20-Minute Health Talk

A free virtual shadowing program called “BRAINterns” gave more than 16,000 students from 87 countries an inside look at careers in the medical field in summer 2020. Randy D’Amico, MD , neurosurgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, explains how the webinar series replaced educational opportunities lost during the COVID-19 crisis, while expanding access to populations that are underrepresented in medicine. T...

Today, New York lifted many of its COVID-19-related restrictions, adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidelines on masking and social distancing for fully vaccinated people. Mark Jarrett, MD, chief quality officer and deputy chief medical officer for Northwell Health, explains why he believes the "sudden" change to the guidelines may be too soon.

A year of school shutdowns, social isolation and family trauma has taken a toll on children's mental and emotional health. Andrew Adesman, MD , chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, discusses the broad array of consequences from COVID-19 and how pediatricians are changing their playbook to meet their patients' evolving needs. 

How do you lower the cost of health insurance? Rather than working through insurance companies, large health systems are cutting out the middle man to offer customizable services directly to self-insured employers. Northwell Health launched Northwell Direct in 2020 to do just that and has seen great success in just one year. The company has partnered with Whole Foods, JetBlue, local schools and mo...

Hospitalizations and death among older Americans have dropped dramatically, promising evidence that the COVID vaccine effort is working. But, COVID-19 is a family illness, explains Maria Carney, MD , chief of geriatric and palliative medicine for Northwell Health. She and Lawrence Eisenstein, MD , health commissioner for Nassau County, join the podcast to emphasize the importance of vaccinating yo...

COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of integrative medicine, which combines modern medicine, healthy lifestyle practices and complementary healing modalities. Deborah McElligott, NP , an integrative health and wellness coach at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine at the Katz Institute for Women's Health, discusses this holistic approach to care and how it can benefit a person’s ph...

In the world of emergency medical services (EMS), minorities and women are severely underrepresented, a problem that studies have shown can have consequences on quality of patient care. Bernard Robinson , director of operations for Northwell's Center for Emergency Medical Services, and Tara McEvoy, a paramedic supervisor at Lenox Hill Hospital, discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in...

Overdoses have spiked since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, many Americans report having started or increased substance use as a way of coping with the crisis. Soteri Polydorou, MD , and Harshal Kirane, MD , discuss these alarming trends and how Northwell's many programs have adapted to meet the rising demand for substance abuse disorder treatment amid COVID-19. Topics include: We...

Once we get vaccinated against COVID-19, what can we do and what can’t we do? David Hirschwerk, MD , interim chair of the department of medicine at Northwell Health and attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center, explains. More from the experts Dr. Hirschwerk discusses the differences among the COVID-19 vaccines in a roundta...

Women have been understudied, undertreated and misdiagnosed for decades due to lack of representation in research studies. Stacey Rosen, MD , senior vice president of the Katz Institute for Women's Health explains the history of the one-size-fits-all approach to health care, eliminating health care disparities and the need for more gender-based research, and why healthier and well-informed women m...

What will summer 2021 look like in New York? County Executives Laura Curran of Nassau and Steve Bellone of Suffolk join Northwell's Chief Medical Officer David Battinelli, MD , to discuss the importance of the COVID vaccines, mask wearing and social distancing in the process of reopening Long Island's economy.  More from the experts Dr. Battinelli talks about the health inequalities putting our na...

A mobile app co-founded by Lenox Hill Chair of Neurosurgery David Langer, MD , became a great source of connection during the height of COVID-19 in New York City. Hear from Dr. Langer, Playback Health CEO Greg Odland and Associate Executive Director of Experience Services for Northwell's New York City Region Joe Leggio, who helped deploy the tool throughout Lenox Hill Hospital during the pandemic....

Children are the key to reaching herd immunity, but those younger than 16 are not yet eligible to receive the COVID vaccines. Clinical trials are underway testing the efficacy of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in children. But, what does that mean for you and your family, as well as reaching community immunity? Drs. Charles Schleien and Henry Bernstein discuss. Meet the experts Dr. Schleien is th...

With a valuable third vaccine offering protection in the battle against COVID-19, Onisis Stefas, PharmD , Northwell's chief pharmacy officer, discusses how the J&J vaccine works, its efficacy and what it means for relieving the pandemic.  More from Dr. Stefas Dr. Stefas explains the science behind Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccines:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9mJa-V9r0c&list=PLOylA...

On March 2, 2020, Northwell Health saw its first COVID-19 patient. In a round table discussion, its CEO and two frontline heroes reflect on the year that followed on this special episode of the podcast. Michael Dowling, president and CEO Mangala Narasimhan, DO, vice president of critical care services Sandra Lindsay, RN, intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and the...

While new variant strains of COVID-19 present new challenges, Bruce Farber, MD , chief of division of infectious diseases, says he remains optimistic. On this episode of the podcast, he talks about the potential impacts on the pandemic and how effective vaccines, including the Johnson & Johnson single-dose shot currently awaiting authorization, will be against these new variants. More from the exp...

When she's not treating patients as the assistant director of the Women's Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital, cardiologist Tara Narula, MD , is covering the news as the senior medical correspondent for CBS News. During the first wave of COVID-19 in New York, her role as reporter took on new significance for her. On this episode, she covers:  The stories that defined 2020 Practicing medicine duri...

More research and clinical trials are needed to develop COVID-19 treatments, says Kevin Tracey, MD , President of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. The "father of bioelectronic medicine" talks: COVID’s impact on medical research  What medications exist — remdesivir , convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies, etc.  Research studies underway  What we need to prepare for future pandemi...

The COVID-19 vaccine is a turning point in what has become a mental health crisis. Manish Sapra, MD , executive director for behavioral health at Northwell Health, and Mayer Bellehsen, PhD , director for the center for traumatic stress, resilience and recovery, explain that the hope brought by the COVID vaccine enables all of us to begin the healing process - and why that is a process we will go t...

Deb Salas Lopez, MD , discusses Northwell's initiative to help vaccinate Long Island's underserved communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Also, hear firsthand insight from Rev. Scott Williams, whose congregation at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roosevelt welcomed the vaccine last week. More from the experts Dr. Salas Lopez writes about how to make community partnersh...

Transplant patients are at higher risk for COVID-19 and should get the vaccine, but only those using mRNA. Lewis Teperman, MD , director of transplant services for Northwell Health and vice chair of surgery at North Shore University Hospital, explains. Organ transplants during COVID-19 Dr. Teperman led the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) strikeforce, which wrote the blueprint on how...

Zenobia Brown, MD , vice president of population health, discusses the latest with the coronavirus vaccine and all things public safety, from herd immunity to when we can get back to normal.   Watch 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube More from the experts Dr. Brown explains the often misunderstood intention of vaccines   Addressing maternal morbidity and maternal mortality among Black women

With limited research available, Michael Nimaroff, MD , senior vice president and executive director, Ob-Gyn Services, explains why Northwell recommends pregnant women get vaccinated. Also, hear Elizabeth Espinal, a research coordinator in her second trimester, discuss her experience getting the first dose of the medication.  Watch this episode of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube Despite the World...

As more people are becoming eligible for the historic vaccine, Onisis Stefas, PharmD , Northwell's chief pharmacy officer, breaks down the science behind the medication, as well as the massive undertaking to distribute it. More from the experts Relive the delivery of the first COVID vaccines at Northwell Health Dr. Stefas talks the importance of vaccinations with Healthline Watch this episode of 2...

When will the second COVID patient surge peak? Data can provide advance warning. John D'Angelo, MD , Northwell's chief of integrated operations, explains.  Watch this episode of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube