Millions of people experience severe pain or know someone suffering with chronic pain. For decades, opioids have been the default treatment, especially after surgery. But reactions to opioids— and the relief or consequences that result— differ from person to person. On this episode of the Quantum Potential podcast, Lori Schirle, assistant professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, certified registered nurse anesthetist and nurse scientist, explains her transformative research on understanding pain and relief alternatives.

Her research explores whether differences in our DNA can help predict who is most likely to experience persistent discomfort after surgery and who may not respond well to opioids.

She also explains innovations in personalized pain treatment research, supported by the National Institutes of Health and Vanderbilt’s Seeding Success Grant program, that takes an entirely new approach to easing pain by focusing on the brain.

Listen and subscribe to the Quantum Potential podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/research.

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This episode was produced by Vanderbilt University and created through the collaboration of Randolph Infinger, Sydney Jones-Wright, Amber Palmer-Halma, Patrick Sams, Jennifer Stevens, Maisie Wilson, and Amy Wolf, with original music by Steven Matthew Carter.

This episode was edited and mixed by the team at Sound On // Sound Off. You can learn more about their work at SoundOnSoundOff.com.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series.

Copyright 2026, Vanderbilt University.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

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The true origins of country music contain a rich multicultural past. On this episode of the Quantum Potential podcast, Alice Randall, award-winning country music songwriter, New York Times-bestselling novelist, professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and Vanderbilt writer-in-residence, talks with Provost C. Cybele Raver about country music’s Black roots.

Randall’s newest book, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future, explores the often-overlooked history of Black artists who helped create one of America's defining musical traditions, while asking profound questions about belonging, identity, and the ways we individually and collectively shape American culture.

Randall also talks about her role in the Southern Festival of Books, one of the nation's oldest and largest literary festivals, presented in partnership with Humanities Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. The festival celebrates the power of books and storytelling to bring communities together through new ideas and different perspectives.

Listen and subscribe to the Quantum Potential podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about Quantum Potential, go to https://www.vanderbilt.edu/research.

· Sign up for the Vanderbilt Research newsletter

· Read the stories behind the innovators and problem-solvers making waves across disciplines

This episode was produced by Vanderbilt University and created through the collaboration of Randolph Infinger, Sydney Jones-Wright, Amber Palmer-Halma, Patrick Sams, Jennifer Stevens, Maisie Wilson, and Amy Wolf, with original music by Steven Matthew Carter.

This episode was edited and mixed by the team at Sound On // Sound Off. You can learn more about their work at SoundOnSoundOff.com.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series.

Copyright 2026, Vanderbilt University.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media

What is it like to be at the epicenter of American politics through ten presidents? Three-term Tennessee senator, two-term Tennessee governor, U.S. secretary of education, former University of Tennessee president and Vanderbilt alumnus Lamar Alexander, BA’62, joins the Quantum Potential podcast to talk about his experiences as a statesman, educator, entrepreneur, author, and lifelong champion of public service.

He and Provost C. Cybele Raver discuss the country’s current political landscape. Alexander also shares wisdom gained from a lifetime spent in American political and civic life, as discussed in his most recent book, The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.

Listen and subscribe to the Quantum Potential podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential.

· Sign up for the Vanderbilt Research newsletter

· Read the stories behind the innovators and problem-solvers making waves across disciplines

This episode was produced by Vanderbilt University and created through the collaboration of Randolph Infinger, Sydney Jones-Wright, Amber Palmer-Halma, Patrick Sams, Jennifer Stevens, Maisie Wilson, and Amy Wolf, with original music by Steven Matthew Carter.

This episode was edited and mixed by the team at Sound On // Sound Off. You can learn more about their work at SoundOnSoundOff.com.

Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series.

Copyright 2026, Vanderbilt University.

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Vanderbilt University.

Follow Vanderbilt on Social Media