Dr. Michael Osterholm Says Variants Will Cause More Havoc

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michael Osterholm, renowned pandemic expert and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Policy and Research (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. A recent advisor to President Biden’s transition team, Dr. Osterholm warns of another COVID-19 surge on the horizon as the more contagious UK variant, which is causing more lockdowns across Europe, is becoming the dominant strain in the US. He says vaccination rates must be accelerated, and that more equitable distribution of vaccines around the world will be the only way to get the pandemic under control.

Dr. Michael Osterholm says COVID's Not Done with Us: Talks Omicron Surge, Future Variants and Building Better Vaccines

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome renowned epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, who has served 5 presidential administrations in preparing for pandemics and bio-terror threats. Dr. Osterholm says the highly infectious omicron variant will continue to threaten hospital systems, schools and supply chains, warning the threat of future variants that may evade immunity is still a very real concern. He predicts that a combination of improved vaccines and new therapeutics will render COVID more manageable in the future, but that we will have to learn to 'live with it'.

US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Politics, Pandemic Fatigue and Keeping Kids Safe in School

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome US Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona, who discusses the Biden administration’s efforts to contain the pandemic’s impact while keeping students and teachers safe in school. He laments the influence of politics on the proven public health practices to prevent spread of the disease which includes mask wearing and widespread vaccinations. He says this pandemic has revealed the importance of providing medical and behavioral care in school-based health clinics. He also applauds First Lady Jill Biden’s thoughtful advice on education policy as a veteran of the education system.

From Hurricane Harvey to Health Reform, Mike Consedine, CEO of National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Talks Challenges and Opportunities

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Mike Consedine, CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners who regulate insurance matters in all fifty States. Mr. Consedine points to Hurricane Harvey as a solid reminder of the need for Congress to renew the National Flood Insurance Program, and talks about challenges Insurance Commissioners are facing in in light of uncertainty over health policy in Washington. He also addresses coming technology trends and cyber security threats to the industry.

Mildred Thompson, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, discusses childhood obesity and the campaign to fight it.

Conversations on Health Care® focuses this week on the crucial topic of childhood obesity. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Mildred Thompson, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, about fostering a healthy environment to reverse this trend and the challenges and goals that go with it.

Los Angeles Health Director Dr. Mitchell Katz Talks Lessons Learned in LA That Have Improved Population Health

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Mitchell Katz, Director of Health for the City of Los Angeles, who is taking over the New York City Health System in January. Dr. Katz helped transform the LA system to provide more robust support for primary care, housing the chronically homeless to improve health outcomes and costs, and embedding mental health services within the public health system.

Dr. Mollyann Brodie, Executive Director of Public Opinion Research, Kaiser Family Foundation

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Mollyann Brodie, Sr. Vice President of Executive Operations and Executive Director of Public Opinion Research at the Kaiser Family Foundation, where she oversees the non-profit's public polling efforts. Dr. Brodie conducts the Foundation's monthly tracking poll which charts the mood of the nation on a variety of health policies and provides unbiased polling data for policy makers.

Flint Water Crisis Whistle Blower Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha on the Aftermath of the Poisoning of a City

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Pediatrician and public health activist, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who exposed the Flint Water Crisis brought on by state and city officials who switched Flint's water supply. She discusses her book on the crisis, "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City" which exposes government efforts to deny their role, and the ongoing community-wide effort to address the public health crisis.

Flint Water Crisis Whistle Blower Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha on the Aftermath of the Poisoning of a City

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Pediatrician and public health activist, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who exposed the Flint Water Crisis brought on by state and city officials who switched Flint's water supply. She discusses her book on the crisis, "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City" which exposes government efforts to deny their role, and the ongoing community-wide effort to address the public health crisis.

HHS Data Chief Dr. Mona Siddiqui on Addressing the Challenges of Health Data Liberation

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Mona Siddiqui, Chief Data Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, who is overseeing a transformation in health information sharing between all agencies at HHS. She discusses the infrastructure changes required to facilitate data liquidity, and growing partnerships with outside entrepreneurs to expedite the process.

Vaccines and Communities of Color: Johns Hopkins’ Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana on Quest for Equitable Distribution and Lasting Solutions

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana, Senior Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is Co-Chair of the Working Group on Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination, CommuniVax, which just released a detailed report, “Equity in Vaccination: A Plan To Work With Communities of Color Toward COVID-19 Recovery and Beyond”, with recommendations for state and local governments to support a vaccination campaign and coordinated pandemic recovery plan that addresses health disparities for people of color.

Jeff Margolis, founder of the Trizetto Group.

Conversations focuses this week on using system science to create a healthcare system that is coordinated, consistent, efficient and based on best practices. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Jeff Margolis, founder of the Trizetto Group, about his vision for health care - Integrated Healthcare Management - and why this is the right time for a solution based on information technology.

Addressing Toxic Childhood Stress with California’s First Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome Dr. Nadine Burke Harris to the show. Governor Gavin Newsome chose Dr. Burke Harris to be California’s first official Surgeon General for her expertise on the impact of Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and their role in future health problems. They discuss how ACEs affect brain development and DNA makeup. Dr Burke Harris also talks about how the newly-launched ACEs Aware program seeks to provide a framework for early primary care screening and intervention to mitigate the long term effects.

Rolling Health Care to Where It's Needed Most: Harvard's Dr. Nancy Oriol on her Family Van Mobile Health Clinic

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Nancy Oriol, founder of the Family Van, a mobile health clinic on wheels that brings prevention and primary care interventions right into the neighborhoods who need it most. She talks about building a health care network based on trust, saving costs and improving outcomes, and how it’s gaining in popularity in a more user-friendly, prevention-focused health care system.

Two Community Health Centers Almost Destroyed Rise Up to Serve Their Communities: Puerto Rico and California

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with two community health center directors, Naomi Fuchs of Santa Rosa Health in Northern California, and Gloria Amador of Salud Integral en la Montana in Puerto Rico, who both experienced severe devastation in the wake of massive hurricanes in the Caribbean and wild fires in Northern California. They both share their experiences of continuing to deliver care to their patient populations in spite of harrowing conditions and massive destruction, and how they hope to rebuild.

White House Preview: How Can We Tackle Hunger, Nutrition, and Health?

Wednesday, Sept. 28, the Biden-Harris Administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, the first one in over 50 years. What will the experts and community leaders discuss? How will we reach the goal of ending U.S. hunger and reducing diet-related diseases in a majority of Americans by 2030?

“Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter get answers from Dan Glickman, the former Secretary of Agriculture, and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a renowned expert on food systems. They’re co-chairs of an independent effort to inform America’s leaders as the attendees prepare for this important day.

Dr. Neel Shah, Founder of Costs of Care

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Neel Shah, Asst. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and Founder of Costs of Care, a global NGO dedicated to helping delivery systems provide better care at lower costs. He's also the co-author of "Understanding Value Based Care" which seeks to promote cost awareness in the medical profession.

Dr. Neel Shah, Founder of Costs of Care

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Neel Shah, Asst. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and Founder of Costs of Care, a global NGO dedicated to helping delivery systems provide better care at lower costs. He's also the co-author of "Understanding Value Based Care" which seeks to promote cost awareness in the medical profession, starting with medical school.

Lies and Misinformation Led to Hundreds of Thousands of US Deaths: Yale’s Dr. Nicholas Christakis on Enduring Impact of COVID-19

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Nicholas Christakis, Director of Yale’s Human Nature Lab and expert on the influence of social networks on health and behavior. In his recent book, Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live, he examines the patterns of pandemics throughout human history and says the "appalling” US response, driven by denial from the White House and amplified by misinformation on social media channels, led to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. He predicts the pandemic will wind down in 2022, and that a period of innovation and improvements to health care delivery will follow, fueled by lessons learned from this crisis.

Pulitzer Prize Winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Chronicle America’s ‘Deaths of Despair’ in Their Latest Book “Tightrope”

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and journalist and consultant Sheryl WuDunn. The prolific husband-and-wife writing team discuss their latest book about a humanitarian crisis happening right here in America. In “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope”, they explore the decline in life expectancy and the rise of ‘deaths of despair’ in the US. They also examine solutions to address this growing public health crisis.