Podcast appearances and mentions of Orlando Health

​Larry Jones is the Executive Director of the IP Network, and CEO of HPOF Holdings, LLC, doing business as Independent Healthcare Partners, a healthcare company headquartered in Maitland, Florida. As the CEO of HPOF Holdings/IHP, his main mission is to preserve and protect the independent practice of medicine. Larry has been on both the payer and provider side of healthcare. He served on the Business Advisory Board of Seminole County Public Schools for 12 years, representing the insurance committee and 9000 employees' lives and almost $60M in premium. He is a founding board member of the Florida Association of ACOs. His organization currently runs our large Multi Specialty IPA - the IP Network - and Physicians Trust MSO, overseeing two Commercial ACO contracts and four Medicare Advantage Plan agreements for our Network.Larry has spoken all over the Country on physician issues and opportunities.​He is a true physician advocate. Mark Steven Chaet, M.D. serves as the Orlando Regional Campus Dean. In this role, he oversees all campus functions including supervising clerkship directors, student education and performance, and student counseling. The regional campus dean's role at the FSU College of Medicine is unique as he plays an expanded role with students, including direct contact, comprehensive mentoring, and one-on-one interaction when needed. Additionally, fundraising is an increasingly important role of the campus dean in efforts to fund local operations and scholarships for students. Dr. Chaet, a pediatric surgeon on staff at both Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Advent Health Children’s Hospital, has been practicing in the Orlando area since 1997. Serving as an FSU Orlando community faculty member since 2003, Dr. Chaet has shown a commitment to education throughout his career. He has served on the teaching faculty for general surgery residents at both Orlando Health and Advent Health, been a preceptor for physician assistant and nurse practitioner candidates from Nova Southeastern University, the University of South Florida, and the University of South Alabama, and continues to serve as faculty for the Surgical Intern Program at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Chaet has shown great community involvement over the years, both on a local and national level, serving on various committees in the Orlando area and working as consultant for opioid reduction. As a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army and Reserve from 1991-2007, Dr. Chaet trained as a field trauma surgeon and supported medical deployments during both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. Dr. Chaet has been involved in a number of research efforts over the years focusing on pediatric surgery and gastroenterology and continues to display a commitment to leadership and ongoing professional development. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

​Larry Jones is the Executive Director of the IP Network, and CEO of HPOF Holdings, LLC, doing business as Independent Healthcare Partners, a healthcare company headquartered in Maitland, Florida. As the CEO of HPOF Holdings/IHP, his main mission is to preserve and protect the independent practice of medicine. Larry has been on both the payer and provider side of healthcare. He served on the Business Advisory Board of Seminole County Public Schools for 12 years, representing the insurance committee and 9000 employees' lives and almost $60M in premium. He is a founding board member of the Florida Association of ACOs. His organization currently runs our large Multi Specialty IPA - the IP Network - and Physicians Trust MSO, overseeing two Commercial ACO contracts and four Medicare Advantage Plan agreements for our Network.Larry has spoken all over the Country on physician issues and opportunities.​He is a true physician advocate. Mark Steven Chaet, M.D. serves as the Orlando Regional Campus Dean. In this role, he oversees all campus functions including supervising clerkship directors, student education and performance, and student counseling. The regional campus dean's role at the FSU College of Medicine is unique as he plays an expanded role with students, including direct contact, comprehensive mentoring, and one-on-one interaction when needed. Additionally, fundraising is an increasingly important role of the campus dean in efforts to fund local operations and scholarships for students. Dr. Chaet, a pediatric surgeon on staff at both Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Advent Health Children’s Hospital, has been practicing in the Orlando area since 1997. Serving as an FSU Orlando community faculty member since 2003, Dr. Chaet has shown a commitment to education throughout his career. He has served on the teaching faculty for general surgery residents at both Orlando Health and Advent Health, been a preceptor for physician assistant and nurse practitioner candidates from Nova Southeastern University, the University of South Florida, and the University of South Alabama, and continues to serve as faculty for the Surgical Intern Program at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Chaet has shown great community involvement over the years, both on a local and national level, serving on various committees in the Orlando area and working as consultant for opioid reduction. As a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army and Reserve from 1991-2007, Dr. Chaet trained as a field trauma surgeon and supported medical deployments during both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. Dr. Chaet has been involved in a number of research efforts over the years focusing on pediatric surgery and gastroenterology and continues to display a commitment to leadership and ongoing professional development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special cobranded episode between Oncology On the Go and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT)'s program ASTCT Talks, Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, a physician-researcher who specializes in multiple myeloma at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Brooke Adams, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacist and transplant specialist at Orlando Health, break down practice‑changing data in multiple myeloma from the ASH Annual Meeting.The experts focus on bispecific antibodies and BCMA CAR T-cell therapies and close the discussion by reflecting on how data is redefining the treatment paradigm in multiple myeloma, raising possibilities of deep MRD negativity, treatment de-escalation, and prolonged drug holidays. Listen below or via your favorite podcast platform.

After the 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting had passed, the  data were out, and the hematologist/oncologists of the world had time to digest the practice changes that awaited them upon their returns home. Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, and Brooke Adams, PharmD, BCOP, took part in an X Spaces discussion hosted by CancerNetwork® in collaboration with The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) to highlight these potential changes. Adams and Banerjee discussed abstracts from the meeting, including the phase 3 MajesTEC-3 trial (NCT05083169), which evaluated teclistamab-cqyv (Tecvayli) plus daratumumab (Darzalex) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who progressed on at least 1 prior line of therapy.1 A significant progression-free survival benefit was observed with the experimental combination compared with standard of care in this population. They also discussed data from cohort A of the phase 2 IFM2021-01 trial (NCT05572229), which evaluated subcutaneous teclistamab in combination with subcutaneous daratumumab in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Results demonstrated that the combination was effective and safe in the frontline treatment of patients who were ineligible for transplant.2 The discussion also covered the broader treatment landscape, as the experts compared the use of bispecific antibodies with BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapies. Frontline bispecific strategies for transplant-ineligible populations were also topics of conversation, as well as post-transplant consolidation with bispecifics. Ultimately, they stated that multiple myeloma care is undergoing a paradigm shift toward deeper minimal residual disease negativity, possible treatment de‑escalation, and even serious use of the word “cure” for the disease. Banerjee is an assistant professor in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Adams is a clinical pharmacist in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy and coordinator of the PGY-2 Oncology Residency at Orlando Health. Both are also members of the ASTCT content committee. References Mateos M-V, Bahlis N, Perrot A, et al. Phase 3 randomized study of teclistamab plus daratumumab versus investigator's choice of daratumumab and dexamethasone with either pomalidomide or Bortezomib (DPd/DVd) in patients (Pts) with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM): Results of majestec-3. Blood. 2025;146(suppl 2):LBA-6. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-LBA-6 Manier S, Lambert J, Marco M, et al. A phase 2 study of teclistamab in combination with daratumumab in elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: the IFM2021-01 teclille trial, cohort A. Blood. 2025;146(suppl 1):367. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-367

In our latest episode of Girls with Grafts, we sit down with Dr. Kenny Tello, Corporate Director of Team Member Well-Being at Orlando Health, where he leads initiatives that empower people, elevate leaders, and build cultures rooted in care, connection, and transformation.Together, we dive into the healing world of pet therapy!

A new survey from Orlando Health shows that more than a third of men in the U.S. say they would rather do pretty much anything than talk about their prostate health. Medical experts warn that avoiding discussions with your doctor about prostate health can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment for a condition that more than half of men over 50 are affected by. There is now a new minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostates that has a faster recovery rate with longer lasting results. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Dr. Jay Amin, urologist at Orlando Health Medical Group Urology, who urges men to have open conversations about their prostate health, and tells us more about the new procedure. ⁠ Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new survey from Orlando Health shows that more than a third of men in the U.S. say they would rather do pretty much anything than talk about their prostate health. Medical experts warn that avoiding discussions with your doctor about prostate health can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment for a condition that more than half of men over 50 are affected by. There is now a new minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostates that has a faster recovery rate with longer lasting results. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Dr. Jay Amin, urologist at Orlando Health Medical Group Urology, who urges men to have open conversations about their prostate health, and tells us more about the new procedure. ⁠ Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new survey from Orlando Health shows that more than a third of men in the U.S. say they would rather do pretty much anything than talk about their prostate health. Medical experts warn that avoiding discussions with your doctor about prostate health can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment for a condition that more than half of men over 50 are affected by. There is now a new minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostates that has a faster recovery rate with longer lasting results. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Dr. Jay Amin, urologist at Orlando Health Medical Group Urology, who urges men to have open conversations about their prostate health, and tells us more about the new procedure. ⁠ Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest this week was the Emmy Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker Success Scott Barnett. Scott's latest documentary "The Reading Reboot" reunites him with author James Patterson, with whom he produced an award-winning PBS series called "Kid Stew". "The Reading Reboot" dives into solutions for America's reading crisis amongst children. Scott is also finishing up the documentary "Game of Bones" that focuses on the ongoing archaeological developments in downtown Miami._______________________________________________To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must register at The Filmmaker's Life webpage at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-homeHere's Scott Barnett's IMDBhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm8999861/Here's the trailer for "The Reading Reboot"https://vimeo.com/1098004912?&login=trueHere's the link for the PBS Series "Kid Stew"https://www.youtube.com/@kidstew6120 ____________________________Scott Barnett is an Emmy Award-winning Producer/Director for film and television including the three season hit PBS show "Kid Stew" with author James Patterson and award-winning documentaries that continue to challenge the historical narrative such as: "Women of the Waterways" and "Crossing Overtown". Scott began his career as a commercial advertising producer and director and continues to create entertaining content for clients including 9 Round, Orlando Health, VISITFLORIDA, Take Me Fishing, Winn Dixie and others. Scott has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Nova Southeastern University and graduated from the University of Miami. His recent project is called "The Reading Reboot" in which reunites with author James Patterson to examine ways to solve America's reading crisis. #filmbusinesscoach #filmpodcasts #joannefilm #filmproducer #filmmaking #emmyawardwinner #documentaryfilmmaker #pbsproducer

Today's guest is Brad Kennedy, Senior Director of Business Solutions Strategy at Orlando Health — a not-for-profit healthcare organization headquartered in Florida. With years of experience leading innovation and patient experience programs in hospital systems, Brad joins Emerj Managing Editor Matthew DeMello on the show today to explore how healthcare leaders can turn emerging technologies into measurable improvements for patients and clinical teams. He explains how federal policy has elevated patient experience to a top-level business concern and why small, incremental wins — particularly in AI-driven clinical decision support — are proving the value of innovation on the ground. The conversation also explores the real barriers to adoption in clinical environments, from provider trust and workflow integration to building a compelling business case that secures legal, IT, and leadership buy-in. This episode is sponsored by Productive Edge. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business' podcast!

Welcome to Part 1 of our Summer Series "Bit by Bit: Healthcare IT Project Success" featuring Alyssia Crews, VP at Orlando Health. In this episode, we explore how to get your healthcare IT projects prioritized, even within large, complex health systems. Our guest, a senior leader at a top US healthcare system shares real-world strategies for navigating crowded IT pipelines, avoiding outdated go-lives, and engaging the right stakeholders from day one.  You'll learn: How to make your healthcare IT project stand out Why steering committees matter and how to work with them The importance of end-user feedback in project design What happens when key stakeholders are left out Real stories of success and lessons learned Whether you're leading a service line, managing digital transformation, or simply trying to move your IT project forward, this episode is packed with practical insights for healthcare professionals, executives, and even sales reps. Find Alyssia's work at: orlandohealth.com Subscribe and stay at the forefront of the digital healthcare revolution. Watch the full video on YouTube @TheDigitalHealthcareExperience The Digital Healthcare Experience is a hub to connect healthcare leaders and tech enthusiasts. Powered by Taylor Healthcare, this podcast is your gateway to the latest trends and breakthroughs in digital health. Learn more at taylor.com/digital-healthcare About Us: Taylor Healthcare empowers healthcare organizations to thrive in the digital world. Our technology streamlines critical workflows such as procedural & surgical informed consent with patented mobile signature capture, ransomware downtime mitigation, patient engagement and more. For more information, please visit imedhealth.com   The Digital Healthcare Experience Podcast: Powered by Taylor Healthcare Produced by Naomi Schwimmer  Hosted by Chris Civitarese Edited by Eli Banks Music by Nicholas Bach  

Today's guest is Brad Kennedy, Senior Director of Business Solutions Strategy at Orlando Health. Brad joins Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello to explore what it takes to implement AI across a complex care environment. From improving patient experience to easing clinician burdens, Kennedy highlights the need for precision, transparency, and collaboration to ensure AI earns its place in provider workflows. Brad shares lessons from his experience in patient experience strategy and innovation, offering insights into how AI tools—from virtual care to clinical decision support—can improve outcomes without replacing physician judgment. The conversation also touches on key inflection points from COVID-19 to the generative AI boom and what's next as agentic systems come into focus. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business' podcast! This episode is sponsored by NLP Logix. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.

News Whip: US Issues Mexico Travel Warning for Spring Breakers, New burger spot Neighborly opens in Thousand Oaks, the best travel destination for 2025, and Careers not affected by Artificial Intelligence #Travel #Crime #TravelWarning #Burgers #Careers #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Mexico // Gwyneth Paltrow Tells Goop Vagina Candle Critics/ If you snooze you lose- Why you should wakeup on your first alarm #Goop #Vagina #Snooze #Sleeping #Alarm #GwynethPaltrow / Man quits corporate job to set sail around the world with his cat #cat #corporatejob #sail #quit // $1000+ fine for using speakerphone on the train/ Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist from Orlando Health, explains the possible treatment options for the former president #TrainFees #fees #speakerphone #ProstateCancer #Cancer  

News Whip: US Issues Mexico Travel Warning for Spring Breakers, New burger spot Neighborly opens in Thousand Oaks, the best travel destination for 2025, and Careers not affected by Artificial Intelligence #Travel #Crime #TravelWarning #Burgers #Careers #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Mexico // Gwyneth Paltrow Tells Goop Vagina Candle Critics/ If you snooze you lose- Why you should wakeup on your first alarm #Goop #Vagina #Snooze #Sleeping #Alarm #GwynethPaltrow //Man quits corporate job to set sail around the world with his cat #cat #corporatejob #sail #quit // $1000+ fine for using speakerphone on the train/ Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist from Orlando Health, explains the possible treatment options for the former president #TrainFees #fees #speakerphone #ProstateCancer #Cancer  

On episode 226, we welcome Thibaut van Marke and Amy Allen of Orlando Health, an award-winning network of community and specialty hospitals that recently expanded into Alabama. Thibaut and Amy discuss Orlando Health's acquisition of Baptist Health, and how this move benefits both patients and providers in Alabama. We also explore Orlando Health's pioneering research in pediatrics and adult trauma, as well as their use of AI and emerging technologies as we look to the future of healthcare. Tune in now!

In this episode, Scott Becker highlights seven major healthcare stories, including Orlando Health's hospital closure, leadership changes at Penn State and Jefferson Health, workforce challenges leading to a UC healthcare worker strike, and growing cybersecurity concerns in health systems.

In this episode of "In the Rhythm," we welcome Drs. Hawkins Gay from Northwestern Medicine and Mohamed Elshazly of Orlando Health to explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence in Electrophysiology. Join us as they delve into the innovative ways AI is reshaping the diagnosis, prediction, and treatment of arrhythmias, from enhancing patient outcomes to streamlining clinical workflows.

Episode 129: Redefining Patient Care with Virtual Nursing Dr. Joni Watson sits down with Dr. Darius Love, Assistant Vice President of Workforce Optimization and Redesign at Orlando Health, to explore the groundbreaking world of virtual nursing. Dr. Love shares his visionary approach to healthcare delivery, highlighting how virtual care models serve as an extension of in-person teams, allowing nurses to focus more on high-touch aspects of patient care. He delves into the strategies for overcoming resistance to change, the crucial role of nursing informatics in streamlining workflows, and the impact of positive leadership on advancing the future of healthcare. Join us as we discuss how moments matter, the power of virtual teams, and why adaptive leadership is key in this new era of nursing. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

In this episode, Alyssia Crews, Assistant Vice President at Orlando Health, shares her perspective on the rapid growth of the health system, advancements in oncology care, and the role of AI in improving patient care and clinical efficiency. She also offers advice for emerging leaders in healthcare.

In this episode, April Ernst, Chief Operating Officer at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, shares insights into the challenges and opportunities driving orthopedic and spine care. She discusses growth strategies in Central Florida, advancements in robotic surgery and telemedicine, and the shift toward outpatient care, all while keeping patient-centered, value-based care at the forefront.

In this episode, April Ernst, Chief Operating Officer at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, shares insights into the challenges and opportunities driving orthopedic and spine care. She discusses growth strategies in Central Florida, advancements in robotic surgery and telemedicine, and the shift toward outpatient care, all while keeping patient-centered, value-based care at the forefront.

In this episode, April Ernst, Chief Operating Officer at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, shares insights into the challenges and opportunities driving orthopedic and spine care. She discusses growth strategies in Central Florida, advancements in robotic surgery and telemedicine, and the shift toward outpatient care, all while keeping patient-centered, value-based care at the forefront.

Good morning from Pharma and Biotech daily: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in Pharma e Biotech world. This week's commercialization news includes Dupixent's success in a chronic hives study, Lilly's development of a weekly insulin shot, and BioMarin's plans for growth. The House backs a bill restricting China's role in US biotech, while Lykos CEO is set to depart after FDA rejection and layoffs. The newsletter also discusses key developments in cell therapy and offers insights on utilizing a direct-to-patient model in the healthcare industry. Various resources and upcoming events in the biopharma industry are also highlighted. Biopharma Dive provides in-depth journalism and insights into the latest news and trends shaping the biotech and pharma industries.BridgeBio has reduced its gene therapy budget after data from a trial on an adrenal gland medicine did not meet the company's investment threshold. GlaxoSmithKline has discontinued a herpes vaccine after it did not meet efficacy goals in a phase 2 study. Roivant has launched a new 'vant' focused on a hypertension drug. Centessa's sleepiness drug has shown promising results in early studies, leading to a rise in the company's shares. Additionally, Dupixent has succeeded in a chronic hives study, giving Sanofi and Regeneron a chance to resubmit their application for approval. Investors are also paying attention to Centessa's sleepiness drug. This news comes alongside updates on other pharmaceutical developments, such as Saxenda's effectiveness for children as young as 6 and Roche's expansion of R&D labs. Additionally, the newsletter covers upcoming events and resources for biopharma professionals. Biopharma Dive provides in-depth coverage of news and trends in the biotech and pharma industries, including clinical trials, FDA approvals, gene therapy, drug pricing, and research partnerships.Iowa has awarded Centene's subsidiary, Iowa Total Care, a Medicaid managed care contract worth $2.8 billion. Telehealth groups are urging Congress and the White House to extend controlled substance virtual prescribing before pandemic-era flexibilities expire. The Biden administration has finalized a rule raising mental health coverage standards for private plans. Steward Health Care received court approval to sell its three most valuable hospitals to Orlando Health for $439 million. The importance of data quality in realizing value from medical imaging data is emphasized by Enlitic. Payers are encouraged to optimize quality and grow revenue through key strategies in an upcoming webinar. Healthcare Dive provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping healthcare across various sectors like health IT, policy & regulation, insurance, digital health, payer-provider partnerships, and value-based care.Novo Nordisk showcased its investigational GLP-1 pill that resulted in a remarkable 13% weight loss. This comes after positive Phase I results for the pill, which analysts compared to weight loss pills being developed by Lilly and Pfizer. Expanded coverage for cardiovascular disease under Medicare could have significant implications for Novo's obesity drug, Wegovy. Analysts estimate that the expansion of Wegovy's label beyond obesity could lead to an annual Medicare spending of $145 billion. Meanwhile, GSK has abandoned the development of its herpes vaccine after disappointing Phase I/II results, and Crispr Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are facing challenges in making their sickle cell gene therapy profitable. Novo's other drug, Saxenda, was found to effectively and safely lower BMI in children, according to a study published in NEJM. Additionally, Lilly continues to make progress with its once-weekly insulin, while Bain has raised $3 billion for a fund supporting life sciences companies. The biopharmaceutical industry continues to see changes, with Biomarin facing challenges and Terns moving forward in the obesity spac

The Pride were off this weekend, but that doesn't mean there wasn't news out of the club. Orlando signed Head Coach Seb Hines to a new contract through the 2026 NWSL season with an option year for 2027. That's great news after the turnaround the club has experienced under Hines' stewardship. We discuss Hines' beginnings with the club, his rise to success, and what the deal means moving forward. We also discuss the many smiles of Seb Hines, which are numerous and each has its own purpose Our mailbagbox asked us how long we think some of the Pride's brightest stars will hang around. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We'd also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we'll find them easily and read them on the show. After the mailbagbox, we discuss Kerry Abello's great month of July, taking a brief side trip to again enjoy the weirdness of her Orlando Health commercial. Finally, we discuss the 2024 Olympic gold medal match between the United States and Brazil, which featured four Pride players on the pitch and another who got a gold medal. We are ultimately happy the team we support won the gold, but we can't help but feel a bit sad for Marta not winning the championship. What was with Brazil not starting her, anyway? Here's how Episode 56 went down: 0:15 – The Pride extended Seb Hines' stay in Orlando with a new contract. 15:58 – The mailbagbox is worried good players will leave the Pride. 26:28 – Kerry Abello wins monthly NWSL accolades and several Orlando players win Olympic medals.

Welcome to this Aphasia Access Aphasia Conversations Podcast, a series of conversations about aphasia, the LPAA model, and aphasia programs that follow this model. My name is Janet Patterson. I am a Research Speech-Language Pathologist at the VA Northern California Healthcare System in Martinez, California, and a member of the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their efforts in engaging with persons with aphasia and their families through a variety of educational materials and resources. I am the host for our episode that will feature Lauren Bislick, in which you will hear about friendship, yoga, mental imagery and aphasia. These Show Notes accompany the conversation with Lauren but are not a verbatim transcript.   In today's episode you will hear about: the value of friendship in our lives and Mission SPEAK, ideas for creating an accessible yoga program for person with aphasia, and the value of mental imagery.  Dr. Janet Patterson: Welcome to this edition of Aphasia Access Conversations, a series of conversations about the LPAA model and aphasia programs that follow this model. My name is Janet Patterson, and I'm a research speech language pathologist at the VA Northern California Healthcare System in Martinez, California. Today I am delighted to be speaking with Dr. Lauren Bislick, a newly minted Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida, in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Lauren is also the director of the UCF Aphasia House, and the director of the Aphasia and Related Conditions Research Lab. Across her work efforts, Lauren investigates the diagnosis and treatment of acquired apraxia of speech and aphasia, the value of mindful body practices such as yoga, friendship development, and interprofessional education and practice.    In 2023, Lauren was named a Distinguished Scholar USA by the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia UK. The Tavistock Trust aims to help improve the quality of life for those with aphasia, their families and care partners by addressing research capacity related to quality-of-life issues in aphasia. Congratulations on receiving this honor, Lauren. Aphasia Access collaborates with the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia in selecting the awardees and is pleased to have the opportunity to discuss their work and the influence of the Tavistock award.    Welcome Lauren, to Aphasia Access Conversations.   Dr. Lauren Bislick: Thank you, Janet, and thank you Aphasia Access for having me. Also thank you to the Tavistock Trust for the review team for nominating me and for selecting me. I'm truly very honored to be a recipient of this award.   Janet: It's a well-deserved award. Lauren, as we said, you were named a Tavistock Trust, Distinguished Scholar USA for 2023. You join a talented and dedicated group of individuals in this award. How does receiving the Tavistock award influence your clinical and research efforts in aphasia?    Lauren: First, I'll say again, I was truly honored to receive this award and was definitely surprised. The nomination announcement occurred at the Clinical Aphasiology Conference, and they didn't give us a heads up that the announcement was coming through, so I was very surprised. I think in terms of how this has influenced my clinical and research efforts as an academic, and as a clinician. I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of imposter syndrome, and so receiving this award has helped me push that feeling to the side a little bit in some aspects of my work and of what I do. It's also allowed me to feel very proud about what I've been able to do. but more so through my collaborations and my students and the community that we have at UCF. It's allowed me to grow connection. Since receiving this award, people have reached out to me to talk about collaboration or wanting my help in terms of more of a consultant role. It's allowed myself and my lab to reach a larger group of people and has definitely supported that emphasis on quality-of-life work, which is not necessarily the training that I focused on when I was in my doctoral program. That's been something that I've come into in my time as an assistant faculty member or a junior researcher. It feels very good to be acknowledged for that and for these lines of work being supported.   Janet: And well deserved, for certain. Lauren, I would like to begin by asking you about your recent work investigating the role of friendship for persons with aphasia. I believe in the power of friendship and community during joyful times, and also during sad times in one's life. One of the unfortunate consequences of aphasia can be the loss or diminishing of friendships, or the communication skills important to developing and sustaining friendship and community. How did you become interested in this aspect of aphasia? And what conclusions have you drawn from your research?   Lauren: Thank you for this question. One of the things that I talk about frequently in both my aphasia course and the motor speech disorders for our graduate students, is how individuals with acquired communication disorders, whether it be linguistic, or motor based, is that their social circles get smaller, and we know that's a problem in life. Friendship is an essential component of quality of life, and as you said, whether celebrating the good things or you're going through a hard time you need those friends. This is an important area that I believe gets overlooked although now we have a couple of different groups looking at friendship and aphasia, which is wonderful. I actually have to thank Dr. Elizabeth Brookshire Madden for pulling me into this work. She is at Florida State University, and I like to call us aphasia sisters. We went through the same doctoral program, and she was one year behind me. We became very close during that time, both as friends, but also in the work that we do. [Aphasia Access note: Elizabeth Madden was selected as a Tavistock Distinguished Scholar USA in 2024.]   One of the other faculty members at Florida State University, Michelle Therrien, does work on friendship, but in the pediatric world. This grew out of conversations between Liz and Michelle, where they started talking about how we can look at friendship and aphasia. Clearly, we all believe it's an issue, but it hasn't been well investigated. That was shortly before the team Project Bridge Conference, which is really what helped initiate this kind of area of research for our group. Liz and I met at the 2018 Project Bridge conference and started facilitating a friendship group; she took the lead in this area. I got pulled to the yoga group, which we'll talk about later. Liz talked with a number of care partners of individuals with aphasia, and started discussing their social groups, and then friendship. Leaving that conference, she had some really great ideas about where to go next and what was needed in the area of friendship. From there grew her team of myself, Michelle Therrien, Sarah Wallace, at the University of Pittsburgh and Rachel Albritton, who's also at FSU.    In our first study, we did a survey with SLPs trying to ask if SLPs see friendship as being an issue? You know, is this us projecting, or is this something that clinical speech-language pathologists are seeing as an issue? If so, are we addressing it in the field? What that initial study showed us was that, yes, SLPs report that their clients are experiencing loss or difficulty with friendships. They also reported that there are barriers, there aren't assessments that ask about friendships, and there aren't interventions. So, while they see this as an important thing, and something that SLPs believe that this was within our scope of practice, they need a little more guidance as to how to support people with aphasia in terms of maintaining friendships, and then also developing friendships.    Following that study, we then spoke to people with aphasia and also spoke to caregivers of people with aphasia to get their perspectives and their lived experiences. What happens to friendship, immediately after a stroke? In that acute phase? What happens to friendship during that chronic phase? And then where are they now? What we found through these conversations is that many individuals reported that their friendships had changed after they acquired aphasia, both in the acute phase and the chronic stages. The same could be said for caregivers as they are navigating this world as caregivers. They are experiencing changes in their friendships. With aphasia being a chronic condition, this is something that people are living with for the rest of their lives. Friends can kind of be there in the beginning, and that acute care phase where they send messages or come by to say hello and show their support. As they realize that the communication impairment isn't going away, they don't know what to do and may get a little uncomfortable, feeling bad that they don't understand their friend with aphasia, or they don't know how to support them in their communication, or this problem isn't disappearing. This is me projecting, but I believe that's what's happening and what we're seeing is that people with aphasia, and their caregivers are reporting this loss. They also are reporting gaining new friends as they become ingrained in social groups. They meet other people with aphasia or care partners of other individuals with aphasia and develop friendships that way. They are also reporting smaller social groups, smaller groups of friends from their pre-aphasia life, dwindling for a lot of people. We think from our research what we're finding is that we really need interventions that target friendship maintenance and development. Some of that may be as simple as providing education, inviting friends into the therapy room. We do this with care partners, we can also offer this to friends to see how we are interacting with your loved one with aphasia. We can provide key tools to support communication; I really think a big piece of it is education. We've got to find the best way to navigate this in the clinical world. I think that's the next step not only for our group, but for the other groups that are looking at Friendship.    Janet: Lauren, you make some very good points in those comments. I wonder, do you have some brief thoughts or very specific ideas about how as clinicians, we can act in ways to optimize the friendship activities of our clients, or their care partners, recognizing though, that everyone has different styles and needs for friendship? It's like you say, we should not be projecting our desires and our styles and our needs onto our patients, but rather listen to them and figure out what their needs and desires are?   Lauren: Number one, right there, is listening to our clients, listening to their loved ones, what do they need? As I mentioned before, I think education is a really big piece of this. That may mean just having some materials as a speech-language pathologist that you can send home with family members that they can give to friends, right, so not just materials for that care partner, or the person with aphasia, but materials for friends. Here's something that will educate you a little bit on what aphasia is, there are some ways that you can successfully communicate with your friend with aphasia, here's what to expect. I think some of it is people just don't understand. They don't live in our world clinically, working with people with aphasia, working with people with communication disorders. For some, it's that they've never been exposed to, and so there's a discomfort with the unknown. I think education is huge. Also inviting friends. If you're going to have a counseling session with a care partner, and a person with aphasia, and their loved one, would they like friends to be at that table? Ask them. They may not, they may want it just for them and to be quiet and personal, but they may have some really close friends that they know they're going to lean on and want to be there. Opening the opportunity to invite other individuals and also inviting friends to support groups. Bringing friends to support groups, I think, would also be a space where friends then can observe interactions among people with aphasia, as well as their loved ones, and can have an opportunity to interact with other people with aphasia. So those are a few things that I think we can do right now. There are through many of the different resources like ARC [Aphasia Recovery Connection], for example, there are opportunities for education, communication partner training, and those are things that we can also plug friends into   Janet: Those are some very good ideas, Lauren, very good ideas. You have also worked to address the isolation felt by people with aphasia, and severe acquired communication impairment through your lab's Mission SPEAK program. Can you tell us more about this program, please?   Lauren: Absolutely. Mission SPEAK stands for Mission to Promote Socialization, Participation, Engagement, Advocacy and Kindness, for people with severe acquired communication disorders. This grew out of a lack of participation among some of our community members who had more severe communication impairments. They felt that they were just unable to be successful in a group setting, and tried some of the aphasia support groups, but didn't feel like they were being heard, or that they had equal opportunity, or were just frustrated by it. It didn't feel right for them. And so, I started thinking about, well, how can we provide an opportunity for individuals who feel this way, or maybe they're just more introverted which could be another piece to why they don't want that large group. How can we provide opportunities where they're still getting to practice communication in a safe space, develop friendships, and just be able to interact to combat those feelings of isolation that people with aphasia and other acquired communication disorders report. Mission SPEAK is a program where the students in my lab, both undergraduate and graduate students, some are CSD, some pre-med, some in their med programs, where they have the opportunity to meet with an individual with aphasia or another acquired communication disorder on a weekly basis to have a conversation. It's all via Zoom. These meetings can take any shape that the person with aphasia or the communication impairment and the student want to go with it. We have some individuals that meet to actually practice what they're learning in therapy and so the clinician has connected with my students to say ‘Hey, can you go over this homework with them or allow them opportunities to practice' and sometimes the clinician will hop on to Zoom as well. We also have opportunities such as one of my students and one of our friends with aphasia are reading a book together and so they do shared reading. In another pair we have a young man who really just needs interaction, so he meets with two different students, and they just have conversations over shared interests. Sometimes his mom is there to help support communication. We see as time goes on that as the individuals are getting more comfortable with each other, and the students are getting more comfortable, there are emerging areas where there are overlapping interests, or maybe the student is learning from the person with aphasia say, about sports, for example. We have one group where our friend with aphasia is a huge sports fanatic. He was meeting with two young women in our undergraduate program who knew very little about some of these sports and so he's taught them. It's really fun. Again, they meet at least once a week. We have one individual that at one point was meeting with three separate students three times a week. The friendships that form from these smaller groups are something special. For some of these folks it's intergenerational, for others they are peers. What you see is that the students don't want to give up this opportunity. I have some students who have been meeting with their friend with aphasia for over two years now. They've gone from their undergraduate programs through their graduate programs, and they've just developed a friendship and don't want to let go of it, which I think is phenomenal. This is something that I would like to see open up as chapters across different universities. Students want these interactions so badly and there are so many people with acquired communication disorders that need an outlet, and that would benefit from this safe space to work on their skills to just have fun. It really can be whatever they want it to be.   Janet: What a great idea. You've got my brain spinning. And I've been making notes about some clients I've been thinking about who would benefit from exactly what you're saying, just the opportunity to have an interaction and conversation. Wonderful.    Lauren, another avenue that you've been interested in is the practice of mindfulness, especially yoga practice. How do you see yoga practice supporting the LPAA philosophy of living well, with aphasia?   Lauren: Love this question. I have to backpedal just a little bit to answer it to say, I was never a yogi until I started my doctoral program. If you know me, I'm 5'11”. I'm tall and I grew up playing all the tall-person sports and pretty much was of the mindset that if you're not huffing and puffing and soaked in sweat, then it wasn't exercise or it wasn't beneficial. Well, I was wrong. In my doctoral program, I was dealing with imposter syndrome. I'm also a first-generation college student. Being at that level, and with all the different hurdles that a doctoral program offers, I was really feeling that imposter syndrome and anxiety that surrounds it. Somebody suggested starting yoga, and it's what got me out of bed in the morning, and really grounded me to face my day and feel as confident as I could in my skin during that time. After doing it for a few years, I just had this aha moment of, wow, I would love to bring this to the aphasia community. It's helped me with my anxieties and my areas of self-doubt and has just allowed me to also be present. I can only imagine for some folks with aphasia the anxiety that they may have surrounding communication, or just feeling okay with where they are in this part of their journey and that acceptance piece. Then I pushed it off. I said, well, I can't do that now I have to wait until I get tenure, I've got to focus on this very systematic treatment development program. I can't do more things.    Then in 2019 when I was an assistant professor, just my first year at UCF, I went to Project Bridge again thank you, Jackie Hinkley. While I was there, there was a small group that consisted of Dr. Amy Dietz and her friend with aphasia, Terry, who were at a table, and they were promoting yoga for aphasia. I was walking around, and I saw that table and I thought it was amazing. I went over there to have a conversation with them. Amy Dietz had just finished a small pilot project looking at methodology of how we make yoga accessible. And so I talked with Amy and I talked with her friend with aphasia, Terry, about their experience, and then more people started coming to that table; Susan Duncan, who is aphasiologist and a speech-language pathologist and a yoga practitioner, and then also a person with aphasia, Chase Rushlow and his mom, Deanna Rushlow. All the whole rest of that conference, we hung together, and started planning out the trajectory of how to bring accessible yoga to people with aphasia and to the aphasia community. Chase had experienced yoga, post stroke, and as a person living with aphasia with his mom, they shared their story about how it brought them together, and how it grounded him, how he found Zen. It was so fruitful being able to have these conversations with people with aphasia, and also their care partners, and them telling us what yoga has done for them. Not only did we all have our own experiences with yoga from myself, Amy and Susan, but then we also were getting this feedback from the rights holders, right from our patient stakeholders. And so this group moved forward.    Sorry, I had to backpedal there a little bit. Since that time, I'm so proud of what we have done as a team and what has unfolded. I was very fortunate to meet a yoga therapist named Karen Cornelius here in the Orlando area and together, we've been able to build an accessible adapted virtual yoga program for people with aphasia. It started as kind of this feasibility study with our own aphasia community group here in Orlando, getting feedback from them, figuring out how to make the language accessible, what visuals are helpful? What do people with aphasia want from a yoga practice, were there things that they liked, or things that they didn't like. We've had this really long but very informative process of delivering yoga from a yoga therapy perspective, caring experience, and then figuring out what to spend more time on and how to present things verbally and visually. Now I feel like we have this ongoing, strong, adapted yoga community that we're able to offer. We offer it every Friday at 11am. And we have participants from all over the US. We still have a strong group from Florida, from the Orlando area, but we've got people that participate from California, we've got folks from in the middle of the state, we've got people from Kentucky, we've got people from Pittsburgh, we have people from up north. And we also have a participant from Bermuda. It's amazing to see all of these individuals who would have never met each other otherwise come together so that they can have a yoga practice. For some of these folks, they participated in yoga before their stroke, and then had a really hard time getting back into it afterwards because of the language impairment, the language barrier really. Yoga is a very language heavy practice. The modifications that we've made have been really helpful in making it accessible. But then we've also brought in others that never looked at yoga before and experienced it for the first time and have heard their report that they reap the benefits of it. What we're seeing in both our qualitative research, and also in our quantitative research is that people are reporting reduced stress after participating in at least eight weeks of yoga, better sleep quality, and increased resilience. Some have discussed better pain management, so they feel like their pain, although it's not gone away, that they are able to go about their daily life without pain taking as much in terms of resources from them as it did prior. The biggest thing to I mean that sticks out is people are talking about self-acceptance. Yoga has helped them accept where they are right now in their journey. The last thing I'll say along these lines is there is something so powerful about having individuals come together in this group and there's conversation that happens at the beginning and at the end, just like you would if you walked into a yoga studio. I think it's that they're all working on a common goal, in this hour, and very little of what's being done is focused on communication, the effort is taken away. They're really just sharing a space with each other, enjoying that space, doing something that's making them feel good. And they're not having to think about their impairment. There's something really special with this group.    This work has now been funded by Orlando Health, which is our one of our big hospitals in the area. We're working with an interprofessional team and actually bringing yoga therapy into the inpatient rehabilitation program. This has been really neat, because Karen, the yoga therapist, and I are working with an interdisciplinary team of speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and recreational therapists. We'll have a group of individuals and all of these different professionals in the same room, and we're getting feedback from the professionals about what they like, what's facilitating this program for them, and what are the barriers. At the end, they will be the ones running this program, and they are very committed to keeping it up and running. We're also of course, getting the feedback from the people with aphasia and other brain injury survivors in this group, as well as their caregivers that are coming in and participating. I think now I can say I've done a good chunk of research in my life, and this area is the most fun and the least amount of work. Everything has happened organically. There has not been a moment where it feels like this really is work, or I don't want to do this. It's all just unfolded so beautifully. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this, I'm so thankful that Project Bridge pushed me into this, in a sense, when I thought I had to put it off for years and years to come. It's been a lot of fun. For our listeners, we have an ongoing yoga program on Friday mornings at 11 am EST, that is run by a yoga therapist who is amazing, and well versed in aphasia. I welcome people to join us.   Janet: I am moved by your story, Lauren, both your individual journey through your doctoral program and finding yoga to help your own self, and then taking that into the aphasia community. Several times you've used the phrase, ‘your journey through life' or ‘your journey of life'. And isn't that true? We're all on a journey, and it changes year to year, or decade to decade, if you will. It's exciting to know that you're finding a way to connect people with aphasia to a larger community that focuses on yoga, for example, rather than focusing on the impairment that they have living with their aphasia. Thank you for that. It sounds like it's a great success, and I hope it will continue to be so good for you.   Lauren: Thank you.   Janet: Lauren, another area of investigation, you're examining the benefit of motor imagery and home practice, for enhancing treatment outcomes in persons with apraxia of speech. This is a little bit different from yoga and mindfulness. But yet at the same time, it's about what people can do in their own selves, I think to improve their communications and improve their interactions with others. Will you describe this work and your current findings, please?    Lauren: Absolutely. And you really did hit the nail on the head because it does overlap a lot. It's different in that we are working on the impairment here, but the motor imagery piece grew out of what I was seeing with yoga. Many of our participants have hemiparesis, for example, or they might have apraxia of speech or more severe aphasia. When they are unable to produce a certain movement, or unable to say a certain mantra, we tell them just to visualize. If you can't move that arm that is fine, or if you can't move it to the extent that you want to that is okay, just imagine that arm moving. Just imagine or hear yourself saying this affirmation.    Based on what we were doing with the yoga I started digging a little deeper into the research on motor imagery and mental imagery, and that's where this idea arose. Surprisingly, there hasn't been a whole lot of work using motor imagery for rehabilitation of apraxia of speech. There's been a little bit of work in the area of stuttering, and motor imagery is used significantly in sports medicine, athletic training for professional sports, and musical training, and also rehabilitation of limb and gait, but really very little about speech. And so, I found a hole. My thought was maybe this motor imagery piece is a start, it's something that people can do at home without much support, and maybe it will impact their performance, either that day or in a therapy session a few days later. I wrote a grant and it was funded through the National Institutes of Health. The grant focused on looking at the impact that motor imagery has when combined with behavioral speech treatment. My thought moving forward was that I got my Ph.D. not only because I wanted to know more and wanted to create treatment programs, but I wanted to prove to insurance that healing the brain post stroke, or rehabilitation of speech and language post stroke, is not the same as healing a broken bone. It takes a lot more time. It's ongoing. In my time, I have not seen a change in insurance. In fact, I think it's gotten worse. So my thought into this is we've got to give clinicians and people with communication impairments the opportunity to work more from home. What can they do on their own to bolster the impact of those few treatment settings that they actually are getting, if they are treatment seeking individuals. The idea is, the hope is, that through motor imagery, what we're doing is priming the neural network. Patients can go home with targeted stimuli that they're working on, for example, and just imagine themselves saying it accurately, thinking about how the articulators are moving, visualizing themselves being successful. Hopefully, we're priming those networks. Then when they go into that treatment session, those networks are primed and perhaps we see a boost in performance. The hope, the long-term goal, of this is to build a home practice program that can be accessible to people in the comfort of their homes, easily and free of charge. The speech-language pathologist can also interface with the program to put stimuli into it, for example, so that it can support what they're working on in therapy. We're still in the early phases, but we just completed our first qualitative interview after somebody has completed the whole program, and they really liked it. I thought people were going to be bored with motor imagery because we're not yet allowing them to say anything. In the motor imagery piece, we really want to focus on what does imagery add, but they really enjoyed it. Our first participant, what he said was that at first he didn't like it, he thought it was weird. After we went through practice for a few weeks, he would come into the therapy session and we would do a probe and afterwards if I commented that he did really well on that today, or in the treatment session itself, or if I was seeing a lot of success with certain targets, he would say ‘the homework, the homework'. My thought was that he felt like the homework is helping. He was encouraging and felt like it was helping. We've only run a few people through, so right now, it's preliminary findings, but what I'm seeing is a benefit when they are going home and having this opportunity to practice. Even though it's not verbal practice, it's motor imagery, I'm seeing a change when they come into the session. The study itself is funded for three years, and we have the opportunity to provide free therapy for 18 individuals with co-occurring apraxia of speech and aphasia. I'm excited to see what that group data look like, but right now, and with just the conversations that we're having with the folks that are coming through, I feel very optimistic about this program. It will definitely need to grow, I don't want it to be only motor imagery forever. It's a good first step.   Janet: That is very exciting to hear. I look forward to reading the results as you have more and more individuals with apraxia of speech move through your program.   Lauren, as we draw this interview to a close, I wonder if you have some lessons learned that you would share with our listeners, as well as some Monday morning practices, that is actions that we can take on Monday morning to improve our interactions with persons with the aphasia or apraxia of speech.    Lauren: So I think first, and this is reflecting on what I do, I know many individuals out there, whether you are clinically working with the population, or you're doing research, you're in an area where you are giving. We are giving to support a community. The same thing that I tell our caregivers is to do something for you first, that will allow you to continue to give to others. What is something can you identify, something every day. When there's a little bit of something that you can do for yourself that just fuels you to be the best clinician, the best researcher, the best partner, parent, the many hats that people wear, to your community. That may look different for everyone. For some people, maybe it is meditation, for others maybe it's yoga, maybe it's running, maybe it's baking, everybody has their thing, but identify that certain something that gives you the energy and maybe the groundedness to serve your community.    One thing we've touched on, and if you're listening to this podcast, you know this, but listen to our friends with aphasia. Their perspectives give us so much more than we could ever pretend to know. I've learned so much from my friends with aphasia, even moving forward and in my research - thinking that I know what people want, talk to them, and then the realization this actually isn't an issue, this other thing is. Seek better understanding, otherwise, we're going up the wrong ladder and putting our efforts in the wrong area.    Building community through shared interests, that's what I'm trying to do a bit, and also incorporate student involvement; use your resources. With Mission SPEAK we really are trying to build community through shared interests. It's really neat to see how this unfolds. Even when you have a person with a communication impairment or a person with aphasia, who is maybe 30 years older than the student that they're meeting with, there are shared interests. And it's so neat, what they learn from each other and how this partnership grows, and this friendship grows. Then you also have peers, folks who have acquired communication impairments that are close in age with our students, and that takes on a life of its own as well. Try to match people up based on shared interests, or at least having someone that is really eager to learn. Also being open. Building community through shared interests supports what we've done with yoga. Here are folks that are finding peace and community and enjoying this activity together. It could be anything doesn't have to be yoga.   One other is interdisciplinary practices. When we're thinking about our friends with aphasia, not just thinking about the aphasia or stroke, when we're working with our more acute care friends, or those that are still on that rehabilitation trajectory. Stroke Survivors are dealing with more than aphasia, and I think sometimes we can lose sight of that. Making sure that there is an interdisciplinary team or you're offering interdisciplinary supports, asking what else do they need. I find that I've learned so much from my colleagues in physical therapy and occupational therapy. I work closely with an assistive technology professional who has just unlocked for me the world of supports that are out there that help people live well with aphasia, and also with hemiparesis. Supports such as for cooking with hemiparesis, supports for a computer adapted need, supports many things, such as positioning, seating, getting out there and playing sports, again, in an adaptive community. There are so many things that have happened, I think, over the last decade to make things more accessible for people post stroke. Educate yourself on what's out there.   Janet: Those are great ideas. Thank you so very much. And thank you, Lauren, again for taking the time to speak with me today about the Tavistock Distinguished Scholar Award, and about your work in aphasia.   Lauren: Thank you very much for having me.   Janet: You are so welcome.    I would also like to thank our listeners for supporting Aphasia Access Conversations by listening to our podcasts. For references and resources mentioned in today's show, please see our show notes. They are available on our website, www.aphasiaaccess.org. There, you can also become a member of our organization, browse our growing library of materials and find out about the Aphasia Access Academy. If you have an idea for a future podcast episode, please email us at info@aphasiaaccess.org. For Aphasia Access Conversations, I am Janet Patterson, and thank you again for your ongoing support of Aphasia Access.   Lauren, thank you for being with me today and congratulations on being named a Tavistock Distinguished Scholar on behalf of Aphasia Access and the Tavistock Trust. I look forward to learning about your future accomplishments, and seeing how you help people with aphasia and apraxia of speech on their journey of life. References   Madden, E. B., Therrien, M., Bislick, L., Wallace, S. E., Goff-Albritton, R., Vilfort-Garces, A., Constantino, C. & Graven, L. (2023). Caregiving and friendship: Perspectives from care partners of people with aphasia. Topics in Language Disorders, 43(1), 57-75. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0000000000000301    Therrien, M.C., Madden, E.B., Bislick, L. & Wallace, S.E. (2021). Aphasia and friendship: The role and perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2228-2240. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00370  Resources   Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC)        https://aphasiarecoveryconnection.org  Aphasia and Related Conditions Research Lab and Mission SPEAK https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/communication-sciences-disorders/aphasia-and-related-conditions-research-lab/  Project Bridge     Project Bridge - Research Community in Communication Disorders

About Novlet Mattis :Novlet Mattis, Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, As Orlando Health's chief digital and information officer, Novlet provides executive leadership for information technology, digital capability supply chain, and systems that advance clinical and business strategies, digitally engage patients, providers, and businesses, and optimize operational processes.Before joining Orlando Health in 2018, she was with Ascension Health in St. Louis, where she served as vice president of information technology, supporting more than 125 hospitals across the U.S. and international joint ventures.Novlet was also vice president of IT and chief information officer at UNC Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has held leadership positions at Dell Global Services, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T.She earned a bachelor's in business administration from Howard University and an MBA from George Washington University, both in Washington, D.C. She is a Certified Healthcare CIO through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).Things You'll Learn:Orlando Health strikes a crucial balance between managing finances and innovating, particularly by adopting a unified EMR system and ventures into AI to improve patient care.The organization is not just expanding its physical footprint but also investing in data and digital platforms for future growth. Orlando Health's response to COVID-19 and push towards digital innovations like virtual sitters demonstrate resilience and forward thinking. By centralizing their data, the organization is paving the way to monetize information while ensuring enhanced patient care.Orlando Health stands out because of physician loyalty, strong economies, and unparalleled patient care.Resources:Connect with and follow Novlet Mattis on LinkedIn.Learn more about Orlando Health on their LinkedIn and website.

Conversamos con Héctor Eli –periodista musical– nos habla sobre Don Omar, el cantante urbano puertorriqueño de 46 años, reveló este lunes que tiene cáncer y se mostró confiado en su pronta recuperación.  “Hoy sí, pero mañana no tendré cáncer. Las buenas intenciones son bien recibidas. Nos vemos pronto”,escribió el artista puertorriqueño en su cuenta oficial de Instagram, donde acumula 11,6 millones de seguidores, junto al hashtag #fuckcancer. En la imagen que acompaña su mensaje, Don Omar muestra su mano con el puño cerrado y en su muñeca tiene atado un brazalete que identifica su admisión en un hospital de la red Orlando Health, en Florida (EE UU). Programa transmitido 18 junio de 2024. Escucha Esto no es un noticiero con Nacho Lozano, en vivo de lunes a viernes de 1:00 p.m. a 2:00 p.m. por el 105.3 de FM. Esta es una producción de Radio Chilango.

There is a new proven process of pairing compelling stories with data-driven analytics to drive your business goals with media relations. Lisa Arledge Powell, CEO and founder of MediaSource, and Kena Lewis, AVP, public affairs & media relations at Orlando Health, share their vast wisdom on this topic from which all communicators can greatly benefit. They introduce new methods and tactics to drive business using media relations. They underscore the why and how of being truly strategic in your media outreach. And they share concrete examples of all this in action. And better still, you can click here for a free download of the associated white paper entitled Effectively Quantifying the Business Value of Media Relations at Orlando Health. This report truly breaks down a test-and-learn approach to data analysis that is commonly used in industries from retail to telecommunications and shares how communicators can now apply this to PR measurement. Follow us: @PRWeekUSReceive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek

In this episode, Joseph Carr, Assistant Vice President, Supply Chain Administration at Orlando Health shares insights into his career journey, healthcare supply chain trends he is keeping an eye on today, AI solutions in supply chain, and more.

Michael Schmidt is the Vice President, Strategic Innovations at Orlando Health, Orlando Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with a long tradition of serving its many and varied communities in the southeastern United States. In this episode KJ and Michael emphasize the importance of involving the entire organization in the innovation process, leading to meaningful impacts on employee retention and culture.    Key Takeaways: 05:39 The Power of Frontline Healthcare Workers in Innovation 08:58 The Journey of the Arthur App: A Case Study 10:57 The Impact of User-Centered Design in Healthcare 20:44 Creating Brand Ambassadors in Healthcare 31:36 The Long-Term Vision of Orlando Health's Innovation Program 35:10 The Power of 'Yes, And' in Creative Problem Solving   Quote of the Show (10:00): “We spend time trying to walk in the shoes of the patients and the caregivers and trying to make sure we get enough data points to fully understand the problem.” – Michael Schmidt   Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we're keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.   Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval   Ways to connect with Michael Schmidt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljamesschmidt/ Company Website: https://www.orlandohealth.com/      How to get more Disruption/Interruption:  Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755 Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub21ueWNvbnRlbnQuY29tL2QvcGxheWxpc3QvODE5NjRmY2EtYTQ5OC00NTAyLThjZjktYWI3YzAwMmRiZTM2LzNiZTZiNzJhLWEzODItNDhhNS04MDc5LWFmYTAwMTI2M2FiNi9kZDYzMGE4Mi04ZGI4LTQyMGUtOGNmYi1hZmEwMDEyNjNhZDkvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M= Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlDSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

El Dr. Cristian Del Carpio, cardiólogo de Orlando Health, nos habla sobre los factores de riesgo que favorecen el desarrollo de estas enfermedades entre nuestra comunidad, así como de algunas recomendaciones para cuidar nuestra salud. Javier Mascherano y todo el mundo del fútbol sueñan con la participación de Leo Messi en los Juegos de París del próximo verano.

This episode features Lance Sewell, President of South Lake Hospital. Here he discusses challenges and priorities that have defined the healthcare landscape in 2023, the critical priorities and goals for South Lake Hospital as they approach 2024, the recent partnership between Walmart and Orlando Health, and more.

December 13, 2023: Dennis Joseph, Sr. Director - Product Management & Healthcare Practice Lead at Digital Scientists, joins Bill for the news. How can healthcare organizations effectively address the issue of doctors leaving their organizations, given the increasing intent to leave, especially among young and mid-career physicians?cIs the use of technology in healthcare truly evolving and improving, or are we facing a proliferation of technology solutions that may not necessarily enhance patient care? In light of Sam Walton's early stance on healthcare costs, how has Walmart's recent partnership with healthcare providers like Orlando Health impacted the healthcare landscape, particularly in rural areas? How can Walmart's extensive real estate footprint in rural areas address the challenge of healthcare access and make basic health services more readily available to communities? What metrics should CIOs use to measure the success of their IT strategies and technology investments in improving patient care, clinician satisfaction, and operational efficiency?Key Points:Physician Retention ChallengesTransparency in AI SystemsWalmart's Healthcare Initiatives and PartnershipsMetrics for Evaluating IT StrategiesBuild vs. Buy Technology DecisionsNews articles:IT issues affecting health system financialsWalmart: Friend or foe to hospitals?40% of doctors eye exits. What can organizations do to keep them? This Week Health SubscribeThis Week Health TwitterThis Week Health LinkedinAlex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer Donate

The healthcare news cycle is heating up. In this 5-minute newsflash, we'll share what Walmart Health's first hospital partnership with Orlando Health means for disruptors and health systems alike. And, we'll dig into the ever-changing world of AI with Salesforce and Accenture's first foray into life sciences AI, and discuss AI's future impact on knowledge work.

Walmart strikes a deal with Orlando Health, its first health system partnership. CMS backtracks on proposed home health Medicare payment cuts. And, infant mortality in the United States rose for the first time in two decades, according to a new report. That's coming up on today's episode of Gist Healthcare Daily. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Dyrda, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Becker's Healthcare joins the podcast to discuss Kaufman Hall's report stating that hospital margins improved in September, but stressed the importance of addressing labor pressures, Walmart Health naming Orlando Health as their first partner, and General Catalyst's recently launched Health Assurance Transformation Corp. planning to purchase a health system in the "$1 billion to $3 billion range".

Children who suffer traumatic brain injuries usually receive two treatments when they arrive at a hospital: an IV to prevent brain swelling and anti-seizure medication. But one central Florida county is as much as 45 minutes or more away from Level I trauma centers when thunderstorms shut down rescue helicopters. Orlando Health's Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital and Tampa General Hospital are training Polk County paramedics to administer those meds while they're en route, thus saving critical time and making a recovery without long-term neurological issues more likely. We speak with Dr. Donald Plumley, head of pediatric surgery at Arnold Palmer about the initiative.

Navigating the hospital as a newly injured burn survivor can be overwhelming, and frightening, and leave many feeling like they have an extreme loss of control. The role a burn nurse plays in this journey is a critical component of a survivor's healing—both mentally and physically. The burn nurse often spends great lengths with survivors, spending time in countless dressing changes, helping them navigate pain management and much more. In this episode, we speak with Joey Lavallee, Family Nurse Practitioner, at the Warden Burn Center in Orlando, Florida, and former Trauma Burn Stepdown Unit nurse at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Joey shares his passion for caring for burn patients—that Amber, Girls with Grafts host, has witnessed first-hand as his patient during her 2020 hospital stay after her burn injury in Orlando, Florida. Girls with Grafts chats with Joey about his experience in the role that physical activity plays in burn recovery and asks for his advice for caregivers, fellow burn nurses, and survivors.About Joey Lavallee, APRNJoey Lavallee is a Family Nurse Practitioner working in the outpatient clinic at the Warden Burn Center at Orlando Health, in Orlando, FL with close to a decade of burn experience. He began his nursing career as a bedside nurse first in Orthopedics and then in the Trauma Burn Stepdown Unit at Orlando Regional Medical Center where his passion for burns flourished. He graduated with his BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington, then completed his MSN at the University of South Florida. As a nurse practitioner, he contributed to the development of a preoperative medicine clinic to improve the clinical outcomes of surgical patients. Recently he was able to fulfill his dream of caring for burn patients again, now on an outpatient basis. He is particularly interested in the long-term care of burns and getting patients back to an active lifestyle, promoting mental and physical wellness through rehab, exercise, and physical fitness. He is an Advanced Burn Life Support instructor (certified by the American Burn Association). When not at work he enjoys going on adventures with his wife and two young children, CrossFit, and cooking.Resources from the Show Resources for Physical Healing After a Burn InjuryWatch Phoenix Society and Orlando Health ‘Ask the Experts' Itching & Scar Management VideoChair Yoga Exercises for Burn SurvivorsLearn more about Phoenix Society for Burn Survivor's SOAR ProgramAccess Our FREE Online Burn Survivor ToolkitAbout LimbitlessAbout Orlando Health Warden Burn CenterFor more resources, visit us here.About The Bert Martin FoundationThe Bert Martin Foundation was established to assist those who help others and provide financial support for nonprofit organizations. We're honored to have the Bert Martin Foundation as a long-standing Phoenix Society Partner. Learn more at: https://bertmartinfoundation.org/ Sponsor Girls with Grafts Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org. Enjoyed the show? Tell us on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors! 

To be an effective leader you have to have a vision and be willing to implement changes that disrupt the status quo. But you also have to involve your team, and use diplomacy to obtain buy-in. In short, be a team player with a little bit of swagger. It's a delicate dance, but it describes the tightrope Sheri Blanchard, Senior Director of Clinical Documentation Excellence and Revenue Management, had to walk. And she did so skillfully. After taking over the Clinical Documentation Excellence program at Orlando Health in 2018 as a new leader Blanchard put her own unique stamp on the program--all the while recognizing her team is everything, and involving them at each step. On this show we cover: • The Clinical Documentation Excellence (CDE) program at Orlando Health. • Arriving at the organization as a new face in 2018, seeking to make change • A day in the life of a busy senior CDI director covering 11 facilities • Orlando Health's unique DRG reconciliation process, which includes a dedicated resource and final assignment authority given to CDI • Out of the box CDI work including monitoring long LOS patients and patients that flip to observation • Advice for new CDI leaders • The most metal entries on the OTR playlist to date (Sheri likes AC/DC, GNR, etc., which automatically makes her cool in my book)

I strongly believe that sharing your story transforms not only your audience, but also yourself. You and your audience discover that you're not alone and that change is possible. From the consciousness-raising circles of the women's movement in the 1970s to present-day campaigns for policy and legislative changes, our stories can make a profound difference. My guest today is Karen Keene, who is a pillar of the Orlando, Florida, community. I've known Karen since 2016 when I went through one of the women's leadership programs, Athena NextGen, that she runs. Karen recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy, where we worked together to create her keynote so she can share her story of courage and resilience to her audiences. In this episode, Karen and I talk about: The tragic event that happened to Karen in March 2020 Finding her purpose and calling Making the decision to share her story through speaking engagements The framework we developed for her keynote Karen's experience in the VIP Day and what she learned going through the Thought Leader Academy About My Guest: Karen Keene's life was blown apart when she was nearly killed in a home invasion on March 8, 2020. But after 23 life-saving surgeries by Orlando Health's Dr. Michael Cheatham, who leads the only Level One Trauma Center in Central Florida, Karen is well on her way to recovery, and plans to work to end gun violence in the U.S. Karen's harrowing experience and the daily struggles she fought to keep moving forward thrust her into finding her true calling. Each of us experiences personal setbacks that can shatter our world and test our endurance. But these tragedies, while agonizing, can be our greatest teachers, the catalysts for transformation. Karen's professional experience spans more than 28 years as the senior marketing executive and public policy expert for international and regional law firms. She has led multi-faceted teams in client development, strategic planning, branding, external affairs, and media relations. Karen is the Founder and Chief Strategic Advisor of ATHENA Orlando Women's Leadership, Inc. To date, 400 women are alumni of the ATHENA NextGen masterclass series and they're rising to the top of Orlando's businesses and non-profit organizations. It's changing the course for how women lead. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/337/  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/    Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Karen Keene = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-keene-profile2023/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 297: Integrating Your Story Into Your Talks with Carol Cox, Diane Diaz, and Joy Spencer Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox Episode 230: Use Your Story for an Inspirational Talk with Tanea Smith Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories with Carol Cox  

This week, Russ Branzell is joined on the Trailblazers podcast by three esteemed female healthcare leaders: Novlet P. Mattis, Senior Vice President and CDIO, Orlando Health, Sarah Richardson, Senior Vice President and CDIO, Tivity Health, and Anika Gardenhire, Chief Digital Officer, Centene Corporation. They talk women at work with a focus on gender equity, the lack of women in healthcare leadership roles, and the importance of networking. Additionally, each guest shares the most important leadership lesson they learned over their career. Tune in now for their perspectives on women at work!

Joann talks to Orlando Healths John Moore President of Bayfront Health and Blake Bard SVP of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Foundation.

This panel will discuss the health impacts of climate change, with a focus on the effects of extreme heat.  It will be moderated by Bonnie Schneider, Founder of Weather & Wellness LLC and author of the book "Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It." (Simon & Schuster). Bonnie's expert panelists are Shauna Junco, Pharm.D., BCPS, a Clinical Pharmacist specializing in adult infectious diseases, and Dr. Martin Derrow, MD FACP, a retired internal medicine specialist and member of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action. The discussion will shed light on the vulnerability of low-income and minority communities to heat-related illnesses and the potential for increased infectious disease outbreaks. Plus, it will address the importance of taking action to mitigate the mental and physical health impacts of climate change and share the panelists' perspective on the role of local and federal policy in reducing climate-related health hazards. Gain valuable insights and knowledge from these renowned experts and learn how we can work towards protecting our personal health and build more resilient and sustainable communities.  Speakers: Bonnie Schneider, Author, Simon and Schuster  Bonnie Schneider is a meteorologist and author of the new book, Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It, (Simon & Schuster ). Bonnie founded Weather & Wellness©, successfully launching its original video content focusing on climate change and health. Nationally recognized as an on-camera television meteorologist, Bonnie's shared her insight and expertise on everything from hurricanes to snowstorms for MSNBC, CNN, HLN, Bloomberg TV, and The Weather Channel. Following her recent move from NYC to Florida, Bonnie is a Sustainability and Climate Tech Contributor for Techstrong.tv, a media platform featuring thought leaders in technology and digital transformation. Bonnie has over 260k followers on her social platforms.  Martin Derrow, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action  Dr. Derrow practiced Internal Medicine in Central Florida from 1986 until his retirement from active practice at the end of 2020. A graduate of The Ohio State University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. Derrow held leadership positions with Physician Associates and Orlando Health with an interest in population health. Since retirement, Dr. Derrow has been active with Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and believes climate change is the greatest public health challenge we face today.  Shauna Junco, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action  Shauna Junco is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts in English and her PharmD from the University of Florida. After completing her PGY-1 residency in Hospital Practice at Grady Health System and her PGY-2 in Infectious Diseases from West Virginia University Hospital she moved to Orlando, where she has spent the last 10 years in clinical practice at Orlando Regional Medical Center/Orlando Health, which has earned and maintained recognition as a Center of Excellence for Antimicrobial Stewardship from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She currently serves as the Florida Clinicians for Climate Action Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, ORMC's Mitigation and Resiliency Committee Co-Chair, and as a member of the East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative Heat & Health Task Force.           

This week on the podcast Mikki speaks to Dr Charles (Chad) Price about bone health. An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Price was driven to find solutions when both his wife and his sister were diagnosed with osteoporosis. This led him down the path of researching nutrition compounds beyond calcium that allow the bone to be resilient and dynamic.  The structure of bone that provides flexibility, resilience, and toughness Mikki and Dr Price talk about these compounds and discuss the utility of DEXA for determining bone health., He is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and faculty member of the orthopedic residency program at Orlando Health. He is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Florida State University, College of Medicine. Dr. Price has authored or co-authored over 60 scientific research papers. Dr. Price is also a Certified Sports Nutritionist by the American Sports and Fitness Association.Dr Price book: https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Uncovered-Benefits-Silicon-Paperback/dp/B00ZT1WIRIDr Price: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-price-46699659/  Contact Mikki:https://mikkiwilliden.com/https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutritionhttps://www.instagram.com/mikkiwilliden/https://linktr.ee/mikkiwillidenSave 20% on all NuZest Products with the code MIKKI20 at www.nuzest.co.nzCurranz supplement: MIKKI saves you 25% at www.curranz.co.nz

In this episode we interview Robert “Bob” Melia! Bob sustained a Complete Spinal cord injury at level C6 at age 19. He shares so much valuable insight on his journey from initial injury to leading the happy and successful life he does today. Bob is the Spinal Cord Injury Network Coordinator for Orlando Health , president of the Greater Orlando sci network which is a chapter of the untied spinal cord association, advisory council member for the department of health for brain and sci, and so so much more ! This episode is a must listen!

Welcome to Protecting Your Nest with Dr. Tony Hampton. Erika Bell (aka. Beautiful Girl Gone Keto) is the founder and creator of the Orlando Health and Wellness Summit. Since discovering the keto diet in 2018, she has been able to drop 106 pounds and put her medical conditions into remission. She was able to achieve all of this not only through dietary changes, but through mental and spiritual changes as well. She offers a consultation service focused on coaching those on the keto path to stay on track with their health-related goals. In this discussion, Dr. Tony and Erika talk about: (02:57) Erika's history as an entrepreneur (05:56) Erika's past health struggles (08:30) The death of Erika's niece from complications related to diabetes (11:56) The positive changes that have come about in Erika's life since starting keto (14:38) The paleo diet (21:51) Switching to a better mode of self-talk and a more positive way of thinking about yourself (25:54) Changing your relationship with food (28:54) Carb addiction and how to become free from it (36:51) Overcoming hunger (42:46) Gastric Bypass surgery (51:24) Celebrating one's own beauty (56:56) Maintaining feminine curves on a keto diet Thank you for listening to Protecting Your Nest. For additional resources and information, please see the links below.    Links:   Erika Bell: Bronze Diamonds Keto Orlando Summit Beautiful Girl Gone Keto Instagram   Dr. Tony Hampton: Linktree Instagram Account LinkedIn Account Ritmos Negros Podcast Q Med Dr. Keith Runyan's Book Joan Ifland (Processed Food Addiction Video)

Welcome to Difficult Conversations with Dr. Anthony Orsini.  This interview was recorded over a year ago and for reasons best not discussed were not been able to make it live. Well the big day is finally here. Today, you are in for a real treat because my special guest is a true legend and a local hero in the field of Neonatology here in Central Florida and in the country.  He is a hero not only because of his accomplishments, but because of the positive impact that he has left on so many lives and families. My guest today is Dr. Gregor Alexander, who is a friend, a former partner, and someone whom I've learned a great deal from.  He has treated more than 45,000 critically ill newborns and has touched the lives of countless other families and children through his work with Orlando Health and the Arnold Palmer Foundation.  He has been locally and nationally recognized by organizations such as March of Dimes, Children's Miracle Network, and the American Institute for Public Service, to name a few. His relationship with Arnold Palmer and the work they've done together is a story he will share today.  His story is so inspirational and interesting that Gregor is currently working on a book about his life as a Baby Doctor and what it means to truly live a  purposeful life. Gregor shares with us an incredible story about his family, living in Columbia, becoming a doctor, and how he ended up in the United States.  He tells us about coming to Central Florida, working in a tiny NICU, and becoming the director. He talks about the miracle that came to him in 1981, which was Arnold Palmer, who helped with making a dream come true in 1989 to open the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.  We also learn about the dream and planning of building the Winnie Palmer Hospital.  Gregor goes into detail about the relationship he formed with Arnold Palmer over the years and why he called him the “King of Hearts.” Dr. Orsini talks about meeting Arnold Palmer, how he changed the game of golf, and how humble he was. Gregor tells us about the survival rates of babies back in 1975 and how scary it was. We hear Gregor's philosophy on having that human connection with the families of premature babies, how he takes great pleasure and honor taking care of babies, and how he uses humor to start his relationships with the families.  Also, find out why he says we are becoming “emotional billionaires.” Dr. Orsini brings up the importance of finding commonality. Gregor shares with us what he's currently doing in his life, which includes mission trips, caring for babies, and writing a book about his life that he hopes will be an inspiration to people not only in the medical field, but for people that come to this country and have a dream and want to succeed like he did.  Check out Dr. Alexander's upcoming book "The Baby Doctor" Host: Dr. Anthony OrsiniGuest:Dr. Gregor AlexanderSponsor:The Finley ProjectFor More Information:The Orsini WayThe Orsini Way-FacebookThe Orsini Way-LinkedinThe Orsini Way-InstagramThe Orsini Way-TwitterIt's All In The Delivery: Improving Healthcare Starting With A Single Conversation by Dr. Anthony OrsiniResources Mentioned:gag.alexander@outlook.com

How to build wealth by investing in our children is how Antwan Williams finds value. He stresses the importance of learning the value of saving and writing down your goals through his new Children's book Mansa Little Reminders. Antwan also spends a lot of time on Strategic growth initiatives as a healthcare executive to understand the underlying financial impact on his community.  He brings a genuine optimistic spirit to challenge the status quo and cares about people.  The oldest of ten, he leads the way to impact more communities beyond his own. Antwan believes in  Self-reflecting to better understand what he wants in life. He puts in the research to become a high-performing healthcare executive and forever learner. Antwan D. Williams is an Author, leader in healthcare, and servant to the community.  His book, Mansa's Little Reminders, is a financial literacy gem for kids everywhere. Antwan is currently with Henry Ford Health as Vice President of Operations with the Wyandotte Hospital. He is also co-founder of The Advancement League. A membership ecosystem known for career development, community impact, and their annual Young Health Leader Summit. Before serving in his current role, Antwan served as Executive Administrator for Allied Health and Support Services for Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children at Orlando Health.Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, Antwan joined Orlando Health from the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania, where he directed numerous service line initiatives, including serving as the Executive leading the systems' emergency departments across the 12-hospital campus portfolio.Antwan earned his Bachelor of Science in business management at Florida State University and his Master's degree in health services administration at the University of Central Florida.https://www.henryford.com/www.5starbdm.com

Healthcare reimbursement models are ever-changing which requires the industry to seek out diversity in thought and experience to stay fiscally resilient in challenging times.  LaTasha Barnes understands the importance of financial operations to meet the needs of taking care of people. Resiliency in a highly competitive industry during challenging times has led her to see the healthcare system holistically when making key decisions.  Patient flow and care continuum are paramount and top of mind when assessing supply utilization, patient acuity, industry benchmarks and key performance indicators.  “ The numbers don't always tell the whole story. You must understand the business operations to be an effective financial executive.  Says LaTasha BarnesBe intentional when framing opportunities in healthcare finance Alternative career experiences can make you special because it gives you differentiation!   As chief financial officer (CFO) of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, LaTasha Barnes oversees all financial operations for the 480-bed regional hospital. Previously, she was CFO of Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies and Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children from 2018-to 2020 and played a leading role in financial, operational, and strategic initiatives for the organization.LaTasha has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare finance. Before joining Orlando Health, she held leadership positions with Hospital Corporation of American (HCA), most recently as CFO of Tampa Community Hospital. An experienced CPA, she also is a former auditor for Arthur Andersen and Deloitte & Touche.She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Tennessee State University in Nashville and holds CPA licenses in both Florida and Tennessee.LaTasha is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants and has served on the board of directors for Central Florida Community Arts, Girls on the Run Central Florida, and the African American Chamber of Commerce Central Florida and was recently chosen as a nominee as Business Woman of the Year honoree.Let us welcome LaTasha Barnes to the Follow The Brand podcast where we are building a 5 STAR Brand that you can follow! https://www.orlandohealth.com/www.5starbdm.com

First of all, anybody who thinks that your average citizen in the United States today is unaware of the financial double jeopardy of going to a doctor, going to an emergency room, getting a procedure is sorely mistaken. Americans today are well aware of the financial risk that they are taking by seeking healthcare in this country. To illustrate this point, let me read the first couple of sentences from a New York Times best-selling book review: “The illness narrative, ending in financial ruin and decreased quality of life, has become one of the classic 21st-century American stories. In her debut essay collection, Emily Maloney documents the … intersections of money, illness and medicine. For Maloney, the primary experience of receiving health care is not merely a bodily or spiritual event but always … a financial one. She understands … the relationship of money to being ill, … to managing an unfathomable amount of debt.” This is a New York Times best-selling book in the beginning of 2022.  Add to this something I saw Pete Scruggs write on LinkedIn a while back, which I found actionable. He said:   “Patients selling personal items or taking on credit card debt after medical procedures is a failure of creativity in providing healthcare. It is possible to build creative health plans that reduce costs for patients with expensive procedures by giving wise guidance at the time patients need it the most. “It is not enough for insurance to provide access to a wide range of health providers but effectively leave the patient in debt … after the procedures are done. It is possible to buy healthcare so well in the local community that employers can reduce cost dramatically at the time most needed by those using health services.” And lastly, let me quote from a recent article in JAMA by David Scheinker, PhD; Arnold Milstein, MD; and Kevin Schulman, MD, which says, “The financial consequences of an underperforming health insurance market (one that is not holding down … cost … ) diminishes the quality of life affordable to US employees and their families and the financial viability of employers not in the health care industry.”  So, in this healthcare podcast, I am speaking with Wayne Jenkins, MD, who is chief medical officer over at Centivo. Before his move into value-based healthcare about 10 years ago, Dr. Jenkins started his career as a radiation oncologist. He has also served as the chief clinician at a bunch of large health systems. I wanted to have Dr. Jenkins on the show to discuss a recent report which was published by Centivo that methodically dissects how financial toxicity is affecting patients. This includes how it affects choices that employees/patients/members are making both in terms of the care they decide they are willing to pay for or, more likely, the financial risks they're willing to take.  In short, the three key findings of the report are as follows: Workers face mounting healthcare affordability issues, and health plan cost sharing features such as high deductibles are an underlying cause. Just a quick spoiler here: Do you know the percentage of employees who are forgoing buying groceries in order to afford medical expenses left on their shoulders by their high-deductible health plan or by their health plan with excessive premiums? Going hungry isn't just for minimum wage workers. Medical expenses are a significant cause of mental health and well-being issues for both individuals and also families. The conventional wisdom that health plan members will never “trade off” certain offerings for greater savings is simply false. The big takeaway here, though, is that the situation that we have in this country today is not a secret among your average regular American civilian. They do fully understand that by entering a healthcare setting, they are very well trading off, in their attempt to be healthy and going to the doctor in pursuit of that aim, they are trading off their financial well-being. And that financial toxicity actually has health implications. If you can't afford groceries, for example, or your mental health suffers, we get ourselves rather rapidly into a downward spiral, as you may be able to see. Other episodes dedicated to the impact of financial toxicity and possible solutions are in the show notes. I'm just gonna mention here quickly, we talked to Marty Makary, MD, about his book called The Price We Pay (EP242). There's an interview with Marshall Allen (EP328) and then also a very interesting conversation with Mark Fendrick, MD (EP308).   You can learn more at centivo.com.   Wayne Jenkins, MD, is the chief medical officer at Centivo. He is an accomplished physician and executive with a proven track record of patient-centered, revenue-driven results. Over the course of his career, he has consistently transformed large, complex healthcare systems into market leaders that deliver quality and value in a dynamically changing environment. Prior to Centivo, he was the chief clinical officer for population health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he provided clinical oversight of value-based care delivery and completed the formation of Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs). Before his time at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he served as the senior vice president and chief strategy officer of Orlando Health, as well as president of Orlando Health Physician Partners. Previously, Wayne was the chief of radiation oncology and then subsequently the medical director for the Florida affiliate of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a subsidiary of Orlando Health, Inc. Wayne holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee, an MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and a master's of health policy and administration from Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified in radiation oncology and was recognized in Best Doctors in America annually from 1994 to 2015. He has published 18 scientific articles and is often sought out to speak at state and national conferences. 05:23 How is financial toxicity in healthcare affecting patients? 07:02 How do we define a “normal” deductible in today's healthcare? 08:14 What's the point of having a deductible? What does a plan gain from a high deductible? 10:43 How does the cost of a patient's deductible correlate with their use of their health insurance? 12:51 EP308 with Mark Fendrick, MD.15:18 How is health insurance actually sometimes reducing patients' health? 16:24 What is the defining characteristic of those who are more adversely affected by high deductibles? 17:04 Why should CFOs consider plans with lower deductibles for their employees? 18:26 “Are there other ways to approach this in a marketplace, to get more value for what you're paying for so this problem can be addressed?” 21:56 How should employers contemplate health plans moving forward? 22:24 “Having the health plan choice gives more financial viability in addition to that open access.” 22:58 “In some sense, [that] can be a zero-sum game. Do you get it in the premium, or is it paid in the higher deductible?” 23:45 “I think there are value choices in the market that may help negate some of the problems that we were just discussing.” 25:33 “I think conventional wisdom may be left over from the '90s.” 26:49 Why does building these narrow networks have to be a science? 28:38 Does a narrow network adversely affect mental health? 32:20 “Narrow and excellent is not a bad choice for people.” You can learn more at centivo.com.  Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses health insurance plan design on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts How is financial toxicity in healthcare affecting patients? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts How do we define a “normal” deductible in today's healthcare? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts What's the point of having a deductible? What does a plan gain from a high deductible? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts How does the cost of a patient's deductible correlate with their use of their health insurance? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts How is health insurance actually sometimes reducing patients' health? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts What is the defining characteristic of those who are more adversely affected by high deductibles? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts Why should CFOs consider plans with lower deductibles for their employees? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “Are there other ways to approach this in a marketplace, to get more value for what you're paying for so this problem can be addressed?” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts How should employers contemplate health plans moving forward? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “Having the health plan choice gives more financial viability in addition to that open access.” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “In some sense, [that] can be a zero-sum game. Do you get it in the premium, or is it paid in the higher deductible?” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “I think there are value choices in the market that may help negate some of the problems that we were just discussing.” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “I think conventional wisdom may be left over from the '90s.” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts Why does building these narrow networks have to be a science? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts Does a narrow network adversely affect mental health? Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts “Narrow and excellent is not a bad choice for people.” Wayne Jenkins, MD, of @Centivo_Health discusses on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthcarecosts Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Liliana Petrova, Ge Bai, Nikhil Krishnan, Shawn Rhodes, Pramod John (EP353), Pramod John (EP352), Dr Eric Bricker, Katy Talento, Stacey Richter (INBW33), Stacey Richter (INBW32), Dr Steve Schutzer (Encore! EP294), Lisa Trumble, Jeb Dunkelberger, Dr Ian Tong, Mike Schneider, Peter Hayes, Paul Simms, Dr Steven Quimby, Dr David Carmouche (EP343), Christin Deacon, Gary Campbell, Kristin Begley, David Contorno (AEE17), David Contorno (EP339), Nikki King, Olivia Webb, Brandon Weber, Stacey Richter (INBW30)