The Visible Voices

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.

Hanni Stoklosa and Eileen Barrett Innovators and Advocates on National Rural Health Day

In today's episode on National Rural Health Day, I speak with two physicians with extensive experience providing patient care in rural environments. We talk about human trafficking, the opioid epidemic, rural healthcare access, and more.Hanni Stoklosa, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of HEAL Trafficking, is an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) with appointments at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. She is an internationally-recognized expert, advocate, researcher, and speaker on the wellbeing of trafficking survivors in the U.S. and internationally through a public health lens. She has advised the United Nations, International Organization for Migration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of State, and the National Academy of Medicine on issues of human trafficking and testified as an expert witness multiple times before the U.S. Congress. Eileen D. Barrett, M.D., MPH, SFHM, MACP, is Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians (ACP), representing internal medicine physicians, related sub specialists, and medical students. She is a rural internal medicine hospitalist and Faculty with IHI. Dr Barrett She completed a Rural Faculty Development Fellowship through the University of Arizona in 2009 and a Medical Justice and Advocacy Fellowship through Morehouse School of Medicine and the American Medical Association in 2022.

Celeste Mergens Author Advocate and Founder of Days For Girls International

In today’s episode I speak with author, advocate, and entrepreneur Celeste Mergens. We speak about human centered design when it comes to the health and safety of girls and women. We focus on period equity, her organization Days for Girls, and her book The Power of Days.Celeste is an innovative thought leader, who has founded several successful organizations, including her global award-winning Days for Girls International. Days for Girls was named by the Huffington Post as a ‘Next Ten’ Organization poised to change the world in the next decade. 

Mirtha Macri and Ruthie Shatz on the Netflix Docuseries Emergency NYC by Yulari Films

In today’s episode, I speak with emergency medicine physician Mirtha Macri and documentary film maker Ruthie Shatz. We discuss the Netflix docuseries, Emergency NYC. Previously, Ruthie and Mirtha joined me in episode 50, where we discussed the Netflix docuseries Lenox Hill. Ruthie Shatz is an award winning filmmaker. She and her husband Adi Barash are the founders of the Brooklyn based Yulari Films an award winning director - producer - writer team. Mirtha Macri is an emergency medicine physician. She trained at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Roosevelt in New York City, and currently works at Northwell Health. She is the quality director for the Lenox Health Greenwich Village hospital.