Podcast artwork thumbnail for Harvard Thinking

Harvard Thinking

Samantha Laine Perfas

Booking Overview

Harvard Thinking explores how ideas from academia show up in everyday life, pairing expert guests with practical, human-centered takeaways. It’s a strong fit for PR teams that represent researchers and thought leaders in neuroscience, medicine, and behavioral science who can explain their work accessibly.

Metrics

Episodes: 31

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Estimated listeners: 100 - 1,000

Gender skew: Neutral

Listener location: USA

YouTube: 2.9M subscribers

Instagram: 3.0M followers

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

digitalcomms@harvard.edu

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

Host

Samantha Laine Perfas - Host of Harvard Thinking; described as engaging “the life of the mind meets everyday life,” and leads conversations on health- and science-adjacent topics.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
Academic or clinical experts in relevant health/science disciplines (e.g., palliative care, neuroscience, behavioral science, neurology, geriatrics), plus select high-recognition public voices such as bestselling authors when tied to the theme.
Required Achievements:  
Peer-reviewed research or clinical leadership in a specialty, Recognized academic standing (e.g., neurologist/geriatric physician), Broad public recognition in publishing (e.g., bestselling author)

Recent Guest Discussions

Leslie John - Regret Cycles And Behavioral Strategies For Coping

Liz Phelps - How The Brain Processes Mistakes And Regret; Behavioral/neural Drivers Of Regret

Susan Block - Making Peace With Regret; Actions/inactions That Haunt Us

Erin Hecht - Why Dogs And Humans Bond; Evolutionary Basis Of Companionship

Beth Frates - Health/emotional/spiritual Benefits Of Dog Ownership

Recent Topics

Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology, Behavioral Science, Gerontology

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Harvard Thinking
:

Is your parenting style working?

October 07, 2026

Children have minds of their own and those minds might lead to behaviors parents either want to mitigate or reinforce. Parents have difficult choices to make when it comes to guiding their kids, all with the goal of raising successful human beings. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with economist Emily Oster, clinical psychologist Meredith Elkins, and educator Kiran Bhai about how to tell if your parenting tactics are helping or hurting your kid’s development.

The healing power of gene therapy

September 23, 2026

Gene therapy has been used to treat many previously incurable conditions, like correcting deadly genetic disorders or giving children born with hearing loss the ability to hear. The field has massive potential, but there are still many economic, regulatory, and scientific hurdles to overcome to adequately address a variety of both rare and more common conditions. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with gene editing researcher David Liu and ear, nose, and throat surgeon Eliot Sh...

Breaking the regret cycle

May 13, 2026

We all make mistakes. Sometimes we’re able to brush off these experiences, but other times we’re left with regrets. We regret that thing we said, how we handled that situation, or the choice we made. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas, palliative care specialist Susan Block, neuroscientist Liz Phelps, and behavioral scientist Leslie John discuss how to make peace with the actions – or inactions – that still haunt us.

Frequently asked questions

Here's some frequently asked questions for
Harvard Thinking
:

How do I get in touch with Harvard Thinking?

Harvard Thinking is hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas. Its publicly listed email is digitalcomms@harvard.edu. For guest bookings, the host or producer is usually the best person to reach. Podseeker helps you find direct host and producer contacts and pitch from your own inbox.

What is the email for Harvard Thinking?

The publicly listed email for Harvard Thinking: digitalcomms@harvard.edu.

How many listeners does Harvard Thinking have?

Podseeker estimates Harvard Thinking reaches 100 to 1,000 listeners per episode. Only the publisher has exact numbers.

Who is an ideal guest for Harvard Thinking?

Harvard Thinking typically books industry leaders. Typical guest background: Academic or clinical experts in relevant health/science disciplines (e.g., palliative care, neuroscience, behavioral science, neurology, geriatrics), plus select high-recognition public voices such as bestselling authors when tied to the theme. Common among recent guests: Peer-reviewed research or clinical leadership in a specialty; Recognized academic standing (e.g., neurologist/geriatric physician); Broad public recognition in publishing (e.g., bestselling author). Recent guests include Leslie John, Liz Phelps, and Susan Block.

How hard is it to get booked on Harvard Thinking?

Medium. Guests usually need solid credentials in the topic and an idea that fits the show.

What topics does Harvard Thinking cover?

Recent episodes cover Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology, Behavioral Science, and Gerontology. Pitch an idea tied to one of these topics and mention a recent episode.

Publicly listed emails

digitalcomms@harvard.edu

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

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