academic

Brains, conflict, and democracy with Dr. Sebastian F. Winter, MD [Ep. 12]

In this episode Laura interviews Sebastian F. Winter, a physician-scientist working at the intersection of public health policy, medicine, and academia with a vision to shape healthcare and inspire a lasting social impact. 
He is currently Head of Policy and Research at the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), where he works with an interdisciplinary team committed to make epilepsy a global public health priority and improve the lives of over 50 million people living with epilepsy worldwide.
Beyond previous roles in clinical medicine and research, he co-founded and co-lead a social venture that promotes mental health and peace-building among refugee communities. A globally trained MD-PhD with exposure to various healthcare systems across four continents, he is passionate about public health and education policy (past projects at WHO Europe and UNESCO), as well as academic research, including projects in neurotoxicity, oncology, refugee mental health, brain health, NCD prevention, and public health ethics.
His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Neuro-Oncology, Neurology, the European Journal of Cancer, The Brookings Institution Press, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, and he has gathered substantial experience as a public speaker at international conferences and platforms including TEDx.
An alumnus of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung) and affiliate researcher at the MGH Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School, he holds a Ph.D. (summa cum laude; '22) and M.D. (Distinction; '20) from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and a B.Sc. (1st Class Honours; '13) in Neuroscience from King’s College London, UK.
The brain health paper can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Brain-health-directed-policymaking_Final.pdf
Additional links:
https://www.sfwinter.com/
https://twitter.com/SebastianWinter
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianfwinter/
 
 

Discourse and division with Dr. Tamsin Parnell [Ep. 10]

In this episode Laura interviews Tamsin Parnell, a linguistics researcher whose doctoral work focuses on identities, discourses, and division around Brexit. She is a research associate at the University of Warwick, visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University, and is interested in media and political discourses.  In this episode, Tamsin (and her cat Willow!) join Laura to talk about Brexit, covid-19, immigration, and how to reduce inflammatory speech and division.
Tamsin's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsinparnell/
Tamsin's twitter: @tamsinparnell
 
 

Reducing partisan animosity and anti-democratic attitudes with Jan Gerrit Voelkel [Ep. 09]

In this episode Laura interviews Jan Gerrit Voelkel, who is a Ph.D. Student in Sociology at Stanford University. Jan's research studies intergroup and interpersonal relationships with two guiding research questions. First, what causes people's willingness to harm others and defend inequalities? And second, how can personal or societal change be achieved that increases equality and/or reduces harm? Jan has developed interventions that increase support for policies that aim to reduce economic inequality or increase opportunity for immigrants. Jan has also led the Strengthening Democracy Challenge, a megastudy that tested 25 crowdsourced interventions for reducing anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity.
Jan's academic page: https://sociology.stanford.edu/people/jan-gerrit-voelkel
Jan's twitter: https://twitter.com/jgvoelkel
Project: https://www.strengtheningdemocracychallenge.org/
Lab twitter: https://twitter.com/pascl_stanford

Collective narcissism and conspiracy beliefs with Dr. Aleksandra Cichocka [Ep. 08]

In this episode Laura interviews Professor Aleksandra Cichocka, Professor of Political Psychology at the University of Kent School of Psychology. Prof. Cichocka received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Warsaw in 2013. During her doctoral studies she was a Fulbright Fellow at New York University. After completing her PhD, she joined Kent, where she leads the Political Psychology Lab.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alekscichocka, https://twitter.com/PolPsychKent
 
Publications: https://www.kent.ac.uk/psychology/people/219/cichocka-aleksandra 

Hope in intractable conflict with Dr. Oded Adomi Leshem [Ep. 07]

In this episode Laura interviews Oded Adomi Leshem, a Senior Research Associate at the PICR Lab and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, both housed in the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. His research is located at the nexus of international relations, political science, and social psychology with a specialization in the beliefs and perceptions of people mired in protracted conflicts.
Oded studies the hopes and fears of people living in conflict zones and the impact of these future-oriented perceptions on political behavior. More broadly, he's interested in the formation and transformation of political attitudes and ideologies during violent conflicts. Apart from his focus on advancing theories in conflict resolution and political psychology, a key aspect of his research agenda is to design and test psychological interventions aimed at conflict transformation.
More about Oded: https://www.eranhalperin.com/oded-adomi-leshem
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oded-Leshem
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oded-adomi-leshem/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adomi101
Email: oded.leshem@mail.huji.ac.il

Peer mediation amongst refugees with Helen Winter [Ep. 06]

In this episode Laura interviews Helen Winter, Co-Founder and CEO of R3SOLUTE.com, a program that strives to accelerate mutual integration of refugee and local communities and the rebuilding of refugee lives. R3SOLUTE aims to foster sustainable peace by reducing the social and economic costs of conflicts and maximizing the value of constructive debate for individuals, organizations, and communities.
Helen is an avid certified mediator and lawyer. She previously worked as a mediator with L. A. Superior Court and consultant with OnDeckMediation where her expertise included anti-discrimination law. In addition, her experience includes working with the United Nations Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services where she analyzed and addressed systemic issues within the organization. She is also an ambassador with International Justice Mission in Germany.
https://r3solute.com/

Conflict narratives and emotions with Dr. Samantha Hardy [Ep.05]

In this episode Laura interviews Dr. Samantha Hardy Lawson, Principal at Conflict Coaching International and Adjunct Associate Professor at James Cook University.
Dr. Lawson is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the James Cook University (JCU), Conflict Management Resolution (CMR) Program. Sam is accredited under the National Mediator Accreditation System and certified as a transformative mediator by the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation in the United States. She is an experienced conflict coach and the founder of the REAL Conflict Coaching System.
A leader in the field of conflict management and resolution, Sam is a principal at Conflict Coaching International and runs a consultancy practice in creative conflict engagement and education. She has published widely in conflict resolution, including her books Dispute Resolution in Australia, 3rd ed. (2014), co-authored with David Spencer, and Mediation for Lawyers (2010), co-authored with Olivia Rundle.

Mediating peace with Dr. Juan Diaz-Prinz [Ep. 04]

In this episode Laura interviews Dr. Juan Diaz-Prinz, senior expert on mediation and dialogue at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Juan is a mediator, trainer, and facilitator who has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between theory and practice in mediation. He started his career in the Office of the International Mediator in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998-2004) and then co-founded the CSSP: Berlin Center for Integrative Mediation. He served as its director and senior mediator between 2005 and 2013. He later supported the founding of the European Institute of Peace for mediatEUr: the European Forum for International Mediation and Dialogue. Before joining USIP, he was working on developing the Conflict Management Space as an online platform for developing simple innovative training material for practitioners working in the field.

Boredom, sadism, and compassion with Dr. Stefan Pfattheicher [Ep. 03]

Stefan Pfattheicher is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Science at Aarhus University. Pfattheicher’s work is primarily in social psychology, focusing on prosocial behavior, empathy, and more recently vaccine-hesitancy. His work as appeared in many international journals, among which Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and Psychological Science.
You can learn more about his research (and read some of his excellent articles) here:Stefan Pfattheicher - Research - Aarhus University (au.dk)