HIT Like a Girl Pod: Empowering Women in Health IT

This episode is a call to action—and we have until July 13th. Rebecca Love sits down with Elizabeth Ginexi, PhD—a former NIH scientific program official of 22 years who took early retirement after DOGE restructured the agency. She is now speaking out about a proposed OMB rule that she believes threatens the future of federal funding across every community in America. The rule rewrites the Uniform...

After a much-needed pause, HIT Like a Girl Pod is back—and this time, Joy isn't doing it alone. Joy Rios reunites with Grace Vinton and Rebecca Love to relaunch the show as a trio: built on joy, fueled by love, and led with grace. In this first conversation, they catch up on where life has taken them—Joy's broken ankle and move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Rebecca's deep dive into healthcare AI as...

In a digital-first healthcare world, who gets left behind? The answer is often the same communities that have always been marginalized. But what if the solution wasn't just to build better apps, but to empower the very people from these communities to become the navigators, the mentors, and the doctors of tomorrow? In this inspiring and urgent episode of HIT Like a Girl, recorded at HLTH 2025, Joy...

In a world where healthcare is simultaneously global and deeply local, how do we build technology that truly serves humanity? From the conference floors of HLTH 2025 to the cobblestone streets of Paris, Dr. Aditi Joshi has been on the front lines of this question for over a decade. A pioneer who helped architect the very framework of American telemedicine, she now reveals why the biggest innovatio...

What does it really take to rebuild a life after addiction? For Hilary Phelps, the journey wasn't a linear path to a happy ending — it was a daily practice of peeling back layers, navigating severe depression, and redefining self-care as a single mother. In a world quick to judge and glamorize, she argues that the heart of recovery lies in the messy middle. In this deeply personal episode of HIT L...

What if we’ve been missing a fundamental piece of human biology? Dr. Leigh Vinocur, one of the first physicians with a master’s in Cannabis Science, pulls back the curtain on the endocannabinoid system — the "bliss molecule" network that regulates everything from pain to stress. She reveals why this science is ignored in medical schools, how it could have helped her own mother, and why "stress tri...

We celebrate athletes as superheroes, but what happens when the pressure to perform ignores their basic humanity? From social media noise to the dangerous myth of the "normal" missing period, Dr. Marcia “Marcy” Faustin reveals the systemic gaps in sports care — and how a "Fuel Your Soul" model could revolutionize athlete health. In this compelling episode of HIT Like A Girl, guest host Dana Trampa...

In a post-Roe America, the attacks on reproductive healthcare are becoming more insidious. Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson reveals how a recent "big, beautiful" bill contains a provision designed to bankrupt providers — and why she sees this moment not as a defeat, but as a call to build an "infrastructure of hope." In this powerful and essential episode of HIT Like a Girl, guest host...

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for American children. Millions have been plunged back into poverty. A top anti-vaccine activist runs Health and Human Services. Pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews argues that this isn't a political issue — it's a moral failure. So she left the hospital to run for the U.S. Senate, aiming to become its first pediatrician. In this urgent and inspiring episode o...

What if a tampon could diagnose infections—not just absorb them? In this fiery episode of HIT Like A Girl, guest host Demi Radeva sits down with Valentina Milanova, founder and CEO of Daye, live from HLTH Europe. Valentina’s mission? To smash the gender care gap with biotech breakthroughs—starting with diagnostic tampons that could rewrite women’s healthcare. From CBD-infused tampons to cutting-ed...

What if women could track their hormones as easily as blood sugar? In this electrifying episode of HIT Like A Girl, guest host Demi Radeva sits down with Anna Luisa Schaffgotsch, founder & CEO of Impli, to discuss a game-changing innovation: real-time, continuous hormone monitoring. From IVF and menopause to PCOS and beyond, Anna Luisa’s work is bridging the gap between data and precision care—fin...

Despite decades of progress, women’s health remains narrowly defined by reproduction, research still overlooks gender disparities, and harmful norms continue shaping health outcomes worldwide. So how do we build a future where global health truly serves everyone? In this powerful episode of HIT Like A Girl, guest host Demi Radeva sits down with Anna Coates, the Senior Gender Technical Lead at the...

What happens when medicine’s most fearless leaders gather to dismantle systemic barriers?  Guest host Dana Trampas brings you frontline access from the Women in Medicine Summit, sitting down with Dr. Shikha Jain—triple board-certified oncologist, founder of the Women in Medicine Summit, and a thunderous voice for change. This isn’t just another healthcare conference. It’s a battle plan for equity,...

Beyond the Hospital Walls: Ensuring Safety, Security & Equity in the "Care Anywhere" Era As care delivery expands beyond traditional hospital settings, critical questions emerge: How do we safeguard patient safety and cybersecurity in decentralized care? What does it take to ensure equitable access to high-quality care for all? In this episode of HITea with Grace, Grace Vinton sits down with Laura...

🎙️ What does it take to create a healthcare system that truly works for everyone? In this episode of HIT Like a Girl, host Demi Radeva sits down with Kristen Valdes, founder and CEO of b.well Connected Health, to explore how interoperability and innovation are reshaping the future of healthcare. Kristen shares her journey from working with Medicare and Medicaid Services to developing one of the f...

🎙️ How can AI bridge the gap between data and actionable insights in healthcare?  In this episode of HIT Like a Girl, hosts Demi Radeva and Kim Perry, Chief Growth Officer of emtelligent, dive into the transformative potential of AI in healthcare. Kim shares her expertise on the evolution of clinical AI, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP), and how it’s turning unstructured data into ac...

🎙️ How can we harness the power of AI to transform healthcare while keeping humanity at the center? In this episode of HIT Like a Girl, host Demi Radeva sits down with Patty Hayward, a trailblazer in healthcare IT with over 25 years of experience. Patty shares her fascinating journey from conservation biology to tackling some of the biggest challenges in healthcare IT, including automation, AI int...

🎙️ What if your identity could seamlessly follow you through every healthcare experience? In this episode of HIT Like a Girl, hosts Demi Radeva and Shriya Palekar sit down with a visionary healthcare expert to explore how reusable networked identities are transforming the patient experience. Drawing parallels to their groundbreaking work in secure identity verification at airports, Shriya explains...

🎙️ What happens when patients take the lead in shaping healthcare innovation?  In this episode of HIT Like a Girl, guest host Demi Radeva sits down with Molly Schreiber, a passionate patient advocate who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 35 years and rheumatoid arthritis. Molly shares her incredible journey from being a patient to joining Savvy Cooperative, a patient-owned marketplace revolutioni...

🎙️ What does it take to revolutionize healthcare with data? In this episode of the HIT Like a Girl Podcast, guest host Demi Radeva sits down with Shirel Daniel, a leader in the healthcare startup space, to uncover her unique journey and the transformative work she’s directing at Extrico Health. From her roots at Syracuse University and Tel Aviv University to her impactful roles with the UN Enviro...

With a new administration under President Trump, the healthcare industry is poised for significant shifts. How do we adapt, innovate, and lead through change? That’s the focus of this special series on HIT Like a Girl podcast, hosted by Demi Radeva, our newest guest host and a powerhouse in health system financing and innovation. 🌟 In this series, Demi shares her journey and sits down with 6 incr...

Chandra Osborn, Chief Behavioral Officer at AdhereHealth, joins Joy to discuss the power of empathy and strategic partnerships in improving medication adherence. In this episode, Chandra shares her journey from academia to industry, highlighting the challenges and transformations she faced, particularly during the pandemic. We delve into the complexities of medication adherence and the importance...

In this episode, Joy Rios engages speaks with Dr. Monica Lypson, Vice Dean for Education at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Lypson shares her inspiring journey from the south side of Chicago to a prominent role in medical education, emphasizing the importance of mentorship, diversity, and effective communication in healthcare. The discussion delves into the chal...

In this episode, Joy Rios talks with Helen Burstin, the CEO of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. Helen shares her extensive career journey, highlighting her pivotal roles in healthcare quality and her commitment to improving care for patients and physicians. The discussion delves into the challenges women face in advancing their careers, particularly in leadership positions, and emphasiz...

In this episode, Joy chats with Dr. Adeshola Ezeokoli, an internist and physician coach, to discuss the pressing issue of burnout in the healthcare profession. Dr. Shola shares her personal journey of overcoming burnout early in her career and emphasizes the importance of building a career that aligns with one's life priorities. The conversation highlights the necessity of being intentional about...