This week’s roundup of some of the top programs here on the ProMed Network starts off with the excellent “Futures in BioTech” show with host Marc Pelltier. Marc and his panel discuss some of the recent developments in the Human Genome project and recent research at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University.

Also up for grabs this week is an excellent episode of “This Week in Virology” with hosts Vince Racaniello and Dickson Despommier, Professors at Columbia University. This week they talk about several topics in the news of virology including a recent case of human rabies. Don’t miss this episode with the Rabid Pathologist story.

Finally, a look at the very popular, Doctor Anonymous show. Dr. A is back after his summer hiatus and as always his shows are fun and informative. the Dr. A show is also recorded live each week so you can check out the shows and participate live with Dr. A himself. Visit the Dr. A show site (http://doctoranonymous.blogspot.com/).

Of course, don’t miss out on any of the excellent independent programs produced here at the ProMed Network. Over 30 programs produced by medical professionals for medical professionals. You’ll find weekly shows for doctors, medical researchers, nurses, emergency medical professionals, and psychologists there every single week. Just visit ProMedNetwork.com for your weekly medical and health care update!

This Week in Parasitism (TWiP) is a podcast about eukaryotic parasites hosted by Vincent Racaniello and Dick Despommier. Following in the path of their successful podcast ‘This Week in Virology’ (TWiV), they strive for an informal yet informative conversation about parasites which is accessible to everyone, no matter what their science background.

As science Professors at Columbia University, they have spent their entire academic careers directing research laboratories focused on parasites (Dick) and viruses (Vincent). Their enthusiasm for teaching inspired them to reach beyond the classroom with new media. TWiP is for everyone who wants to learn about parasites in a relaxing way.

In the first episode ot TWiP, Dick and Vincent explain what parasites are and provide examples of different types of parasites. Dick also
explains how he entered the world of parasite research – he spent 27 years studying Trichinella. It’s another example of serendipity which
seems so common in the world of science.

You can find ‘This Week in Parasitism’ here at the ProMed Network, or at microbeworld.org/twip.

Time for another featured podcast here on the ProMed Network blog.  I thought I would feature one of our shows that is a hot topic recently in the news.  With all of the Swine Flu or H1N1 Flu nonsense over the last month, many people have discovered the guys at This Week in Virology and made them the “go to” resource for information about viruses.

This Week in Virology (TWiV) is an online program about viruses. It was begun in September 2008 by Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D. and Dick Despommier, Ph.D., two science Professors at Columbia University Medical Center. Their goal was to have an informal yet informative conversation about viruses which would be accessible to everyone, no matter what their science background.

“We wanted to eventually bring other virologists into the conversation, to make it more varied and interesting. Alan Dove, a science writer, joined us late in the year and we’ve had a number of guests,” said host Vincent Racaniello. “Our goal for 2009 is to bring even more guests to TWiV.”

Why are they doing this? Dick and Vincent have spent their entire academic careers directing research laboratories, so they have a lot of knowledge to share. Plus, according to Vincent, they both enjoy teaching. Put those two things together, and you have TWiV.

This Week in Virology listeners range from high school students to Professors, from people who know nothing about science, to students and professionals. Many people are fascinated by viruses – where they came from, how they make you sick, how they spread, and where they are going – and TWiV makes it easy to understand these questions and more.

Topics of recent episodes of TWiV swine influenza (including a special episode with influenza expert Dr. Peter Palese), SARS, herpesviruses, poxviruses, viral evolution, viroids, extreme virology, and viral bioinformatics. 

If you want to learn about viruses in a relaxing way, then TWiV is for you. You’ll find this podcast here on the ProMed Network or on their own site:  TWiV.TV