Raise the Line

“I think it's an enormous gift to pursue medicine and particularly academic medicine,” says former philosophy major Dr. Steven Scheinman, a distinguished researcher in the genetics of inherited kidney disease and dean of the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. The school in its current form is only a few years old, having not had a clinical system partner prior to 2017 when it aligned with the highly-ranked Geisinger Health System. Scheinman is thrilled with the learning opportunities the partnership is providing due to the health system’s emphasis on prevention and primary care. Forward-thinking programs in home care, geriatrics, whole genome screening and pharmacy innovation provide a rich grounding in population health for learners, and a generous scholarship program aimed at boosting primary care underscores the school’s commitment to a health management approach. But, as Scheinman enthusiastically says to host Shiv Gaglani, “Wait, there’s more!” Their expansive conversation also includes an overview of COVID’s impact on learning -- including a new “e-ICU” program and how med students will make better use of their 4th year. Speaking of which, Scheinman also shares valuable insights from his perch as Board Chair of the National Residency Match Program. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

If you’re wondering why the U.S. has had such a hard time during the pandemic keeping frontline health workers supplied with the protective equipment they need, or what is being done to improve the situation, Mike Alkire has some answers for you. He is president of Premier, Inc. which helps more than 4,000 hospitals and health systems improve efficiency and clinical outcomes through supply chain management and other strategies. He’s intimately familiar with the global medical supply chain and where the breakdowns and problems are that need to be addressed. Perhaps the most important change needed, he says, is manufacturing more of these critical items in the U.S. In this episode, Alkire and host Shiv Gaglani also discuss the use of AI in the health system, standardization of care to improve quality and safety, and the potential to share best practices across industries. Discover, too, why the key words for Alkire are humility, courage, and humanity. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

The mouth is a window to the body, says Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of TruBlu Dentistry. Seeing the dentist can be an important component of preventative care, as oral health has links to heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, cancers, and even COVID. Nagaraj and his partner, Dr. Anushka Gaglani, are co-founders of TruBlu Dentistry, which has multiple locations in Illinois. In this episode of Raise the Line, they speak with Dr. Rishi Desai about the distinction between general and cosmetic dentistry, their experience operating their own practice during COVID, and the lessons they've learned in their careers. “Thinking with our heart is a huge thing for us,” says Gaglani. In addition to brains, she and Nagaraj emphasize, dentists and doctors need a patient-first philosophy and a willingness to put their lives on the frontline. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Healthcare needs to do a much better job of marketing truth, argues Dr. Keith Smith. Drawn to working with adult learners in the online world, Smith now oversees about 7,000 students across twenty programs, including medical assisting, health and wellness, public health, a military-only associate’s degree, and a master's in health informatics -- a field that Smith sees as key to helping citizens understand and respond to statistics they hear about during public health threats. In face of the COVID pandemic, Purdue was fortunate to already be an online institution, yet it still had to pivot in some ways to enable students to continue their studies. In August, they launched a telehealth micro-credential in recognition of that technology’s growing importance. Purdue allows credentials like that one to “stack-up” with other courses all the way up to earning master's degrees. In this episode with host Shiv Gaglani, learn why Smith calls COVID a “phenomenal wake-up call” to traditional higher education, why teaching online requires new -- not just transferred – instructional methods, and why folks entering the healthcare field should commit to lifelong learning. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“I think our educational model, our mission and our tradition are ideally suited for this moment of crisis,” says Dr. Mark Schweitzer. “The Wayne State graduate is always a doctor who rolls up his or her sleeves and gets things done regardless of the environment.” With a diverse student population that Schweitzer describes as coming from “the 99 percent”, the medical school he leads is intent on adding can-do leaders to the corps of can-do providers it sends out into the world. “I think ‘the 99 Percent’ should be the leaders in healthcare. So we've started an organized curriculum to train students on all the skills they need to be leaders in medicine that are separate from the science of medicine.” From his point of view, the best part about being a leader in academic medicine is the ability to create an environment where high level clinical care, teaching and research can touch the lives of so many. In this incisive discussion with host Shiv Gaglani, Schweitzer also provides his take on what the lasting impacts of COVID might be, his core educational objective, and what good can come when you combine mission and ambition. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Dr. Sachin Jain has always been drawn to taking "big swings" at tough problems, and the disconnect between care delivery and care administration is one of them. As a leader in various capacities in government and the healthcare system, he's tackled this and other complex issues at a high level, but he has also has maintained his clinical practice in order to stay grounded. In this engrossing interview, Dr. Jain speaks with host Shiv Gaglani about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have included an exacerbation of the loneliness epidemic, as well as renewed confidence in both the American biotech sector and the ability of the healthcare system at large to change. Tune in to this episode to hear Dr. Jain's arguments for more investment in prevention and primary care, the benefits of giving doctors an upfront budget with spending caps rather than paying on a fee-for-service basis, and why he’s worried about “big box” retailers getting into healthcare. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Described as “Bill Gates' favorite teacher” in Fortune Magazine, Salman Khan started his now-famous Khan Academy by tutoring his cousins long-distance in 2004. Since then, Khan's non-profit educational organization has evolved from experimental YouTube videos recorded in a bedroom closet to a standalone platform that has educated tens of millions of people. In this episode of Raise the Line, Khan speaks with Shiv Gaglani about the near-viral growth of Khan Academy and the recent impact of COVID-19 in accelerating that development. Listen-in to learn about the benefits of competency-based pathways and transcripts, the digital divide as the “dark cloud” of COVID, the growth of opportunities at the intersection between health and education, and the importance of having the right mindset for the medical profession. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Starting a traditional degree program can be a “risky proposition,” says Burck Smith, founder and CEO of the student success and college readiness company StraighterLine. For many, it makes sense to have low-cost, low-risk entry points where they can test the waters and prove themselves before diving in. Smith has a background in public policy, where he first became concerned about the burden caused by the rising price of college, and before StraighterLine, in 2009, he co-founded SMARTHINKING, the largest online tutoring provider for schools and colleges. In this episode of Raise the Line, he speaks with host Shiv Gaglani about stackable credentials, the disintegrating barrier between skills and a degree, and how COVID may affect consumer pricing expectations for online delivery. Tune in to learn why Smith believes the balance of power has shifted away from schools to students, and hear his counsel to students to consider options other than straight enrollment. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast