As students across the country return to classrooms and campuses this fall, many are building on experiences they had over the summer. For some learners at Mayo Clinic, those experiences meant exploring healthcare careers, conducting research and connecting with mentors who helped them imagine new possibilities for their futures. 

The path to a career in healthcare rarely begins with a fully formed plan. More often, it starts with an experience that sparks curiosity and helps a student see what's possible. Through pathway programs in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida, Mayo Clinic provides hands-on learning opportunities that help participants explore potential futures in medicine, science and healthcare. 

"Our pathway programs help learners discover where their interests and talents can make the greatest impact," says Nneka I. Comfere, M.D., Waugh Executive Dean of Education. "By creating meaningful opportunities at pivotal moments in their educational journeys, we're helping students explore possibilities, develop purpose and gain the experiences and connections that can shape where they go next." 

By helping students discover their potential and giving them opportunities to build on their interests, these programs are one way Mayo Clinic is investing in the people who will shape the future of healthcare. 

Discovering possibilities 

Many participants first encounter careers they had never considered through these programs. Others gain research experience and forge relationships with professional mentors, giving them the confidence to pursue a path that once felt out of reach.  

For Sam Rudnick, that discovery came through firsthand experiences. As a high school student participating in Rochester's Career Immersion Program (CIP) in 2019, Rudnick was introduced to the surgical assistant role through job shadowing in the operating room. The program helped her identify a profession that aligned with both her interests and lifestyle. 

"Being able to shadow surgical assistants and learn about their daily responsibilities helped me envision myself in that career and confirmed that it was the right path for me," Rudnick says. 

Today, she is enrolled in Mayo Clinic's Surgical First Assistant Program, training for the profession she first encountered through CIP. 

Similar experiences have influenced learners across Mayo Clinic's campuses. In Arizona, CARES (Career Advancement, Research, and Education Summer Program) alumna Pragnya Karlapudi is now a medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (MCASOM) after first exploring healthcare careers through the program as a high school student.  

In Florida, SPARK (Science Program for the Advancement of Research Knowledge) participant Emily Dorairaj later returned to Mayo Clinic through the undergraduate pathway opportunity CRISP (Clinical and Research Internship for Science Program) before beginning medical school at MCASOM. 

Building on early interests 

As students move through college, many look for opportunities to gain deeper experience in interests they first developed in high school or early healthcare career exploration. 

Programs across Mayo Clinic campuses such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Undergraduate Plummer Scholars (UPS), UPS+ and CRISP provide opportunities to explore research, clinical environments and professional development experiences. 

When Elizabeth "Lizz" Cervantes participated in SURF in Rochester in 2021, she was studying biochemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio and already knew she wanted to pursue a Ph.D. What she discovered during the program was where she wanted that training to take place. 

During the fellowship, Cervantes worked alongside graduate students whose collaborative approach to science and mentorship left a lasting impression. 

"If I want to grow into that kind of scientist, I should train where they trained," she recalls thinking. 

Today, Cervantes is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical and Translational Science program at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MCGSBS). Inspired by her own experience, she now helps lead a professional development seminar series for current SURF participants. 

For Tamiel Turley, Ph.D., the path to biomedical research looked different from many of her peers. After leaving high school at 16, earning her GED, raising a family and becoming a first-generation college student, she wasn't certain she belonged in academic science. That changed during her 2015 SURF experience at Mayo Clinic in Florida. 

"Working alongside established investigators, fellows and clinician-scientists helped me realize that I not only enjoyed research, but that I could actually see myself pursuing a Ph.D. and building a career as a scientist," Turley says. 

She later earned her Ph.D. from MCGSBS and now works as a research associate at Mayo Clinic in Florida, leading projects focused on translational oncology, biomarker discovery and precision medicine. 

Opportunities that extend beyond a summer 

The value of a pathway experience isn't measured in a single summer. The value lies in what students discover — and what they pursue next. 

Students learn about careers they may never have considered, gain confidence in their abilities and develop relationships that continue long after their program ends.  

The journeys of pathways students demonstrate what's possible when those opportunities connect. By helping them understand not only what a future in healthcare could look like but how they might get there, Mayo Clinic is developing talent with the potential to strengthen its own workforce and healthcare more broadly. 

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In 2021, the surgeon general warned of an emerging national youth mental health crisis. Yet, even as awareness grows, 1 in 5 adolescents report a lack of mental health support.  

"Mental health drives quality of life. It's also associated with your risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease," says Dr. Brian Lynch, a pediatrician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Mental health during adolescence predicts mental health as an adult, so it's a critical time to intervene."  

The challenges affecting Mayo Clinic communities reflect nationwide trends.  

Mental health was identified as a key priority in the most recent Community Health Needs Assessments for Mayo Clinic in Florida, Mayo Clinic in Rochester and many Mayo Clinic Health System sites.  

Among young people, girls are experiencing especially high rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts — nearly twice the rate of boys.  

"The stressors of peers, family expectations, social media — these seem to be affecting girls differently," says Dr. Lynch, the Community Health Needs Assessment physician director for Olmsted County, Minnesota, which includes Rochester. "It's a major concern."  

Through community grants and volunteer efforts, Mayo Clinic supports two organizations that help girls build confidence, coping skills and resilience. 

Pace Center for Girls in Florida 

When girls arrive at the Pace Center for Girls, they're often struggling academically, socially, emotionally — or all three. At each of the center's 16 Florida locations, the Reach Program provides no-cost counseling wherever girls feel most comfortable, whether at home, the library or a local park. 

"We believe all girls, regardless of their story, deserve safe, supportive spaces to heal and help them become strong, compassionate and successful women," says Erica Wortherly, the Reach Program director.  

Many of the girls, ages 11–17, have experienced life-altering challenges, such as sexual abuse, trafficking and homelessness. Some have a parent who is incarcerated or absent due to substance use. Nearly all wouldn't have access to mental health care without Pace.   

Given these complex needs, counseling alone isn't always enough. A 2026 Mayo Clinic Community Contributions grant has enabled Pace to offer psychiatric services — diagnosis, medication management, follow-up visits — at no cost to girls who need it.  

Psychiatric services are also available to participants in Pace's Day Program, which provides academic and mental health services in a classroom setting. 

With Mayo's assistance, "we're helping girls get to know themselves and receive the loving support they need to build relationships, develop healthy coping skills and look toward the future," says Wortherly. "Psychiatric services give that additional level of support."  

Another recent Mayo Clinic grant provided books for the Jacksonville, Florida, center's library, which opened earlier this year and will host a book club for girls in Pace programs.     

Girls on the Run in Minnesota 

Every fall and spring, hundreds of girls gather near Mayo Clinic in Rochester for the Girls on the Run 5K. But before they start running or walking, they need "happy hair." 

"The girls use all those fun hairsprays — pink, red, blue — to color their hair," says Amanda Neve, a pediatric nurse supervisor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and coach for Heart & Sole, the Girls on the Run program for middle schoolers. "A lot of times, they make their running buddy do it too." 

The result? Dads with neon beards and moms with rainbow hair running alongside their girls.  

This nontimed event caps off the Girls on the Run season, which combines physical activity with social-emotional learning for girls in grades 3–8. In addition to the Rochester race, 5Ks are held in the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minnesota.  

This year, a Mayo Clinic Community Contributions grant provided scholarships for the after-school program, giving more girls the opportunity to learn about boundary-setting, relationships and emotional regulation while forming new friendships.    

"At first, they're often hesitant to talk," says Neve. "By the end of the season, they open up a lot more and have the skills to handle scenarios in real life."  

The race reinforces this confidence in a tangible way.  

Kristi Pogatchnik, the development director for the Girls on the Run Minnesota council, recalls one girl who exclaimed, "I'm a doer!" at the end of the event. When her dad asked why, she explained that she'd always thought of herself as a watcher. Now, she knew that wasn't true.  

This inner shift exemplifies the Girls on the Run mission.  

"When they cross that finish line, it's like, 'Wow, I just did that. What else can I do?'" says Pogatchnik. "It takes a whole community to support girls in this way. We're so grateful for all that Mayo does."  

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PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and externally validated an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can identify a potentially significant heart obstruction from routine ultrasound videos without relying on specialized Doppler imaging. The technology could help clinicians flag patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who may need additional testing, particularly in settings where specialized echocardiography expertise is limited. Study findings are published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.  

HCM is a genetic condition that causes the heart muscle to become abnormally thick. About two-thirds of these patients develop left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, which restricts blood leaving the heart, causing symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath with exertion or when lying flat. Knowing which patients develop LVOT obstruction is important because it influences treatment decisions and long-term management for patients with HCM. 

"Measuring LVOT obstruction typically requires Doppler echocardiography, which depends on precise ultrasound-beam alignment and operator expertise," says Imon Banerjee, Ph.D., an AI researcher at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and senior author of the study. "We wanted to determine whether AI could recognize subtle patterns that are imperceptible to the human eye in routinely acquired B-mode ultrasound videos and identify patients with LVOT obstruction earlier, enabling timely confirmatory Doppler evaluation and referral when appropriate." 

The study included 1,833 patients in the Mayo Clinic cohort. The model was tested in 275 patients and externally validated in 46 patients from a hospital in South Korea. The AI model used only resting, non-Doppler ultrasound videos to predict whether a patient had a potentially significant obstruction to blood leaving the heart. Researchers found that combining information from three standard ultrasound views improved the model's ability to distinguish patients with elevated LVOT gradients. The model also helped identify obstruction that may only appear when the heart is under stress. 

The model maintained strong performance in the South Korean group despite substantial differences between that population and the patients used to develop the model, supporting further study of the technology across different patient populations and clinical settings.  

In a subset of cases, the AI model identified obstruction more accurately than two expert echocardiographers who reviewed the same non-Doppler images. The findings highlight how difficult it can be to recognize LVOT obstruction from routine two-dimensional images without Doppler measurements. 

"This technology is intended to complement, not replace, Doppler echocardiography," Dr. Banerjee says. "By enabling earlier identification of patients with potential LVOT obstruction, it could escalate timely detection and prompt confirmatory Doppler measurements, stress testing, or referral to an HCM specialty center. It also could support evaluation using portable ultrasound or in settings where comprehensive Doppler assessment may not be readily available, helping expand access to earlier screening and risk assessment." 

Dr. Banerjee notes that the next steps include additional prospective validation across broader clinical settings, ultrasound platforms and patient populations. 

The list of authors and disclosures may be found in the article, Beyond Doppler: Scalable AI Detection of LVOT Obstruction in HCM. This study received no external funding. 

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact: 

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

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PHOENIX — An international phase 3 study performed at all three Mayo Clinic destination medical centers found that a new immunotherapy helped many patients with an aggressive form of bladder cancer keep their bladder instead of having it surgically removed. The treatment also kept many patients cancer-free for more than two years and caused mostly mild side effects. The findings were published in The Lancet Oncology.

Patients in the study had high-risk bladder cancer that had returned despite standard treatment with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). For these patients, surgery to remove the bladder is typically the recommended next step. The new immunotherapy treatment, called cretostimogene grenadenorepvec, produced a complete response, with no detectable signs of cancer in 75% of patients, with many of those responses lasting beyond two years.

"Until now, patients whose cancer returned after BCG therapy have had few effective options besides bladder removal," says Mark Tyson II, M.D., lead author of the study and a urologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "This study shows we may be able to offer many of those patients another option without compromising cancer control."

Among patients whose cancer completely disappeared after treatment, about 60% remained cancer-free two years later. In one patient, the cancer has not returned for more than four years after completing treatment. Most treatment-related side effects were mild, temporary bladder symptoms, and researchers reported no severe treatment-related side effects.

"For patients, this isn't just about treating cancer — it's about preserving quality of life," says Dr. Tyson. "Avoiding bladder removal can have a profound impact on daily living. Seeing patients remain cancer-free for years while keeping their bladder is exactly the outcome we've been hoping to achieve."

The study included 115 patients treated at 41 medical centers across North America, Asia and Australia. Two years after starting treatment, an estimated 81% of patients had not needed surgery to remove their bladder. The researchers concluded that cretostimogene grenadenorepvec could become an important bladder-sparing treatment option for patients whose high-risk bladder cancer has returned after standard BCG therapy. They also noted that the treatment has not been directly compared with other bladder-sparing therapies in clinical trials.

The study was funded by CG Oncology. For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study. The therapy remains investigational.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Julie Ferris-Tillman, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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Mayo Clinic oncologist explains risk factors, treatment considerations for patients under 50

PHOENIX — You may have heard that colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting young adults. However, it is not the only gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that doctors are diagnosing in patients below the age of 50, explains Christina Wu, M.D., an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona.

"People under 50 are not too young to develop gastrointestinal cancers," Dr. Wu says. "If young adults notice new or persistent symptoms, it's important to get them worked up."

At Mayo Clinic, early-onset gastrointestinal cancers are defined as GI cancers diagnosed in people under 50 years old. Research shows that the most common type of early-onset GI cancer worldwide is colorectal cancer, followed by stomach cancer, esophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Less common types of early-onset GI cancers include bile duct, gallbladder, appendix, neuroendocrine and small bowel cancers.

"More research needs to be done to understand what causes the rise in incidence of early-onset GI cancers," Dr. Wu says. "We know that certain factors can increase the risk of developing GI cancers, and early detection gives patients a better chance of successful treatment."

Risk factors

Several factors can increase the risk of developing early-onset GI cancers, including genetic conditions, chronic diseases and lifestyle:

• Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis are hereditary conditions that are associated with an increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancers.

• Inflammatory bowel disease and primary sclerosing cholangitis can increase the risk of developing GI cancers such as colorectal cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, respectively.

• A sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diets high in processed foods, alcohol consumption, smoking and environmental exposures may be associated with an increased risk of GI cancers.

Early detection and symptoms

Recommendations for when people at average risk for colorectal cancer should be screened vary by country but generally start in their 40s or early 50s. In the U.S., colorectal cancer screening is recommended to start at age 45 for people at average risk; people with risk factors such as a family history of colorectal cancer may need to start screening earlier.

Having a primary care clinician, getting regular health checkups and discussing any health concerns with a healthcare professional can help determine what screening or tests may be needed, depending on individual risk factors.

In some cases, symptoms of early-onset GI cancers may present and be associated with specific cancer types:

• Unintentional weight loss with jaundice and pain may indicate pancreatic cancer.
• Weight loss, pain, and difficulty eating or swallowing may be linked to stomach cancer.
• A persistent change in bowel habits, abdominal pain and iron-deficiency anemia may be associated with colorectal cancer.

"Any new symptoms that are persistent or worrisome should prompt a visit to a healthcare professional to get checked out," Dr. Wu says. "If symptoms are ignored or not investigated, young adults may experience a delay between when they first experience symptoms and a cancer diagnosis. Recognizing symptoms early is important," Dr. Wu explains.

Tailoring care for younger adults  

Young adults diagnosed with GI cancers often need multidisciplinary care due to differences in cancer biology, as well as unique social and life-stage needs.

"Before starting treatment, we perform genetic testing and tumor profiling to identify mutations that may guide targeted therapies," says Dr. Wu. "These advances allow us to provide more personalized and effective treatment for our patients."

In addition, young adults may require support, such as fertility preservation and resources to navigate the emotional and practical challenges of a cancer diagnosis. Mayo Clinic's Early-Onset and Hereditary GI Cancers Program provides specialized, multidisciplinary care for this patient population.

Innovations in treatment

With advances in genetic testing and tumor profiling, cancer care teams can provide more personalized and targeted treatments, including immunotherapy in some cases, and identify patients who may be eligible for clinical trials. Analysis of the tumor helps guide treatment decisions and identify appropriate therapies.

For certain GI cancers, treatment may involve a combination of chemotherapy, radiation (including proton beam therapy) and surgery. Advances in treatment, including minimally invasive approaches and immunotherapy, are improving care for some GI cancers.

Mayo Clinic researchers have been exploring the use of artificial intelligence as an additional aid in the detection of gastrointestinal cancers such as colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Caroline Auger, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Colorectal cancer isn’t the only gastrointestinal cancer rising in young adults appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

A tiny lung nodule can be difficult to find during surgery. Now, Mayo Clinic surgeons are using fluorescent imaging technology to help locate suspicious nodules with greater precision while preserving healthy lung tissue.

The imaging contrast substance is administered before surgery and travels through the body, binding to certain lung cancer cells. During the procedure, surgeons use a specialized camera to detect the fluorescent signal, causing the cancerous tissue to glow. This allows the surgical team to easily identify and remove targeted tissue.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:06) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Using this fluorescent agent is really helpful because it hones to the cancer cells and binds to one of the receptors on cancer cells," says Dr. Jonathan D'Cunha, a Mayo Clinic cardiothoracic surgeon. "When you're in the operating room, you can use your advanced fluorescent imaging to see the tumor light up."

The technology can help surgeons identify tiny nodules that may be difficult to see or feel during minimally invasive procedures. It also helps distinguish cancerous tissue from healthy lung tissue, allowing for greater precision during surgery.

"We're always looking for tools to be more precise in what we do," says Dr. D'Cunha. "The earlier we can identify and resect, the better chances and better outcomes for patients."

Learn more: Mayo Clinic Lung Cancer Program

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PHOENIX — Researchers at Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, have developed a real-time monitoring system designed to give transplant teams a more complete picture of a donor liver's health during machine perfusion. Published in Nature Communications, the study represents an important step toward more accurate evaluation of donor livers, laying the groundwork for future advances in organ preservation and transplantation.

During machine perfusion, a donor liver is connected to a device that pumps oxygen-rich fluid through the organ while outside the body.

"Machine perfusion is opening the door to a future where we don't just evaluate organs, we treat them and even improve them before transplant," says Michelle Nguyen, M.D., a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and co-corresponding author of the study. "But to get there, we first need better ways to understand how an organ is performing in real time. That's what this technology is built to provide."

Today's monitoring methods rely on manually collecting fluid samples from the organ every 30 to 60 minutes, testing them on point-of-care devices or sending them to a laboratory for analysis. Those periodic snapshots may miss important changes occurring between samples. Detecting biochemical changes or signs that organ health is declining early allows clinicians and perfusionists to intervene before permanent damage occurs.

To address this challenge, researchers developed a new wireless sensor platform that continuously measures glucose, lactate and pH in both the perfusion fluid and bile; streaming results to the care team in real time.

In the study, the sensor's measurements closely matched standard laboratory testing while also detecting brief biochemical changes between routine sampling intervals. The findings suggest that real-time monitoring of bile, in addition to perfusion fluid, may provide valuable information about the health of the donated liver that current approaches may be unable to detect.

"Every organ donated is incredibly valuable," Dr. Nguyen says. "By giving transplant teams a clearer understanding of an organ's health, we're working toward a future where more donated livers can safely reach the patients who need them most."

Researchers note that larger studies will be needed to further evaluate the technology and its potential to improve donor organ assessment. Looking ahead, the team is working to expand the sensor platform to capture additional markers of organ health, creating a more comprehensive assessment panel. Researchers also plan to adapt the technology for other organs, including the kidney, heart and lung.

The study was co-led by Dr. Nguyen and Yangzhi Zhu, Ph.D., of the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation.

For a complete list of authors and disclosures, review the study.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic Transplant Center
Mayo Clinic Transplant Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive transplant programs in the world. With programs in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, Mayo Clinic provides seamless, coordinated care across adult heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation. Guided by a commitment to innovation, research and education, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center delivers world-leading outcomes, compassionate patient care and advances that shape the future of transplantation worldwide.

Media contact:

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post New technology could improve donor liver evaluation before transplantation appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

New educational programs are helping clinicians and trainees turn everyday healthcare challenges into solutions 

Innovation is often viewed as the domain of entrepreneurs, engineers and technology companies. Mayo Clinic is challenging that notion by teaching innovation as a practical skill that healthcare professionals can learn, apply and use to improve patient care.  

Through its growing Biodesign educational initiatives, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science is training clinicians, trainees and students to identify unmet needs in healthcare and develop solutions using a structured, evidence-based methodology.  

"When people hear the word innovation, it's kind of confusing. It's a fun word to use, but it's nebulous," says Aman Verma, D.O., a hospitalist and innovation educator at Mayo Clinic. "My passion is showing clinicians that innovation can be taught."  

As an established framework, Biodesign follows three phases — identify, invent and implement — guiding participants from recognizing challenges in healthcare delivery to developing and implementing solutions.  

"Biodesign is a framework. It's a validated, repeatable process. Biodesign is transforming innovation from an abstract concept into a teachable skill, one that Mayo clinicians, trainees and staff can learn and apply in their daily work," Dr. Verma says.  

Mayo Clinic's approach focuses on embedding innovation training directly into healthcare education. Leaders believe clinicians are uniquely positioned to recognize opportunities for improvement because they experience healthcare challenges firsthand.  

Recent educational offerings have included multidisciplinary workshops bringing together physicians, trainees, nurses and other health professionals to solve real-world healthcare problems.  

Participants report that the training helps make innovation more accessible and actionable.  

"Prior to the course, Biodesign innovation felt somewhat abstract and intimidating, but this workshop made it accessible and energizing," says Viet Do, D.O., a Mayo Clinic hospitalist and recent participant in Mayo's Biodesign workshop. “I now feel empowered to evaluate my clinical environment through a lens of innovation and improvement, and more confident in pursuing new ideas. It has also ignited my interest in innovation and entrepreneurship."  

Dr. Do plans to incorporate innovation education as a core part of a proposed hospital medicine fellowship program.  

Mayo Clinic is also expanding innovation education through graduate medical education programs, undergraduate medical education opportunities and a master's degree program developed in collaboration with Arizona State University focused on innovations in medical and patient care technologies, or IMPACT.  

That program, with a foundation in biomedical engineering, combines academic training with extensive clinical immersion, allowing students to observe patient care environments, identify unmet needs and develop healthcare solutions.  

"Clinicians aren't just the best people to drive innovation in medicine — they're the ones who see the problems every single day," says Pankaj Pasricha, M.B.B.S., M.D. Dr. Pasricha is a pioneer in Biodesign education, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and co-developer of the IMPACT program. "We don't have to imagine where healthcare falls short. We see it, we feel it, and now we can fix it." 

By teaching innovation as a repeatable skill rather than an innate talent, Mayo Clinic aims to create a new generation of healthcare professionals equipped to improve patient care, advance medical practice and accelerate the development of healthcare solutions. 

Another Biodesign workshop is scheduled for Mayo clinicians and learners in Phoenix on Nov. 5–6. While current efforts are centered in Arizona, Mayo Clinic leaders envision broader expansion of the Biodesign framework across the organization.  

"Education powers the engine of innovation," says Devyani Lal, M.D., dean of Education at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "With support from our executive leaders, we are building an ecosystem of programs and platforms that give clinicians, trainees, and teams the skills, structure, and support to transform unmet patient needs into meaningful solutions."  

The post Mayo Clinic uses Biodesign to teach innovation as a clinical skill   appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

World Brain Day is July 22

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The same lifestyle choices that reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer also can reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Bryan Woodruff, M.D., a cognitive neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, explains the brain-body connection, lifestyle changes to foster brain health and why work to make earlier detection of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is important.

“What’s good for your overall health is good for your brain too,” Dr. Woodruff says.

You may have heard that Alzheimer’s disease is caused, in part, by the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques and twisted tau proteins in the brain. While true, other brain changes also are likely involved, Dr. Woodruff says.

“When scientists look at the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease after they’ve died, they find more than just plaques and tangles,” he adds.

They often find a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in the vessels that supply blood to the brain. They also discover evidence of microscopic strokes — also called microinfarctions.

Unlike major strokes with noticeable symptoms such as facial drooping, physical numbness, a severe headache and trouble speaking, microscopic strokes are silent. As more occur, they can starve brain tissue of oxygen and nutrition. If enough microvascular changes occur, there may be symptoms like slowed thinking and trouble concentrating.

“Your brain, as with every other organ in your body, depends on your cardiovascular system,” Dr. Woodruff says: This is why it’s so important to care for your heart and blood vessels.

Lifestyle choices help reduce risk

Thanks to this connection, what benefits your heart also protects your brain. To get these benefits:

• Manage heart disease risk factors. Treat elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure and undesirable cholesterol levels. Don’t use tobacco products. Keep your weight in the healthy range. “The earlier you address these, the better the benefit is for your brain,” Dr. Woodruff says.

• Follow a heart-healthy diet. The Mediterranean diet's emphasis on minimally processed whole foods and fruits and vegetables may improve brain health by helping to keep body fat and chronic inflammation in check. The Mayo Clinic Diet takes a similar approach to establishing a healthy-eating lifestyle.

• Get enough sleep. Research has linked insomnia to cognitive decline. And poor sleep can also increase your risk of other diseases that can impact cognition, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

• Maintain social connections. Social connections are thought to benefit the brain in many ways. Research suggests that social engagement triggers the release of chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which improve mood and outlook. Social connections may help to spur the growth of new connections between nerve cells.

• Treat hearing and vision loss. If you can’t see and hear what’s going on around you, you’ll find it more difficult to communicate and remain social. “Those sensory functions are integral to how we think and interact with the world,” Dr. Woodruff says. “If you don’t see or hear it, then you can’t encode and remember it.”

• Avoid chronic use of sedating medications. Some medicines used to treat pain, insomnia and other conditions can dull thinking, slow reaction time and make you feel sleepy. If you’re not sure of the side effects of the medications you take regularly, talk with your healthcare professional, who can look at what is on your medication list and suggest alternatives, Dr. Woodruff advises.

• Exercise. Physical and mental exercise can benefit brain health. A large study found rates of cognitive decline were twice as common in sedentary people.

Keeping your mind active through activities you find enjoyable, particularly trying new things, can also exercise your brain. When you have difficulty learning something new, your brain builds new connections between nerve cells. If you continually learn new skills and information over time, experts believe that these networks of nerve cell connections create a cognitive reserve, sort of like savings in a bank account.

“Cognitive reserve doesn’t mean you’re immune,” Dr. Woodruff says. “But it buys you some cushion against a neurodegenerative problem.”

The importance of early detection

Dr. Woodruff is among Mayo Clinic researchers working to make earlier diagnosis of dementia and its precursor mild cognitive impairment possible, to allow for earlier treatment. This will be essential if therapeutic advances eventually make it possible to slow or even halt progression, he says.

It is never too late to make lifestyle changes to protect and improve brain health, he adds: “I tell all my patients, regardless of the severity of their cognitive decline, to take care of their overall health."

For more information about brain health, visit Mayo Clinic Press and the Mayo Clinic News Network.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Brain-body connection: Expert shares tips to reduce risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

PHOENIX — Researchers have validated a genetic scoring tool that may help physicians diagnose idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and identify which patients are at greatest risk for severe outcomes, including death or the need for a lung transplant. The findings come from a new international study of more than 570,000 people co-led by Mayo Clinic and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study is one of the largest real-world evaluations of a polygenic risk score for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The findings bring this genomic approach one step closer to clinical care.

"Polygenic risk scores add a new layer of biological insight into the prediction of pulmonary fibrosis and mortality outcomes, bringing us closer to a future where diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are informed by each patient's unique molecular signatures."

- Dr. Victor Ortega

Researchers analyzed genomic and electronic health record data from four major biobanks in the U.S. and U.K., including the Mayo Clinic Biobank and Mayo Clinic Tapestry. They calculated a polygenic risk score for each participant by combining the effects of more than 60,000 DNA variants associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. While each genetic variant contributes only a small amount of risk, together they reveal patterns of inherited susceptibility that would otherwise be difficult to detect.

The researchers then tested whether the score could identify patients with the disease and predict clinical outcomes.

People with high polygenic risk scores were nearly three times more likely to have the disease than those with lower scores. The genetic score became even more predictive as researchers applied increasingly specific definitions of the disease, suggesting the score may one day help distinguish idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from other forms of interstitial lung disease.

Among patients with the disease, those with high genetic risk were 23% more likely to die or require a lung transplant, indicating the score may also help identify patients at greatest risk of poor outcomes.

"Every patient has a unique genetic blueprint that we can use to estimate risk for the development of disease," says Victor Ortega, M.D., Ph.D., a pulmonologist, associate director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine in Arizona, and a co-senior author of the study. "Polygenic risk scores add a new layer of biological insight into the prediction of pulmonary fibrosis and mortality outcomes, bringing us closer to a future where diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are informed by each patient's unique molecular signatures."

"Showing that this approach works across more than half a million people receiving routine clinical care is an important step toward understanding how it can ultimately benefit patients."

- Dr. Christopher Grilli

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis causes irreversible scarring of the lungs that progressively limits a person's ability to breathe. More than 100,000 Americans are living with the disease, and an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Because its symptoms often resemble those of other interstitial lung diseases, diagnosis can be delayed until significant, irreversible lung damage has already occurred. Confirming the diagnosis sometimes requires an invasive lung biopsy to collect lung tissue. Researchers hope a noninvasive genetic test using DNA from a blood or saliva sample may help reduce the need for those procedures in selected patients.

"Most polygenic risk scores are developed in carefully selected research populations," says Christopher Grilli, Pharm.D., a researcher at Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine and co-first author of the study. "Showing that this approach also works across more than half a million people receiving routine clinical care is an important step toward understanding how it can ultimately benefit patients."

If further validated, researchers envision genomic risk scores complementing imaging and other diagnostic tools to help physicians diagnose the disease with greater confidence.

This research aligns with Mayo Clinic's Precure Research initiative, which seeks to uncover the earliest biological changes associated with disease and translate those discoveries into clinical tools that improve diagnosis, personalize care and ultimately change the course of disease. As part of that effort, the Precure-Lung study, led by Dr. Ortega, is expanding Mayo Clinic's research into interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study. 

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Media contact:  

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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