The ASHHRA Podcast

Hosts Bo Brabo   and Luke Carignan sit down with Heather Zarzycki , Director of Total Rewards at Adventist Health , for a candid conversation about what’s really changing in healthcare compensation, why transparency isn’t the enemy, and how HR leaders can adapt to the realities of wage compression, remote work, and AI. 💡 In This Episode You’ll Learn: 1️. Transparency Is the New Trust Heather shar...

In this lively and thought-provoking episode, co-hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan sit down with Elizabeth Babb , System Director of Human Resources at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System , for a conversation that blends humor, heart, and hard-hitting insights about modern HR leadership. Elizabeth, a lifelong Spartanburg native and self-proclaimed “hilarious dog mom,” brings her infectious energ...

Monday News Drop: Education Reform, Pharmacy Savings & The Future of Healthcare Workforce This week on The ASHHRA Podcast , co-hosts Bo Brabo , Luke Carignan , and Jeremy Sadlier tackle three headlines shaking up healthcare HR and workforce strategy: education pipelines, rising benefit costs, and how leadership can get ahead of both. 💡 Inside This Episode: 1️. Healthcare Education Reimagined...

In Episode 184 of The ASHHRA Podcast, host Luke Carignan sits down with Amanda Ellis , Vice President of Total Rewards at SSM Health, for an inspiring conversation about her dynamic HR journey and innovative approach to total rewards.  Amanda shares her story, from her Florida Gator roots to marrying her high school sweetheart and raising a family while climbing the HR ladder. Starting with an int...

We’re excited to bring you the latest episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, where host Luke Carignan sits down with Jennifer Law , CHRO of Vail Health, for a truly heartfelt conversation about the realities—and rewards—of working in healthcare HR nestled in the picturesque mountains of Colorado. Here’s what you’ll find inside this episode: Life & Work in “Paradise” Jen kicks off by sharing what it’s...

Recorded live at the 2025 ASHHRA Executive Summit in Savannah, host Luke Carignan (sans traveling co-host Bo Brabo) sits down with Jaclyn Thomson , Director of Employee & Labor Relations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Jaclyn shares her unique journey from psychology and counseling to HR mastery, blending empathy with strategic ER. Amid talent shortages and operationa...

We’re excited to bring you highlights from this week’s “Monday News Drop” episode of The ASHHRA Podcast! Co-hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo were back in the studio to tackle two of the hottest topics shaping healthcare HR today: a shakeup in leadership expectations and the non-stop momentum of AI. Episode Highlights 1. No One Wants to Lead! Luke and Bo dove into an eye-opening article on “Conscio...

In this engaging solo-hosted episode (Bo's out traveling!), Luke Carignan chats with Erica Samalis , Director of HR Business Partners at Tufts Medicine. Erica shares her pivot from pre-med to HR via business school, her 12 years at Children's National in DC, and her return to New England roots. Amid talent shortages and industry shifts, she discusses elevating HRBPs to strategic roles, w...

In this lively episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo welcome Michelle Nicholl , CHRO in Las Vegas, NV. With a diverse career spanning call centers, hospitality, banking, and 15 years in healthcare, Michelle shares her unscripted journey—from building and dismantling an HR department during an FDIC closure to tackling talent shortages in Vegas' competitive market. Ami...

In this dynamic episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo chat with Suzanne Kercher-Liedke , Director of Talent Acquisition at Hoag Health System in Orange County, CA. From her unexpected start in recruiting (post-agricultural business major) to scaling Hoag from 2,700 to 10,000 employees, Suzanne shares her 22-year journey and forward-thinking approaches to talent challenges...

In this week’s Monday News Drop , co-host Bo Brabo is joined by Jeremy Sadlier for a deep dive into three powerful stories shaping the future of healthcare HR. From building tomorrow’s workforce to protecting today’s talent, this episode connects the dots between education, staffing, and leadership sustainability. 💡 Here’s What You’ll Learn: Healthcare Systems Are Building High Schools. Bloomberg...

In this insightful episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo welcome Cyann Peterson , Recruiting Operations Lead at Tenet Healthcare. With a unique journey from agriculture and NASCAR roots to agency recruiting at Apex Systems, Ascension, HCA, and now Tenet, Cyann shares her evolution into TA Ops. She dives into optimizing processes, tech stacks, and team enablement in large-...

In this energizing episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo chat with Shaina Lane , Senior Leadership Development Specialist at AccentCare. With a background in sports medicine and healthcare operations, Shaina shares her pivot to HR and her passion for building better leaders. Drawing from her book Leadership Is Easy, Said No One Ever: 11 Habits to Learn Early So You Can Le...

In this captivating episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan sit down with Dr. Tali Lando , a board-certified pediatric otolaryngologist at Westchester Medical Center Health Network in New York. Dr. Lando shares her inspiring path to medicine, from volunteering in NICUs and sign language interpreting to rigorous training at Cornell, Columbia, and CHOP. Now a mother of three,...

Kick off your week with the inaugural "News Drop" episode of The ASHHRA Podcast! Hosts Luke Carignan, Bo Brabo, and new co-host Jeremy Sadlier (ASHHRA CEO) deliver a fresh weekly roundup of top healthcare HR headlines. From critical staffing shortages to AI's role in HR, they break down trends, stats, and implications—sparking discussions on innovative solutions for HR pros. Key hea...

In this special RxBenefits -sponsored episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan explore the dynamic pharmacy benefits landscape with experts Sarah Hearn and Wes Hill (Director of Compliance & Legal Operations). Amid the busiest legislative season yet—over 1,500 bills—they discuss PBM reforms, ERISA challenges, compounding alternatives for GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, 340B pr...

In this inspiring episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo welcome Lisa Kemph , CHRO at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, FL. With 30 years in HR across six industries, Lisa shares her journey from logistics to healthcare, emphasizing emotional intelligence, leadership development, and building a people-first culture amid rapid organizational growth. Lisa offers timeles...

In this dynamic episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo chat with Maxine Carrington , Chief People Officer, and Matt Kurth , Deputy Chief People Officer at Northwell Health. Fresh from the ASHHRA Executive Summit in Savannah, they explore how Northwell—a powerhouse with 104,000 employees, 28 hospitals, and recent mergers like Nuvance Health—navigates massive changes while f...

In this inspiring episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo welcome Sandeep Randhawa , Chief People Officer at Renown Health in Reno, Nevada. Recorded in the dog days of summer 2025, Sandeep shares his transformative approach to creating a people-first culture at Renown, a not-for-profit health system serving a 100,000-square-mile region with 8,000 dedicated employees. Sandee...

In this powerful episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo sit down live from Savannah, GA, with Alysia Price , CHRO of UNC Health Appalachian. As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene approaches, Alysia shares her firsthand account of the devastating storm that ravaged western North Carolina, turning routine rain into catastrophic flooding, road washouts, and power ou...

In this episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo chat with Dana Bradley , VP of Human Resources at Silver Cross Hospital. With a powerhouse background in operations and leadership at top universities like UChicago, Rush, Northwestern, and GWU, Dana reveals how an ops mindset supercharges HR strategy in healthcare. Key highlights include: Ops-First HR: The Ultimate Edge – Dan...

In this episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo sit down with Eric Cole , Corporate Senior Vice President of HR at Scripps Health in San Diego. With a unique background in finance and hospital administration, Eric shares how blending operational insight with HR strategy has transformed leadership and culture at Scripps. Key highlights include: Operations in HR: A Game-Chang...

Join hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo for a lively episode of The ASHHRA Podcast , where they chat with Victor Gaines , AVP of Talent Acquisition at Wellstar Health System. Kicking off with NFL banter and a playful scoop on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's "engagement" (spoiler: it's all in good fun), the conversation quickly dives into Victor's eclectic career journey—from...

In this special edition of The ASHHRA Podcast , co-hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan sit down with three powerhouse voices from RxBenefits — Rhiannon Klein , Sarah Hearn , and Sarah McHale —to unpack the latest seismic shift in the 340B Drug Pricing Program and what it means for hospitals, health systems, and the communities they serve. What’s at Stake? HRSA’s newly announced pilot rebate model for...

In this powerful episode of The ASHHRA Podcast , Luke Carignan sits down with Kelly Martin , Vice President and CHRO at Texas Health Resources , to explore what it truly takes to lead large-scale HR transformation in one of the nation’s largest health systems. With over 23 years at Texas Health Resources, Kelly has grown from an entry-level employee relations role to the organization’s top HR lead...