This seminar explores how pharmaceutical companies use direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertising to promote prescription medications. We will examine the structure and strategies of these ads, using YouTube examples to highlight key techniques. Participants will also review the FDA’s 2024 guidelines for DTC television advertising and learn how to critically analyze ads for their impact on public perception, awareness of side effects, health behaviors, and overall health literacy. They will learn how to talk with their doctors about taking one of the advertised medications. Through discussion and case studies, we will consider how these ads shape both consumer choices and broader conversations about healthcare.

Approximately 32 million people in the United States have food allergies. Nearly 11 percent of people age 18 or older have food allergies, as well as 8 percent of children. Ingestion complications can range from mild to severe...to fatal. Unfortunately, the incidence of food allergies is rising. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention report that since 1997, food allergy prevalence among children has increased by 50 percent. About half of all adult food allergies emerge well into adulthood. Therefore, it is increasingly likely that you, your friends or family will be touched by food sensitivity/ intolerance at some point. Understanding dietary limitations and how to manage them is increasingly important.

This course highlights transformative milestones in medicine from the 18th century to today, beginning with Jenner’s smallpox vaccine. We will explore key medical and public health advances, the innovators behind them, and the profound effects these breakthroughs have had on longevity and quality of life. The course offers a compelling look at how science and clinical care have worked together to reshape health outcomes over the past two centuries.

This course, presented in partnership with the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health, features expert speakers from their upcoming national conference, Navigating Chronic Illness in a Complex Healthcare System. Through engaging presentations and discussions, participants will explore how integrative health approaches can address the challenges of living with chronic conditions and help individuals make informed choices within today’s increasingly complex healthcare environment. Topics will focus on whole-person care, patient empowerment, and practical strategies for managing long-term health concerns.

Some substances heal, others harm—and some do both. This chemistry-rich (but non-technical) course explores the fine line between pharmaceuticals and poisons. We will examine drug development, venom-inspired medicine, and the history of FDA regulation shaped by scandal and reform. From aspirin’s industrial roots to Gila monster hormones, participants will uncover the fascinating, sometimes unsettling chemistry behind what we choose to swallow.

Everyone dies, but too few of us talk about it. This class aspires to normalize important conversations around death and end-of-life decisions. Through careful planning, guided discussion, and compassionate reflection, we will explore what it means to die well physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

Small, consistent changes can lead to big results. In this 6-week interactive course, you'll learn how to build sustainable habits for health and energy using the “Six Spinning Plates” framework: nutrition, hydration, movement, sleep, stress, and supplements. We'll explore the power of 1% improvements and practical tools like habit stacking. Each session blends discussion, activities, and take-home strategies to help you create a personalized plan for lasting vitality—one small step at a time.