Health Chatter

Stan, Clarence, Barry, & the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Stephanie Hooker on the psychological determinants of health behaviors.

Dr. Stephanie Hooker is a Senior Research Investigator in behavioral and clinical health research at HealthPartners Institute and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Her work focuses on psychosocial factors that influence health behaviors and chronic dise...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, & the Health Chatter team chat with Kenneth (Ken) Bence on disabilities research, policy, and health.

Kenneth Bence, MHA, MBA – Director of Research, Analysis and Policy for the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM) – leads research and policy efforts that support advocacy for home and community-based services for people living with disabilities. With more than 25 years of ex...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team welcome Dr. Ronda Chakolis-Hassan and Dr. Robin Austin for a conversation on Health Information and Artificial Intelligence and the ongoing interdisciplinary work at the University of Minnesota merging health informatics, population health, and AI.

Dr. Ronda Chakolis-Hassan, President of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, has experience spanning Pharmacy Benefit Management, Medication...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Mark Meier, Executive Director and Founder of Face It Foundation, about the growing epidemic of male loneliness, mental health, and the importance of connection and vulnerability among men.

Mark Meier, MSW, LICSW, is the Executive Director and Founder of Face It Foundation, a Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on peer support and connection for men. Over the past 15+ years,...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with John Holien, founder and Chief Holistic Officer of Grateful Mind Foundation, about addiction recovery, healing, and the power of mindfulness-driven community support.

John Holien is a wellness advocate and founder dedicated to expanding access to meditation, breathwork, yoga, and gratitude practices for individuals navigating recovery, burnout, and life transitions. Throug...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Archelle Georgiou, physician, healthcare executive, and nationally recognized health media expert, about prior authorizations, patient advocacy, and navigating today’s complex healthcare system.

Dr. Georgiou brings more than three decades of experience spanning clinical medicine, managed care, healthcare innovation, executive leadership, and public health communi...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Logan Spector, pediatric cancer epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, about early onset colorectal cancer and what’s driving its rise in younger populations.

Dr. Spector specializes in understanding the causes of childhood cancers, including leukemia, bone sarcomas, and hepatoblastoma, using both traditional and genetic epidemiologic approaches. He has l...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Tom Glaser, licensed psychologist and author, about his new book The House That Resilience Built: A Psychologist's Approach to Healing Childhood Trauma.

Tom Glaser is a master’s-level licensed psychologist with over 40 years of experience, specializing in working with trauma survivors. His professional work is deeply shaped by his own journey from childhood trauma to...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Kathleen McJunkin, former veterinarian, about pet health and caring for our animal companions throughout their lives.

Dr. McJunkin brings a unique blend of scientific and veterinary expertise to the conversation. She spent roughly twenty years working as a clinical laboratory scientist at the University of Minnesota, including ten years in chemistry and another ten yea...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Connor Lonning, Bubba’s uncle, coach, & youth development advocate, and Tony Ayala about Bubba’s Fund and its mission to turn unimaginable loss into a powerful legacy of life-saving tools, joyful play, and lasting impact for children.

Bubba’s Fundis a donor-advised fund of the La Crosse Area Community Foundation, created in memory of Charlie Lonning W...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Tory Schafer, Senior Director of Yoga at Life Time and nationally recognized meditation, yoga, and sound healing practitioner, about yoga and health.

Tory Schafer brings a rich, multidisciplinary perspective shaped by years of teaching and leadership across North America. With specialties in Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Nidra, pranayama, and vibrational therapy, his work blends yogi...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Robin Austin, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, about menopause and the often-overlooked realities of midlife women’s health.

Dr. Austin brings more than 20 years of clinical experience spanning pain management, women’s health, and integrative health. With both a DNP and PhD in Nursing Informatics—and dual training ...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Julie Brock, owner of Julie Brock Consulting, about community engagement.

Julie is a strategist who helps individuals, teams, and organizations move from ideas to measurable action through human-centered systems. Her work draws on co-design, CliftonStrengths®, Results Based Accountability, and stress management and resiliency—grounded in deep listening, connection-ma...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Mary Gray, Director of Rehabilitation at HealthPartners, about falls and fall prevention.

Mary oversees rehabilitation services across HealthPartners’ community-based hospitals and clinics, including cardiac rehabilitation. A licensed physical therapist with 27 years of experience, she brings deep expertise and passion for geriatrics—particularly fall preventio...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Steve Kopecky, Professor of Medicine and Preventive Cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, about blood pressure and the updated guidelines.

Dr. Kopecky is a consultant and chair of education in the Division of Preventive Cardiology within the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also serves as director of the Familial Hypercholesterole...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Ellie Wilson, Executive Director of the Autism Society of Minnesota, about Autism Spectrum Disorder and the evolving landscape of support across the lifespan.

Ellie Wilson brings two decades of experience supporting children, teens, and adults on the autism spectrum. With a background in public health administration and policy, Ellie has completed advanced fellowships thro...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Ronda Marie Chakolis-Hassan, President of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, and Dr. Ai-Ja Jackson, licensedpharmacist,about Medication Management—and explore the central question: “Should we just medicate?”

Dr. Ronda Marie Chakolis-Hassan, PharmD, MPH, exemplifies the intersection of clinical expertise and public health advocacy in pharmacy practice. A...

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Susan Mau Larson, Chief Administrative Officer at LifeSource, and Sarah Sonn, Director of Communications at LifeSource, about life saving organ donation.

Susan Mau Larson has spent her career leading strategic and policy efforts to strengthen organ donation systems nationwide and support donor families through the process. She has held leadership roles across national dona...