Improve Healthcare

Dr. Phil Wagner is founder-CEO of Sparta Science, a physician and a strength coach whose own athletic career as a football and rugby player was cut short by a series of avoidable training injuries. Dr. Wagner's commitment to data-driven coaching and athlete development began as a strength coach for U.C. Berkeley and UCLA and as a professional rugby coach in New Zealand and Australia.Frustrated by the lack of evidence-based approaches to athletic performance and injury prevention within professional sports, Phil received his medical degree from USC focused on biomechanics. Phil's passion for protecting athlete health and longevity through injury resilience coupled with his medically-oriented human performance mindset inspired him to found Sparta Science, a movement technology and data science company focused on improving musculoskeletal health.During Phil's time as a college athlete and strength and conditioning coach at UC, Berkeley, he became frustrated with the lack of evidence-based approaches to performance injury. This experience inspired Phil to blend machine learning with practitioner expertise to generate data that helps us better understand the complex human body. Learn More https://spartascience.com/

Dr. Nagdev is Exo's Senior Director of Clinical Education. Separate from his capacity with Exo, he also serves as the Director of Emergency Ultrasound at Highland Hospital as well as a Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In his previous academic position, Dr. Nagdev started the point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) program and fellowship at Brown University.Dr. Nagdev is a highly respected international POCUS researcher and educator. He has been a thought leader throughout his career, publishing more than 90 peer-reviewed papers on various aspects of POCUS including pain management, cardiac arrest and volume resuscitation. His work led to recognition and national awards at both the American College of Emergency Medicine (ACEP) and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).Learn More at Exo

Eugene Nelson is a professor of community and family medicine at The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He serves as the director of Population Health and Measurement at The Dartmouth Institute and leads a program on new models to advance the coproduction of health care. Nelson is a national leader in health care improvement and the development and application of measures of quality, system performance, health outcomes, value, and patient perceptions. His current work is focused on using patient-centered registries to develop learning health systems capable of coproducing improved health care and innovative science. He leads a Dartmouth team that is conducting national proof of concept demonstration programs for several chronic disease populations including cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rheumatology.  In the early 1990's, Nelson and his colleagues at Dartmouth began developing clinical microsystem thinking. His work developing the “clinical value compass” and “whole system measures” to assess health care system performance has made him a well-recognized quality and value measurement expert.He is the recipient of The Joint Commission's Ernest A. Codman award for his work on outcomes measurement in health care. Nelson has been a pioneer in bringing modern quality improvement thinking into the mainstream of health care; he helped launch the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and served as a founding board member. He has authored over 150 publications and is an author of two recent books: Quality by Design: A Clinical Microsystems Approach and Value by Design: Developing Clinical Microsystems to Achieve Organizational Excellence.  He received an AB from Dartmouth College, an MPH from Yale University, and a DSc from Harvard University..Glyn Elwyn, is the director of the Institute's Patient Engagement program. He has assembled an international interdisciplinary team, The Preference Laboratory, examining the implementation of shared decision making into clinical settings, using innovative tools and measures, such as CollaboRATE, a patient experience measure of shared decision making and Observer OPTION, for use on recorded data. Members of the team have led the development of Option Grids™ patient decision aids, tools designed to support collaboration between clinicians and patients.He holds chair appointments at the Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare, University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Netherlands, the Cochrane Institute for Primary Care and Public Health, Cardiff University, and at University College London. He is the lead editor of Shared decision making: Evidence Based Patient Choice, Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 2016. Learn more about The Dartmouth Institute Coproduction Laboratory

Alex Bahram is the co-founder and CEO of JupiterDX, a health data analytics and engagement platform that helps patients suffering from chronic illnesses manage their care and find effective treatments. Using wearables like apple watch and Fitbit to monitor vital signs and activity levels, JupiterDX's app assists patients with energy and symptom management. JupiterDX is currently focused on helping patients with Long COVID.Prior to co-founding JupiterDX, Alex was the sixth employee at SummerBio, a high throughput COVID testing startup. While there, he helped manage their hardware supply chain and helped the company grow to over 100 employees and the largest COVID tester in California.He is currently on hiatus from his studies at Northwestern University to focus on growing JupiterDX. Learn More at JupiterDX

Eric Alvarez is the CEO and Founder of Grapefruit Health, a company that is creating a brand new workforce to help meet the significant shortage of healthcare workers today. Prior to this adventure, he has held multiple positions within the healthcare industry. Most recently Eric was the COO of a healthcare technology startup called Fibroblast, which was acquired by the EMR giant Cerner Corporation in 2020. In this role, he oversaw product, development, human resources, finance, general company operations, and was active in all major sales cycles. Before joining Fibroblast, Eric was a hospital administrator at the University of Chicago Medicine and Northwestern Medicine. In these roles, he led large clinical and nonclinical teams mostly in specialty services that included the services lines of Cardiovascular surgery, Urology, and Ophthalmology. These roles have provided Eric with a deep understanding of how health systems function as a business and what their systemic challenges are. Eric earned his Masters in Healthcare Administration from Rush University, a top 5 program, and his Bachelors in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University, a top 10 program. Prior to college, he served in the United States Air Force during Iraqi Freedom. Most recently, Eric was named a top 100 Rising LatinX founders, Distinguished Alumni of the Year from Rush, and took a board seat at Southern Illinois University's College of Health and Human Sciences.Learn more Grapefruit Health

Kenneth Dion, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN, RCSI, FAAN, Sigma President, is a 40-year veteran of the health care industry. He is a nurse entrepreneur, inventor, and scholar. In 1999, Dr. Dion founded Decision Critical, Inc., an information systems company, to meet the education, compliance, and competency development needs of health care organizations. In 2012, Decision Critical was acquired by HealthStream, Inc., where Dr. Dion served as vice president and chief of nursing informatics until 2014.  Dr. Dion joined Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 2018 as the Inaugural Dean for Business Innovation and Strategic Relationships. His responsibilities included bringing nursing innovations to market, implementing emerging technologies, and providing strategic guidance to the organization. Dr. Dion earned his bachelor's degree in nursing at the University of Central Florida and his MBA, MSN, and PhD in nursing systems at the University of Texas at Austin. Learn more at SigmaNursing

Eric Demers is the CEO of Madaket Health. He believes we can transform healthcare delivery through the power of data and interoperability. With more than 25 years of global healthcare experience, Eric has built and scaled leading technology and service companies, from early stage to Fortune 100. He is highly sought-after for speaking and consulting on international health, having advised global entities and governments on critical issues facing healthcare. A growth-minded leader, Eric has founded three companies and exited two. Eric previously served in strategy-focused executive roles at IBM, Accreon, MEDecision and Orion Health. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.Madaket Health accelerates healthcare administration with seamless integrations and a fully connected platform that ensures healthcare organizations run smarter, faster, and more efficiently. With Madaket, providers, payers, and intermediaries uncover provider data analytics and insights, saving more than $500 million in the process. The company's platform automates 90% of burdensome and error-prone administrative tasks, streamlining provider credentialing, licensing, and verification processes, boosting staff productivity 10-20X while reducing processing times by up to 50%. Learn how Madaket targets billions of dollars in healthcare administrative waste by simplifying provider data management, revenue cycle, and exchange processes at madakethealth.com.Learn more about Madaket Health

Mohamed is the founder and CEO of InovCares Connected Comprehensive Healthcare, LLC.He was inspired to develop InovCares following the tragic loss of both his sister and his aunt to pregnancy hemorrhage & preeclampsia. Previously, Mohamed was the Director of Operations for the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs. During his time at the center, he supported150 minority-led businesses from idea to growth stage and headed the center's nonprofit financial statement preparation, budgeting, billing, and receivables, building operations, and maintenance. Mohamed has served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Goodie Nation - a nonprofit supporting 350 impact-driven founders with connections, access to capital, and customers. He also held positions as Chief Financial Officer for Wellness Healthcare Clinic - a comprehensive behavioral health and addiction medicine clinic supporting underserved patients impacted by opioids. Mohamed is also the host and producer for The Empowered Patient Podcast sponsored by InovCares, where he connects with healthcare providers, payor executives, and other healthcare leaders. He has held several roles as Program Leader for Startup Leadership Program, Manager of FP&A for National Fire Sprinkler Association, Senior Financial Analyst for TSYS, Senior Valuation Analyst for Rea & Association, and Senior Financial Analyst for AirNet Systems, Staff for Ernst & Young. Mohamed holds an MBA in Finance from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, where he served on the Alumni Association council board. He received his BSBA in Economics & Accounting with a minor in Political Science. He served as President of the Accounting Association and founded a nonprofit - Voice of Africa, that connects high school students to college campus mentors. He has been featured by Forbes, Google, Google Play, Android, Axios, Washington Post, Politico, Protocol, Medscape Education, Becker's Healthcare, AfroWellness Magazine, and other news outlets for his work with InovCares.Learn More about InovCares

David Sanchez is the Founder and CEO of Digitalis Medical and Miracle Recovery. On one hand, David is helping healthcare brands build their profits and visibility through digital marketing. Through Miracle Recovery, he works to save lives from addiction. From being a nurse in the ER, to scaling his own addiction treatment center from 0 to 7 figures – David is committed to making a huge impact on communities, while also driving huge results for companies.Learn more about Digitalis MedicalLearn more about Miracle Recovery

Dr. Brian Fengler is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of EvidenceCare (recently named as an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company), a company that provides a clinical decision support system (CDSS) that's uniquely integrated with the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to optimize clinician workflows.Dr. Fengler authored a treatment protocol for Pulmonary Embolisms when he was a resident at The University of Virginia. Despite being an expert in the field, he encountered a challenge while treating a 36-week pregnant patient suffering from a massive pulmonary embolism. Like 80% of healthcare decisions, he had to make a snap decision based on a quick internet search. Even though he was able to save both the mother and the unborn baby, he realized there was a gap in evidence-based information available to providers when they need it the most.Looking to fill the gap in 2014, Brian founded EvidenceCare with Co-Founder, Jim Jamieson, to create software that would help physicians make better decisions for their patients and hospital. Before EvidenceCare, he was an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at St Thomas Midtown and Rutherford Hospitals, one of the Founding Physicians and Managing Partners of Physicians Urgent Care, and a partner-owner of the Middle Tennessee Emergency Partners physician group. Dr. Fengler is now revolutionizing decision support at the bedside by providing what clinicians need to give better, evidence-based care.Today, our incredible guest speaker will share more about his journey starting a healthcare tech company, EHR innovation, optimizing clinical workflows, and how the healthcare system can and should be improved.Learn more about https://evidence.care/

Mr. Hillen is the founder and CEO of VideaHealth, a Massachusetts of Technology spinout and leading dental-AI company working with leading DSOs, insurers, and other companies in the dental industry. Previously, he conducted research at the intersection of engineering and social science at MIT's Institute for Data, Systems and Society and at Harvard Business School. He also worked for McKinsey & Company and founded Ninu, a digital healthtech startup. He holds two master's degrees from MIT in computer science and technology policy and a bachelor's in management and technology. He completed the first German State exam in medicine, as well. Learn more at VideaHealth

Matt McBride is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mend — an enterprise-grade patient engagement and telehealth platform designed to help healthcare organizations scale their practice and care for more patients. An experienced entrepreneur, he co-founded Mend in 2015 with his three best friends to revolutionize healthcare delivery.From a young age Matt developed an interest in technology, and throughout his careerhas combined this passion with his expertise in business and leading teams to improve the patient experience. Having seen digitalization transform industries, he recognized the need for healthcare organizations to harness software to increase access to care – transitioning away from a heavy reliance on phones and paper.At Mend, Matt is focused on using the power of telemedicine, A.I. reminders, digital forms and more to make it easier for patients and providers to communicate. With deep experience in healthcare tech companies – including OneOncology and Varian Medical Systems – Matt understands how medical offices work and how providers can leverage technology to reduce administrative burden, spend more quality time with patients and operate more efficiently.Driven by a commitment to excellence, Matt works relentlessly to curate solutions that help healthcare organizations care for more patients. A hands-on chief executive who works closely with customers, his goal is to deliver the best possible products and services to help as many patients as possible.Originally from Michigan, Matt is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he double majored in business administration and management information systems and earned a Master's in Business Administration. Now based in Orlando, when Matt is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.Learn more about Mend 

Peter Lachman M.D. MPH. M.B.B.Ch., FRCPCH, FCP (SA), FRCPI was Chief Executive Officer of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) from 1st May 2016 to 30th April 2021. He has great experience as a clinician and leader in quality improvement and patient safety. He led the transformation of ISQua to be one of the leading global organisations in quality, safety and person centred care.Dr Lachman was a Health Foundation Quality Improvement Fellow at IHI in 2005-2006 and developed the quality improvement programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital where he was the Deputy Medical Director with the lead for Patient Safety. He was also a Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal Free Hospital in London specialising in the challenge of long term conditions for children. Dr Lachman has been the National Clinical Lead for SAFE, a Heath Foundation funded RCPCH programme which aims to improve situation awareness in clinical teams across England.Currently, he is Lead Faculty Quality Improvement at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) in Dublin, where he directs the Leadership and Quality programme to develop clinical leaders in quality improvement. He is co-founder and Chairperson of PIPSQC, the Paediatric International Patient Safety and Quality Community.Get a copy of the Handbook of Patient Safety

Dr. Hinkley  was hired by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) in August 2017. She has over 32 years in acute care nursing in the healthcare setting. She has ten years of association management leadership experience, having held executive positions in both individual membership associations and certification boards. The Academy AMSN, under her leadership, earned an association industry award for a suite of COVID-19 resources designed specifically for med-surg nurses and employers and was recognized by the association industry as “one of 100 healthcare associations that will save the world”. Hinkley's industry experience and education allow her to contribute tangible expertise in board governance, innovation, competency frameworks, education development, and board governance but also deep knowledge of the future of work and learning, and the strategies needed to lead professional membership-based and certification organizations in the 21st century.Terri was elected as the President of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) in July 2021 and is a Director on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Credentialing Excellence (ICE), the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC), and the Otsuka Patient Assistance Fund. She received her RN from Centennial College, BScN from York University, an Executive MBA from Athabasca University, and an Ed.D. in the Executive Leadership (ELP) Human and Organizational Learning (HOL) Program at the George Washington University. Learn more Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses Listen to Ted Talk by Kathleen Bartholomew

Rob Oliver is passionate about helping medical professionals improve the quality of healthcare they deliver. He has been educating the medical community personally and professionally for almost 30 years as a self-advocate, speaker and podcaster. He hosts the record-setting podcast “Perspectives on Healthcare” and is an award-winning International Keynote speaker. Audiences around the world gain insight into quality healthcare from both the patient and the professional perspective and, most importantly, take away practical action steps for delivering high quality healthcare.Learn more at Rob OliverCheck out the Podcast - Perspectives on Healthcare

Dr. Jonathan Baktari, MD is the CEO at both e7 Health and US Drug Test Centers and the host of Baktari MD. e7 health is a preventative health and wellness company that has been called the “the Uber of preventive medicine” and was named the Best Technology Company in the Healthcare Space in 2019. US Drug Test Centers is a nationwide network of over 20,000 testing centers in the US and is revolutionizing drug and alcohol testing across the nation. Both of these groundbreaking technology companies were born out of a combination of Dr. Baktari's expertise as a doctor, medical director and educator and his over 20 years of clinical, administrative and entrepreneurial experience. A former triple board-certified physician with specialties in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, being a healthcare CEO is only the latest chapter in Dr. Baktari's life mission to help others by making integrative preventative medicine available to everyone. Dr. Baktari has always believed that helping others was the ultimate achievement in life. Now, as a business leader, sought-after speaker and podcast host, he's excited to share his expertise in preventative health, tech entrepreneurship and other topics that can't be found anywhere else.Learn more about e7 HealthLearn more about US Drug Test CentersLearn more about Dr. BaktariLink to BaktariMD

Kyle Kiser is Chief Executive Officer at Arrive Health, the industry leader in delivering data-driven insights to the point of care. In this role, he focuses on helping providers and care teams improve patient access, affordability, and outcomes while reducing administrative burden. By partnering with health systems, health plans, IT vendors, and pharmacy benefit managers, Arrive Health is driving data transparency and better patient care nationwide.Since 2013, Kyle has helped grow the company from a vision to a reality, and he has been at the forefront of some of the most transformational initiatives in healthcare. In particular, he has focused on projects that lower the cost of care, improve health outcomes, and enable informed decision-making at the point of care. His focus on interoperability has allowed partners to improve provider workflows and millions of patientsʼ lives. Kyle has helped develop incentive strategies for some of the countryʼs most innovative employers and led product launches with the nationʼs largest payers. Prior to Arrive Health, he was a senior leader at Welltok, Catapult Health, and Principal Wellness Company.Learn more at Arrive Health

Guido Baechler is CEO and Director at Mainz Biomed (NASDAQ: MYNZ) a leading developer of market-ready molecular genetic diagnostic solutions for life-threatening conditions. The Company's flagship product is ColoAlert, an accurate, non-invasive, and easy-to-use early detection  test for colorectal cancer.Guido has 30 years of global experience leading public & private life sciences companies having held senior executive roles at Singulex and SummerBio, and at Roche, where he led Roche Molecular's global program management. Learn more @MainzBiomed

For over 20 years Jordan Cram has advised organizations to spend more strategically on improving operations in the built environment. He has successfully created digital transformation visions and delivery teams for leading clients worldwide in healthcare, oil and gas, power and utilities, engineering and construction, public infrastructure, education, and real estate. The organizational benefits realized have been substantial. One New York City hospital has documented over $20 million in realized savings in operating and capital expenditures. Jordan has worked in the Middle East, China, South Korea, Europe, North America, Australia, and India. He is from Colorado and is now based in Miami.Learn more at Enstoa

Dr. George Magrath is CEO and a board-certified Ophthalmologist.  He has worked in the clinical research industry for 5 years.  George worked previously worked at Hovione, LLC Edison Investment Research Limited Medical University of South Carolina prior to joining Lexitas in August 2020.  He received a Bachelor of Science in biological chemistry from Clemson University and his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina.  He then stayed on at the Medical University of South Carolina to complete an internship in General Surgery and a residency in Ophthalmology.  Finally, he completed a fellowship in ocular oncology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.  Upon completion of fellowship he returned to the Medical University where he served as the Chief of the University's Ocular Trauma Service.  He has 24 peer reviewed publications and has presented at multiple national and regional conferences.  In addition to his medical degree he holds an MBA from The Citadel and a Masters in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.  He worked as an equity analyst at Edison Investments Research prior to transitioning to drug development as the Medical Director at Hovione.  At Hovione for the past 5 years, Dr. Magrath managed the clinical development of assets in dermatology, ophthalmology, and inhalation.  When he is not working, George enjoys hanging out with his wife and kids.Learn more at Lexitas

Jamie Schanbaum was a University of Texas student when she contracted meningitis in 2008. After two days in the hospital, Jamie was diagnosed with meningitis, and given only a twenty percent chance of survival. Jamie ultimately was faced with the difficult decision to amputate her lower legs and all fingers.Today, Jamie is a passionate advocate for vaccination for meningitis. In 2009, then-Texas Governor Rick Perry signed the Jamie Schanbaum Act, mandating meningitis vaccination for college students. With her mother, Jamie founded the J.A.M.I.E. Group (Joint Advocacy of Meningococcal Information & Education), supporting continued work toward meningitis prevention. In addition to her advocacy, Jamie is an accomplished cyclist, having competed with the U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team. Jamie works in sales and currently lives with her husband, Chris, and their dog, Billie Jean, in Austin, Texas. Dr. Iriny Salib  who is a vaccines researcher and educator, works at GSK as a Field Medical Liaison supporting vaccines. Passionate about immunizations, she uses her vast experience and medical knowledge to educate, inform  and simplify medical concepts. She works towards helping all individuals have access to CDC recommended vaccines and immunization information.  Dr. Salib earned her doctorate of pharmacy degree from Temple University in Philadelphia and has worked in various clinical pharmacy settings before coming to GSK in 2011. Learn more The J.A.M.I.E Group, - Ask2BSure Campaign- CDC Information on Meningitis B

Cody Hall is the Founder and CEO of Octiva Healthcare. Cody has a diverse background in military, technology, and healthcare making him capable of leading organizations and teams effectively. Cody led customer service and Human Resource teams from early-stage startups to industry-leading tech giants, creating benchmark customer experiences and employee journeys for teams, large and small.Following his time with larger organizations, he set off to impact innovative companies, starting and assisting multiple startups in developing world-class teams, customer experiences, and technology workflows.After years in technology, Cody was recruited to join the Titanium Healthcare Team as the Chief Compliance Officer. Cody led the company's cultural development, policy and refined the organization's human capital management abilities. Cody's time at Titanium inspired the creation of Octiva in 2020.Learn more at Octiva Healthcare

Tom joined Engooden Health as President and CEO after two years as a member of the board. Prior to Engooden, for nearly 20 years Tom was CEO of Curaspan, a discharge planning technology company that he co-founded in 1999 and sold in 2016. Before Curaspan, Tom held multiple business development roles at American Hearing Centers, Thermo Electron Corporation, and Specialty Chemicals Business, a division of Monsanto.Learn more at Engooden Health 

Beth Cavenaugh, RN, BSN, CHPN, is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse. With over 25 years in internal medicine, short stay surgery, and both home and inpatient hospice, she understands firsthand that compassion in health care can be elusive.In collaboration with Dr. Dominic Vachon, an expert in the science of compassion, and MJ Murray Vachon, a counselor with over 40 thousand hours of experience, Beth helps nurses develop, strengthen, and maintain compassion in their career.Compassion, patient autonomy, and transparent communication are at the core of Beth's care philosophy. Her first book, “Some Light at the End: Your Bedside Guide for Peaceful Palliative and Hospice Care” provides personal stories, tender candor, and a touch of humor to help terminal patients understand the dying process.Beth is also a reiki master, a four-mile hiker, and a resistant tea drinker. Learn more at https://www.bethcavenaugh.com/

In this episode Michelle Troseth and Dr. Tracy Christopherson share insights into their seminal work on addressing burnout in healthcare.Michelle Troseth and Dr. Tracy Christopherson are co-founders of MissingLogic®. They help healthcare organizations and healthcare leaders combat burnout through the power of a framework driven approach founded on Polarity Intelligence™. The core of their work is leading healthcare organizations through transformational change that results in the best place to give and receive care, and for leaders to live their best lives both personally and professionally.Learn more at MissingLogic®Also have a listen to their fabulous podcast Healthcare's Missing LogicDownload the FREE resource The 3 Biggest Mistakes Healthcare Leaders Make When Trying To Achieve Work Life Balance

In this episode, I sat down with a technology leader Sandeep Akkaraju and physician leader Joseph Minardi to discuss point of care diagnostic imaging. Prior to founding Exo, Sandeep was Founder and President of Jyve Inc. (acquired by a major semiconductor corporation at an exit valuation of more than $60M). Previously, he was CEO of IntelliSense, a leading provider of micro-mechanical integrated circuits (MEMS) and nanotechnology-based software and solutions. Under his guidance, IntelliSense expanded its physical presence into China and India and its sales presence into 30+ countries. Sandeep helped the company rapidly grow from a startup to its eventual acquisition at a valuation of $750 million. In 2003, he led the re-acquisition of IntelliSense from Corning.Sandeep holds a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, an M.S. from LSU and an M.B.A. from INSEAD, France.Dr. Joseph Minardi a Professor and Director at West Virginia University's Medicine Center for Point-of-Care Ultrasound. He is also the Chief of the Division of Emergency and Clinical Ultrasound.Learn more about Exo 

In this episode, I sat down with movers and shakers in Clinical Data Management!Brian Foy, Chief Product Officer of Q-CentrixBrian Foy joined Q-Centrix in 2014 to lead product development, by 2017 he led both the product and engineering teams. As Chief Product Officer, Foy led the development and launch of the only enterprise clinical data management software on the market. The  Enterprise Clinical Data Management (eCDM™) combines technology and expertise to enable healthcare systems to capture, submit, and analyze clinical data from varying service lines throughout the hospital as an enterprise.Prior to joining Q-Centrix, Foy has spent most of his career with strategic accountability for software applications in the health information technology (HIT) space. At TransUnion Healthcare and later, at Altegra Health, Foy led a Healthcare Analytics application through an acquisition while overseeing the addition of key quality reporting and care management features. At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (HCSC), Foy oversaw the implementation of a care and condition management reporting system, which fulfilled a key gap in that company's care management product offering. Foy has an M.A. in Health Services Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a B.A. in Economics from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.Sara Bienvenu, Manager, Clinical Quality Growth, Q-CentrixSara is the Manager of Clinical Quality Growth for Q-Centrix Advisory Solutions serving to grow services which support facilities in Quality data management, Performance Improvement and Infection Prevention. Sara is a registered nurse and holds a Masters of Science in Nursing: Healthcare Systems Management degree with over 25 years of nursing experience. Sara is CIC certified with more than 10 years in infection prevention and has worked to promote patient safety at acute-care and ambulatory settings. Before joining Q-Centrix in September 2018, Sara served as corporate Infection Prevention Manager at a large 168 acute care hospital system where she developed and led the training for standardized infection prevention workflow within an IP solution. Sara also developed and managed an organization-wide public reporting validation program for health care-associated infections (HAIs). Learn more about Q-Centrix

In this special episode, I sat down with Men's Health and Wellness Coach Dennis Procopio. He shares his history and some really insightful ideas and methods for wellness in a stressful world!Dennis is the Founder of Man-UP Life Coaching and focuses on men's health in terms of mindfulness, building positive relationships, and working through mental health issues from trauma. Dennis says that “His single biggest passion in life is to help other men see the value in themselves and to achieve the success that has so often eluded them.” His 30 plus years of experience and approach of focusing on the root causes of his clients issues have help them achieve their goals and him achieve high success.Learn more at https://www.manuplifecoaching.com/

In this episode, we hear from Ari Tulla ;  he is passionate about developing innovative solutions that improve peoples' lives, and is a proponent of food as medicine. Ari Tulla is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur and the co-founder & CEO of the smart nutrition service, Elo, whose mission is to transform food from the leading cause of disease to medicine. Ari is also an active angel investor and advisor with a portfolio of 40 startups, including Virta Health, Good Eggs, and Ōura. Previously, Ari was the CEO of Quest Analytics, the market leader in doctor data and network management. When not working or co-parenting his two young children with his wife, Ari spends his time on the steep cliffs, powdery slopes, and big cold waves that only Northern California can offer.Ari has shared details as well as a promotion for Improve Healthcare podcast users in the U.S.Elo Free Biomarker testHow does it work? Go to https://www.elo.health/ and signup with code IMPROVEHEALTHCARE to start the Elo program with a free biomarker test and nutrition consult. What's included in the Elo biomarker test: https://www.elo.health/articles/how-to-collect-a-successful-blood-biomarker-sample-at-home/  What's included in the Elo program?

Sanjeev serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer at LeanTaaS, the leading health care predictive analytics company based in Silicon Valley. LeanTaaS has an expanding customer base and is currently working with over 490 hospitals across 125 health systems with remarkable success. Sanjeev co-authored a book published by Forbes - "Better Healthcare Through Math", has been featured on CNBC, and has been named one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in Healthcare. Before LeanTaaS, Sanjeev was Google's first Head of Product Marketing, and led three successful startups - CEO at Aloqa (acquired by Motorola), VP Products & Marketing at TellMe Networks (acquired by Microsoft) and Founder & CEO at College feed (acquired by AfterCollege). Sanjeev graduated with BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. He started his career at McKinsey & Company and Cisco Systems before joining Google. Sanjeev has been named by Becker's Hospital Review as one of the top entrepreneurs innovating in Healthcare.Listeners can learn more about LeanTaas and the fabulous work that they are doing at LeanTaaS.comCheckout Sanjeev's book Better Healthcare Through Math

Justin Graham, MD, MS, is a senior physician executive and digital health product innovator with over 25 years' experience in medicine, infectious disease, informatics, electronic health records, and healthcare operations.Since 2020 Dr. Graham has been the Chief Medical Officer at GYANT, a digital health start-up specializing in complex medical conversational AI. As CMO, Dr. Graham helps lead product strategy and oversees the development and management of the complex set of clinical triage algorithms that power GYANT's virtual assistant.Dr. Graham came to GYANT from the Artificial Intelligence business unit at Anthem, one of the nation's leading health benefits and insurance companies. Previously, Dr. Graham spent 6 years as Chief Innovation Officer for Hearst Health, where he directed the Hearst Health Innovation Lab, a team of product strategists, developers and clinicians. There, he and his team developed innovation strategies for creating new technology and content-enabled solutions to improve patient outcomes and drive efficiency.Prior to joining Hearst, Dr. Graham was Chief Medical Information Officer at NorthBay Healthcare, and held executive leadership positions in medical informatics at the California Prison Healthcare Receivership and Lumetra. He also consulted as lead physician content designer for Kaiser Permanente's national electronic health record deployment.Dr. Graham is a board-certified infectious diseases expert and practiced medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area for 17 years. He holds a Master's degree in biomedical informatics from Stanford University, a medical doctorate from UC San Francisco, and a biochemistry degree from Harvard University.Learn more about GYANT 

Great chat with a Dallas area safety leader Mr. Andrew Shapiro! Andrew has more than 25 years of experience in leading the development and delivery of effective systems of care to meet customer needs in diverse markets. In his current role, he is responsible for managing non-clinical plan operations impacting members, community stakeholders, and participating providers. He oversees multiple functions and general business operations for Parkland Community Health Plan, including member and provider communications, claims, information system conversions, call center performance guarantees, appeals and grievances, state reporting, and provider network strategy."I got into healthcare to make a difference in the lives of others," he says. "Parkland Community Health Plan is in a great position to do just that as we grow our membership base and increase our outreach efforts in the counties we serve."Andrew believes that a team approach is key to ensuring the success of PCHP. "It's vital that we partner closely with our providers and community partners, and listen to what our members are telling us," he says. "If we can work together to achieve positive, successful outcomes, then we're doing our job right."Prior to joining PCHP, Andrew served as vice president at WellCare; Vice President/Chief Operations Officer at Magellan Health, and in senior leadership positions at PSA Behavioral Health Agency and Hamilton Choices.Andrew holds a master's degree in business administration, healthcare management from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Arizona State University.Learn more about Parkland Community Health Plan

Richard Palarea is the CEO of Kermit, a Baltimore-based healthcare cost reduction and spend management company bringing automation and insight to the high spend category of implantable medical devices within hospitals and health systems. Since it's founding in 2011, Kermit has saved hospitals more than 200 million dollars and manages 40% of the implantable device spend transacting in Maryland.Kermit has been recognized in multiple years as an Inc. 5000 company and by the Baltimore Business Journal as a Fast 50 company and a TOP Software Company ranked by local revenue, as well as SmartCEO's Future 50.Kermit is the recipient of industry awards, including the Federation of American Hospitals' Heartbeat of Healthcare for its work as an innovative partner helping hospitals manage costs during a global pandemic.Learn More About Kermit

Jacqui Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer of The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa NPC (COHSASA). She has worked in the public and private health care sectors in South Africa and England. Having qualified as a registered nurse in Cape Town she went on to specialise in Cardio-Thoracic nursing in London. She ran the Heart Transplant Unit at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex for five years.From there she moved into a variety of managerial roles in quality, capital and service planning in the National Health Service. Between 1996 and 2002, she held director posts at the Family Health Services Authority (FHSA) in Kent and East Kent Health Authority, responsible for primary health care, service development and integration. She moved to a regional role and then became the Director of Career Development and Succession Planning at the national NHS Modernisation Agency, Leadership Centre.Jacqui has a Master of Professional Studies, Health from Middlesex University, London. She was a member of the South African National Lancet Commission on High Quality Health Systems. In 2019 Jacqui was elected to the International Academy of Quality & Safety in Health Care (IAQS). She is an ISQua Expert and serves on the Accreditation Council of the ISQua External Evaluation Association. She served on the ISQua Board from 2017 to 2020.In 2005 Jacqui returned to South Africa and joined COHSASA as Chief Operations Manager. She was appointed CEO in 2016. She has experience in standards development, external evaluation and accreditation. As COHSASA works in low- and middle-income countries there is a strong focus on capacity building and quality improvement in all the programmes.Learn more about COHSASA https://cohsasa.co.za/

In this episode, I spoke to an innovator in Mobile Intelligence - Engage Technologies Group Inc - Founder and CEO - Michael  Boerner. He is blazing a trail with some truly exciting technology to enhance operational workflows across industries and particularly in healthcare!Michael Boerner is the Founder and CEO of Engage Technologies Group, Inc., and has over 25 years of experience founding and leading technology & media companies.He is an entrepreneur responsible for innovating a number of short-form, video-based enterprise technologies enabling data-driven video personalization & mass constituent engagement.Michael's clients have included: Johnson & Johnson, CVS, Ford, Samsung and UnitedHealthcare, DePuy, Covidien, UPMC, St. Luke's Health System, K12, Blue Cross Blue Shield MN and the Ken Blanchard Companies, to name a few.He was appointed by the Governor of Idaho to the Governor's Coordinating Council for Families and Children as well as served on the board of directors for the National Institute of Marriage, a non-profit entity started by best-selling author, Gary Smalley, to help serve marriages facing crisis. Michael has appeared nationally on CNN, Fox News, ABC Radio Network News, as well as numerous press articles covering his media and technology innovations. Michael's first press coverage for entrepreneurial creativity appeared on the front page of a Gannett Newspaper when he was 14.https://engagetg.com/

Thought-provoking discussion on technology-enabled primary care with an innovator!Thompson Aderinkomi is currently co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nice Healthcare a technology-enabled primary care clinic that delivers all care in the comfort of the patient's home; contracting directly with small employers. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed Thompson to the inaugural board of directors for MNsure, the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange in April 2013. Finally, in 2013 Thompson co-founded Healthcare.mn the Twin Cities premier organization for healthcare entrepreneurs, which has grown to over 2,000 members. From the University of Minnesota, Thompson has earned a B.S. in Economics, an M.S. in Statistics and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management. He has been married for 17 years and has two young sons.https://www.nice.healthcare/

In this episode, I sat down with a brilliant thinker in physician engagement, and patient experience to discuss strategic approaches to improve care!Joshua Washington is President of Lee Malveaux - People Strategy and Solutions. As an organizational psychologist, Joshua has spent the last decade helping over 200 medical facilities with their people strategy and performance. He has also trained over 1000 executive leaders, notably developing a 1 to 1 physician coaching program helping medical groups reach top percentile nationally in patient experience. With his engaging personality, Joshua is able to quickly connect with everyone he meets. His passion for people development shines through in his work, and serves as the foundation for his success.Learn more about Joshua and the fantastic things he's doing at https://leemalveaux.com/Check out his new book "The Mentality of Success"- https://www.amazon.com/Mentality-Success-Activate-Dreams-Potential/dp/1957369078

Dr. Byrd, is Associate Dean and Chair of the Department of Public Health in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Byrd received a BSN from the University of Arizona and worked as a public health nurse for several years in the Tucson area before obtaining her Masters of Public Health from University of California Los Angeles.  She worked in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico for three years with Proyecto Verdad serving very marginalized populations with basic public health needs, and then went to Houston where she received a Dr.PH in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from the University of Texas School of Public Health, where she worked as a faculty member at the El Paso Regional Campus for almost 20 years. Dr. Byrd's research is focused on cancer prevention and screening, especially in the area of cervical and colorectal cancer. She led the development and testing of the AMIGAS program, an intervention to increase cervical cancer screening in Hispanic populations which has been adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a recommended intervention.  She was the Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) funded ACCION for Rural West Texas program, which provided free colorectal cancer screening to uninsured people.  Her research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute, CDC and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).AMIGAS - https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/gynecologic/what_cdc_is_doing/amigas.htmCervical Cancer Among LatinasAmerican Journal of Health Promotion

In this special episode, I sit down with colleagues and the publisher of Healthcare USA, 10th edition. This particular text is publishing on March 4th 2022 and is designed for college course use in health administration, public health, nursing, and other health professions programs as well as business and public policy. This new edition includes a diverse, intergenerational, and interprofessional team of professionals who share how their background and contributions add to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Health Administration and Management Education. Educators, students, and readers glean insights into the new content and exciting perspective of these professionals with nearly 100 years of combined experience in healthcare delivery.The author team in order are:James A. Johnson, PhD, MPA, MSc Medical Social Scientist and Professor, School of Health Sciences, Central Michigan University, and Visiting Professor for St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies Kimberly S. Davey, PhD, MBA, MA - Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Public Health Program, School of Public Health at Samford University Richard G. Greenhill, DHA, FISQua, FACHE - Assistant Program Director, Graduate Certificates and Assistant Professor in the Department of Healthcare Management and Leadership at Texas Tech University Health Sciences centerCheckout the cover and pick up your copy at: https://www.jblearning.com/catalog/productdetails/9781284211603

In this episode, I sat down with healthcare philanthropist and innovator, Jacob Beckley. His work in the blockchain and crypto space is making a difference for families of children around the globe suffering with  childhood cancers!Jacob Beckley is the Founder of CURE Token, chairman of the board for the Beckley Foundation, and the Executive Vice President of Technology, Product and Innovation for Fusion92. Jacob is a philanthropist, senior level innovator and technologist, with twenty-five years of progressively responsible experience in the introduction, development, marketing, branding, new business pitches and development, management and support of mobile/wireless, web, integrated digital and traditional cross-channel campaigns and desktop products for a variety of large top brands.CURE Token was started as a way to pivot the Foundations fundraising efforts during the pandemic and his efforts are doing a lot of good to end childhood cancer and support families. This approach allowed Jacob a means to tap into the crypto community and convert them into people that care about making the world a better place.Learn more about Jacob's work: https://www.thebeckleyfoundation.org/

In this episode, I welcomed a successful pharma colleague from the United Kingdom - Ms. Janice MacLennan as we discuss ‘Implementing successful pharma brand strategies post-COVID'. Janice MacLennan has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry helping pharma brands take new drugs and therapies to market, and ensuring successful sales strategies. She is the founder of an app called NMBLR, the first digital solution that enables global teams to create informed, coherent and aligned strategies. Janice graduated and worked as a pharmacist in Cape Town, South Africa before moving to England and entering the world of pharmaceutical sales. Within her six months in this role at Beechams, she was promoted to Brand Manager. She has risen to the top of the industry and in 1991 founded St Clair - a brand strategy consultancy for life science businesses.  Following 30 years hands-on experience in the industry, in February 2022 is launching NMBLR.Janice, lives in Highgate in London but works Internationally.More about JaniceInspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Janice Mclennan of NMBLR On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her ExperienceNmblr

In this episode  Primary Care Innovator and Executive Coach from England, Dr. Robert Varnam shares his insights into what is needed to unleash greater potential in primary care.Dr. Robert Varnam is a general practitioner (GP) in inner city Manchester, a strategist for change and a leadership coach. His background is in researching and leading quality improvement. Over the last decade, he has been a leader at the forefront of National Health Service, England policy for integrated care, primary care transformation and improvement leadership. Most recently he worked as national Director of Primary Care Improvement at NHS England and NHS Improvement. Currently he provides hands-on support to leaders, particularly in health care and community development. He remains passionate about supporting leaders and teams to improve what they do without working harder with interest both in small and large scale change.A few of his noteworthy accomplishments include:• Leadership across Manchester, helping to catalyze partnerships between the NHS and local government for public health.• At the University of Manchester, he worked in the National Primary Care Research & Development Centre. His research focused on staff wellbeing, quality of care and patient safety, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. He helped establish a new system of research governance in the University. • At the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement he helped create and deliver new QI programmes for general practice, improving safety, quality and productivity. His role as an advisor to the English government on integrated care as part of the NHS Future Forum, and supported NHS England to create the support and assessment framework for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).  He designed and led a new large scale change leadership programme for system leaders which was made available to every CCG. At the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) he led developments in policy, practice accreditation, quality awards and establishment of the Royal College of General Practitioner Centre for Commissioning. • At NHS England he contributed to the NHS Five Year Forward, the General Practice Forward View and the NHS Long Term Plan. He established Time for Care, one of the world's largest primary care innovation programmes, overseeing new investment of £130m pounds.robertvarnam.coach

In this episode, Goodroot CEO Mike Waterbury shares his innovative approaches to medical and pharmacy cost transformation; living up to his title as the "10th Man in Healthcare"; He gives his insights into tackling medical debt as well as other hot topics!Michael Waterbury is founder and Chief Executive Officer of  Goodroot , a community of companies reinventing healthcare one system at a time.For over 25 years Mike has studied the healthcare system from the inside out. He advanced from a financial role to an executive leadership role at Oxford Health Plans, and then Magellan Health Services. While at Magellan, Mike pioneered the integration of ICORE Healthcare, a company focused on solving specialty pharmacy challenges, and the development of a new medical pharmacy program.Mike was inspired to become an entrepreneur and create a company that could change pharmacy rebates and formularies for the better. In 2015, he founded RemedyOne, which became the first Goodroot company. Now 6 companies strong, Goodroot is a community of companies committed to reinventing healthcare one system at a time. That team has created a passionate culture Mike is proud of, and has produced outcomes that have changed thousands of lives for the better by saving over $800M in healthcare costs. Mike continues to free and amplify talent to join the Goodroot cause working towards a goal of saving the healthcare system $30 billion in the next five years.  Recent articles by MikeLet's stop calling it medical 'debt' in Fierce HealthcareHigh-deductible health plans are causing medical debt. It's time to fix them. in BenefitsPRO4 Actions Business Leaders Can Take Today to Stop Medical Debt in Real Leaders5 changes that need to be made to improve the overall US healthcare system in Thrive Warren Buffett Tried to Kill the 'Tapeworm' of Healthcare Costs But Couldn't Do It. Maybe Entrepreneurs Can. in Entrepreneur

In this episode, I had a great conversation with seasoned thought-leader and physician on healthcare delivery. Dr. Zema shares his wisdom from years of practice including insights for how to improve the care delivery system; as well as a preview of his exciting new book: “Modern Healthcare Delivery, Deliverance or Debacle – A Glimpse From the Inside Out.”Dr. Zema received his Medical Degree from Cornell University Medical College and completed his post-graduate Internal Medicine training at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island, with subsequent Fellowships in Cardiology at that institution and The New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, NY. He is a distinguished Fellow in the American College of Physicians, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology among others, and is a Certified Physician Executive of the American Association of Physician Leadership and a Six Sigma Green Belt in Healthcare. Dr. Zema has penned numerous publications in professional medical journals and most recently has authored the book “Modern Healthcare Delivery, Deliverance or Debacle – A Glimpse From the Inside Out.”His book can be found on Apple Books, Amazon, and Google to name a few! Enjoy!

In this episode, I speak with a national thought-leader on community driven AI and the Metaverse with Dr. Hadley.Dr. Hadley's expertise is in translating big data into precision medicine and digital health. He earned his PhD in genomics and computational biology while at medical school at university of Pennsylvania and he trained in clinical pathology while in residency at Stanford University. His research generates, annotates, and ultimately reasons over large multi-modal data stores to develop clinical intelligence, identify novel biomarkers and potential therapeutics for disease.His early work at the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia resulted in a successful precision medicine clinical trial for ADHD (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02286817) for a first-in-class, non-stimulant neuromodulator to be targeted across the neuropsychiatric disease spectrum. As an early principal investigator at the University of California San Francisco, his laboratory was funded by the NIH Big Data to Knowledge initiative to develop the stargeo.org as an open curation resource to discover the functional genes and biological pathways that are defective in disease.He went on to develop National Institute of Health-funded models of curation for clinical applications of digital health to more precisely screen, diagnose, and manage disease. He was repeatedly recognized by University of California San Francisco with various awards including the inaugural Marcus Award for Precision Medicine to develop a digital learning health system to use smartphones to screen for skin cancer as well as a pilot award in precision imaging to better screen mammograms for invasive breast cancer.https://www.hadleylab.org/

In this episode, I spoke with a global leader in medical innovation. He shared his work around cough and innovation to help alleviate suffering for patients around the world. Hear his thoughts on a range of issues related to global health and innovation!Dr. Peter Small is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Hyfe, pursuing his vision to make cough quantifiable and diagnostic. In the distant past he was a medical resident and chief medical resident at UCSF during the dawn of the HIV epidemic. He then moved to Stanford where he completed an Infectious Disease fellowship and spent about a decade on the faculty of Stanford's Infectious Disease Division. During these years, he published pioneering molecular epidemiological papers that helped to shape the public health response to the resurgence of tuberculosis and seminal papers on mycobacterial genomics.In 2002 he was one of the early employees of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he developed their tuberculosis strategy, built the foundation's core partnerships and country programs, hired and manage the Foundation's TB team and oversaw a large portfolio of vaccine, drug and diagnostic product development activities. In 2011, he relocated to India where he established the foundation's tuberculosis program in India.In 2015 he joined Stony Brook University as the Founding Director of the University-wide Global Health Institute focused on the use of technology to delivery health care in remote Madagascar and Nepal. He continues to oversee grants and mentor students on tuberculosis research, especially in innovative ways of delivering care such as drone observed therapy.More recently he was a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow exploring a number of efforts culminating in ways to improve medication adherence and Director of Global Health Technologies at Global Health Labs (formerly Global Good) in Bellevue.More About Hyfe AI and Dr. Small- https://www.hyfe.ai/- https://www.hyfe.ai/news/hyfe-appoints-dr-peter-small-as-chief-medical-officer

In this episode, I spoke to two leaders in the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO EMR)on COVID-19 in terms of insights for preparedness, challenges and lessons learned among the vast and diverse countries of the area!Dr. Hamid Ravaghi is currently working as Regional Advisor for Hospital Care and Management in WHO/ Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Cairo, Egypt. Hamid has a PhD degree in Health Policy and management from the University of York, UK. He is an Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Iran University of Medical Sciences. He has worked as an international consultant in the area of hospital management in different countries. Before this, he has served as hospital director, policy maker, and advisor for 20 years. He has taught in various master's and PhD programs and senior continuous education courses and published more than 60 articles. Merette Khalil, MPH is a multi-lingual health systems researcher, gender advocate, feminist, doula, and birth educator, passionate about ensuring the right to health for all.  Merette works as a consultant with the Hospital Care Management Team at the WHO Regional Office in Cairo supporting hospitals responses to COVID-19 and health systems strengthening to achieve universal health coverage. She is also the founder and CEO of YourEgyptianDoula working to improve high-quality, rights-based, women-centered, respectful maternal care in Egypt and the region. 

Katie Caspero, MS, OTR/L is the founder of OT Graphically where she uses infographics to helps researchers share their work, supports occupational therapists with staying up to date on evidence, and empowers clients to be more engaged in their care. Katie describes herself as an entrepreneur, pediatric occupational therapist (OT), research assistant, and knowledge translator.Bio: Katie is currently completing her Advanced Practice Certificate in Implementation of Evidence in Clinical Practice at The University of Pittsburgh. She has been a research assistant for over 8 years and a clinical OT for 6 years and shares a passion for combining research and the real world of OT practice. Katie created OT Graphically in 2020 and had the idea growing three years prior. Katie's work focuses on taking complex topics and synthesizing them down into easy-to-understand visuals, especially of research articles. OT Graphically creates graphic designs, consults with researchers and universities, and has a membership for clinicians that gives access to a library of infographics to helps them stay up-to-date quickly. She is an avid hiker and photographer along with her design skills and absolutely loves being an entrepreneur.Website: www.otgraphically.comBlog for researchers with additional resources: https://www.otgraphically.com/research-blogSchedule a free, 15-minute consultation for your knowledge translation project by emailing Katie at katie@otgraphically.com

In commemoration of World Patient Safety Day 2021, I welcomed a special guest and colleague from Cairo Egypt Ms Merette Khalil to enlighten us about Doulas, Obstetric Violence and Respectful Birth! Merette Khalil, MScPH [she/her] is a multi-lingual health systems researcher, gender and sexual reproductive health and rights advocate, feminist, doula, and birth educator, passionate about ensuring the right to health for all. Merette is specialist on obstetric violence with her Master of Science in Public Health from the KIT Royal Tropical Institute. She has published her research on obstetric violence in Egypt and the Region, in book chapters and peer-reviewed publications, most recently in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Merette is also the founder and CEO of YourEgyptianDoula, the first doula organization of its kind in Egypt and the Region working to educate, advocate, and empower expecting parents on their rights in childbirth to improve quality of respectful maternal care. Merette works at the WHO Regional Office in Cairo as a consultant on COVID-19 response, gender equity, and health systems strengthening focusing on achieving universal health coverage, protecting marginalized and vulnerable populations, and advancing global health security.  Learn more at https://youregyptiandoula.com/

I had the privilege speaking on an important social determinant of health - Youth Homelessness with  Ms. Julianne Hanckel, Director of Communications and Marketing at Lifeworks!Julianne leads a multi-million dollar fundraising and public awareness campaign to end youth homelessness in Austin. She is a proud graduate of Howard University in Washington D.C., using her skills, experience, and education to tell stories in a creative, compassionate, equitable, and appealing way. As a reporter, she earned multiple first-place journalism awards for her feature and breaking news stories. She has earned an official proclamation from the Mayor of Austin and have increased opportunities to inform policy and advocacy around youth homelessness in Austin and across the state of Texas.Originally from Amherst, New Hampshire, she enjoys outdoor activities including: ocean swimming and seafood delicacies found in New England such as hot lobster and oysters.

In this episode, I sat down to talk to NAHQ CEO and Executive Director - Stephanie Mercado. We discuss their groundbreaking research on competencies for healthcare quality professionals! Check out the article as well as Stephanie's Editorial at the links below!Stephanie Mercado is a leader in healthcare association management and advancing healthcare professions. Since her arrival to NAHQ in late 2013, Stephanie has increased NAHQ's prominence and value in the healthcare quality space, with the introduction of industry-elevating initiatives such as the award-winning Healthcare Quality Competencies Framework and the National Healthcare Quality Summit. In partnership with NAHQ's Board of Directors, volunteers and staff, Stephanie led the development of the profession's first ever comprehensive Healthcare Quality Competency Framework, and the profession's first ever Workforce Study, offering critical insights to workforce development opportunities for healthcare quality and safety professionals. Stephanie speaks nationally on NAHQ's behalf about the critical need to reduce variability in healthcare quality competencies, and the intense training needs that are in-play with the decreasing shelf-life of skills in the rapidly evolving healthcare market. She has served on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, the Association Forum Healthcare Collaborative Steering Committee, and is a board member of the Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), and more.JHQ Article Links https://journals.lww.com/jhqonline/Fulltext/2021/10000/Why_Competency_Standardization_Matters_for.2.aspxhttps://journals.lww.com/jhqonline/Fulltext/2021/10000/The_Profession_of_Healthcare_Quality_Focuses_on.1.aspx