About Us
The BrainStorm is a podcast that explores the complex and fascinating relationship between medicine and ethics. Our goal is to tackle important and relevant bioethical issues in a way that is understandable to everyone. We interview experts from a wide variety of backgrounds, from lawyers to doctors to patients themselves, all of whom bring unique perspectives to the issues at hand. We want to help you get an inside look at what influences clinical ethical decision-making, and bring awareness to issues that might not be in the public eye. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We welcome your feedback and are always looking for ways to improve our podcast.
The Hosts
Jehshua Karunakaran
MD, George Washington University
MS, Johns Hopkins University
ALB, Harvard University
Jehshua Karunakaran is an MD graduate from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences currently pursuing research in neurosurgery while applying to residency in neurosurgery. Prior to medical school, he obtained a Masters of Science in Biotechnology from the Johns Hopkins University, and worked in various biotech startups using artificial intelligence during the early days of AI development. He also spent a couple years in several neuroscience labs at the NIH studying stroke and neurodegenerative movement disorders. His current research is centered around functional neurosurgery, with ongoing projects in epilepsy syndromes and responsive neurostimulation.
Outside of research, Jehshua has had a long-standing interest in health policy, and studied drug pricing regulation and Medicare/Medicaid policy while in grad school, liasoning with lobbyists and representatives on Capitol Hill to understand pharmaceutical laws. Jehshua graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and concentration in Biology, and received a diploma in violin performance from the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division in NYC. In his free time, he can be found wandering aimlessly in the great outdoors, shopping for things he doesn't need, and deciding how to improve his home bar. He also enjoys reading, painting, and writing music when he can.
Elizabeth Ghandakly
MD, George Washington University
JD, University of Michigan
MBE, Johns Hopkins University
Liz Ghandakly is a second-year resident in internal medicine in Cleveland, OH. She is an MD graduate from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and attained her Masters in Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University while in medical school. Prior to medical school, she practiced corporate law for a number of years, doing contract negotiation for large IT corporations. With a deep interest in health policy, she served an appointment to the City of Alexandria Public Health Advisory Commission from 2016-2018, worked as a Health Policy Advisor to a Virginia State Delegate, and has served as a member of the Volunteer Services Advisory Council at Children’s National. Liz graduated from The Ohio State University with a dual degree in Economics and Political Science and an Arabic minor and received her law degree from The Ohio State University. In her spare time, Liz enjoys running, camping, making her dogs go for hikes, and trying to be an amateur triathlete. When not in a hospital call room, she is always up for a lively debate, board game, or triple espresso.
Give Us Your Feedback!
We are always looking for new ideas and topics to discuss that are relevant to our listeners. If you have any comments or suggestions to improve our podcast, please reach out to us using the form to the right - we welcome feedback! Of course, if you have any encouragement, we'd love to hear that too!