Medic2Medic Podcast

Steve Cohen sits down with Kevin Whitsell, a 20-year paramedic veteran, firefighter, and Founder and Executive Director of A Silent War Within Media. Kevin introduces us to The Erosion Effect, the cumulative impact of years of calls, experiences, and operational stress that can slowly wear down even the most experienced first responder. We discuss why it isn't always the "bad call" that affects us...

Ten years after his first appearance on Medic2Medic on August 28, 2016, Jeff Dill returns to the podcast. Jeff is a retired Fire Captain, counselor, and founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. Since 2010, he has dedicated his work to improving behavioral health awareness and suicide prevention for firefighters, EMS professionals, dispatchers, and their families. In this episode, Ste...

In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, retired Long Beach Fire Department Captain James Owen shares his story with remarkable openness and brutal honesty. After nearly three decades in emergency response, James talks about what the job gave him and what it quietly took away. He takes us through cumulative operational stress, PTSD, addiction, organizational betrayal, family impact, treatment,...

In Episode 335 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with sisters Heather and Jenn, two Denver Health Paramedics featured in the documentary Into the Unknown. The first half of this episode is about getting to know the sisters and the experiences that shaped them. Both were students at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Heather and Jenn provide a personal, raw, and powerful look back a...

In Episode 334 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with Sean Russell, President of the Pacific Region for Global Medical Response, to discuss his nearly four decades in EMS and healthcare. Sean shares his journey from hanging out with his best friend, whose dad was the fire chief, Flight Paramedic, and Respiratory Care Practitioner, to executive leadership, including helping grow REACH fro...

Episode 333: Ritu Sahni: Don't be surprised if this episode starts somewhere you weren't expecting. Steve welcomes Dr. Ritu Sahni for an entertaining conversation that begins far away from ambulances and emergency departments. Before diving into EMS, Dr. Sahni shares stories from his unexpected career as a DJ, sports play-by-play announcer, television and movie extra, including appearances in the...

Steve Wirth has spent more than 5 decades helping shape the EMS profession as a paramedic, attorney, consultant, educator, author, and mentor. In Episode 332 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve joins me for a wide-ranging conversation that goes well beyond EMS law. We discuss the early days of his career in rural Pennsylvania, what inspired him to pursue a career in law, and the chance meeting with...

In this special edition of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with filmmaker Tom Putnam and EMS pioneer Baxter Larmon to discuss their powerful new documentary, Into the Unknown. The film follows five diverse paramedic teams from across the United States, offering an unfiltered look at the realities of EMS from life-saving victories and personal sacrifice to mental health challenges, violenc...

In Episode 330 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve welcomes back Joseph “JZ” Zalkin for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, innovation, and the future of EMS. With more than 51 years in emergency medical services, JZ reflects on his remarkable career and the philosophy that has guided his work: asking “Why not?” Throughout the episode, Steve and JZ discuss the development of the North Carolin...

In Episode 329 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve is joined by Brad and Kiera Newbury, co-authors of The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Ready to Act. Brad, a veteran fire captain, paramedic, educator, and CEO of the National Medical Education & Training Center, joins forces with Kiera, an EMT and writer, to explore the ripple effects that occur when lives are s...

This is Steve's first episode recorded from Denver. Steve sits down with Pediatric Critical Care Paramedic Jimmy Apple, better known online as EMS Avenger. With more than 22 years in EMS, Jimmy has built a large online following through thoughtful discussions on evidence-based medicine, provider wellness, resuscitation science, EMS culture, and challenging long-standing dogma within the profession...

Episode 327: In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with James DiClemente, paramedic and President/COO of Prodigy EMS, to discuss the evolution of EMS education and the need to modernize how we train today’s clinicians. Drawing on nearly a decade as a paramedic program director, James shares insights on the challenges of preparing providers for real-world EMS, the limitations...

In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with Dr. Melody Glenn, a practicing physician who is triple board-certified in EMS, Addiction Medicine, and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Glenn serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona, medical director for several rural fire departments along the U.S.–Mexico border, and Associate Program Director of an addiction medicine f...

Episode 325: Kevin Hazzard In Episode 325 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve welcomes back Kevin Hazzard for his third appearance on the show. A former paramedic-turned-best-selling author, Kevin returns to catch up and discuss his latest book, No One’s Coming , a gripping real-life account of one of the most daring medical rescue missions in modern history. The conversation reflects on Kevin’s jou...

Episode 324: In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with Dr. Ashlyn Sanders, pediatric neurology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Founder and Chief Medical Officer of NeuroVice. Dr. Sanders shares her personal journey following her diagnosis with Chiari Malformation, which required emergency brain surgery and led to her experiencing seizures herself. That experience fuel...

In Episode 323 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with Jonathon Feit, Co-Founder and CEO of Beyond Lucid Technologies, to discuss EMS innovation, interoperability, and the future of digital health in public safety. With decades of experience at the intersection of EMS, healthcare IT, and public policy, Jonathon shares insights on building sustainable technology solutions to break down dat...

In Episode 322 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with Chief Amera Gilchrist of the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS for one of the most open, honest, and meaningful conversations in the show’s history. This episode continues Steve’s long-standing tradition of speaking with the Chiefs of his former department a place where his own paramedic career began and a system that has shaped him bo...

In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with educator, paramedic, writer, and advocate Hilary Gates for a fun, engaging, and wide-ranging conversation about EMS, leadership, education, and human connection. Hilary, who serves as Director of Educational Strategy for Prodigy EMS and is co-founder of Six Minutes to Live, brings insight, honesty, and heart to every topic discussed....

In this episode of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve speaks with Pittsburgh journalist, author, and playwright L.E. McCullough, Ph. D., about his new play, "Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance", based on the true story of the Freedom House Ambulance Service. The conversation explores how the history of Freedom House, one of the most important chapters in modern EMS, has been brought to the sta...

In Episode 319 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve welcomes back Dr. Jeff Jarvis, a returning guest from the first edition of the podcast, for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation rooted in experience, evidence, and perspective. Jeff is the Chief Medical Officer and System Medical Director for the regional EMS system serving the Fort Worth Fire Department in Fort Worth, Texas. He is board cert...

In Episode 318 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with longtime EMS clinician, educator, and storyteller Mike Verkest to discuss clinical practice, quality improvement, Mobile Integrated Healthcare, and the role of storytelling in EMS. Mike is a career EMS clinician and educator with nearly 30 years of experience in prehospital medicine. He has been podcasting since 2015 and has hosted an...

Episode 317 of the Medic2Medic Podcast, Steve sits down with longtime EMS leader, educator, and U.S. Army veteran T. J. Bishop for a grounded conversation on rural EMS, leadership, education, and service. T.J. serves as the Assistant Chief of Operations and Training for San Juan Island EMS, overseeing response and education. With more than 30 years spanning civilian EMS, military medicine, and hea...

To kick off the new year, Medic2Medic presents a Special Edition episode centered on survival, perspective, and purpose. In this powerful conversation, Steve sits down with career EMS professional and public safety technology leader Greg Howard, a sudden cardiac arrest survivor whose story reframes how we think about EMS, provider health, and what truly matters. With more than 25 years of experien...

Episode 315: This episode goes beyond trends and buzzwords. It’s a candid discussion about leadership, accountability, education, and execution grounded in decades of experience across multiple EMS systems and cultures. Steve reconnects with longtime EMS leader, strategist, and global EMS advocate Rob Lawrence for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, education, system design, and the future...

Episode 314: In this episode of Medic2Medic, Steve sits down with Shaun Pitts, a second-generation EMS provider with nearly two decades of frontline experience and a deep passion for EMS education. Shaun shares his journey of following in his father’s footsteps, building a career from the street up, and learning the lessons that only real calls can teach. He talks honestly about what works, what d...