The holiday season, while joyful, can sometimes be a time of stress, meltdowns and disappointments. As parents, it can sometimes feel like we are spinning in circles trying to create the best holiday experience for our kids, family and self. Dr. Greg talks with Dr. Caitlin Allen, a licensed clinical psychologist who works with children and their families in Developmental Pediatrics at Kentucky Children’s Hospital Richmond Road Specialty Clinics. She addresses a few challenges that many kids and families face during the holidays, and shares some tips for how to help children cope with the holiday season.

Second helpings of sinful food, over-scheduling and the all-too-often awkward conversations with friends and family; these are but a few examples of holiday stressers and trigger points. Dr. Greg talks with Amy Rodquist-Kodet, a holistic health coach and wellness specialist for UK Health and wellness. She has several tips to help you get through situations that threaten to steal your holiday joy.

In this week's episode of Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine, Michaela Keener, Ph.D., discusses her work in developing an interactive digital health system designed to enhance access to care for equestrians. Keener is an assistant professor of athletic training and clinical nutrition in the UK College of Health Sciences. She has received research funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and University of Cincinnati.

The Our Healthy Kentucky Home campaign is a Team Kentucky initiative with the Kentucky Department for Public Health to engage and inspire Kentuckians on a personal journey of achievable health and wellness improvements through increased physical activity, improved nutritional health, and decreased social isolation through targeted interventions. Dr. Greg talks with Kentucky Health Commissioner Steven Stack on how you can get involved.

In the ever-evolving field of Alzheimer’s disease research, the development of disease-modifying therapies has sparked both excitement and debate. Two new publications from University of Kentucky researchers highlight critical advancements and their intersection with other fields that are considered more successful in advances to date. The collaborative papers were led by Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D., and Pete Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., both with UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. The work showcases the profound impact of partnerships across UK — in this case between the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the UK Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Greg talks with Nelson about this team approach to tackling this vexing disease.

Lawmakers in Frankfort are again floating the idea of ending the requirement for fluoridated drinking water in Kentucky communities with some opponents calling it 'forced medication.' Dr. Emily Winfrey, associate dean of academic and student affairs at UK Dentistry, says that conclusion is not based in science. She talks with Dr. Greg about the 70 plus years of evidence to the contrary.

A University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) study researching Appalachian culture and its impact on food insecurity has won Health Education & Behavior’s “Paper of the Year” Award for 2023. The paper, titled “Exploring Food-Based Cultural Practices to Address Food Insecurity in Rural Appalachia,” emphasizes how significant culturally entrenched food practices are in enabling communities from Appalachia to fight food insecurity. The study was led by Lauren Batey and co-authored by Emily DeWitt, Dawn Brewer, Kathryn Cardarelli and Heather Norman-Burgdolf. Batey is the guest this week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine.

University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center expert Nathan Vanderford, Ph.D., recently contributed to a critical national discussion on sustaining and supporting the cancer workforce. As he explains in this week's Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine, Vanderford, an associate professor in the UK College of Medicine’s Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, director of Markey Cancer Center’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology Program and assistant director of Markey’s Pathway Programs and Student Success, addressed challenges faced by early-career researchers, issues of diversity in cancer research training and opportunities for supporting researchers’ career paths.

According to the US Census Bureau by the year 2034 more Americans will be over the age of 65 (numbering some 77-million people), than under the age of 18. That will be a first for our nation and it underscores the importance of communities enhancing the quality and volume of senior-oriented support services. Dr. Greg talks with Kristy Stambaugh - director of Aging and Disability Services for the city of Lexington. She tells us all about the programs on offer at the city's four senior centers (Life Lane, Bell Court, Charles Young and Black & Williams Cultural Center) and shares more details on a brand new one coming to Shillito Park in 2026.

The UK PREVENT Alliance aims to improve the health of the Commonwealth of Kentucky using a community-engaged, evidence-informed prevention approach. One of its collaborators on the #IChampion Health Initiative is Operation Making A Change, a non-profit organization focused on violence prevention and intervention. This week Dr. Greg speaks with #IChampionHealth program director Jakob Hester and OAC founder Gerald “GEO” Gibson.