Episode 10: The beginning of a new year often brings fresh starts, new goals, and for many families, the start of a journey into parenthood. In this episode of On Call Off Script, we’re joined by Joanne Ruggiero, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Jackson Memorial Medical Center, to talk about what expectant parents can really expect when preparing to give birth at The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial. Drawing from her extensive experience as a labor and delivery nurse and nurse leader in women’s health services, Joanne offers insight into birth planning, high-risk pregnancies, and the deeply personal moments that define childbirth. Guest Info:

Joanne Ruggiero is the senior vice president and chief executive officer at Jackson Memorial Medical Center. With a career that began at the bedside as a labor and delivery nurse, Joanne has spent years caring for families in their most emotional moments and now brings that same perspective to her leadership role. She’s passionate about supporting parents, patients, and care teams while helping deliver safe, compassionate, and memorable birth experiences. In this episode, Joanne reflects on her journey from the delivery room to the executive office, and what that experience means for families preparing to welcome a new baby.

Episode 9: The holiday season tends to be a time of excess – of celebration, of eating, and for adults it tends to include drinking alcohol too. On the heels of the new year, this episode of On Call Off Script explores the real health benefits behind breaking a holiday habit of heavy drinking. Our experts Dr. Brett Fortune and Dr. Chinmay Jani discuss how Dry January can be more than just a 31-day fast and why your liver will thank you for embracing a healthier lifestyle.

Guest Info:

Brett Fortune, MD

Dr. Brett Fortune is a the chief medical officer and transplant hepatologist at Miami Transplant Institute. In this episode he explains the benefits of a healthy liver and lifestyle.

Chinmay Jani, MD:

Dr. Chinmay Jani is the chief fellow of hematology and oncology at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Hear what he has to say about the risks behind heavy drinking.

Episode 8: Eight-year-old Dylan Smith is all energy, jokes, and big dreams today—but his miracle story begins with every parent’s worst nightmare: a near-drowning in the family’s backyard pool.

In this special Month of Miracles episode of On Call, Off Script, host Ruelle Champion sits down with Dylan’s mom, Tiffany Smith, pediatric critical care doctor Dr. Asumthia Jeyapalan, and pediatric physical therapist Kyle Zreibe to share how a summer afternoon turned into a life-or-death emergency.

Tiffany walks us through the terrifying moments of finding Dylan unresponsive in the water, calling 911, and watching her husband and a neighbor, Lissette Medina, who happens to work as a physician assistant at Holtz Children’s Hospital, perform CPR until fire rescue arrived. Dr. Jeyapalan helps listeners understand what those first moments mean for a child after a near-drowning, why quick action matters so much, and how the team at Holtz Children’s came together to give Dylan the best possible chance when everything was still unknown.

Then, Kyle narrates how rehab turned basic movements like sitting, standing, and taking those first steps into major milestones for Dylan and his family. Finally, Dylan joins the conversation himself to talk about snakes, Disney rides, and what it feels like to be a “miracle story” at Jackson.

It’s an honest, emotional, and ultimately uplifting reminder that it truly takes a village to save a child, support a family, and help a little boy get back to just being a kid again.

Guest Bios:

Asumthia Jeyapalan, DO

Dr. Asumthia Jeyapalan is an attending doctor in the Holtz Children’s Hospital pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and an associate professor of pediatric critical care medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In this episode, she explains what happens to a child’s body during a near-drowning, why immediate, high-quality CPR is critical, and how the PICU team supported Dylan Smith’s lungs, brain, and vital organs during the most uncertain hours of his recovery.

Kyle Zreibe

Kyle Zreibe is a physical therapist at Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial. He specializes in pediatric rehabilitation, and was consulted to begin physical therapy with Dylan when he was admitted to the PICU. Zreibe was Dylan’s primary physical therapist when he was admitted to Lynn Rehabilitation Center, and now follows him in the center’s outpatient clinic.

Tiffany Smith

Tiffany Smith is Dylan’s mom and a devoted parent who, alongside her husband Brandon, faced every family’s worst nightmare when their young son experienced a near-drowning accident. In this episode, Tiffany shares her family’s story with honesty and vulnerability, reflecting on the fear, resilience, and community support that carried them through Dylan’s recovery. She and Brandon are also parents to their 13-year-old daughter, Olivia.

Dylan Smith

Dylan Smith is an energetic, curious kid with a big personality and even bigger dreams. After surviving a near-drowning at a young age, Dylan became one of Jackson Health System’s miracle stories. In this episode, he joins the conversation himself—sharing his love for adventure, laughter, and life, and reminding listeners what recovery, resilience, and hope truly look like through a child’s eyes.