11:00am, Jason Ridlon, Bacteria on Steroids

Endocrinology has long focused on steroid biosynthesis and metabolism by host enzymes, and mode of action of steroids in various target tissues in the body. Work conducted by Jason Ridlon and his research group emphasizes that host-associated bacteria are an important component of the human endocrine system and cannot be ignored any longer. This talk will describe evidence that bacteria inhabiting the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts generate androgens that may have health implications for hormone-dependent diseases such as prostate cancer.

Noon, Leona Yi-Fan Su, Conversational Agents for Correction of Health Misinformation

The rapid global spread of misinformation poses serious threats to public health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the development of effective tools to combat it. Chatbots for this purpose have been deployed by the WHO and other health agencies, but neither their levels of effectiveness nor the mechanisms of their corrective effects are adequately understood. In this talk, Professor Su will present her empirical findings about how, and how well, chatbots can be used to debunk health misinformation.