EdLab is a podcast of the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development, where we talk to the people behind the school’s transformative research, innovative teaching, and thriving partnerships. In each episode we aim to demystify some of the big questions being asked in education, policy, health and human services.
S3E2 - The Middle School Slump with Sara Rimm-Kaufman
Episode Notes
It has long been known that children’s academic learning increases over time. But before the groundbreaking work of Sara Rimm-Kaufman and her colleagues, we did not know if that was also the case with social and emotional skills like self-management or social awareness. Thanks to their research, we now know that when it comes to social and emotional skills, the middle school slump is real.
Sara Rimm-Kaufman is the Commonwealth Professor of Education and is the chair of the department of Education Leadership, Foundations and Policy. Along with her UVA School of Education and Human Development colleague Jim Soland and research colleague Megan Kuhfeld, Rimm-Kaufman mapped the dips, slumps and climbs of social and emotional competencies from late elementary through high school. In this episode of EdLab, Rimm-Kaufman discusses the highs and lows of what they discovered.
4 Sept 2026
S3E1 - EdLab: Menopause and Cardiovascular Health with Jason Allen
Episode Notes
How can exercise and nitric oxide support women's cardiovascular health after menopause?
Jason Allen, a vascular and exercise physiologist and a professor in the department of kinesiology, has studied nitric oxide for decades. Recently, he and his team of graduate students have turned their attention to understanding how exercise and nitric oxide can support women's cardiovascular health after menopause.
24 Apr 2026
S2E9 - Back to the Lab with Micah Mazurek: Effective Mental Health Care for Individuals with Autism
Episode Notes
Today we are going "back to the lab," where we revisit one of our most popular episodes from season 1.
As April gives way to May, we move from Autism Awareness Month into Mental Health Awareness Month. Today, we are revisiting a conversation with Professor Micah Mazurek, whose work sits at the intersection of those very two things: autism and mental health.
Autism often exists alongside co-occurring conditions, such as difficulties with sleep or gastrointestinal issues, as well as depression and anxiety. For individuals with autism seeking mental health care, medicine-based treatments can bring disruptive side effects that are not compatible with other challenges they experience.
Mazurek and her team are working to better understand what specific mental health treatments best support individuals with autism.
In this episode of EdLab, Mazurek explains the increase in autism diagnoses and discusses her research on mental health treatments for individuals with autism.
Learn more at the Supporting Transformative Autism Research initiative website (https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/supporting-transformative-autism-research).
EdLab is a production of WTJU 91.1FM and the UVA School of Education and Human Development. EdLab is produced by Audrey Breen. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions.
Who has been a guest on EdLab
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Vivian Wong
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Katrina Debnam
Chris Kuenze
Dean Stephanie Rowley
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
44,959
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
18
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
32
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