Dr. Rosanna Breaux is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech. In our conversation, Dr. Breaux provides an overview of dysgraphia, a brain-based learning disability that affects writing.

Episode 51 - Lessons from "Dopesick"

Jan 4th, 2022 43m 32s

Rick Mountcastle is an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia and a Retired Federal Prosecutor. Operating from a small, satellite U.S. Attorney's Office in Abingdon, Virginia, Rick led the investigation and prosecut

Episode 50 - Teen Pregnancy Prevention & Sexual Health Education

Nov 12th, 2021 30m 57s

Josh Diamond, Katie Mitchell and Katie Forsyth provide an overview of the Appalachian Replication Project (SexEdVA) at James Madison University's Institute for Innovation in Health & Human Services. The program strives to equip teens, careg

Episode 49 - Mitigating the Impact of Hepatitis C in Southwest Virginia

Jun 29th, 2021 31m 13s

Laura Kate Jennings-Brink is the Southwest Regional Hepatitis C Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Health. In our conversation, we discuss the alarming prevalence of Hepatitis C in the region, as well as the populations who are at high

Episode 48 - The History and Meaning of Juneteenth

Jun 16th, 2021 25m 14s

Drs. Brandy Faulkner and Lucien Holness, both professors at Virginia Tech, share the history and significance of Juneteenth. We also discuss the current state of race relations in the United States.

Episode 47 - Why Prevention and Community Coalitions Matter

Jun 10th, 2021 46m 7s

Dr. Mary Crozier has been in the field of substance abuse education, prevention, and intervention for over 40 years and currently serves as a consultant to Community Coalitions of Virginia. In our discussion, Dr. Crozier explains the import

Episode 46 - Speaking Out Against Drinking and Driving

May 25th, 2021 35m 4s

Kristen Mallory spends most of her time in a wheelchair these days - a constant reminder of the accident that nearly claimed her life almost eight years ago. Kristen, who was 16 at the time, and her mother, Susan, were headed to their home in C

Episode 45 - Resilience Week in Virginia & Trauma Informed Communities

Apr 30th, 2021 21m 28s

Melissa McGinn, MSW, LCSW, is currently Director of Community Prevention Programs for Greater Richmond Stop Child Abuse Now or “SCAN”) and she also serves as State Coordinator for Virginia’s Trauma Informed Community Networks. In our discussion

Episode 44 - Crisis Intervention Team & A New Crisis Center

Apr 19th, 2021 36m 43s

Jill Anderson and Patrick Halpern of New River Valley Community Services discuss the agency's long-running history with the Crisis Intervention Team model, as well as the development of a new crisis center for persons experiencing behavioral he

Episode 43 - Empowering Youth to Use Social Media Safely

Apr 9th, 2021 31m 42s

Moe McClanahan, a retired police officer, is the Director of Training and Education with the Safe Surfin’ Foundation and a High-Tech Crime Specialist with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). In our discussion, we talk about some of

Episode 42 - Speaking Up for Mental Health Recovery

Apr 2nd, 2021 33m 46s

In this episode, we chat with Megan Sharkey, REACH (Recovery Education and Creative Healing) Program Director for VOCAL - a peer-run organization in Virginia that provides education and awareness, while advocating on behalf of persons in re

Episode 41 - Focusing on Oral Health

Jan 15th, 2021 32m 12s

We're joined by Dr. Elizabeth Reynolds and Dr. Scott Miller with the Virginia Dental Association (VDA) to discuss the importance of oral health. In our conversation, Drs. Reynolds and Miller also talk about the VDA's "Mission of Mercy" project

Episode 40 - Support for Grieving Parents

Nov 28th, 2020 52m 55s

Katherine Allen and Lisa Evanylo have both experienced the heartache of losing a child and the journey of grief and healing that follows. A little over a year ago, the two women decided to openly share their pain and launch a support group for

Episode 39 - Alzheimer's & Caregiving

Nov 20th, 2020 40m 18s

Annette Clark is Family Services Director with the Alzheimer’s Association, Central and Western Virginia Chapter. Annette joins us to give an overview of Alzheimer's and we discuss the common challenges of caregiving for someone living with the

Episode 38 - Lung Cancer Screening & Smoking Cessation

Nov 13th, 2020 34m 4s

Aimee Strong is a Board Certified Adult-Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at UVA Health who works in the Lung Cancer Screening Program. In our conversation, Aimee explains the different types of lung cancer and the process involved with a

Episode 37 - Treating Breast Cancer

Oct 23rd, 2020 23m 28s

Dr. Jolene Henshaw is a general surgeon with LewisGale Regional Medical System - specializing in breast cancer procedures. In our conversation, Dr. Henshaw speaks to some of the advances in treatment and how those improvements have translated t

Episode 36 - The Benefits of Peer Supports

Oct 3rd, 2020 40m 48s

Angela Scott is head of the Office of Peer Supports & Recovery for New River Valley Community Services. In our conversation, we discuss the important role persons with lived experience have in the continuum of care for persons with mental healt

Episode 35 - Hospice & End of Life Care

Sep 18th, 2020 50m

Aaron Housh, CEO of Good Samaritan Hospice, joins us to discuss hospice and advanced illness care. He shares how his organization's operations have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and helps clarify some of the common misconceptions about

Episode 34 - A Six-Month Checkup

Sep 12th, 2020 7m 42s

Mike Wade reflects on his first six months as host of the Dissect & Connect podcast and extends an invitation for listeners to submit topics and suggestions for future episodes. Contact: mwade@nrvcs.org Sponsor Information: Teen Connections -

Episode 33 - Suicide in America

Sep 4th, 2020 52m 27s

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with over 48,000 Americans dying by suicide each year. American Association of Suicidology President, Dr. Jonathan Singer, and CEO Colleen Creighton join us to take a closer look a

Episode 32 - A Personal Story of Recovery & Overcoming Loss Caused by Overdose

Aug 28th, 2020 39m 37s

Erine Cressell's life has been profoundly impacted by overdose. Erine, who is in long-term recovery, openly shares her own struggles with substance use and addiction, and recalls the deeply painful experience of losing not just one - but two -

Episode 31 - Faith-Based Harm Reduction with Michelle Mathis

Aug 22nd, 2020 34m 35s

Minister Michelle Mathis is co-founder and Executive Director of The Olive Branch Ministry, a faith-based harm reduction agency serving nine counties in North Carolina’s Foothills/Piedmont region. In our conversation, Michelle discusses the mis

Episode 30 - Discussing autism with Virginia Tech's Jen Scott & Jennifer Bertollo

Aug 14th, 2020 41m 9s

Jen Scott and Jennifer Bertollo are with the Virginia Tech Autism Clinic and Center for Autism Research (VTAC/CAR). Jen the Rural Outreach and Grants Coordinator for VTAC/CAR. Jennifer is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Progra

Episode 29 - Discussing poverty with Dr. Brandy S. Faulkner

Aug 8th, 2020 37m 50s

Our latest podcast features an interview with Dr. Brandy Faulkner, the Gloria D. Smith Professor of Africana Studies in the Department of Political Science at Virginia Tech. In our discussion, Dr. Faulkner addresses issues around poverty, class

Episode 28 - Beth O'Connor with the Virginia Rural Health Association

Jul 31st, 2020 24m 26s

In our latest episode, we go one-on-one with Beth O'Connor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association since 2005. In our conversation, Beth discusses the challenges of accessing healthcare in rural communities, including the c