On the Road to Mayo Clinic, with Jason Davis

By Elizabeth Harty • May 13, 2014

DavisJason760Minnesota broadcast journalist Jason Davis has been on the road since 1979, bringing KSTP-TV viewers to interesting and intriguing locations across Minnesota, the region and even the world. Davis, who plans to retire at the end of May, wasn't too hard to talk into taking a whirlwind tour of Mayo Clinic, which is celebrating a little history-making of its own, as you may have heard.

The resulting "On the Road: Mayo Clinic Celebrates 150 Years" episode takes on the flavor of Mayo's sesquicentennial recognition -- celebrating Mayo's history and accomplishments, and looking to the future.

Here are five highlights from the show:

  • Matt Dacy, Mayo historian, talks about how the Mayos and the Sisters of Saint Francis helped treat wounded survivors in a dance hall and a library after the 1883 tornado, and Davis talks about how the cyclone "brought together an unlikely couple of immigrants" (Dr. W.W. Mayo and Mother Alfred Moes) to spark a new way of practicing medicine.
  • Bart Demaerschalk, M.D., drives a telemedicine robot through Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona to demonstrate the capabilities of the tool that brings Mayo specialists face to face with stroke patients and their physicians in rural hospitals across Arizona.
  • Bernadette Cusack discusses one of the largest collections of frozen brains in the world, which allow researchers to dig deeper into diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and ALS.
  • Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., discusses research into using stem cells to regenerate tissue -- to heal organs rather than replace them – and the care and feeding of these amazing cells. ("Like a baby, you need to change the diapers," he says.)
  • Carillonneur Jeff Daehn, volunteer Jane Belau and Mayo patients discuss how music contributes to the healing environment at Mayo Clinic.

There's much, much more, of course. You can watch the entire video below where you can also tell us what's up in your little corner of Mayo Clinic.

Also, don’t miss Matt Dacy’s picks for the Mayo Clinic’s five most-important medical contributions on Minnesota Public Radio.