20-Minute Health Talk

What has 25 years of monitoring revealed about 9/11's long-term health toll — from rising cancer rates to newer risks like early cognitive decline and autoimmune disease? In part 2, Dr. Moline explains how scientific understanding evolved, why the biggest barrier to care is awareness rather than access, and what lessons this disaster holds for responding to future public health crises.

Northwell is...

The field of sports medicine isn’t just for serious athletes: The Nicholas Institute for Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma (NISMAT), Northwell’s sports injury clinic, has made sports medicine better, more accessible, and grounded in research. On this episode, the 20-Minute Health Talk team pays a visit to NISMAT to talk to Tak Fukunaga, DPT, sports physical therapist and NISMAT’s Manager of Rehabilitation S...

How do you solve problems as complex as drug pricing or childhood obesity? Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, pulls back the curtain on data-driven methodology. She and host Chethan Sathya, MD, discuss how the foundation moves beyond good intentions, relying on hard evidence and measurable outcomes to prove impact. Central to this strategy is forging public-private partnerships — even with "u...

In part 2, host Chethan Sathya, MD, and guest Chelsea Clinton discuss how to convert hope into action. Their conversation shifts to the future, exploring what it takes to cultivate the next generation of leaders in a world facing immense challenges. She details her work with the Clinton Global Initiative, a platform that empowers young people with the tools to create tangible change. While warning of the threat posed ...

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of both women and men in the United States. Most of us will need to see a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon at some point in our lives. But, how do you find the best doctor who is right for you?

In this episode, three experts representing different subspecialties within cardiovascular health offer advice to patients asking: How do I pick a cardiologist o...

What motivates a physician to revolutionize health care from a new vantage point? Host Chethan Sathya, MD, speaks with physician-technologist, chief medical officer and author Geeta Nayyar, MD, about her unique professional journey and the critical role of innovation in health care transformation. Dr. Nayyar recounts her "accidental" transition from practicing rheumatologist to a leader in health technology, driven by...

In the second part of their discussion, Dr. Nayyar and Dr. Sathya dive into artificial intelligence and its potential to rehumanize health care. She challenges the notion that AI will replace clinicians, arguing instead that it should augment their capabilities, enabling them to be "faster, smarter, and more able to be compassionate at the bedside." The conversation explores how AI can alleviate administrative burdens...

Host Sandra Lindsay, DHSc is joined by Dawnette Lewis, MD, MBA, director of Northwell’s Center for Maternal Health, to assess the current landscape of maternal morbidity and mortality. Dr. Lewis reveals that the U.S. continues to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations, with Black birthing mothers still carrying a disproportionately high burden. She argues that disparities for Bl...

In the second part of their discussion, Sandra and Dr. Lewis focus on the path forward, detailing concrete systemic solutions and policy changes vital for creating safer outcomes for mothers. Dr. Lewis advocates for extending postpartum Medicaid coverage nationwide, stressing that the majority of maternal mortality occurs in the year following delivery — a critical window for intervention. The conversation also ...

What was it really like to lead New York City’s public health response during the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic? In the first of a two-part conversation, 20-Minute Health Talk host Chethan Sathya, MD, is joined by friend and colleague, Dave Chokshi, MD, the city's former Health Commissioner. Dr. Chokshi shares his personal story, tracing his path from Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina to the forefront of public healt...

In the second half of their discussion, Dr. Sathya and Dr. Chokshi shift from reflecting on the pandemic to charting a path forward. How do we move from a state of polarization to one of collaboration? Dr. Chokshi details his work with the Common Health Coalition to "dissolve silos" and unite the health sector around common goals. He tackles the critical challenge of proving the ROI of "upstream" preventive care and discusses how t...

Host Chethan Sathya, MD, welcomes Emily Kaplan, co-founder of Broken Science Initiative and MetFix, a novel approach to fitness and nutrition. Kaplan explains why chronic disease continues to rise even as more Americans go to the gym, arguing that nutrition — not just exercise — is central to better health outcomes. The conversation explores insulin, mitochondrial dysfunction, seed oils, sugar, and the bio...

In part 2 of this 3-part episode, Emily Kaplan describes how MetFix gyms and coaches work alongside physicians to help patients make sustainable lifestyle changes, especially around food, exercise, and metabolic disease. She shares examples of doctors integrating gyms into their practices, using coaches to support patients between annual visits, and creating condition-specific classes for people with type 2 diabetes, ...

In the third segment, the conversation turns from metabolic health to scientific culture itself. Kaplan shares the story behind Broken Science, tracing her background in journalism and her interest in nutrition policy, scientific incentives, and how public health narratives are shaped. She discusses concerns about peer review, statistical significance, replication, and the ways scientific certainty can be overstated i...

20 Minute Health Talk host Chethan Sathya, MD, welcomes Dr. Jackie Gerhart, Chief Medical Officer of the health technology giant Epic Systems. Dr. Gerhart shares her unconventional journey from a small-town family physician with a background in engineering to a leader at one of the world's most influential EMR companies. The conversation delves into the critical topic of change management, exploring the keys to helpin...

In part 2, the discussion shifts to the future, as Dr. Gerhart outlines Epic's vision for the broader health tech ecosystem and its philosophy on integrating with partners. Discover how the role of EHR is evolving into the future of care, powered by data from wearables, community sources, and real-world evidence. A key focus is the transformative power of AI and large medical models (LMMs), which aim to predict the "n...

Joining host Chethan Sathya, MD, are the three authors of Information Sick — Joanne Kenen, Joshua Sharfstein, MD and Lymari Morales — for a candid look at the erosion of trust in public health. Pointing to the collapse of local newsrooms, the rise of social media echo chambers, and the pressures of an election-year crisis, they reflect on how crisis communication moved from a single authoritative voice to a fragmented l...

In part 2, the group pivots to solutions, discussing how to distinguish “trusted” from “credible” sources, exploring ways to find common ground across divides without endorsing harmful claims, and underscoring how shifting official guidance and muddled signals complicate the moment. The takeaway: focus on in‑person engagement, credible messengers, and policies built in draft with public input—plus a no...

Host Chethan Sathya, MD, sits down with Robert Pearl, MD — Stanford professor, former CEO of Kaiser Permanente, and author of ChatGPT, MD — to trace his journey from Long Island roots and cleft lip/palate missions to leading one of the nation’s largest integrated health systems. Dr. Pearl shares his unexpected pivot from the operating room to administration, and what it was like to step into a leadership role duri...