The Social Science Research Institute
31 episodes listed below
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The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast brings together academic researchers, government partners and others outside of academia to talk about research insights and real-world policy solutions in Pennsylvania and beyond. This podcast series is supported by the Pennsylvania State University's Social Science Research Institute, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Administrative Data Accelerator, the Office of Vice President of Research, and the College of Health and Human Development.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · June 2026
A careful policy and practice show about prevention, substance use, health equity, and how research reaches community life.
The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast belongs in Society & Culture because it treats public systems as lived experience, not abstract policy. Across the sampled episodes, measured interviews and panel conversations bring academic researchers, government and practitioner partners,…
You like your public policy with evidence, implementation wrinkles, and agency partners in the room.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded look at how prevention research becomes public work.
This episode stays on the practical side of a long-running university-government partnership. Janet Welsh and Jeff Colchin talk through EPIS, SPEP, funding continuity, and the work of turning data into something agencies can actually use, while Michael Donovan keeps the…
A steady, practical look at stigma, recovery, and the systems that shape both.
The episode treats the opioid crisis as a public health problem without losing sight of the people living through it. It gives the strongest attention to stigma, medical mistrust, and the slow work of rebuilding trust after care has failed people.
A clear public-health conversation about how prevention meets real-world barriers.
This episode treats chronic disease prevention as a public-health problem shaped as much by money, transit, and child care as by genetics. Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes and Amy Flaherty move from education and immigration status to the daily obstacles that decide whether advice can…
A practical look at turning a public-health idea into something people can actually use.
This episode looks closely at how a Health2Go vending machine can narrow the gap between a community need and actual care. It stays with the practical side of the story: who partnered, where the machines were placed, what helped people trust them, and how funding had to catch up…
A grounded look at community policing, recovery, and overdose response.
Part two of Bridging the Gap stays with the practical side of community policing: training, recovery stories, and the work of moving officers from burnout and futility toward a steadier sense that recovery can happen.
A calm, practical look at teen substance-use prevention without panic.
The piece treats adolescent substance use as a school and systems problem, and that framing gives Michael Donovan, Steve Sandlich, and Sarah Ballard room to make the Substance Use School Outreach Initiative feel grounded.
Community policing here is all process: outreach, buy-in, and a referral program that keeps evolving.
This episode stays close to the work behind Madison's MARI program: how it grew over 10 years from MARI 1.0 to MARI 3.0, and how recovery and crime reduction get turned into a referral process.
A measured look at podcasts as a way to move medical knowledge to practitioners and the public.
Medical podcasts come across here as a working tool, not a novelty. Michael Donovan speaks with William Calo, Ben Fogel, and Paul Williams about continuing medical education, maintenance of certification credits, and the path from papers and conference posters to something…
Willa Paskin traces one cultural mystery per episode, from web soap operas to prune marketing.
A Radiotopia feed built around the scripted drama Red for Revolution plus curated NPR crossover episodes.
San Quentin's incarcerated and formerly incarcerated producers tell first-person stories from inside prison.
Spanish-language narrative journalism from across Latin America and Latino life.
PJ Vogt investigates one question a week, from GLP-1 drugs to driverless-car policy.
This episode examines the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI), a police-led program that diverts people with substance use disorders to treatment instead of jail.
The host opens by casting the show as a bridge between academic research, government, and practice.
MARI takes time to build.
Michael Donovan opens a conversation about adolescent substance use with Dr.
Stigma is the starting point.
Health2Go meets people quietly.
This episode explores how medical podcasts are transforming clinical education and practice, featuring researchers and a podcast host discussing studies that use podcasts to train providers on vaccine communication, the growth of clinician-focused content, and the potential for podcasts to combat misinformation and improve patient outcomes.
Evidence to Impact documents a 20+ year partnership between Penn State's EPIS research center and Pennsylvania's criminal justice commission (PCCD).