To watch the program on Youtube, click HERE!
To view the PowerPoint associated with the video, click HERE!
To read up on the history of the Spanish Flu from 1918, click HERE!
COVID-19
COvid-19
Access all of our programs about COVID-19 from when the virus first became known to now
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The Impact of Coronavirus on Higher Education
Panel Discussion
May 3, 2021
Universities and college campuses are places where students live and study in close proximity to each other. They are also buzzing cultural hubs where students are brought together from all corners of Pennsylvania, the U.S. and the world. The foundations of this unique ecosystem have been impacted significantly by Covid-19, creating uncertainty regarding the implications for higher education.
In this panel discussion Dr. Hilary Link, President of Allegheny College, Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State Behrend, and Dr. Walter Iwanenko, Provost and Vice President for Student Experience at Gannon University review how Covid-19 impacted each campus and how each college responded to the challenge. The panel also provides lessons learned from months of pivoting and adapting and a post-pandemic outlook to higher education. Moderators are Jeffersons' Director of Operations Angela Beaumont and Dr. Baher Ghosheh, Professor of Geosciences at Edinboro University and Scholar-in-Residence at the Jefferson Educational Society.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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A LOOK AT "FAITH, FEARS, AND FACTS," A RECENT JES REPORT
Panel Discussion
April 12, 2021
Dr. Parris Baker leads a panel discussion with Dr. Charles Mock, Rev. Remy Acevedo, and Pat Cuneo on the recently released Jefferson report, "Faith, Fears, and Facts: African Americans, Vaccinations, and the Fierce Urgency of Now for BIPOC Communities."
As the nation speeds up the race to get COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of Americans, Dr. Baker, a Gannon University professor and department head, discusses the report that explores the politics and perceptions around vaccination and offers key recommendations. Other contributors to the report are the Rev. Charles Mock, Pat Cuneo, Gary Horton, James Sherrod, and Ben Speggen.
Among the key report recommendations are: 1. Designing interventions that help Erie County healthcare providers to address the distrust of the vaccine in BIPOC communities. 2. Empower organizations like MCIC, AACC, NAACP, the United Clergy of Erie, and the Erie Housing Authority with resources to establish vaccination centers that the community considers trusted places with trusted people. 3. Assist the vaccination centers to provide information and outreach regarding the efficacy of vaccines, and to model vaccination compliance. 4. Hold healthcare providers accountable for the reception, availability, and distribution of vaccines throughout Erie County.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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EVALUATING THE COVID-19 ECONOMY: REVIEWING 2020 AND UNPACKING 2021
Dr. Kenneth Louie
February 22, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact global, national, and local economies, where do we stand now? What has the impact been? What has changed? Where does Erie stand compared to the rest of the country? Find out in this conversation with Dr. Kenneth Louie, director of the Economic Research Institute of Erie (ERIE) who compiles the Erie Leading Index (ELI) as we review 2020 and unpack developments in 2021.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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STORIES, SCIENCE, AND SILOED INFORMATION: COVID19 THROUGH THE LENS OF AN ICU PROVIDER
Dr. John Evankovich
February 15, 2021
Dr. John Evankovich is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where he researches the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrom (ARDS) and is a practicing Critical Care Physician.
Here, he discusses working in COVID Intensive Care Units and how experiences for both providers and patients changed in response to the pandemic. He also discusses how rapid scientific advancement to combat SARS-CoV-2 was made possible by our modern information ecosystem, but also how pollution of that same ecosystem with COVID disinformation and misinformation caused real world harm.
To watch this video on YouTube, click HERE!
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SMALL BUSINESS RESILIENCE TOOLKIT: PREPAREDNESS PLANS AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Gary Sullivan MBA, CPCU, AIC, AIM, AIS & Rachel Tserkovniak, PHR
February 2, 2020
In this part 4 of the JCLA Business Speaker Series: Resources for Building Resiliency during Uncertain Times, Gary Sullivan, program director & assistant professor at Mercyhurst University's F.W. Hirt Erie Insurance Risk Management Program; and Rachel Tserkovniak, Human Resources consultant and trainer at the Manufacturer & Business Association, supply the tools necessary for building a resilient business and the human resources tools that should be included in that effort.
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STRATEGIES FOR DE-ESCALATION AND IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH
Mandy Fauble, Ph.D.
January 26, 2020
In this part 3 of the JCLA Business Speaker Series: Resources for Building Resiliency during Uncertain Times, please join Mandy Fauble, director of Clinical Care Services at UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor in Erie, Pennsylvania. She will present strategies for helping customers who may be agitated about following safety measures, such as wearing a mask. Fauble, who has a Ph.D. in Social Welfare, will also offer tips for keeping or achieving good mental health during challenging times.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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MAKING THE PIVOT TO NEW MODELS OF SERVICE
R.J. Messenger, Sara Kim, Jason Lavery, and Josh Layhue
January 19, 2020
In this part 2 of the JCLA Business Speaker Series: Resources for Building Resiliency during Uncertain Times, local small business owners R.J. Messenger (Iron Empire Clothing), Sara Kim (Lollie & Co.), Jason Lavery (Lavery Brewing Company), and Josh Layhue (Ghost Creativ) take part in a roundtable discussion to share their COVID stories and the impact it had on their businesses. They will discuss the pros and cons, as well as the creative opportunities that they pursued, and whether they will keep some of the changes.
Part 1:
Part 2:
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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HOW TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS SURVIVE THE COVID PANDEMIC: FINANCIAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR ERIE BUSINESSES
Rebecca Styn, Nate Ross, and Chris Groner
January 12, 2020
In this part 1 of the JCLA Business Speaker Series: Resources for Building Resiliency during Uncertain Times, Join Rebecca Styn, director of Special Initiatives for the Erie County Redevelopment Authority (ERDA); Nate Ross, a commercial credit analyst at Northwest Bank; and Chris Groner, president of Capital, Finance and Lending at ERDA as they provide information about Small Business Administration loans and what other private and public options are available to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic. This session will address misconceptions about obtaining financing, how businesses can best prepare for these loans, and PPP loan forgiveness.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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REVERSE MORTGAGES: WHAT SENIORS AND POLICY MAKERS NEED TO KNOW AND HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS IMPACTING THE HOUSING MARKET
Dr. Ira Goldstein, Dr. Mike Norton, and Atty. Colin Weidig
August 19, 2020
Erie-specific data and maps on reverse-mortgage lending are discussed in this program. This data was designed to help seniors better understand the complexities, risks, and advantages of reverse mortgages. This program will also look at new rules that protect seniors with a reverse mortgage from foreclosure and show data about who borrowed with reverse mortgages in the last recession and where many reverse mortgage eligible seniors live today.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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BASEBALL PAST AND PRESENT: THE STORIES OF ARKY VAUGHAN AND WILLIE STARGELL AND AMERICA'S PASTIME ADMIST A PANDEMIC
Frank Garland, M.S.
July 29, 2020
Biographer Frank Garland will explore his latest book that details the life and times of Pittsburgh Pirate great Arky Vaughan while also reflecting on his previous book on another Pirates’ standout, Willie Stargell: A Life in Baseball, to discuss the players’ lives and the times in which they played. Garland, who brings decades of reporting experience, will also lend his insights and observations to weigh in on how America’s pastime is playing out amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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FOOD SECURITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: U.S. AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Caitlin Welsh, M.P.A.
July 21, 2020
From food security in the United States broadly to the impact on specific communities, to a look at global conditions, international supply chains, potential famines, and food shortages, Erie native Caitlin Welsh, Director of the Global Food Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., offered a tour d'horizon of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, looking back to her Jefferson Digital Programming presentation in April 2020 to where conditions stand now to estimations of where we are headed through the summer into the fall.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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A CONVERSATION WITH ANDRE PERRY, AUTHOR OF KNOW YOUR PRICE, ON HIS LATEST BOOK, RACISM IN AMERICA, AND THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
Andre Perry, Ph.D.
July 16, 2020
Dr. Perry is a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, a scholar-in-residence at American University, a columnist for the Hechinger Report, and is the author of the recently published book Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities.
A nationally known and respected commentator on race, structural inequality, and education, Perry's research has included: documenting the underlying causes for the outsized number of coronavirus-related deaths in Black communities; illuminating how certain forms of social distancing historically accelerated economic and social disparities between Black people and the rest of the country; mapping racial inequities in housing, income, and health to underscore how policy discrimination makes Black Americans more vulnerable to COVID-19; and spotlighting the struggles of Black businesses as they await federal relief from COVID-19’s economic impact. These topics and more are explored in a conversation with Jefferson Vice President, Ben Speggen.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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A CONVERSATION WITH STEVE SCULLY: A LOOK AT 2020, FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Steve Scully, C-SPAN Senior Executive
July 9, 2020
In this program, the interviewer becomes the interviewee. The renowned host of the Washington Journal and C-SPAN Senior Executive Producer and Political Editor Steve Scully joined Jefferson Vice President Ben Speggen to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, the 2020 Presidential Election, and the role Mr. Scully’s hometown of Erie will likely play in the election outcome.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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EVALUATING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19
Dr. Kenneth Louie
June 9, 2020
The Economic Research Institute of Erie (ERIE) issued a Special Issue of the Erie Leading Index (ELI) on May 1, 2020 to analyze the local economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic January through March.
With the Bureau of Labor and Statistics' April data set for local, Metropolitan Statistical Employment and Unemployment being released on June 3, Dr. Kenneth Louie, ERIE director, offered insight on June 9, 2020 to the updated numbers and the effects of COVID-19 on the local and national economies.
What's changed? Where does Erie stand compared to the rest of the country? Find out in this conversation as we unpack the new developments.
To watch this video on YouTube, Click HERE!
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COWORKING: COMMUNITIES OF PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL INTEREST
Sean Fedorko
May 20, 2020
Coworking has become a popular subject of discussion with the rise of the freelance economy, remote work, entrepreneurship, and as people seek new ways to feel connected to one another.
On May 20, 2020, Sean Fedorko, Co-founder and Managing Director of Radius CoWork, provides insights into the history of Erie’s coworking community, Radius CoWork, and its role in Erie’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’ll also cover how the pandemic has impacted changes in coworking communities and the industry.
To watch the program on Facebook, click HERE!
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A CONVERSATION WITH CAMILLE BUSETTE, DIRECTOR OF THE RACE, PROSPERITY, AND INCLUSION INITIATIVE AND SENIOR FELLOW AT BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
Camille Busette, Ph.D.
May 14, 2020
The Federal Reserve took the unprecedented step of establishing a Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF), providing up to $500 billion in lending to states, cities, and counties, but the "MLF's proposed eligibility criteria unintentionally deepen what are becoming disturbing and obviously racial disparities of COVID-19," writes Camille Busette with Brookings colleague Aaron Klein in their recent report "Improving the Equity Impact of the Fed's Municipal Lending Facility.
To discuss that report and more, Busette, speaker at Global Summit X, joined Jefferson Vice President Ben Speggen in conversation for the Jefferson's Digital Programming.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS A TEACHABLE MOMENT ON NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
Larry Flatley, J.D.
May 13, 2020
What can we learn during the COVID-19 pandemic from and about Native American History?
Larry Flatley, the author of the report, "COVID-19 Pandemic is a Teachable Moment on Native American History," explores and unpacks history's lessons and what they mean to use today in a conversation with Jefferson Vice President Ben Speggen.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CRISES: LEARNING FROM ERIE'S LAW AND BATTLES
Dr. Judith Lynch
May 7, 2020
What can Erie learn today, amidst the COVID-19 crisis, from studying the past, specifically the tuberculous crisis of the 19th century and the Great Depression of the 20th century? What lessons do Dr. Katherine Law and banker Charlottes Elizabeth Battles teach us in leadership in times of crises?
Jefferson Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Judy Lynch was in conversation with Ben Speggen, Jefferson Vice President, discusses two reports she's written for the Jefferson.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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THE FUTURE OF RURAL AMERICA: HOW DAKOTA RESOURCES IS PLANNING FOR TOMORROW IN A TIME OF CRISIS
Dakota Resources' Paula Jensen and Mike Knutson
May 5, 2020
How are mindsets shifting about the rural narrative in the 21st century? What is the heartland doing when it comes to brain gain and talent attraction?
Dakota Resources' Paula Jensen and Mike Knutson join in conversation with Jefferson Vice President Ben Speggen, to explore answers to those questions and more and will talk about why networking matters and how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted the future of rural America.
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THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA CONFLICT IN TIMES OF COVID-19
Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned
April 29, 2020
The conflict in the Donbas region in Ukraine's east is still very much alive. COVID-19 has not spared this war-torn region and it adds extra hardship to an already vulnerable and underserved population.
Prof. Lena Surzhko-Harned explains the mechanics of this conflict, and the challenges of managing the coronavirus crisis properly because of migration, difficult access to healthcare, and armed conflict. Dr. Surzhko-Harned is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science and a Faculty Affiliate of the Public Policy Fund at Penn State Behrend. Her primary research interests are in the field of comparative politics.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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EFFECTIVELY WORKING WITH AND MANAGING REMOTE WORKERS
Mark Squeglia
April 28, 2020
While more work has been migrating to the digital arena, many suddenly found themselves working from the kitchen table, the den, a makeshift basement desk, or the couch, as the COVID-19 outbreak forced social distancing when at all possible, driving many workers to the remote realm for the first time.
Mark Squeglia has been working and managing remote workers for numerous years. He has plenty of experience, stories to tell, and a framework for success to share. Learn from him how to better cope with challenges, find solutions, manage the work, and improve communications, whether your work-remote status is temporary or permanent; or, pre-, during-, or post-crisis.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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A CONVERSATION WITH AVI LOEB:SCIENTISTS SHINING A LIGHT IN A TIME OF CRISIS
Dr. Avi Loeb and Ben Speggen
April 21, 2020
Dr. Avi Loeb is the chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University; founding director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative; director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies and the advisory board for the Breakthrough Starshot project; and author of the forthcoming Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth.
Avi Loeb and Ben Speggen discuss the role of scientists in the time of COVID-19, Avi Loeb's recent appointment to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and more.
No stranger to Erie, Pennsylvania, Loeb presented “Extraterrestrial Life: Are We Alone?” at the Jefferson’s Global Summit in November 2019 in front of sold-out crowd at Penn State Behrend.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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EXPLORING THE REPORT: "WHY ERIE'S DOWNTOWN IS A PROXY FOR THE NATION: THE FUTURE OF MAIN STREET BUSINESSES AMIDST THE COVID-19 CRISIS"
Bruce Katz and Ben Speggen
April 9, 2020
The impact of COVID-19 on small businesses and the places where they co-locate and concentrate — downtown, Main Streets, commercial corridors — has been immediate and devastating. In their recent report, "Why Erie’s Downtown is a Proxy for the Nation: The Future of Main Street Businesses amidst the Covid-19 Crisis,” Bruce Katz, the Founding Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University and a Partner with Accelerator for America, and Jefferson Vice President Ben Speggen, examine COVID-19's impact on businesses in Erie and make the case for how Erie serves as a model for the country in examining the impact and planning the recovery.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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COVID-19 AND FOOD SECURITY
Catlin Welsh, M.P.A.
April 2, 2020
Caitlin Welsh, Erie native and Director of the Global Food Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, gave a tour d’horizon of food security issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: from global agricultural trade to protecting the vulnerable in our communities to best practices for shopping at your own grocery store.
Caitlin Welsh was a presenter in the Jefferson's Global Summit IX Speaker Series, as she gave a lecture on "Feeding the World in the 21st Century."
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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COVID-19 AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
LECOM Health
April 1, 2020
The Jefferson hosts an update on the Coronavirus with a panel of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine doctors:
- Meghan McCarthy, D.O., director of MCH’s psychiatric residency program
- Gianpiero Martone, D.O., child/adolescent psychiatrist
- Prianka Sinha, D.O., child/adolescent psychiatrist
This presentation is the third of its kind between the Jefferson and LECOM regarding COVID-19 and Erie County. During this presentation, these medical experts provide insights and advice on how to best cope with stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and will field viewers’ questions.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
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THE BLACK DEATH AND COVID-19: ARE THERE SIMILARITIES?
Dr. Judith Lynch and Anita Rogowski
March 26, 2020
Jefferson Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Judith Lynch and Anita Rogowski, who taught alongside Dr. Lynch at Villa High School and Mercyhurst NE, present a Facebook Live lecture on the topic “The Black Death and COVID-19: Are There Similarities?”
These two scholars discuss the similarity of factors between the two diseases including the origin of disease, connectivity across continents, globalization, climate change, biological warfare, symptoms, and the necessity of human contact.
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FOLLOW UP ON CORONAVIRUS-COVID 19 COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
LECOM Health
March 24, 2020
LECOM medical specialists discuss the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and its regional implications.
In partnership with LECOM, the Jefferson present a “Follow-up on Coronavirus Conversation” featuring three medical specialists:
Dr. Monika Murillo, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases;
Dr. Melanie Dunbar, Director of Behavioral Health;
and Dr. James Lin, President of LECOM’s Institute for Successful Aging.
Dr. Murillo’s office is at LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center. A graduate of the University El Bosque, she completed her residency from the University of Illinois at Chicago/Christ Medical Center.
Dr. Dunbar, an Erie native, is a psychologist and licensed professional counselor. With 15 years in behavioral health, her expertise includes mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, grief and loss, personality disorders, and dialectical therapy.
Dr. Lin, an expert in senior care, is a veteran practitioner and administrator at LECOM. He emigrated from Taiwan with his family as a youngster and went on to study at New York University and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
To watch the program on YouTube, click HERE!
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THE BENEFITS OF PRACTICING MINDFULNESS: KEEPING CALM AND COPING DURING COVID-19
Penny Mechley-Porter, NCC, LPC
March 20, 2020
Join Penny as she explains the necessity of staying mindful during these times as well as some mindfulness tips and tricks.
Mindfulness is the act of paying attention, non-judgmentally, to the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help you be the most amazing you. How? By helping expand your awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Without self-awareness, we struggle with our actions: getting too angry, procrastination, addictive behaviors, resisting change. By increasing self-awareness, we see our patterns more clearly and can develop skills to address these behaviors.
To watch the program on Youtube, click HERE!
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CORONAVIRUS: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
LECOM Health and Erie County Department of Health
March 13, 2020
While the Jefferson Educational Society has suspended its live-audience public events as its team continues to monitor the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19
This program is co-sponsored by LECOM Health.
Representing the Erie County Health Department is Rich Knecht, the department’s former Public Health Preparedness director, who has been contracted to assist the Health Department with the COVID-19 outbreak. Before retiring in 2013, Knecht led the Health Department’s response through white powder incidents, monkeypox, smallpox, swine flu, H1N1, SARS, bird flu, and several other incidents and potential outbreaks.
Medical professionals scheduled to speak include Monika Murillo, M.D., clinical assistant professor of Infectious Diseases at LECOM; Danielle Hansen, D.O., vice president of Acute Care Services at Millcreek Community Hospital and associate director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging; and James Lin, D.O., president of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging.
To watch this program on YouTube, click HERE!
