House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy

As Dr. Murthy's term as the 21st U.S. Surgeon General comes to a close, House Calls is ending, too. In this final episode, Dr. Murthy and House Calls producer and friend Ann Kim reflect on their journey to creating House Calls and discuss why this podcast has been an important part of the Office of the Surgeon General. Past guests and listeners chime in, too, with good-bye messages of their own. W...

As Dr. Murthy prepares to conclude his term as Surgeon General, the moment is , the moment is bittersweet: serving as Surgeon General has been the honor of his lifetime, and saying goodbye is hard. For this second-to-last episode of House Calls, he calls on his my moai – friends and fellow physicians Dave Chokshi and Sunny Kishmore – to reflect on the issues he took and how serving as Surgeon Gene...

On a recent trip to India, the Surgeon General sat down with the delightful and inspiring father-daughter duo of Aamir and Ira Khan. Aamir is a renowned and beloved actor and producer, appearing in some of India’s biggest films. Ira Khan is founder of the Agatsu Foundation, a peer support and counseling center in Mumbai. Many people assume Aamir and Ira’s lives are easy and worry-free given their...

“You can re-imagine anything.” This was life advice that fashion designer Phillip Lim was given by his mother. His family escaped the Khmer Rouge and came to America as refugees. They had no resources and had to start over from scratch. Somehow, Phillip rose to become one of the most successful fashion designers in the world. He started his label 3.1 Phillip Lim with his business partner when they...

Do you feel you can no longer talk with people who hold different opinions? Has anger become the predominant tone? If we want this to change, how can we as individuals, change the way we talk and connect when we differ?   Dr. Francis Collins is a pro at stepping into spaces that many of us are avoiding right now. He’s remarkably good at finding common ground with people who think differently than...

How do we find that fulfilment in a modern world where so many of us often feel lonely and unsure of our self-worth? For this bonus episode of House Calls, we share excerpts from a conversation between the Surgeon General and yogi & spiritual leader Sadhguru as they discuss what it means to live a fulfilling life. We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at housecalls@hhs.gov with your feedb...

Have you ever wanted to gather people, but then something stops you? What if I burn the apps? What if the house is a mess? Will people bring something, or chip in?  Or, the biggest fear of all – what if nobody shows up?  Sarah Harmeyer, the founder of Neighbor’s Table, calls herself a “people gatherer,” and is an expert at bringing people together. Sarah offers some practical advice and much comfo...

For Ada Limón, the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, poetry is her way of connecting — to others, to ourselves, to our natural world.  Ada’s work is deeply personal, inspired by gratitude for loved ones, awe and nature, and her struggles with scoliosis and infertility. In this conversation with the Surgeon General, she reflects on her process for writing, which she says often starts with the simple act of...

How does parents’ mental health influence their kids’ mental health? Why are parents today feeling so overwhelmed? How can parents let go of trying to be the perfect parent? As the father of two young kids, parenting is a common theme the Surgeon General explores with guests. Given the resonance of the Surgeon General’s recent advisory on parent mental health & well-being, this episode digs in...

What can life in space teach us about living well on earth? As an astronaut, Kayla Barron she has lived this very question. As a member of the NASA’s mission to the International Space Station, she and her crew spent 177 days in orbit. In that time, she performed two space walks. Before becoming an astronaut, she earned a degree in nuclear engineering and served as one of the first female Submarin...

What does Dr. Ruth have to say about facing loneliness? Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a legend who broke taboos around talking about sex and relationships. At her core, she cared deeply about human connection. In 2023, she was named the nation’s first honorary Ambassador to Loneliness for the state of New York. In honor of Dr. Ruth, who passed in July 2024, the Surgeon General offers a remembrance and s...

Parental well-being is linked to the well-being of kids – it affects kids’ health, their learning, and, ultimately, their futures. But right now, parents and caregivers are incredibly stressed. That stress is harder to manage when you feel you’re on your own, which is why it’s concerning that parents, particularly single parents, report high levels of loneliness. In this week’s episode of House Ca...

What does it mean to succeed when you’ve reached the Olympic podium? How do you separate that success from your sense of self-worth? The world knows Chloe Kim as one of the greatest athletes ever. At 17, Chloe was the youngest person to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding. She was the first to win two gold medals in the Halfpipe. She was the first female snowboarder to have landed back-to-ba...

What does coming close to death teach us about living? Sebastian Junger is not a stranger to danger and death. As an award-winning journalist and author of “The Perfect Storm,” and “Tribe,” he has spent his career covering humans in harrowing situations, from massive storms at sea to the front lines of wars. In his recent memoir, “In My Time of Dying,” Sebastian considers his near-death experience...

In celebration of World Friendship Day, the Surgeon General invites an old friend and House Calls producer to talk about how their deep connection has seen them through the best of times and the worst of times, sustaining them both personally and professionally. (00:28) House Calls gets personal as Dr. Murthy introduces an old friend (who is also a House Calls producer) (01:56) How Dr. Murthy and...

The Surgeon General and Selena Gomez, singer, actress, and founder and creator of Rare Beauty and the Rare Impact Fund, take the stage at the Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit to talk about loneliness, connection, and the power of talking about our mental health. (02:42)   Why is bringing people together to talk about mental health so important to Selena? (03:49)   Why has loneliness and connection...

What makes us successful?   What makes our lives fulfilling?  Are they the same things?  We’re exposed to so many ideas of what is success, it’s not always easy to be clear on what path best serves us. This episode’s guest, Adam Grant, is an organizational psychologist and expert on what motivates us, what gives us meaning, and how we can live more generous and creative lives.   This conversation...

In this part 2 of their conversation, the Surgeon General explores Dr. Abraham Verghese's craft as a writer -- what is his creative process? And what is the relationship between his writing and his work in medicine? The episode closes with Dr. Verghese sharing one of his favorite poems. (02:56)    How does Dr. Verghese deal with moments of fear and uncertainty that arise in practicing medicine...

For doctors who spend years training to make their patients better, what happens when there is no cure?  This is how Dr. Abraham Verghese came of age as a physician.  At the height of the AIDS epidemic, he treated a rural population of dying young men, men his own age, who had no future and were often shunned by other doctors. Working with his AIDS patients, Dr. Verghese learned that treating the...

In this special episode, Dr. Murthy sits down with Sara Bareilles, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and actress, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony award-winning singer and actress. You may know more about them as performers than you do about their experiences with mental health, but this conversation will change that.  As two very good friends who are warm, funny, and genuine, this conversation...

As a parent, have you ever worried about whether you’re doing a good enough job? Do you feel the pressure to be perfect? Have you felt drained by the demands of parenting? In this deeply personal conversation, the Surgeon General (and dad of 2) and psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman put the spotlight on parent mental health. Dr. Pressman changes the conversation from trying to be the perfect parent t...

What is our purpose, both individually and collectively? What lies in the balance of who we are now and who we will become?  In Part Two of this episode, the Surgeon General and Shankar Vedantam, host of “Hidden Brain,” go deep into conversation about our individual and national quest for meaning and purpose.  This episode becomes deeply personal as both host and guest reveal their family’s hopes...

Have you ever had a moment when you’ve wanted to reach out to someone you haven’t seen in awhile, but something stops you, like the worry you’ll say the wrong thing?  Or have you had the experience of assuming that someone who disagrees with you must also dislike you?   It turns out, our mind can play tricks on us that make it harder to connect.   Shankar Vedantam, host and creator of the podcast ...

What is hope and why is it so powerful?  For writer Rebecca Solnit, hope is a commitment to possibility in the face of uncertainty. While many of us react to the unknown with anxiety or worry, Rebecca sees the opposite: that inherent to unpredictable circumstances is the possibility people can take action and to come together to create change.  In this conversation, Rebecca Solnit and the Surgeon...

What lessons does life’s uncertainties offer? Kate Bowler’s stage IV cancer diagnosis ushered her into a world of fear and pain. Living in 60-day increments, her future held no promises. Angry about losing the life she had created, the love of family, friends, and her faith community helped Kate forge a new type of strength—learning to lean on others. This conversation between the nation’s doctor...