Lessons from a Frontline Hospital — Dr. Michael Gustafson, President of UMass Memorial Medical Center

Dr. Poonam Desai - ER Physician in New York City: Imagine being a pregnant ER doctor in New York City in the middle of the coronavirus crisis and then finding out you are COVID positive. That’s the compelling story Dr. Poonam Desai shares with our chief medical officer (and her cousin!) Dr. Rishi Desai as she recounts what it's like to be on the front lines, the precautions she's taking to protect her family, and her determination to be there for her patients. by Raise the Line

13 min listen

Getting More Health Out of Healthcare - Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: If the U.S. healthcare system was a patient right now, you'd probably put it in the ICU. In the view of Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Vice Dean at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and host of the "Public Health On Call" podcast, the COVID crisis has exposed weaknesses in the way we finance healthcare and it could either derail existing efforts to reform the system, or it might spur change. In a wide-ranging discussion with host Shiv Gaglani, this influential national voice provides insight on contact tracing, the need for a public health service corps and the impact COVID-19 is having on the opioid epidemic. by Raise the Line

18 min listen

Prisma Health Physicians Create Ventilator Device That Could Save Lives: After seeing Italy confront the grim reality of ventilator rationing, emergency medicine specialist Dr. Sarah Farris wanted to spare physicians and patients in the U.S. the same agonizing choices. Creating a splitting device that would allow one ventilator to serve two patients seemed like a good solution, and in a remarkable sequence of events, thousands of those devices were manufactured and ready for use just a few weeks after she first mentioned the idea. Sarah and her colleagues at Prisma Health, Dr. Marjorie Jenkins and Dr. Peter Tilkemeier, join host Rishi Desai to describe the powerful partnership of medicine, government and industry that made it possible. by Raise the Line

26 min listen

Dr. Anne Schuchat - Principal Deputy Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control: Only a handful of people have as much responsibility for overseeing U.S. response to COVID-19 as Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director at U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and few can match her three decades at the CDC fighting infectious diseases, from AIDS, to Swine Flu, to Ebola. In this insightful interview with Dr. Rishi Desai, she cautions about the accuracy of antibody tests, supports a regional approach to easing social distancing, previews the use of census takers as contact tracers, and encourages young people to join the fight against the coronavirus and pursue a career in public health. by Raise the Line

22 min listen

Dr. Tom Frieden - Former Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control: Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control joins host Dr. Rishi Desai to discuss U.S. response to the coronavirus crisis, the need for expanded access to testing, and examples of effective responses by governments in Asia. by Raise the Line

14 min listen

Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud - WHO Incident Manager, Western Pacific Region: Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud of the World Health Organization was among the first to see reports out of China last December about a mysterious pneumonia-like illness that we all now know as COVID-19. He tells host Dr. Rishi Desai that preparedness, widespread testing, and aggressive action to deal with those infected explains why many countries in Asia have fared better than parts of Europe and the U.S. by Raise the Line

21 min listen

Anant Agarwal - CEO, edX: It's not just K-12 and college students moving to online education these days. edX and other learning platforms have seen huge increases in enrollment over the past two months as millions of adults seek to learn new skills in a battered economy. As edX CEO Anant Agarwal explains to host Shiv Gaglani, part of edX's role now is teaching people how to learn, and teachers how to teach, using a format that will remain a key source of education long after the COVID-19 crisis has ended. by Raise the Line

18 min listen

"Do What It Takes To Be Valuable" - Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg.com: It isn't what you'd call a great start to a career. Dan Rosensweig, who went on to be a key leader at Yahoo and Guitar Hero, was laid off on the first day of his first job out of college. It set the pattern for a career full of unexpected setbacks and opportunities that led to driving a remarkable turnaround at the popular digital learning platform Chegg.com. In this engaging conversation with Shiv Gaglani, he's full of insight on handling career challenges, how to deal with the student debt crisis and what to expect next in a world utterly disrupted by COVID-19. by Raise the Line

28 min listen

Dr. David Shulkin - Former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Combining the perspectives of physician, New York City hospital leader, and high ranking government official, Dr. David Shulkin shares unique insights with host Dr. Rishi Desai on how the coronavirus crisis will impact how we provide healthcare for generations to come. One of the most significant changes could be permanently altering how frequently telemedicine is used. by Raise the Line

22 min listen

Jeff Maggioncalda - CEO, Coursera: Imagine this: college students back on campus, but older professors teaching from home. That's one of the scenarios Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda says might play out this fall as higher education regroups in response to COVID-19. What he knows for certain is his online education company, which already had 46 million learners and 200 university partners, has seen explosive growth in the past few months. Listen in as he and host Shiv Gaglani explore what's new, and what's coming, in online education. by Raise the Line

20 min listen

Adele Webb - Executive Dean, Strategic Education Inc.: Pediatric nurse, global force in fighting AIDS, professor of nursing, academic leader -- Adele Webb has played many roles in her career by following her passion. As she reveals to host Rishi Desai in this episode of Raise the Line, allowing yourself the opportunity to follow that passion, and having the courage to do so, can be the key to a meaningful career. by Raise the Line

20 min listen

Dr. Mark Rosenberg - President Emeritus, The Task Force for Global Health: “Science is the only thing that can get us out of it.” That’s the conclusion of Dr. Mark Rosenberg, who says finding a way to balance the needs of public health and economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19 must be guided by facts. After a long, admirable career tackling public health issues in the U.S. and abroad, including knotty problems like gun safety, Rosenberg says solving complex issues requires agreeing that the truth comes first, and a willingness to find common ground. In this meaningful “wisdom drop” with host Rishi Desai, Rosenberg touches on the importance of humility and “consequential compassion” in medicine, and the profound impact mentors can have on your life and career. Seriously, go find a mentor. by Raise the Line

31 min listen

Dr. Patrice Harris - President, American Medical Association: The Coronavirus crisis has presented unprecedented challenges for physicians. Retired doctors are back in their white coats helping on the frontlines while medical students are being allowed to practice before graduation, and community physicians are struggling to hold on to their practices as people avoid getting routine care. Keeping a sharp eye on all of it is Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association. As you'll hear in this conversation with Dr. Rishi Desai, Harris is a forceful advocate for protecting the safety of her members, basing policy decisions on evidence and making sure we fully understand the disparate impact COVID-19 is having based on race. And as a child psychiatrist, she also drops some wisdom for parents on how to talk to their kids about these unsettling times. by Raise the Line

19 min listen

What If You Don't Have a Hunch? - Dr. Joe Habboushe, Co-founder & CEO of MDCalc: Providers who have treated hundreds of patients with the same problem can develop a "gut sense" of how to proceed. But a new disease like COVID-19 does not allow for such hunches. Dr. Joe Habboushe knows that first hand, having worked on the frontlines in New York City ERs during the worst of the crisis. That's where "decision-support" tools like MDCalc come into play, providing all of the credible available guidance at the fingertips of clinicians. MDCalc, which Habboushe co-founded and leads, is also an instant reference for established diseases and conditions, and the majority of U.S. physicians have come to rely on it to make the best possible decisions and reduce unnecessary care. Check out this episode to find out how that happened, what we can learn from other countries about handling pandemics and how medical training should be changed from this 7th-generation physician. by Raise the Line

20 min listen

Dr. Conrad Fischer - Infectious Disease Specialist, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center: "Your calling is sacred." That's the message Dr. Conrad Fischer has for people entering health professions, especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. He took a few moments out from treating COVID-19 patients, twenty of whom had died in his Brooklyn hospital the previous day, to describe the fear, frustration, dedication and humanity of his colleagues who are doing their best in unprecedented circumstances. It's a gripping eyewitness account from the eye of the storm. by Raise the Line

15 min listen

Testing a Trillion Drug Cocktails - Dr. Dean Ho, National University of Singapore: In the race to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, Artificial Intelligence may end up playing a big role because of its ability to quickly test drug combinations -- as in testing up to a trillion different combinations in a matter of weeks. Dr. Dean Ho, Director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at National University of Singapore, explains the fascinating capabilities of AI to to test and rank drug cocktails while taking safety and underlying patient conditions into account in this interview with Dr. Rishi Desai. by Raise the Line

28 min listen

Donna Meyer - CEO, Organization for Associate Degree Nursing: Half of all nurses in the U.S. are graduates of two-year programs when they first start practicing, and while a national push is on to encourage RN's to get bachelor's degrees, an associate's degree remains a critical path into the profession. Donna Meyer, who runs the only organization that advocates for these two-year programs, joins host Shiv Gaglani to explore the realities facing early-career nurses and discuss the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the nursing workforce. by Raise the Line

21 min listen

Opportunities Emerging from the COVID Crisis - Dr. O.T. Wendel, A.T. Still University: Here's another casualty of the coronavirus: strategic planning. But even though anticipating what medical education and health careers will look like going forward might be unusually difficult at the moment, Dr. Ted Wendel, Senior VP for University Planning and Strategic Initiatives at A.T. Still University, is starting to see where career opportunities might emerge in COVID's wake. Check out this episode with host Shiv Gaglani to hear the details, and some great advice about how to navigate through uncertain times. by Raise the Line

25 min listen

Dr. Lois Nora - President Emeritus, Northeast Ohio Medical University: We ask all of our guests what they think the COVID-19 crisis has revealed about the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Lois Nora is the first to assert that "we do not have a healthcare system." As you'll hear in her conversation with Shiv Gaglani, Dr. Nora's background as a clinician, lawyer, and longtime academic leader grounds her unique perspective on what needs to be done to strengthen healthcare delivery and medical education. by Raise the Line

22 min listen

The Telltale Ventricle - Dr. Bijoy Khandheria, Aurora Saint Luke Medical Center: It's well known that COVID-19 has negative effects on the heart, but it was unknown until recently that one of those impacts, strain in the lower right chamber, seems to be the best predictor of death in patients with severe infections. Dr. Bijoy Khandheria, director of the Echocardiography Laboratory at Aurora Saint Luke Medical Center in Wisconsin, is one of the doctors who zeroed in on this phenomenon, and in this episode of Raise the Line, he tells host Shiv Gaglani what other connections he's discovering between the heart and COVID. by Raise the Line

20 min listen

Listen Carefully: Is the Stethoscope on Life Support? - Jason Bellet, Co-founder and CCO of Eko: The stethoscope has been around since 1816 and its basic design hasn't changed substantially in decades. But this tried and true tool has been launched into the world of machine learning and artificial intelligence in recent years largely thanks to the work of Jason Bellet and his co-founders at Eko. Today, over 50,000 clinicians in thousands of health systems across the globe are using Eko’s digital stethoscopes and echocardiograms to diagnose and monitor heart problems, and there's more change to come, as he explains to host Shiv Gaglani in this episode of Raise the Line. by Raise the Line

23 min listen

Jesse vanWestrienen, Co-Founder & Biology Lead, Biomeme, Inc.: Quick, accurate testing for COVID-19 is critically important as states begin to loosen up social distancing. Enter Biomeme, a Pennsylvania-based biotech firm, with a system that allows sophisticated DNA testing to be done in virtually any location using a smartphone and a piece of lab equipment small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Non-professionals can be quickly trained to use it, and results come within an hour, instead of a day. Company co-founder Jesse vanWestrienen explains how it all works to Dr. Rishi Desai. by Raise the Line

12 min listen

How Great Learning Happens - Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning: Wouldn't it be great if you could instantly learn from your mistakes? While that might be difficult for humans to do, it's the foundation of DreamBox Learning's adaptive learning software which analyzes student errors in real time and instantly offers up opportunities to learn and succeed. But CEO Jessie Woolley-Wilson is quick to point out the system is intended to be a complement to live instruction, not a substitute for it. As her company learned over the last several months, it can also be a big help to parents who suddenly find themselves teaching their quarantined kids. Now the challenge is to make sure all kids have internet access as it becomes clear many schools will remain closed indefinitely. by Raise the Line

28 min listen

Arianna Huffington - Founder and CEO, Thrive Global: Arianna Huffington learned about burnout the hard way. Two years after starting the Huffington Post, she collapsed from overwork. She turned that moment of personal crisis into a movement to help people learn how to develop a healthier work-life balance and effectively manage stress. In this episode of Raise the Line, host Shiv Gaglani explores with Arianna how her company, Thrive Global, works with employers around the world to realize the benefits of employee wellness, the special effort she's made during the coronavirus crisis to support frontline workers through First Responders First, and some simple microsteps we can all take every day to avoid burnout. by Raise the Line

16 min listen

Spending More to Live Less - Dr. Brad Spellberg, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center: Witnessing the "ceaseless wave of humanity that crashes upon the safety net hospitals" spurred Dr. Brad Spellberg, who is chief medical officer at the largest public hospital in America's largest county, to write a book describing the depth of the problem and offering solutions. The COVID-19 crisis has, unfortunately, highlighted the system's weaknesses and made his new book "Broken, Bankrupt and Dying" all the more relevant. As he explains to Dr. Rishi Desai in this compelling interview, other countries offer models we can follow to fix a system that spends far more than anywhere else and produces worse health outcomes. by Raise the Line

19 min listen

Could A.I. Replace Healthcare Workers? - Gabe Dalporto, CEO of Udacity: Relax. Artificial Intelligence can't do EVERY job, but Gabe Dalporto believes it's a good idea to think about whether it could replace yours, even if you work in healthcare. As CEO of the popular tech education platform Udacity, Dalporto is a champion of regularly "upskilling" to be prepared for constant change and opportunities. He and host Shiv Gaglani talk about the role of AI in healthcare (see link in the transcript to a Udacity conference on the subject) and how the COVID pandemic is accelerating digital transformation. by Raise the Line

19 min listen

Mary Jo Bondy - CEO, Physician Assistant Education Association: Turns out there's nothing new about having a shortage of primary care physicians. In the late 1960's, the need to fill that gap led to the creation of physician assistants who have since expanded into nearly every medical speciality. As Mary Jo Bondy explains to host Shiv Gaglani, the broad-based training PAs receive makes them valuable players in meeting changing patient and workforce needs, as we're seeing in the COVID-19 crisis. by Raise the Line

17 min listen

Dr. Roger Seheult, Co-Founder of Medcram: Why are young patients with COVID 19 having strokes? Why are ventilators not as effective as expected? Why do some patients have the symptoms of altitude sickness? One explanation for these mysteries is the disease keeps adapting and changing. But the other is that our understanding of it is catching up to what might be the truth: COVID 19 is not primarily a lung disease but rather a disease of the cells that line the inside of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Pulmonologist Roger Seheult, one of the drivers behind the popular Medcram video series, talks about the evolving understanding of COVID 19 and his approach to explaining complex medical subjects to a general audience. by Raise the Line

23 min listen

Transitioning to High Growth Jobs - Dara Warn, Chief Customer Officer at Penn Foster: The COVID economy is prompting millions of unemployed Americans to learn new skills to help their chances of getting a job. That's obviously good news for companies like Penn Foster, which has been offering distance learning since 1890. To meet the strong demand for healthcare workers, make training more doable, and speed the transition back to work, Penn Foster has launched short form courses that break job skills into smaller bundles. It's just one of the ways COVID is forcing all of us to think in new ways, as Dara Warn explains to Shiv Gaglani in this episode of Raise the Line. by Raise the Line

20 min listen

COVID Testing at Home - Julia Cheek, Founder and CEO of Everlywell: It's now possible to do your own test for COVID-19 at home. It involves doing a simple nasal swab and mailing it to a pre-approved lab. Results are available in just a few days. These FDA authorized tests have the potential to make a big impact on detection and tracking of the disease, and Julia Cheek of Everlywell, one of just a few companies providing them, tells Shiv Gaglani the COVID crisis has sped up adoption of at-home testing for all sorts of conditions in lasting ways. by Raise the Line

23 min listen

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Lessons from a Frontline Hospital — Dr. Michael Gustafson, President of UMass Memorial Medical Center

Lessons from a Frontline Hospital — Dr. Michael Gustafson, President of UMass Memorial Medical Center

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