What happens when an epidemiologist becomes a patient? Dr. Juan Alonso-Echanove spent most of his career in public health, including using epidemiologic principles to prevent firearm-related deaths in Puerto Rico. After Juan was treated for pancreatic cancer, he chose to give back. Through lending his research skills and his public health mantra "information for action” to clinical oncology, he is helping his care team study the outcomes of cancer patients and how best to refine the healthcare journey for future patients. In this episode, he describes his public health career, his experience being treated for pancreatic cancer, and what he thinks the United States healthcare system should import from Spain.

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Dr. Bill Burman was foremost a clinician and researcher, providing patient-centered clinical care to patients infected by HIV or tuberculosis. After a surprise request to direct Denver’s public health department, he realized that his clinical care practice paradigm could translate into successful public health initiatives, where his impact could be magnified to the community. In this episode, Dr. Burman highlights that HIV care—through Ryan White funding—has long bridged the gap between clinical settings and community resources, and his attitude that “it’s the patients we don’t see in the waiting room” that are critical to reach, informed his successful public health career. He reflects on the gaps that exist between public health, social services, and medical care and how these connections are formed through time, trust, and deferring to the expertise of all partners.

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Numbers tell a story, but they rarely tell the whole story. Claire Dillavou, PhD, has made a career out of building and revising public health surveillance systems informed by the most critical variable: Community Context. The community revealed the story behind the numbers, one of the many lessons she learned that informed her successful public health informatics career at the LA County Department of Health, CDC, and ARPA-H.

A public health informatics visionary, she describes her work in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Los Angeles County Jail, and in partnership with Uber to advance corporate-public health partnerships.

Intro and Outro music composed by Kevin MacLeod and downloaded at https://incompetech.com/

Additional guest information & links to podcast platforms are available at www.inspiredtoheal.net. Please like and follow us on your favorite platform.

Contact us with feedback and suggestions through the website.

Additional guest information & links to podcast platforms are available at www.inspiredtoheal.net. Please like and follow us on your favorite platform.

Contact us with feedback and suggestions through the website.

When CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers get the call, they go wherever an outbreak leads. For pediatrician Jim Marks, that meant three weeks investigating a rubella outbreak with a source that inspired a memorable manuscript title. While Jim’s career began with infectious diseases detective work, ultimately, he devoted his public health care on preventing and managing chronic diseases, and tackling the deep-rooted health disparities tied to race and socioeconomic status.

Additional guest information & links to podcast platforms are available at www.inspiredtoheal.net. Please like and follow us on your favorite platform.

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What happens when an aspiring nurse is turned off by healthcare in college? For Catherine Dentinger, a Peace Corps stint in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a chance meeting with public health legend Jonathan Mann, changed her career. After attending nursing school of nursing at UCSF, she contributed to polio eradication in India, Ebola control in Guinea, and malaria prevention in Madagascar. Catherine’s CDC career is an interesting exploration of diseases and continents. Join her as she shares her stories from ‘beyond the bedside', exploring what it means to be a public health nurse on the global stage.

Additional guest information & links to podcast platforms are available at www.inspiredtoheal.net. Please like and follow us on your favorite platform.

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Fungal infections are commonly associated with irksome, but relatively benign infections, such as athlete’s foot. However, when fungi (molds and yeasts) get into our blood or cerebrospinal fluid, the infections can be difficult to treat and lethal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mycotics team serves as a national and sometimes international resource to detect, intervene, and prevent fungal infections. Dr. Tom Chiller was leading this team when an outbreak causing catastrophic spinal fluid infections was reported. Although there were many deaths, and chronic disabilities due to this outbreak, CDC mobilized hundreds of personnel through their command center, quickly identified the source, notified scores of patients about possible life-threatening infection of the spine and brain, removed the contaminated medication supply, and prevented an untold number of deaths. This story highlights how an astute clinician, Dr. Pettit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, activated the state and federal public health system, eventually leading to legislation that improved the safety of the nation’s drug supply.

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What prepares a physician for the pace of Cook County Hospital? For Jay Shannon, it started with growing up among 11 siblings. After training at Parkland Hospital, Dr. Shannon began his career at Cook County Hospital, fulfilling a scholarship commitment to work in a medically underserved community. He developed a deep connection to Cook County Hospital, appreciating its extraordinary diversity—patients, colleagues, housestaff, and clinical cases.

Dr. Shannon transitioned from primary care physician to lung specialist to CEO, navigating intense political and operational challenges for an uncommonly long six-year tenure. He spearheaded a critical transformation: shifting Cook County from a system centered on charity care to one designed to serve the newly insured under the Affordable Care Act. Under his leadership, the institution built the region’s largest Medicaid Managed Care Organization and embraced innovative programs that addressed the root causes of poor health that arise far beyond the hospital’s walls.

This episode explores what it takes to drive systemic change in one of the nation’s largest governmental safety-net health systems.

Additional guest information & links to podcast platforms are available at www.inspiredtoheal.net. Please like and follow us on your favorite platform.

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