Profound Conversations

When organizations set out to achieve lofty goals, whether they are record breaking profits, client satisfaction indexes or the achievement of record-breaking organ transplants, what are essential elements that must exist within their culture in order to achieve success? This episode examines how effective Executive Leadership has the potential to create the deep sense of purpose and commitment to...

This episode of Profound Conversations will explore the intersection between cultures of care, the dynamics of loss and grieving, as well as the impact that donation has for families that give and receive the gift of life. Our intent for this episode will be to create new understandings and pathways to wellness within the context of great loss. Our Profound Conversationalists include Dr. Clive Cal...

The opioid epidemic refers to the enormous surge in opioid addiction and overdose over the last several decades in the United States. Much of the epidemic has its origins in medical practice. Devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic include increases in opioid misuse and related overdoses, as well as the rising incidence of newborns experiencing withdrawal syndrome due to opioid use and mis...

The overriding opinion within the medical community of practice is that caregivers should attempt to reduce psychiatric barriers to successful transplantation. However certain questions remain after years of debate: (i) are current evaluations uniform throughout transplant centers throughout the country? How should we view transplant eligibility criteria that exclude patients with affective and ps...

How do we ‘re-imagine trust’ such that we effectively engage the hearts and minds in communities throughout America?  What is our responsibility as professionals within Public Health?  What are the things the we need to talk about when we talk about 21st century community engagement? Our efforts to  Re-Imagining Trust: Engaging Hearts and Minds in Communities Througho...

Profound Conversations views racism not as an attribute of minority groups; rather, as an aspect of the social context and is linked with the differential power relations among racial and ethnic groups. Most studies of racism are based on African American samples; however, other populations may be at risk for manifestations of racism that differ from the African American experience. Asians, Hispan...

Part of the huge job in successfully building healthy communities lies in accurately identifying behaviors that lead to breakdowns which impede progress. Episode II will explore co-work processes which enable organizations to effectively build and maintain internal trust; while also examining models of coalition development that map targeted, evaluative measures, which create effective collaborati...

“As leaders, as neighbors, as colleagues, it is time to turn to one another, to engage in the intentional search for human goodness. In our meetings and deliberations, we can reach out and invite in those we have excluded. We can recognize that no one person or leader has the answer, that we need everybody's creativity to find our way through this strange new world.” - Margaret Wheatley. [Remember...

With their history of forced immigration to the United States (US), African Americans were de-cultured and dehumanized, their misery treated as ‘natural’ and benign. Today, they are an important minority in a nation with a singular degree of world influence. Much of the country’s vitality, especially its contemporary cultural life, can be credited to African Americans, but racism remains a definit...

Modern democracy requires people who can think critically, reason ethically, and participate effectively. Successful organizations must be populated by people who understand group processes and how to guide them while maintaining the proper respect for all participants. Ethical leadership thrives when it is directed by respect for ethical beliefs and values and for the dignity and rights of all pe...

Does COVID-19 threaten or enhance the academic community’s ability to close the gap in diversity and cultural inclusiveness for students seeking higher education? Are we in a better or worse position regarding the recruitment of the very best talent within vulnerable populations? What solutions are institutions grappling with to remain competitive in this ever-evolving environment? Our host is Lin...

With Difficulty Comes Ease...   How do we make sense of the days and times we find ourselves in?  Common impulses to the injustice and corruption are raw and visceral.  Words don’t seem to contain the energy to hold the gravity of the moment.  There is bewilderment, anger and even rage.  However, within the midst of the senseless there remains a need to bring all things in...

This week we discuss the need for making informed decisions as we listen to politicians' campaign speeches or read news stories about the people running for office.  Part of being an informed voter is being familiar with down ballot candidates and understanding the referendums which impact local elections.  Has your family discussed a vote plan?  Are you an early voter int...

As we come to a close of the summer season with Labor Day weekend in our rear view, what is the current state of the union regarding the coronavirus pandemic in the United States?  How do we prevent needless loss of life as we head into the winter flu season?  What are the prospects for an effective vaccine before years end and how long can we expect to have impacts to our current social...

We are in the midst of events that highlight health disparities and inequities. Preliminary data has shown that African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than whites, even though they make up a smaller percentage of the population. The pandemic is bringing to light health inequities that have existed for many years. Protest around the world are also calling attention to other inequ...

A continuation of last week’s episode, The American Social Epidemic of Violence and Racism: Economic and Health Inequities and the Weaponizing of Authority. This Part II further examines this topic to further advance our understanding of systemic maladies which include structural racism. We will continue to ponder: How did we get here and what is the way forward? What are specific health impacts o...

Protests that originated in Minneapolis after a white police officer killed George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, quickly spread around the country. The reality of social inequality create anger and despair that is now playing out on the streets of cities throughout the country. How did we get here and what is the way forward? What are specific health impacts on individual, family and communities...

How has the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced, and in some instances influenced medical decisions which require physicians and nurses to grapple with the principles of health care [medical/bio] ethics? In a post COVID-19 pandemic world are traditional standards for making medical choices, which in some cases weigh life and death in the balance, sufficient for rendering the best possible benefits for both...

US businesses will re-open in a new reality. Social distancing regulations may make it difficult for some establishments to realize profit margins sufficient to support growth and long-term viability. We are likely to see a continued increase in online trans-actions. Some macro strategist suggests that cryptocurrencies will replace the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. With Profound Conve...

COVID 19 could bring a profound or notable transformation in how Americans spend, save, and invest their money; how businesses function; and how people engage. The impact of COVID 19 could reverberate for decades. Some predict that it will be like the Great Recession of 2008. Others draw comparisons to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Are either one of these accurate comparisons? We know for sur...

How do we create a post pandemic world that is more inclusive of vulnerable populations? We speak to two distinguished physi- cians who see health inequities every day and who are commitment to improving the health and wellness of vulnerable popula- tions. We ask the questions (1) is population health management the way forward to building healthy, sustainable communities? Do we have a plan to red...

Last week we explored the impact of COVID 19 on inner city communities in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Some populations around the globe are being hit harder than others; globally our response to this pandemic has been less than adequate. We were especially unprepared to mitigate the impact the pandemic, that have devasted much of the world, had on the economically, socially and medically vulne...

Inner-city populations remain at high-risk for poor health outcomes, and premature death due to preventable diseases and en- vironmental factors associated with known socioeconomic and primary health care inequities. In many of these communities COVID-19 spreads at faster rates than other communities. We will take a look at inner city communities in and around Baltimore and ask the questions: Wher...

In a time with so much uncertainty, sickness and death how do we continue to maintain a positive outlook? What are the best ways to share em- pathy and create harmony in our homes and in our neighborhoods once things return to a semblance of ‘normal’? This week we look at several therapeutic approaches to these and other prescient questions with mental health thought leaders working on the front l...

The global economic picture is looking bleak. Economists predict there will be a recession in almost every devel- oped economy across the world. The US economy is expected to contract by 2.8% this year.  The New Economic Reality: Social-economic Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic  is a Profound Conversation focusing on how this will dictate economic realities for individuals, families an...