from his experience growing up in inner-city Detroit and navigating academia as a first-generation scholar, Dr. Manley shares why he launched the foundation — and how it works to address disparities in lung cancer diagnosis, clinical trial access, and STEM participation.

We explore:

· Why lung cancer outcomes differ across communities

· How implicit bias shows up in clinical decision-making

· The importance of biomarker testing and clinical trial inclusion

· The role of mentorship pipelines in diversifying STEM

· How AI in healthcare can either reduce or amplify inequity

· Why representation in research and clinical teams matters

This episode is a candid and thought-provoking look at what health equity looks like in practice — not just in principle — and why intentional action is essential to create lasting change.

If you’re interested in public health, medical research, social justice in healthcare, or the future of equitable innovation, this conversation is not to be missed.

Find out more about Dr. Eugene Manley and his work at the STEM & Cancer Health Equity Foundation here: https://scheq.org/

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In this episode of The Science Intersection, we continue our conversation with Russell, exploring whether innovative literacy and learning approaches can be successfully replicated across education systems.

We discuss large-scale outcomes for dyslexic and neurodivergent students, the idea of “academic specialists” versus generalists, and why traditional education models often fail learners with spiky cognitive profiles. Russell explains how structured writing can help organise complex thinking and why beginning with concrete, specific ideas can dramatically improve learning outcomes.

The conversation also explores differences between UK and US higher education pathways, alternative routes for neurodiverse learners, and the opportunities and risks of using AI in academic writing and education.

This episode challenges common assumptions about intelligence, ability, and what effective learning should look like in modern education.

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In this episode, I speak with Russell Van Brocklen, a New York State-funded dyslexia researcher whose own educational journey challenges traditional assumptions about learning ability.

Russell struggled to read and write until law school, where he unexpectedly discovered that his dyslexia gave him a unique cognitive advantage. This experience led him to develop teaching methods that help students with dyslexia and other learning differences dramatically improve reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.

We explore how the dyslexic brain processes language differently, why traditional education methods often fail neurodiverse learners, and how structured writing and interest-based learning can significantly accelerate academic progress. Russell shares real case studies, including students who advanced multiple grade levels in reading and writing within months.

We also discuss how these approaches can reshape how we think about intelligence, learning differences, and educational support more broadly.

In Part 2, we explore how these methods can be replicated across schools, teachers, and education systems, and what they reveal about neurodiversity and different ways people think and learn. With thanks to Russell for this interview.

To learn more go to:

https://dyslexiaclasses.com/

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