Health Views with Deb Friesen, MD

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're joined by Dr. Karen R. Stewart, Chief of Behavioral Health for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group. Tune in to hear about her dedication to advancing equitable, high-quality mental health care. Dr. Stewart also discusses the rising stress among parents, offering insights on how employers and care providers can help.

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, our April guest, Dr. Ericka Gibson, Kaiser Permanente ob-gyn discusses maternal health equity. Explore how disparities and social factors impact care outcomes and discover how culturally responsive care can help ensure all women and their babies achieve their full health potential.

The Health Views with Deb Friesen, MD podcast series continues with Sean Seitzinger, Vice President of Brand and Consumer Marketing at Kaiser Permanente. In this episode, Sean explores brand marketing's role in health care, the impact of trust, digital health, AI, and how Kaiser Permanente connects with key audiences including the next generation of consumers.

Kick off 2025 with a new Health Views episode featuring Dr. Daniel Yang, Kaiser Permanente's Vice President of AI and Emerging Technologies. During their conversation, Dr. Yang explores the expanding role of AI in health care, including its current impact, potential advancements, and the importance of its responsible use.

Happy Thanksgiving, Health Views listeners! In this special episode, Dr. Linda Shiue returns to share her favorite fall foods, her exciting new role at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, and a delicious pumpkin hummus recipe for your thanksgiving table. Here's the link to Dr. Shiue's pumpkin hummus recipe: https://spiceboxtravels.com/2019/10/20/pumpkin-hummus/

In this October episode of Health Views, we're joined by Dr. Jen Gunter, a practicing OB/GYN, pain medicine specialist, and two-time New York Times bestselling author. Dr. Gunter, a passionate advocate and educator in women's health, sits down with Dr. Deb for an insightful conversation on essential topics like menstruation and menopause. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.

Dr. Pickens believes that the best version of ourselves comes not from the pursuit of happiness, but from the pursuit of healthiness. He invites us to reflect on the question: How can I get better? Listen to this conversation to hear innovative tools to help you grow into a healthier, more fulfilled version of yourself, with a focus on belonging, well-being, and curiosity.

Tune in to this episode of Health Views featuring Margaret E. O'Kane, founder and president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Margaret delves into the fascinating NCQA origin story, her commitment to embedding quality in healthcare, and how NCQA is pioneering new approaches to evaluate virtual care, mental health and advance health equity.

Listen to this Health Views episode with Kaiser Permanente's SVP of Care Delivery Technology Services, Desiree Gandrup-Dupre. Desiree discusses how technology has evolved throughout her career and how it's enabled advancements in health care delivery through a focus on value-added benefits for both patients and clinicians.

Theatre is a powerful healthcare educational tool for both adults and children. We're excited to share an insightful conversation with Betty Hart and Jared Randolph, Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre program leads who are focused on improving teacher and staff well-being, workforce health, and youth mental health through their amazing productions. Listen in to learn about Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre program and for helpful mental health best practices that anyone can use. Here is the link for more information https://thrivingschools.kaiserpermanente.org/educational-theatre/.

Our April Health Views guest is Dr. Sarah Leitz. Dr. Leitz is a Kaiser Permanente Internal Medicine Physician in the Northwest who is focused on helping and treating patients with substance use disorders through a patient-centered approach and a harm reduction framework. Listen to this episode to learn how proven behavioral health best practices can be applied both within and outside the patient setting.

We're excited to welcome Heather R. Younger as our March Health Views guest! Heather is the founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and consulting firm whose mission is to inspire and train leaders to put their culture and employees first. During this episode, Heather shares her proven and innovative active listening at work model illustrated in five steps. The model provides an easy-to-use framework to help individuals feel more heard, valued, and understood within professional environments. Don't miss out on Heather's own podcast, Leadership with Heart to receive additional insights, stories, and best practices.  

As 2023 comes to a close, we're excited to share a discussion on healthy habits with our Health Views with Deb Friesen, MD host, Dr. Deb Friesen! Listen to this energizing episode for helpful tips and tools directly from Dr. Deb on how to improve behavior and learn small/actionable steps anyone can take to drive change and new habits. Thank you for listening this year and we look forward to releasing new episodes in 2024!  

We're pleased to have Dr. Janet Choi as our next Health Views guest! Dr. Choi is Progyny's Chief Medical Officer and has more than 20 years of experience in the fertility reproductive health field as a board-certified specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology. During this discussion, Dr. Deb and Dr. Choi cover several topics including: Dr. Choi's passion and expert role in bringing babies into the world for decades, her mission to provide an equitable and inclusive family building experience for so many, and what employers can do to support and provide more access to fertility care solutions.

Our October Health Views guest is Narayanan “Nari” Gopala, Kaiser Permanente's chief digital officer. As chief digital officer, Nari leads cross-functional teams to transform a full range of digital experiences in service to the organization's 12.7 million members and its clinical workforce. Nari oversees Kaiser Permanente's member app and website, kp.org, including its digital strategy, user experience, and ongoing enhancements, which have received numerous industry accolades such as Webby Awards' People's Voice winner in 2022 and Design Company of the Year by Fast Company in 2022. Listen to this thought-provoking discussion to learn more about the digital transformation of health care and how consumer demand for a digital health experience has evolved since the pandemic.   

We're pleased to have Dr. Bechara Choucair as our next Health Views guest! As chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Choucair oversees the organization's efforts to address the social health of its 12.5 million members and work to improve conditions for health and equity for all 68 million people living in the communities it serves. A key priority for Dr. Choucair and focus of this discussion is identifying the connection and relationship between climate change, health, and equity. Dr. Choucair says, “those that are contributing the least are being impacted the most”. Listen to this engaging and important interview to hear Dr. Choucair's collective call to action for all of us to help communities and systems — resulting in real positive change.  

Our September Health Views guest is Dr. Trashawn Thornton-Davis, a fantastic Kaiser Permanente OB/GYN based in Maryland. In this episode, Dr. Deb and Dr. Thornton-Davis discuss the women's health journey from menstruation to menopause and everything in between. They also cover what employers can do to better support their workforce in this space and wrap up the episode with the importance of self-care. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the products discussed in the podcast. Any trade names mentioned are for easy identification only. 

Our 25th Health Views podcast guest is Nelly Ganesan, Executive Director of Health Equity and External Affairs at Morgan Health (a business unit within JPMorgan Chase focused on healthcare innovation for individuals with employer-sponsored insurance)! Nelly is passionate about advancing health equity, establishing meaningful partnerships to improve patient outcomes and driving affordability to ensure each individual has the resources they need to get the right care at the right time. Listen to learn more about Nelly and the great work she's doing at Morgan Health.

Our June Health Views guest is Kaiser Permanente's David Grandy, Vice President, Innovation! Listen to this enlightening discussion to explore how innovative thinking can help address some of today's top health care industry challenges including digital equity and access to care.  

To commemorate Armed Forces Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, we're releasing this excellent interview with Dr. Joseph Caravalho, Jr, president and chief executive officer of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF). During this episode, you will hear about Dr. Caravalho's decorated military medical background and you'll also hear about his compassion and calling to help and heal people.

Celebrate Earth Day with Dr. Deb and our favorite entomologist, Dr. Sammy Ramsey, aka Dr. Buggs! Download this energetic and engaging interview to hear Dr. Sammy's passion for insects, environmental education and health equity.

Our March Health Views guest is Dr. Nilay Shah, Director, Health Analytics and Innovation from Delta Air Lines. During this dynamic discussion, Dr. Deb and Dr. Shah cover how his population health analytics work translates into the well-being space for Delta employees and customers during the pandemic and beyond.  

We're pleased to have Kaiser Permanente's Ije-Enu Udeze Nwosu, Vice President, Performance and Impact, for our 20th Health Views episode! This insightful discussion covers why it's so important for Kaiser Permanente to address environmental justice, social equity and economic prosperity through our impact spending work. Additionally, Ije shares how small decisions can make a big difference to drive healthier communities. “Every individual has a part to play, no matter what you are doing. Challenge yourself to make a difference.”

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. This is just one cancer type that could be avoided when vaccinated against HPV early in life and before exposure to virus-causing cancer. This episode features Dr. Philip Castle who is the director of the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute. Listen to this powerful conversation on cancer risk reduction for the importance of prevention. To learn more, visit Cervical Cancer Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention - NCI.

Do you know the difference between a health system and a health care system? Do you know why social determinants matter? Listen to this episode to hear Professor Loel Solomon from the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine answer these important questions along with much more about the school's pioneering curriculum and its critical role in educating future physicians.

Happy Thanksgiving! We're excited to release a shorter version of this fantastic discussion on nutrition and healthy eating with Dr. Linda Shiue just-in-time for your holiday menus.  

Our October Health Views guest is Heather McGowan! Heather is a future-of-work strategist, thought leader, researcher, author, and is one of the leading voices on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Listen to this powerful episode to hear Heather's perspectives on how the pandemic impacted the future of work and why she's so optimistic about what's coming next.

Listen to this great Health Views episode to learn about Kaiser Permanente's Thriving Schools initiative, which aims to support schools and districts across the country to ensure that teachers, staff, and students have the support they need to thrive — in learning and in health. Annie Reed, Executive Director of Thriving Schools & Communities at Kaiser Permanente is an expert in thinking about the policy, systems and environmental changes that help ensure kids, teachers and school staff can be at their best. Additionally, she works with schools to strive for better outcomes and identifies solutions to increase resilience.

Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine has been founded to educate future leaders in the transformation of healthcare delivery and addressing of health equity issues. During this Health View's episode, you'll hear from Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, the school's Founding Dean and CEO, which opened its doors and welcomed its inaugural class in July 2020. During this fascinating interview, Dr. Schuster proudly shares his passion for innovation, inclusivity, and commitment to improving the health and well-being of patients and communities by leading one of the most diverse medical schools in the nation. Listen on to also hear Dr. Schuster describe the school's core mission, vision and values, and its clinical learning which draws from the expertise of Kaiser Permanente.  

There's been a lot of news about how the pandemic has triggered a youth mental health crisis. Parents in the workplace may feel divided between childcare and work, resulting in decreased workplace productivity, additional strain on a remote workforce, as well as additional costs for both employee and employer. Marti Post, Executive Director of the On Our Sleeves movement at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, recently joined Dr. Deb to talk about ways to encourage positive actions employers can take to support children's mental health.

We're bringing Stanford University Behavior Design Lab Founder/Director and New York Times bestselling author, BJ Fogg, PhD back in this abridged interview. Dr. Fogg shares how to build healthy habits by tapping into positivity and the importance of celebrating one small change at a time. If you're interested in listening to the full recording scroll down to our sixth episode launched on May 13, 2021.

April is National Minority Health Month, a time to focus on improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities and reducing health inequities. We also want to acknowledge Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17 which explores causes and solutions to the staggering statistic that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. During this national observance, Dr. Deb sits down with a special guest, Dr. Amanda Williams. Dr. Williams is a practicing Ob/Gyn, the Assistant Chair of Chiefs for Maternity with The Permanente Medical Group and serves as the Maternity Director for Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center. In this compelling episode, Dr. Williams discusses her dedication and years of experience exploring inequities in care affecting Black mothers and the complex factors driving them.

During National Nutrition Month, it's important to recognize food as medicine which is the focus of this month's Health Views discussion with Linda Shiue, MD. Dr. Shiue is a Kaiser Permanente internist and professionally trained chef who founded the Thrive Kitchen, a teaching kitchen with hands-on cooking classes to improve the health of patients and her community. Dr. Shiue believes that the best medicine is prevention and that you can cook your way to better health and wellness. Go to Dr. Shiue's Facebook page to read more about culinary medicine, www.Facebook.com/TheDoctorsSpicebox and check out Dr. Shiue's debut cookbook, Spicebox Kitchen to try her delicious globally-inspired recipes.

In our two-part bone marrow donation series, Dr. Deb talks to two women who have remarkable stories. Together they partner on Will You Marrow Me?, a bone marrow awareness program that encourages racially and ethnically diverse populations to register as donors. In part two, Dr. Deb interviews Dr. Yung-Mee Park, a strong bone marrow donor advocate, donor, and Kaiser Permanente family care physician.    There's a national shortage of bone marrow donations among minorities and biracial populations, with 70% coming from Caucasian donors. Unfortunately, thousands of patients diagnosed with blood cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma, don't have a genetic match and desperately wait for a life-saving bone marrow donation. Please join the Be The Match registry at https://bethematch.org/kaiserpermanente and save a life today! 

In our two-part bone marrow donation series, Dr. Deb talks to two women who have remarkable stories. Together they partner on Will You Marrow Me?, a bone marrow awareness program that encourages racially and ethnically diverse populations to register as donors. In part one, Dr. Deb interviews Mika Yoshino, Will You Marrow Me? founder, bone marrow donation advocate, and a director on Kaiser Permanente's Digital Experience Center team.   There's a national shortage of bone marrow donations among minorities and biracial populations, with 70% coming from Caucasian donors. Unfortunately, thousands of patients diagnosed with blood cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma, don't have a genetic match and desperately wait for a life-saving bone marrow donation. Please join the Be The Match registry at https://bethematch.org/kaiserpermanente and save a life today! 

In honor of PRIDE month, Dr. Deb sits down with a special guest Erin Waters. Erin is a Kaiser Permanente Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Consultant and Community Health Navigator in Kaiser Permanente's Northwest Region Gender Pathways Clinic. In her role, Erin is a powerful advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and has a deep commitment to help transform health systems to be more inclusive and gender affirming for trans and nonbinary people. We're excited to share this episode with all of you during PRIDE month and hope you learn a lot from Erin and her story.          

This month's episode features celebrated Stanford University Behavior Design Lab Founder/Director and New York Times bestselling author, Dr. BJ Fogg! BJ's work has recently led him to researching human behavior with a focus on how to easily build health habits by tapping into positivity. During the conversation, they discuss his breakthrough book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything which has a given millions of people the confidence and hope to create happier and healthier lives with just one small change at a time.

Dr. Deb virtually sits down with her friend and Kaiser Permanente colleague Dr. Nicole Stelter. Dr. Stelter is a licensed Psychotherapist, Clinical Trauma Professional, and EAP Consultant who has completed training with the U.S. Department of Defense, FEMA, and the U.S. National Incident Management System. During this episode, they discuss a wide-range of COVID-19 mental health and wellness topics which include, building resiliency for all, the importance of having psychological safety at work, and the challenges of working from home for parents. Listen for Nicole's expert recommendations to learn how to persevere during this difficult time, both on a personal and professional level.  

On today's episode, Dr. Deb virtually sits down with Professor Christina Maslach, an acclaimed social psychologist and professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Maslach is a pioneering researcher with over 30 years of experience who defined and identified predictors and the measurement of job burnout, a feeling that many of us have experienced before and during COVID-19. Her work is the basis for the 2019 decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to include this condition as an occupational phenomenon with health consequences. As part of her work, she also created the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the most widely used instrument for measuring workplace fatigue, and she has written numerous articles and books, including The Truth About Burnout. We can all learn a lot from Professor Maslach to better understand, reduce, and prevent our daily stress, negativity, and exhaustion while working.

For our third episode, Dr. Deb has a powerful discussion with Dr. Ronald Copeland, senior vice president and chief equity, inclusion, and diversity officer at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Copeland is a recently retired board-certified general surgeon who joined Kaiser Permanente in 1988 after a six-year honorable tour-of-duty in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. Prior to his current role, he served as president and executive medical director of the Ohio Permanente Medical Group and in 2016, Dr. Copeland was appointed to the board of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, to name just a few accolades. Dr. Deb sits down virtually with Dr. Copeland to unpack the importance of equity, inclusion, and diversity in the health care industry, while discussing where we go from here and what more we can do to make meaningful change during this important time in our nation's history.

For our second episode, Dr. Deb sits down virtually with Dr. Omar Dawood, Chief Medical Officer at Calm. Dr. Dawood shares his health care journey and how his experiences have guided him to be an innovation thought leader and practitioner. Omar is passionate about helping people around the globe lead healthier, happier lives by building resilience through better sleep and improved mindfulness. Listen to this episode to learn how you can decrease stress and anxiety to better navigate this time of change and uncertainty. Please stay with us to experience a 3-minute body scan exercise at the end of the episode. A body scan is one of the most effective ways to begin a mindfulness meditation practice. 

For our first episode, Dr. Deb is pleased to have Dr. Troy Long as her inaugural guest. In addition to being a longtime friend, Troy is a practicing physician with the Colorado Permanente Medical Group who cares for patients across the state of Colorado. Over the last decade, Troy has been a practitioner and strong advocate of telehealth use. During this episode, the pair evaluate the importance of telehealth before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.