The Jamal Bates Podcast

This spring break, millions of families will embark on road trips with their loved ones, spending time talking, bonding and sharing stories about the past and present that will be passed down from generation to generation. These stories about family history often focus on which countries our ancestors emigrated from or what types of jobs or professions they held. What is often missing from these conversations is the family health history of those who have walked before us. Inspired by the family road trip, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals launched the Family Health History Road Trip, a program designed to drive conversations between family members about their health history so they can have a better understanding of their risk for developing hereditary ATTR (hATTR) amyloidosis. hATTR amyloidosis is a rare, inherited and rapidly progressive disease. Early diagnosis and management of hATTR amyloidosis are crucial, as symptoms can worsen over time, but it can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms can be similar to those of more common conditions. That’s why knowing if a genetic disease is present in your family could be a game-changer in getting family members diagnosed and on a disease management plan sooner. The Family Health History Road Trip is hosted by genealogist Bernice Bennett, who travels on a road trip to visit those affected by hATTR amyloidosis – including Giselle, whose father’s diagnosis solved her own health puzzle.

Milan Kordestani, an expert for “Gen Next” (Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha). He is an entrepreneur, writer, and founder of several companies, who is redefining the meaning of success in business. With a focus on building sustainable businesses that drive positive social change at scale, Milan is a three-time founder who wants to encourage solutions beyond his companies through storytelling and narration of civil discourse. Milan joins me to discuss the future of sustainable business practices, the importance of civil discourse in today’s polarized society, or the art of entrepreneurship.

Clinical trials are a much-needed tool in discovering new treatments in the fight against disease. It is important that these clinical trials reflect the makeup of the whole U.S. population. However, the history of clinical trials and recent studies indicate the same thing: the overwhelming majority of people who participate are white. That means drugs, therapies and potential cures are not being tested to make sure they are safe and effective for all the patients who may need them. Dr. Robert Winn is the director and Lipman chair of Oncology at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Dr. Winn is a principal investigator on several community-based projects funded by the NIH and National Cancer Institute and has received national and international acclaim for his efforts to empower underserved patient populations, improve healthcare delivery, and ensure equal access to cancer care. He joins us to talk about a program established by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation to help ensure all people are represented in clinical trials.

More than one-third of working Americans are nervous about being laid off, and 20% expect to be laid off in the next 12 months. According to LinkedIn’s January 2023 Workforce Report, economic growth is slowing in the U.S. We’re also seeing the job market cool – hiring was just over 1% higher in December 2022 compared to November; it’s down more than 10% from a year ago. But, despite all of that, an overwhelming number of Americans say they are highly confident about their careers. What’s behind all of this? LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill joins us to shed some light on what’s happening with the job market and if there is such a thing as recession-proofing your career.

Jamal sits down with Joe Hart, Leadership Expert, Co-Author of 'Take Command' & CEO of Dale Carnegie Leadership Training, a global leadership company. On today's episode, find out who to 'Take Command' of your thoughts and emotions in the brand new year.