Local MacArthur ‘geniuses’ on grit and Camden’s most vulnerable

GUESTS: ANGELA DUCKWORTH & DR. JEFFREY BRENNER

The annual MacArthur Awards were announced last month and we’re happy to invite two of the recipients of the “Genius” Award back to Radio Times. ANGELA DUCKWORTH, a University of Pennsylvania research psychologist, studies how self-control and focusing on long-term goals are valuable assets in predicting academic success. She describes this ‘grit’ as something teachable, and that is at least as important as good grades, IQ, tests and talent. DR. JEFFREY BRENNER is also a local MacArthur fellow. He’s a primary care physician who founded the Camden Coalition of Health Care Providers, a network of health care providers working with chronically-ill patients who are frequent users of hospital emergency rooms. The coalition has identified ‘hot spots’ of the high emergency usage and try to meet the medical needs of this vulnerable population.