What Makes a Universal Story?

An Oncologist’s Origin Story

As a young person deeply concerned with social justice, Naomi Ko thought she might become a lawyer—then, reality intervened. After a stint with Teach for America, a volunteer job at the Berkeley Free Clinic would set her on her current path as a breast oncologist. In this episode, Ko shares her unique journey. Released on April 23, 2026. Episode Transcript [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-509-an-oncologist-s-origin-story#transcript] Guest Naomi Ko is section chief of Breast Cancer Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Health and an associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is writing a book, “Seeing the Unseen Among Us,” based on patient stories from her 15 years practicing medicine at Boston Medical Center. Related Content The Boston Globe: “A Double Diagnosis—Cancer While Poor” [https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/29/double-diagnosis/6dlK3khlR6jrOBXpNIMiiI/story.html] Fellowship bio: Naomi Ko [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/people/naomi-ko?year%5B0%5D=2025%E2%80%932026] Episode 508: The Importance of Access in Breast Cancer Care [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-508-the-importance-of-access-in-breast-cancer-care] Credits Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

The Importance of Access in Breast Cancer Care

Naomi Ko has spent her career as a breast cancer oncologist working in safety-net hospitals—medical institutions with high rates of uninsured patients. What she’s learned is that poorer patients have worse cancer outcomes, and it has made her passionate about health equity. Now she’s writing a book about the patient stories and themes that keep recurring in her cancer-fighting career. Released on April 7, 2026. Episode Transcript [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-508-the-importance-of-access-in-breast-cancer-care#transcript] Guest Naomi Ko is section chief of Breast Cancer Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Health and an associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is writing a book, “Seeing the Unseen Among Us,” based on patient stories from her 15 years practicing medicine at Boston Medical Center. Related Content The Boston Globe: “A Double Diagnosis—Cancer While Poor [https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/29/double-diagnosis/6dlK3khlR6jrOBXpNIMiiI/story.html]” Fellowship bio: Naomi Ko [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/people/naomi-ko] Episode 509: An Oncologist’s Origin Story [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-509-an-oncologist-s-origin-story] Credits Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

How America Got into This Mess and How We Recover: Reflections from a Columnist’s Life

In a conversation with Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin, the columnist and author David Brooks discusses his career and his perspectives on American politics, society, and higher education. Released on March 26, 2026. Episode Transcript [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-507-how-america-got-into-this-mess-and-how-we-recover-reflections-from-a-columnist-s-life#transcript] Guests David Brooks is a best-selling author and a political analyst who has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and PBS News Hour, among other outlets. He serves as a senior advisor to the University of Chicago, Leadership and Society Initiative and recently began a five-year appointment as a presidential senior fellow at Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Tomiko Brown-Nagin is dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, a professor of history in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and a distinguished scholar in the fields of law and history. Related Content The Harvard Gazette: How Academia Can Help America Heal [https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/02/how-academia-can-help-america-heal/] Academic Freedom and Connecting Across Difference [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/about-the-institute/our-work/academic-freedom] Credits Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

What Makes a Universal Story?

In storytelling, can the personal be universal? For the animator and filmmaker Domee Shi, the answer is a resounding yes. In this episode, Shi talks with Ju Yon Kim, a Harvard professor, about how she’s turned her own personal history into successful Pixar movies. Released on March 5, 2026. Episode Transcript [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-506-what-makes-a-universal-story#transcript] Guests Ju Yon Kim is the Patsy Takemoto Mink Professor of English at Harvard University.  Domee Shi is an Academy Award–winning director, writer, and storyteller and a creative vice president at Pixar. Related Content Domee Shi Biography [https://www.pixar.com/shi] Bao [https://www.pixar.com/bao] Turning Red [https://www.pixar.com/turning-red] Elio [https://www.pixar.com/elio] Ju Yon Kim Biography [https://english.fas.harvard.edu/people/ju-yon-kim] Credits Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.

Our Plant Teachers

Many think of plants as passive, but in fact, these organisms display complex behaviors—and we have much to learn from them. In this episode, we continue our conversation with the plant scientist Beronda L. Montgomery, who wrote about the wisdom of the natural world in Lessons from Plants (Harvard University Press, 2021). Released on February 5, 2026. Episode Transcript [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-505-our-plant-teachers#transcript] Guest Beronda L. Montgomery is a writer and scientist who studies how plants and photosynthetic bacteria perceive, respond to, and are impacted by environments in which they exist. She is the author, most recently, of When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical History (Henry Holt, 2026). Related Content Beronda L. Montgomery Fellowship Bio [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/people/beronda-l-montgomery] Beronda L. Montgomery Personal Website [https://www.berondamontgomery.com/] Lessons from Plants [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674241282] Episode 504: The Stories Trees Hold—America’s Black Botanical Legacy [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/episode-504-the-stories-trees-hold-america-s-black-botanical-legacy] Credits Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.