Conversations on Health: How We Get There - with Stephani Shelton

Stephani Shelton
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Monthly

Conversations On Health: How We Get There - with Stephani Shelton is a podcast series about health care, health care systems and the connections we need to make them better. Each podcast will explore a different aspect of health or health care. Or a different country’s health care system as it compares to ours in the US. As a veteran reporter - I want to know why so many Americans still don’t have access to the comprehensive health care so normal in other advanced countries? How are health systems dealing with higher costs and changing demographics? And if, after the disastrous response to COVID 19, the US and other nations are now prepared for another major public health crisis.

  1. Sep 15

    Episode 48: A Conversation with Dr. Anil Dutta, Immunization Expert and Pediatrician

    UPDATE: As of early October, Pennsylvania health officials say five people have now died of measles – two infants, an 18 year old and a 40 year old. All we know about the fifth death is that like all the others, that person was unvaccinated. We are all about vaccines in this episode. And appropriately. Summer already seems a distant dream; the kids are back at school and the signs reminding us to get our seasonal flu and Covid shots are everywhere. Along with the continuing battle in the US over all vaccines. But especially over the measles and other childhood vaccines. During the summer the number of measles cases continued to grow here, with over 31 hundred confirmed as I recorded this episode in early September. It’s tempting to blame the controversy over vaccines on Covid or MAHA Moms or their one-time leader and now US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But actually, vaccines have been controversial ever since Edward Jenner introduced the first cowpox-based, smallpox vaccine in 1796. I’m told medical students are often shown this 1802 satirical engraving by the famous British caricaturist James Gillray. As an example of how far back people have feared and fought over vaccines. So. We have the perfect guest to discuss the immeasurable contribution of vaccines to health and to life itself. Dr. Anil Dutta got his medical degrees in India and additional certifications in France. He was a practicing pediatrician for almost a decade - before moving into vaccine manufacturing. Dr. Dutta  headed the Medical Department of Sanofi Pasteur International in Lyon, France – with responsibility for all international clinical and epidemiological studies. He later worked to strengthen immunization programs worldwide. In 2009 Dr. Dutta joined GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals as Vice President and Head of Clinical Research and Development, and Medical Affairs. He has authored or co-authored 65 scientific publications and book chapters and has presented over 300 papers at medical conferences. Currently, Dr. Dutta is building support for vaccinations through his own venture –  Vac-Science. Dr. Dutta is based in Belgium. And as usual on this pod – we use first names. YouTube Episode 48 link: https://youtu.be/dVbPaqMbS9M YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  2. Aug 18

    Episode 47: An Update on AI and Heart Disease with Electrophysiologist Mohammadali Habibi, MD, Valley Health, NJ

    It’s been nearly 3 years since we had a conversation about heart disease. Which sadly remains the number one killer of Americans - as it has been since 1921. It also remains number one in many other countries. But since we last talked about it - there have been huge advances in how heart disease - in its many different forms - is detected and treated. And I’ll bet you can guess the reason. Exactly. It’s AI. So I asked one of the best specialists I know to come back and help us understand how AI is already improving the practice of cardiology and its many specialties. And how quickly there will be more breakthroughs. Many of these likely resulting in the prevention of heart disease as we know it today. As you may recall from Episode 20 - Dr. Mohammadali Habibi is an electrophysiologist with the highly rated Valley Health and Hospital System in New Jersey - where he’s Director of its Ventricular  Arrythmia Program. And before we got into the AI nitty gritty – I asked Ali to spend a few minutes explaining how the late Senator Lindsay Graham – who likely had the best healthcare coverage in the country as a US Senator – could have died so unexpectedly just a little over a month ago. YouTube Episode 47 Link: https://youtu.be/ikK5Y1oveNk https://youtube.com/shorts/_TAtBPyrra4 YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  3. Jul 21

    Episode 46: A Conversation with Medical Student Alfir Latypov on AI’s Effect on Becoming a Doctor

    Have you ever wondered what it’s like being a medical student in the age of AI? As AI constantly evolves, influences or changes what students must learn? Well – in Episode 46 you’ll find out. As we talk to Alfir Latypov, a very tuned-in medical student from Tatarstan who’s studying at one of Europe’s top medical schools – The Second Faculty of Medicine at  Prague’s Charles University. If you’ve followed this podcast - you’ll recall the Czechs have a solid universal health care system. And all medical education is changing to reflect AI’s advance into healthcare. So - while we were in Prague a few weeks ago, a good friend suggested Alfir. He agreed – and – here we are. And - just wait till you see where we are. Where we recorded this!!  Our same friend – her name is Priscilla - offered her beautiful apartment. Which is in a building that was once a palace. One corner of the original building survives and there are historical mentions of it dating back to 1407. The end of the Middle Ages. Like so many buildings in the old part of Prague there were fires and rebuilding and multiple reconstructions and many wealthy owners. This being Prague, it’s all chronicled. The now modernized apartments are long term rentals; the owner’s family got the building back after Communism fell in1989. Funny we should be talking about AI in this history-spanning place. One could also say that for Prague itself. So settle down and watch or listen to Alfir Latypov’s vision of the medical future. YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/A9wBjJE3kfI YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  4. Jun 16

    Episode 45: A Conversation with Dr. Racquel Moore, VP, Optum on the US Health System’s Speedy Integration of AI

    I think most of us know that AI is rapidly changing the meaning of that now rather old fashioned-sounding phrase – “I’m going to the doctor’s”. If you go for a scan of some kind – AI’s now involved. Same with making appointments or the patient portals that almost all of us use now – willingly or not. If the AI is well integrated and works well – it saves time. If it isn’t – and that’s too often the case at the moment – we hate it. But the speed that some version of an AI is moving into all aspects of American health care is accelerating and it appears there’s no stopping it. And indeed – if AI is improving your healthcare – why would you want to stop it?  So – is it? In Episode 43 we learned what a well-integrated AI can do in an advanced, well organized healthcare system. As they have in Israel. And Israel is already far ahead of the US in using AI to improve direct patient care. In our own, more fragmented, more competitive, mostly for-profit system – the deployment is primarily in the largest hospital, imaging and doctor groups and in the big insurance companies. So in this episode we’re talking to someone who’s at the helm of AI rollout at Optum – the huge, health services and technology arm of United Health. Dr. Racquel Moore is Vice President of EHR Strategy, Governance, and Special Projects at Optum. EHR, which I had to look up too, stands for “electronic health record”. It has broadly replaced most paper records. At Optum – Dr. Moore leads enterprise AI and digital strategy across a large, multi-platform healthcare network. Her work focuses on how AI tools are evaluated, implemented, and responsibly scaled to improve provider efficiency and reduce administrative burden, while maintaining strong clinical and governance oversight. With a background that spans frontline clinical work, quality and compliance, and enterprise strategy, she brings both a practical and strategic perspective to the evolving role of AI in healthcare. So that ultimately – both providers and patients should benefit. As always in these informal conversations – we used first names. YouTube Episode Link: YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  5. May 19

    Episode 44: An Update on Menopause from Dr. Michelle P. Warren, Endocrinologist, Gynecologist. Medical Director, Center for Menopause, Hormonal Disorders & Women’s Health NYC

    It’s been a while since we did the episode on women’s health. You can tell by the number – Episode 29.  Since then quite a bit has changed about the management and treatment of menopause. (no – sorry – there is still no way to make menopause disappear). But. I do think it’s time for an update. There have been many new drugs approved for menopause symptoms. And after new studies, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is again being prescribed – often in the form of a simple patch. Dr. Michelle P. Warren kindly agreed to come back to talk about all this. She’s a distinguished New York City physician who specializes in both endocrinology and gynecology and has spent her lifetime focused on women’s health issues. In 1997 Dr. Warren founded and remains the medical director of the Center for Menopause, Hormonal Disorders and Women’s Health at Columbia University Medical Center.  Where she is the Wyeth Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Medicine. Full disclosure - I have been her patient for many years. http://www.center-for-menopause.com/ https://menopause.org/ YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/fF6tVLJVuIQ YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  6. Apr 21

    Episode 43: A Conversation with Dr. Ran Balicer, Physician, Scientist, Executive and Israel’s Leading Healthcare Innovator

    We all know how fast AI models are moving in almost every industry. Healthcare is no exception. But here in the US – you’re more apt to notice the difference in small ways. How quickly your blood tests are posted in your patient portal or sent to your doctor. In Radiology. For example my last mammogram was AI-read and the results were available to me and my gynecologist less than 2 hours after I walked out of the imaging room. In most hospitals AI now identifies patients at high risk of being hospitalized again soon after release. And of course AI has been at work in insurance and other administrative functions for some time as well as in tasks like remote monitoring. But what if I were to tell you that AI embedded in a primary care system could look at a patient’s blood tests and before they even get to the doctor – recommend that patient’s diabetic medications be changed because there are very early signs of kidney function failure? It’s really quite amazing and yet quite normal in Israel’s universal healthcare system. As my guest, Dr. Ran Balicer, will explain. He’s a physician, scientist and executive who’s the Chief Innovation Officer at Clalit – Israel’s largest healthcare organization. He also works with the Clalit Research Institute, the World Health Organization and other organizations and universities in Israel and beyond, planning, developing and implementing novel AI solutions in healthcare. And also -  quite amazing to me on the other side of the world – we Zoomed just a few days after Isreal and the US attacked Iran – with Ran in a safe and quiet place where he works. We start with a quick overview of the Israeli health system so you’ll understand why Clalit was able to adopt AI so quickly. YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/xIZ_yt4qiAE YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe482

  7. Mar 17

    Episode 42: A Conversation with Dr. Karen Hacker, Emory University Adjunct Professor and former CDC Director for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

    Under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stewardship – the  CDC – once the premier health and health data organization in the world - continues to shed scientists, physicians, researchers – and internationally respected leaders. As i record this in early March – the CDC still doesn’t have a Presidentially nominated and Senate confirmed Director. And although much of the agency’s basic public health information and professionally recognized studies remain available on the CDC website – much is also gone. Among the missing at the CDC is my guest on this episode - Dr. Karen Hacker. Who headed the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Remember – the main purpose of both federal and state health agencies is implementing and overseeing ways of improving the health of all Americans. Thus the term “public health”. Remember  - that in terms of outcomes for money spent – the US continues to have the lowest life expectancy and the highest rates of preventable mortality among high income nations. And that’s despite spending nearly twice as much on healthcare. One major but very complicated goal is ending or at least drastically cutting chronic disease. Diabetes brought on by obesity is one example. Lung cancer or COPD as a result of cigarette smoking is another. So as I said – we are all very fortunate that Dr. Karen Hacker – with all her experience – is here for this conversation. Dr. Hacker – who has both an MD and MPH - is an Adjunct Professor and Health Policy Fellow at Emory University in the Rollins School of Public health. She is the former Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC (2019 to 2025) where she oversaw a budget of $1.4b and a staff of 1000. Dr. Hacker has over two decades of leadership experience in the public sector serving at the city, county and federal levels. Her expertise spans public health, policy, healthcare, and research.  Prior to the CDC, she was the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department in Pennsylvania. Dr. Hacker uniquely bridges critical community needs with national health policy and is recognized for her practical, solutions-focused approach to complex challenges. She is also widely published with over 100 peer-reviewed articles and an expert in community-based participatory research. Dr. Hacker has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Yale University, a medical degree (MD) from Northwestern University School of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Boston University School of Public Health. And as usual, we use first names in this informal “conversation”.  YouTube Episode Link: YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe4827

  8. Feb 17

    Episode 41: A Conversation with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Stephanie Hodges on RFK Jr.’s New USDA Food Guidelines

    Early in the new year – January 7th to be exact – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of Health and Human Services, quietly posted a new set of food guidelines on the USDA website and an upside-down (or inverted as he called it) Food Pyramid. Replacing the “My Plate” pictograph of the Biden years. The guidelines themselves are updated every 5 years - and at a quickly organized White House news conference, RFK Jr. promoted the changes. Which push lots of red meat, whole milk and butter. He said, “We are endng the war on saturated fats.” The guidelines also include beef tallow as an alternate to olive oil or butter for cooking. And feature the MAHA mantra of ignoring highly processed foods. That part medical associations applauded, even as the American Heart Association warned again about the risks of eating a lot of high fat animal products. Very healthy whole grains are at the very bottom of the upside-down Pyramid; they had been featured, along with fruit and vegetables, on the previous “My Plate” guidelines. The Food Guidelines are important to a number of government food programs – and to dietitians. Many of us remember learning about the older Food Pyramids in grammar school.  My Boston school served a hot lunch but most of us brought our own sandwiches and washed them down with the free cartons of milk delivered daily to all city schools and - yes, it was 8 ounces of whole milk.   So. I went looking for a Registered Dietitian who could explain what’s good or bad or just different about RFK Jr.’s 2026 Inverted Pyramid. And I found one of the best. Stephanie Hodges has MS, MPH and RDN degrees. She’s a Registered Dietitian and food policy expert who has spent more than a decade improving access to healthy food through public health nutrition programs and policy. She’s the founder of “The Nourished Principles” which supports clients in strengthening public health nutrition programs and policies, writing and implementing grants, and translating complex nutrition topics for diverse audiences. Here’s a link to her website . She’s really good at this! YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/BwDozyX5ffI YouTube Channel Link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe4827

See All (51)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Conversations On Health: How We Get There - with Stephani Shelton is a podcast series about health care, health care systems and the connections we need to make them better. Each podcast will explore a different aspect of health or health care. Or a different country’s health care system as it compares to ours in the US. As a veteran reporter - I want to know why so many Americans still don’t have access to the comprehensive health care so normal in other advanced countries? How are health systems dealing with higher costs and changing demographics? And if, after the disastrous response to COVID 19, the US and other nations are now prepared for another major public health crisis.

Information