The Visible Voices

Medical Bills and Moral Dilemmas: Luke Messac Explores ’Your Money or Your Life’ in American Healthcare

In today's episode I speak with Luke Messac MD PhD, historian and author of Your Money or Your Life: Debt Collection in American Medicine.In his clinical work, Luke is an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His research focuses on the history and political economy of health care.  His first book, No More to Spend (Oxford University Press, 2020), is a history of medical neglect and exploitation in Malawi. Today's discussion focuses on the history of medical debt collection in the United States. This book, titled Your Money or Your Life was published in 2023. It tells the story of how the collection of medical debt in the United States has transformed over the last several decades, and the impact this is having on Americans’ lives.

Smile Wellness: Insights from Natalia Chalmers, CMS Chief Dental Officer

In today's episode I speak with Natalia Chalmers DDS MHSc PhD. We discuss the important or oral and dental health and the intersection with social determinants of health. Natalia is the first-ever Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In her role, Dr. Chalmers has been advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to care for the whole person, a key to reducing health disparities and advancing health equity. Natalia is a  board-certified pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate who brings more than 20 years of clinical, research, industry, and regulatory experience to CMS. She previously served as a Dental Officer at the US Food and Drug Administration. In the spring of 2022, CMS conducted the Oral Health Human-Centered Design Customer Engagement to understand barriers to oral health care access for Medicaid or dual (Medicare-Medicaid) eligible children and adults. As a product of the research, they co-created the “Barriers to Oral Health” illustration with external customers to represent the end-user perspective and highlight the most prominent obstacles individuals’ face as they seek to access or provide oral health care.

Pioneering Paths: Khama Ennis and Thea James Unveil the Triumphs and Challenges of Black Women in Medicine in ”Faces of Medicine’ Documentary”

In today's episode I speak with Drs. Khama Ennis and Thea James. We focus our discussion on the docuseries Khama created Faces of Medicine. This is a 4 part participatory documentary series centering on the path of Black female physicians in the United States. Thea is a participant in the documentary. She is a nationally and internationally renowned emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center.Khama Ennis MD MPH is is the Creative Visionary and Founder of Faces of Medicine. She is also a practicing  physician, speaker, writer, health equity advocate and experienced healthcare leader. Dr. Ennis opened a private practice, Intentional Health, in 2023 focused on Integrative Health and Lifestyle Medicine for patients throughout Massachusetts. She previously served as President of the Medical Staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Prior to that she was Chief of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director for the Emergency Department. Her essays have been featured in the Washington Post and Parents Magazine. A talk she gave on antiracism in medicine is one of three selected by the Board of Registration in Medicine to educate physicians in the state of Massachusetts on implicit bias.Thea James MD is Vice President of Mission, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator Boston Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program at BMC. She is a founding member of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (the HAVI). In 2011 she was appointed to Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. As Vice President of Mission Dr. James works with caregivers throughout BMC. Additionally she has primary responsibility for coordinating and maximizing BMC’s relationships and strategic alliances with a wide range of local, state and national organizations including community agencies, housing advocates, foundations, and multisector industries that partner with BMC to meet the full spectrum of patients’ needs. The goal is to foster innovative, upstream, and effective new models of care that are rooted in racial equity and economic mobility. This approach is essential for patients and communities to thrive.

Navigating Challenges, Shaping Solutions: A Conversation with RI State Senator Jonathon Acosta on Politics, Poverty, and Healthcare

In today's episode I speak with Rhode Island State Senator Jonathon Acosta. We talk about his path into office and his political voice. We cover the stigma of poverty, social determinants of health, and why he calls himself a public facing academic.Jonathon Acosta is a Democrat representing District 16 (Central Falls, Pawtucket) in the Rhode Island Senate. He attended Brown University where he earned his bachelors degree in Political Science (Theory) and Ethnic Studies, and Master's Degrees in Urban Education Policy and Sociology. He previously worked as a middle school math teacher and wrestling coach in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Central Falls before becoming a school administrator.In 2015, Sen. Acosta received recognition from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2016, he received the Latino Public Radio Community Champion Award.

The Glaucomfleckens: Navigating Trauma Through Comedy

In today's episode I speak with the Glaucomfleckens. Will and Kristin Flanary together join me for a humor filled episode where we explore trauma, healing from trauma, and healthcare design i.e. putting the patient, the clinician and the caretaker at the center of the design process.Will Flanary, MD, is an ophthalmologist and part-time comedian. He moonlights in his free time as “Dr. Glaucomflecken,” a social media personality who creates medical-themed comedy shorts for an audience of over 4 million across social media. Dr. Flanary’s humor has been shaped by the tribulations of med school and residency but also by his experiences as a patient. He is a two-time testicular cancer survivor and cardiac arrest survivor, saved by his intrepid wife and her timely CPR. Kristin Flanary, MA, known as "Lady Glaucomflecken" on social media, offers a unique perspective on healthcare. She has experienced being a patient, caregiver, and co-survivor of her husband's two cancer occurrences and sudden cardiac arrest by age 35. She is honored to have received an EMS Cardiac Arrest Save Challenge Coin (2020), the Citizen CPR Foundation's 40 Under 40 award (2021), and the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Champion award (2022).

Finding Fulfillment: A Hospice Doctor’s Perspective on Financial Freedom & Making the Most of Life with Jordan Grumet

In today's episode I speak with author podcaster Dr. Jordan Grumet. We focus on personal finance, his podcast Earn&Invest and his book Taking Stock. Jordan Grumet was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1973. His interest in becoming a doctor was ignited when his father, an oncologist, died unexpectedly in the prime of life. This profound loss not only inspired Jordan to practice medicine, but also has given him a unique perspective as a financial expert, challenging him to think deeply and critically about concepts like wealth, abundance, and financial independence. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Jordan received hismedical degree from Northwestern University and began practicing internal medicine in Northbrook, Illinois. He currently is an associate medical director at JourneyCare Hospice.After years of blogging about financial independence and wellness, Jordan launched the Earn & Invest podcast in 2018. In 2019 he received the Plutus Award for Best New Personal Finance Podcast and was nominated in 2020and 2021 for Best Personal Finance Podcast of the year.

Jaclyn Albin & Minako Abe Physicians on the Food Is Medicine Movement

In today's episode we talk about the Food is Medicine Movement.  My guests are Drs. Jaclyn Albin and Minako Abe. Food Is Medicine is the provision of healthy food to prevent, manage or treat chronic disease within our health care system by closing the gap between a medical nutrition prescription and the ability of a patient to fill and consume it on a regular basis.We reference the 2023 paper published in Circulation: Food Is Medicine: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association by Volpp KG et alJaclyn Albin, M.D., CCMS, DipABLM, is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in internal medicine, pediatrics, lifestyle medicine, and culinary medicine. Minako Abe, MD, BCEM, DipABLM has dual board certifications from the United States in Emergency Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She has had 15 years of clinical experience in Emergency Medicine in New York and New Jersey.  Since 2014, she has worked with the Hakushin Koseikai Medical Foundation and as a director of the International Society for Personalized Medicine. She is the vice-president of the Tokyo Cancer Clinic and is actively engaged in research and activities to further the fields of Lifestyle, Cellular Immunotherapy, and Regenerative Medicine. 

Jill Wine-Banks: Watergate Prosecutor and The Watergate Girl Author

In today’s episode I speak with Jill Wine-Banks: attorney, author, podcaster legal analyst, and the only woman on the legal prosecution team for the Watergate trial. We cover her book, The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President which has been optioned by Katie Holmes to become a movie. She is a legal analyst on MSNBC, a co-host of two Politicon podcasts, #SistersInLaw with 3 other MSNBC contributors (Joyce Vance, Kimberly Atkins Stohr and Barbara McQuade) talking about pressing legal issues each week and iGenPolitics with Victor Shi, a UCLA student, bringing an intergenerational approach to political issues with interviews of leading politicians, activists and journalists.Find us the Visible Voices Podcast on YouTube.

Karen Catlin Author of Belonging In Healthcare with Kavita Babu

In today’s episode I speak with workplace ally Karen Catlin and emergency medicine physician toxicologist Kavita Babu. We discuss Karen’s book Belonging in Healthcare. We also highlight what belonging in the workplace can mean at the holidays.For 25 years Karen Catlin built software products and served as a vice president of engineering at Macromedia and Adobe, Today, she is a highly acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She is the author of five books: Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces, Belonging in Healthcare, The Better Allies Approach to Hiring, Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking, and The Better Allies Way. ​​Kavita Babu, MD is a Professor of Emergency Medicine Chief Opioid Officer, and Director, Division of Toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. She is a graduate of Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University where she also did her residency, followed by her Medical Toxicology Fellowship training at the UMass Chan Medical School.  

Julieanna Richardson President & Founder of The HistoryMakers

In today’s episode, I speak with Julieanna Richardson. She is the founder and president of The HistoryMakers. We talk about her life and her life’s work.The HistoryMakers represents the single largest archival project of its kind since the recording of former slaves during the WPA period of the 1930s. The purpose of this archive is to educate and to show the breadth and depth of this important American history as told by the first person; to highlight the accomplishments of individual African Americans across a variety of disciplines; to showcase those who have played a role in African American led movements and/or organizations; and to preserve this material for years and generations to come, creating a priceless collection of 15,000-20,000 of recorded African American testimony.Julieanna L. Richardson, Public Historian and Founder/Executive Director of The HistoryMakers and principal investigator for ScienceMakers has a unique and diverse background in theatre, television production and the cable television industry. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Brandeis University, where she double-majored in Theatre Arts and American Studies. After conducting oral histories on the Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes, Richardson attended Harvard Law School. After graduation, she worked as a corporate lawyer, prior to serving in the early 1980's as the Cable Administrator for the City of Chicago Office of Cable Communications. There she established the Chicago Cable Commission, the City's regulatory body. She went on to found Shop Chicago, a regionally based home shopping channel. She was driven to start The HistoryMakers out of a strong desire to make a difference and to leave a living legacy.