Turn on the Lights Podcast

The collapse of a major hospital system set off one of the most complex healthcare emergencies Massachusetts has ever faced. In this episode, Dr. Gregg Meyer, Incident Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses how the state responded to the unprecedented Steward Health Care crisis and worked to protect patients, communities, and hospital staff. He explains how years of debt, real estate deals, and private equity extraction destabilized the system and pushed it into bankruptcy. He shares what it took to manage a months-long VUCA public health emergency, including on-site monitoring, emergency closures, and the transfer of six hospitals to new nonprofit operators. He also reflects on the human and financial toll the crisis left behind, as well as why stronger oversight and policy reform are urgently needed. Tune in to learn how Massachusetts led one of the most challenging hospital rescue operations in U.S. history! Resources Follow the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on LinkedIn and explore their website! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Medicaid is a massive, life-sustaining program whose new work requirements and funding cuts risk stripping coverage from millions of people who can’t afford to lose it. In this episode, Cindy Mann, partner at Manatt Health and former director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, explains how Medicaid was created alongside Medicare in 1965 and has grown into the nation’s largest public coverage program, serving nearly 80 million people across diverse populations. She details the state–federal financing structure, explains why match rates vary, and highlights how Medicaid remains foundational to the Affordable Care Act’s coverage continuum. Cindy breaks down the proposed Medicaid cuts in HR1 and the impact of work requirements, illustrating how administrative barriers lead to people losing coverage and increasing uncompensated care costs without improving employment outcomes. She also challenges the “deserving versus undeserving poor” narrative and highlights efforts by states and providers to protect coverage gains. Tune in and learn how Medicaid’s design, politics, and future will shape health, budgets, and justice in America! Resources Follow Cindy Mann on LinkedIn. Follow Manatt Health on LinkedIn and explore their website! Learn more about the Medicaid program here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the biggest threat to our survival isn’t the next virus, but our failure to learn from the last one? In this episode, Dr. Michael Osterholm, Regents Professor and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, explains why America’s public health system is dangerously underprepared for the next major outbreak. He shares how misinformation and political interference have eroded confidence in science, leaving critical institutions like the CDC and NIH struggling to fulfill their missions. Dr. Osterholm discusses lessons from COVID-19 and why failing to apply them could cost millions of lives in the future. He also explores the promise of universal vaccines, the need for sustained investment in pandemic defense, and how rebuilding public trust starts with humility, transparency, and truth-telling. Tune in to hear what it will really take to prepare for “the big one. Resources Connect with and follow Dr. Michael Osterholm on LinkedIn. Follow the University of Minnesota on LinkedIn! Follow the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) on LinkedIn and visit their website! Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project here! Pick up any of Dr. Osterholm’s books here! Check out the Osterholm Update podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A nation’s promise to those who served becomes a lesson in how health care can truly heal. In this special Veterans Day episode, Dr. David Shulkin, the ninth Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the Trump Administration and VA’s Under Secretary of Health in the Obama Administration, talks about the mission, history, and transformation of the Veterans Health Administration, one of the nation’s largest and most innovative health systems. He shares how his time leading the VA changed his perspective on what effective, compassionate care looks like, highlighting the system’s holistic, population-based approach and its groundbreaking medical research. Dr. Shulkin also reflects on the challenges of government service, the importance of protecting the VA from privatization, and his continued advocacy for veterans and the workforce that serves them. Tune in to hear how the VA’s model offers vital lessons for the future of American health care! Resources: Connect with and follow Dr. David Shulkin on LinkedIn. Get a copy of Dr. Shulkin’s book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Government, Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans, here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our information environment has become a social determinant of health. In this episode, Joshua Sharfstein, a public health leader and professor at Johns Hopkins, and Joanne Kenen, journalist in residence at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discuss how the collapse of local journalism, the design of social media algorithms, and politicization have created an “information sickness” that undermines personal and public health. They explain that traditional reporting once filtered out false claims through rules and accountability, while today’s engagement-driven platforms reward emotional misinformation that quickly becomes “sticky.” The guests explore the consequences of vaccine refusal, fractured families, and the urgent need for remedies, such as embedding misinformation experts in health agencies, utilizing trusted platforms, and fostering community trust. They emphasize that artificial intelligence will both fuel and fight misinformation, demanding institutional adaptation. Ultimately, they urge individuals to maintain an informed news diet and practice empathy across information divides, reminding listeners that public health must serve everyone, even those who disagree. Tune in to learn practical ways to counter health misinformation, from rapid pre-bunking to community partnerships and smarter use of AI! Resources: Connect with and follow Joshua Sharfstein on LinkedIn. Follow and connect with Joanne Kenen on LinkedIn. Learn more about Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on their LinkedIn and website. Buy Josh and Joanne’s book Information Sick here. Listen to the What The Health podcast here. Sign up for the Expert Insights Newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I just went there for a routine knee replacement, or so I thought.” In this inspiring episode, Rosie Bartel, a patient partner and advocate, educator, and survivor, shares her journey from a devastating MRSA infection acquired during a routine knee replacement to becoming a global voice for patient safety and health care reform. After surviving 58 surgeries, more than 200 hospitalizations, and multiple amputations, she transformed her pain into a mission to prevent others from enduring the same experience. Rosie explains how being invited to her hospital’s root-cause investigation empowered her to advocate for systemic change and demonstrate the power of storytelling with purpose. She reminds health care professionals that patients seek healing, not lawsuits, urging both providers and patients to share their stories because, as she powerfully states, stories aren’t just anecdotes; they’re data that inspire action. Tune in and learn how courage, compassion, and the patient’s voice can light the path toward a safer, more humane health care system! Resources: Connect with and follow Rosie Bartel on LinkedIn. Learn more about The Beryl Institute on their LinkedIn and website. Watch here Rosie’s “One Is Too Many” video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The healers we need now don’t stop at the exam room; they go upstream to the causes of suffering and make safety, dignity, and trust part of the clinical job. In this episode, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, a physician and academic leader, calls for a broader, more human-centered definition of health care, one that addresses substance use, firearm injuries, pain, and the social realities that shape well-being. Drawing on personal experiences and systemic insight, he advocates for harm reduction, trust-building, and courageous leadership that transforms stigma and obstacles into opportunities for progress. Tune in and learn how broadening medicine’s scope saves lives and restores trust! Resources: Find out more about Dr. Sandeep Kapoor here. Learn more about the Zucker School of Medicine on its website. Follow Northwell Health on LinkedIn and explore their website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The integrity of evidence-based policy is under threat when political agendas override scientific rigor. In this episode, Dr. Robert Califf, former FDA Commissioner and cardiologist, reflects on his experience leading the FDA and the agency’s critical role in protecting public health through rigorous, science-based regulation across multiple sectors. He warns that political interference, disinformation, and mistrust threaten health outcomes but believes meaningful collaboration can still restore integrity and progress. Tune in and learn how protecting science-based regulation may be one of the most important public health actions of our time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The corporatization of health care is driving a mass exodus from primary care, creating a crisis that affects both physicians and patients alike. In this episode, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a physician and advocate, discusses the worsening state of American primary care, shaped by burnout, poor pay, and a loss of autonomy, while sharing how his recovery from opioid addiction inspired him to support other physicians. He also explores the stigma surrounding mental health in medicine, stalled union efforts, and the need for better education and regulation around the safe use of medical cannabis. Tune in and learn how systemic dysfunction is breaking primary care and how medical cannabis could be part of a more humane, effective future! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest drivers of high drug prices in America is the opaque rebate system between pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers, where savings rarely reach the patient. In this episode, Vinay Patel explains how drug prices are formed, from R&D and manufacturing to complex negotiations involving insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. He breaks down the mechanics of rebates, formulary restrictions, and the consolidation of power among PBMs, showing how these hidden forces raise prices and limit access. He also offers promising alternatives like cost-plus pricing models and calls on employers to take control of their health care contracts to cut costs. Tune in and learn how this broken system works, and what it might take to fix it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While universal health care offers immense equity and access, it still faces real challenges around fragmentation, funding, and integration. In this episode, Dr. Bob Klaber reflects on the values and challenges of the UK’s NHS, contrasting its universal care model with the U.S. system and advocating for whole-person care over over-medicalization. He emphasizes the importance of trust, collaboration across sectors, and the role of prevention and social determinants, remaining hopeful thanks to the next generation of health care leaders. Tune in and learn how real-world care, leadership, and connection shape a more equitable and effective health system! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The key to ending homelessness is not just more housing, but better systems of collaboration, urgency, and coordination at the community level. In this episode, Rosanne Haggerty, president and CEO of Community Solutions, discusses how the rising homelessness crisis in the U.S. reflects deeper systemic issues, from healthcare gaps to housing affordability, and explains why solving it starts with stable housing. She shares how the Built for Zero initiative has helped communities like Denver and Houston make homelessness rare and brief through data-driven collaboration and systems thinking. Tune in and learn how communities are turning coordination into impact and how your city might be next! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrating 100 episodes is no small feat! In this episode, co-hosts Kedar Mate and Don Berwick look back on their podcast journey, highlighting powerful stories and themes like moral injury, health inequities, and the promise of AI in health care. They reflect on moving moments of resilience and leadership while balancing short-term concerns with long-term optimism for a better future. Tune in to this milestone episode of Turn On The Lights! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human error in health care is inevitable, but system-level solutions offer real hope for reducing harm. In this episode, Dr. Jason Adelman, a leading patient safety expert, shares how a critical medication error propelled his transition from hospitalist to patient safety researcher, leading to innovations like the “retract-and-reorder” method for detecting wrong-patient errors. He explains the importance of a "just culture" in health care, the systemic nature of most medical errors, and how AI could help reduce harm, if used thoughtfully. Tune in and learn how technology and mindset shifts are reshaping the future of safer care! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The criminal justice system in the U.S. is, at its core, a healthcare issue, one that demands healing, not punishment. In this episode, Gregg Croteau, CEO of UTEC, shares how his organization helps justice-involved young adults escape cycles of violence and incarceration through education, employment, and unwavering support. Founded by young people in response to gang violence, UTEC now focuses on those aged 18–25, the group most at risk of returning to prison. Through social enterprises like mattress recycling and food services, participants are paid while also receiving therapy, childcare, coaching, and education. Gregg emphasizes the need for systemic change, including better mental health care, reentry support, and human connection, urging a more restorative approach to justice. Tune in and learn how compassion, structure, and persistence can rebuild lives and systems! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public health is invisible when it works and only noticed when it fails. In this episode, Dr. Howard Koh reflects on the chronic underfunding, political challenges, and cultural barriers weakening America’s public health system, drawing from his leadership experience during crises like 9/11, anthrax, H1N1, and the ACA rollout. He underscores the undervaluing of prevention and the difficulty of making invisible successes visible and frames public health as a spiritual calling rooted in meaning and service. Tune in and learn how we can reignite the public health torch and carry it forward, together! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 20- to 30-year life expectancy gap between neighborhoods just miles apart reveals the brutal reality of health inequity in the United States. In this episode, Dr. Steven Woolf, physician and public health expert, explains how U.S. health disparities are driven more by social determinants, like education, income, housing, and systemic racism, than by access to care, with COVID-19 worsening these gaps for marginalized communities. He calls for bold investments in economic and educational equity to reverse these trends, warning that without political will, systemic health inequities and poor outcomes will persist. Tune in and learn how economic policy, not just medicine, could be the key to saving lives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The survival of professional trust in medicine depends not only on individual doctors but on the systems and institutions that shape their behavior. In this episode, Dr. Thomas Nasca discusses the evolution of physician training, the role of accreditation and certification in ensuring national standards, and the need for institutional professionalism to support clinicians in upholding their oaths. He warns that growing financial pressures, particularly from private equity, are threatening the integrity of care and introduces a new center focused on preparing future medical leaders to confront these challenges. Tune in and learn how the future of health care may hinge not only on medical knowledge, but on who gets to shape the systems that deliver it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. ranks worst among developed nations for maternal and child health outcomes, highlighting a systemic failure that demands urgent attention. In this episode, Rebekah Gee examines the crisis of maternal mortality in the U.S. and how structural inequities and lack of home-based care continue to harm vulnerable families, drawing on her own life experiences and leadership in Medicaid expansion. She introduces Nest Health, a holistic, home-based model that serves entire Medicaid households, aiming to reduce ER visits, improve outcomes, and rebuild trust through empathy, data, and community-rooted care. Tune in and learn how innovation, policy, and persistence can reshape health care from the ground up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health care fundamentally lacks accountability to the humanity of its patients due to systemic profit-driven motives.  In this episode, Dr. Thomas Fisher, an emergency room physician, discusses his journey through emergency medicine and public policy, illustrating how health care reflects systemic societal challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on personal and professional experiences, he calls for a more humane, equitable health system shaped by policy reform and collective imagination. Tune in and learn about the intersection of health care, policy, and human dignity through the lens of emergency medicine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices