WorkforceRx

Futuro Health

There has never been a stronger need for workers to adapt. To keep up with the speed of change, we must be prepared to shift into new job roles and pick up new skills. Traditional approaches no longer suffice. Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan interviews leaders and innovators for insights into the future of work, future of care, future of higher education, and alternative education-to-work models. We will need to draw on our collectively ingenuity to uncover ways to develop work, workers, and economic opportunity.

  1. 6D AGO

    Kaitlin Lemoine and Julian Alssid, Partners At Work Forces: Moving Workforce Development to the Center of Education

    “There are persistent and critical gaps between education and industry that hinder economic advancement and we share a belief that those gaps need to be bridged,” says Julian Alssid, summing up why he and his business partner, Kaitlin Lemoine, created Work Forces, a consulting company that serves stakeholders in those sectors and beyond. On this episode of WorkforceRx, they join Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan for an informative dialogue on how to create and sustain effective workforce development partnerships based on insights gained during their decades of work in the space. They also discuss trends they’re learning about in their client work and as co-hosts of the Work Forces podcast. “One thing that stands out is that workforce development for a long time felt kind of peripheral to education, and I think it’s more now than ever the center of things,” shares Kaitlin Lemoine. In this thoughtful conversation you’ll also learn about: • The biggest changes in preparing learners for work • Trends in skills-based learning • A promising shift toward regional initiatives • How AI is forcing clarity about the durable skills workers need. As you’ll hear from these nationally recognized experts, the pressure to get these relationships and programs right is growing as the pace of change in the workplace accelerates on a daily basis.

    25 min

  2. JAN 14

    Professor Mitchell Stevens, Stanford University: Linking the Conversations About AI, Learning and Longevity

    We start the new year by bringing you a fresh perspective on key sources of concern for American society at large and the workforce development sector in particular: AI disruption in the workplace and education, and the many challenges presented by our rapidly aging population. For Professor Mitchell Stevens of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, a shift from anxiety to optimism about these changes is urgently needed. “I’m not trying to say that the future will be all good, but that the future can only be good if everyday people, politicians and corporate leaders sort of ambitiously anticipate a positive future and then imagine ways to build it,” says Stevens, who helps lead Stanford’s Center for Longevity and its Learning Society Initiative. Thinking about aging as longevity instead, and working to extend the functional part of our lives through better health and educational opportunities is a prime example of this mindset. Other recommendations he offers include: • Recognize that schooling and learning are not the same and reward learning wherever it occurs; • Link conversations about AI, aging and the future of work; • Draw on lessons learned from previous responses to mass economic disruption caused by technological advancement. Join Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan for a deeply-informed and encouraging contemplation of how to leverage this current moment of consequential change.

    25 min

  3. 12/17/2025

    Lisa Larson, CEO of Education Design Lab: How Micro-Pathways Can Boost Workforce Development Success

    According to recent studies, micro-credentials are experiencing a surge in interest and acceptance by learners and employers, which is creating both a challenge and an opportunity for educators trying to meet the demand for them. One of the major players helping educators in this task is the Education Design Lab, which is working with more than 100 community colleges and state community college systems to implement “micro-pathways” that map to 100 different job roles. “What colleges need to be concerned about is the relevancy of these programs to high demand jobs and careers, and that people need short-term options to move towards their larger goals,” says CEO Lisa Larson. Key criteria for the pathways include being affordable, stackable, less than one year in duration and validated by employers. As Larson explains, animating this work is EDL’s interest in meeting the needs of what it calls the “new majority learner” – mainly working adults who require additional access points and flexible options for earning credentials. Join Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan as she explores how community colleges are developing deeper employer partnerships and shared curricula to help learners leverage the power of micro-pathways in building their economic futures.

    31 min

  4. 12/03/2025

    How to Unleash Your Inner Innovator: Dr. Tessa Forshaw and Richard Braden, Co-Authors of Innovation-ish

    “There are so many myths that we’re left brain, we’re right brain, we’re creative, we’re analytical, but none of that’s true. We’re all whole-brain humans and we all have the ability to be creative,” says cognitive scientist Dr. Tessa Forshaw, co-author, with design strategist and CEO Richard Braden, of the new book, Innovation-ish, which aims to demystify creativity and make it accessible to everyone in the workforce. But while we may all have creative potential, studies show that less than 50% of people see themselves as being creative, largely due to socialization that discourages embarrassment and risk-taking, and misconceptions about innovators. Overcoming that “innovation hesitation” and providing practical steps that give people the confidence they need to be creative is the mission of the book, which is built upon the system the authors use in their classes at Harvard and Stanford universities. Their message is timely: in a fast-changing economy, as Braden notes, “the ability to be creative and solve problems and adapt as you go is becoming less optional and more necessary all the time.” Join Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan for an insightful look at the mindsets that are needed to tap creativity, the role of leaders in cultivating innovation, and real world examples of out-of-the-box solutions that emerged from an inclusive problem-solving process.

    36 min

  5. 11/12/2025

    How Hospice Care Has Changed and Why It Matters: Fran Smith, Co-author of Changing the Way We Die

    Hospice care in the US has undergone major shifts in recent years, with a significant jump in usage and a 400% increase in private equity ownership as major factors driving it to become the most profitable subsector in healthcare, according to a 2023 RAND Corporation study. To understand these trends what they mean for healthcare workers, patients and families, we turn to Fran Smith, co-author of Changing the Way We Die: Compassionate End of Life Care and the Hospice Movement, an Amazon bestseller. As she explains to Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan, what started as a non-profit, mission-driven movement has evolved into an industry dominated by for-profit entities -- including a growing percentage backed by private equity -- with major implications for quality and consistency of care. “There is some data showing that staffing is poor at privately owned and private equity hospices compared to nonprofits, and that the for-profit hospice companies use more licensed practical nurses than registered nurses,” she explains. And while Smith believes it’s better for there to be a mix of business models in the sector, she does advise that people seeking hospice care evaluate their options using tools on the medicare.gov website, and by asking providers in their circle about the reputation of various organizations. This super informative episode of WorkforceRx also provides advice on when and how to talk to loved ones about end-of-life wishes, and a takes look at the future of this crucially important type of healthcare.

    28 min

  6. 10/29/2025

    Francie Genz, CEO of Formation: Workforce Collaboration Requires Checking Egos at the Door

    “If we can’t get the private sector to lean in and play the right roles, we’re going to miss the mark,” says Francie Genz, CEO of Formation, a national organization helping communities build resilient, industry-led workforce systems. In an episode packed with practical advice, Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan explores how Genz and her team are working to turn decades of fragmented employer engagement into a disciplined model for collaboration through the NextGen Sector Partnership framework, now active in 100 communities across 20 states. Rather than viewing businesses as passive beneficiaries of training programs, the model positions them as co-owners and co-investors in developing talent pipelines and regional competitiveness. “Part of it is raising the bar on what we expect from the private sector, but then also it's about good process and relationships. It's about getting organized to create the conditions for the private sector to play those different roles.” Tune in for real world examples of how building “shared tables” and checking egos at the door can produce action-oriented partnerships that evolve with the economy, and why the future of workforce development lies in adaptive, data-informed collaboration, not static skills-gap models.

    32 min

  7. 10/15/2025

    Dr. Thomas Tannou, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal: Dementia Research is Informing New Approaches to Care

    Among the knotty issues that dementia forces on family caregivers is when to know if their loved one with the disorder is in need of in-home supports and ultimately, when moving to a skilled facility is warranted. Often making those decisions more difficult is a loss of self-awareness caused by the disease, which can lead to rejection of needed services. As geriatrician and dementia researcher Dr. Thomas Tannou puts it, “If you forget that you forget, you will not be aware that you need to go on a path to be supported.” The impact of self-perception disorders on aging in place and the capacity of older people living with dementia is the focus of Dr. Tannou’s research at the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, and it has led him to advocate for a reframing of Alzheimer’s not just as a disease of memory, but an inability to adapt to new circumstances. That distinction in turn, he says, should trigger a reconsideration of the wisdom of aging in place in favor of relocating people when they can still learn new routines and maintain social connections. Join WorkforceRx host and Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan for a deeply informative and wide ranging discussion of related issues such as overlooked early warning signs of dementia, how clinically-informed technology can support independent living, balancing safety with dignity as we support those with dementia, and the workforce implications of a relentless increase in people needing dementia care.

    35 min

  8. 09/24/2025

    Dana Stephenson, Co-Founder and CEO of Riipen: How Colleges and Employers Can Scale Work-Based Learning

    Could earning a traditional undergraduate degree actually hurt your chances of getting hired? A 2024 survey from Hult International Business School suggests as much, reporting that 89% of companies avoid hiring recent graduates due to their lack of real-world work experiences. On today’s episode of WorkforceRx, we’re going to focus on closing the gap between what employers are seeking and what colleges are teaching with Dana Stephenson, the Co-Founder and CEO of Riipen, a platform that partners with academic institutions and employers to offer experiential learning opportunities. "Employers are looking for durable skills like collaboration, leadership, initiative, and the ability to learn and unlearn. These have become more important than ever in an era where AI is beginning to take on more of the entry level tasks," he tells Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan. To create more of those opportunities, intermediaries like Riipen are helping colleges offer more flexible learning formats – such as project-based work and micro-internships – and simultaneously relieving employers of administrative burdens and finding creative ways for students to do meaningful work for them. “We’re really trying to find the right experiences to meet the students where they are, meet employers where they are, and break down barriers to increase access in a cost effective way.” This conversation also highlights states that are fueling work-based learning, and offers a fascinating look at a future of education in which AI-supported experiential learning experiences help students to develop soft skills.

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

There has never been a stronger need for workers to adapt. To keep up with the speed of change, we must be prepared to shift into new job roles and pick up new skills. Traditional approaches no longer suffice. Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan interviews leaders and innovators for insights into the future of work, future of care, future of higher education, and alternative education-to-work models. We will need to draw on our collectively ingenuity to uncover ways to develop work, workers, and economic opportunity.

Information

  • Creator
    Futuro Health
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    117
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 Futuro Health
  • Show Website
    WorkforceRx