The Academy Podcast

About The Academy Podcast

Welcome to The Academy Podcast. Our mission is to improve lives through education, information, and some cool stories. The Academy is a personal and professional development program within the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV that is open to all learners. We are excited to offer you free content through podcasts and short courses. Our hope is that you will be able to implement this diverse curriculum to improve your everyday life. The Academy podcast is hosted by Dr. Mark Guadagnoli. Dr. Guadagnoli is the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Director of Learning and Performance, and professor of neuroscience and neurobiology at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Dr. Guadagnoli’s areas of expertise include learning and performance optimization, memory and cognition, information processing and attention, communication, and leadership. His expertise in performance optimization has led him to work with athletes of the USA Olympic Elite Track and Field Coaches, PGA, and LPGA. He is also the author of two books Human Learning: Biology, Brain, and Neuroscience and Practice to Learn, Play to Win, along with over 100 articles and abstracts. Dr. Guadagnoli has been a part of the UNLV community since 1991 and has been a visiting professor at UCLA, Rice University, and Harvard University. Please join Dr. Guadagnoli in conversation with a series of guests who share with us their personal stories and insights on topics ranging from jazz, lessons in fishing, the future of mental health, cancer care, and many more. With gratitude, we look forward to creating a community of learners who are seeking to grow both personally and professionally. Check out our other platforms: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@academy.unlvmed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academy.unlvmed/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-academy-unlv-med/about/ Transistor FM: https://academypodcast.transistor.fm/

Publisher

Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Dec 2022

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Why Forgetting Helps You Learn: The Academy Podcast with Dr. Bob & Elizabeth Bjork

   What if everything that feels like learning is actually working against you? Dr. Mark Guadagnoli sits down with Dr. Bob Bjork and Dr. Elizabeth Bjork, the married power couple behind some of the most influential research in the science of learning. Bob is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; Elizabeth was just elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Together they’ve spent 50+ years uncovering why the easiest way to study is usually the worst way to learn. A masterclass in how real learning happens, from two people who’ve spent their careers proving it.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Rethinking AI in Education with Dr. Chad Lane - The Academy Podcast with Dr. Chad Lane - The Academy Podcast

   Is AI ruining education or could it be the best thing to happen to it in decades? Dr. Mark Guadagnoli talks with Dr. Chad Lane (University of Illinois, director of the $20M NSF-funded Invite Institute) about nearly 30 years working at the intersection of AI and learning. From building AI museum guides at USC to teaching astrophysics through Minecraft.

3. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Aging, Addiction & AI: A Neuroscientist Explains – The Academy Podcast with Dr. Thad Polk

   Neuroscientist Dr. Thad Polk (University of Michigan) joins Dr. Mark Guadagnoli to explain why aging isn't all decline, it's a process we have real control over. They discuss why brains "de-differentiate" with age, the role of GABA, how exercise and diet reshape brain structure, why addiction is biology (not moral failure), a wild goose-and-volleyball study on "supernormal stimuli," AI's impact on education, and what Thad's twin studies reveal about nature vs. nurture. A science-packed, genuinely fun conversation about getting older, thinking clearly, and understanding the brain behind our habits.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,614,815

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 67 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

76

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

60

Contact The Academy Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.