The Pursuit of Health Podcast

On Episode 13 of the Pursuit of Health podcast, Dr. Fethke invites his own most influential mentor, Dr. Welton M. Gersony - a pioneer and world-class Pediatric Cardiologist -  to remind us all of the importance of maintaining the fundamentals of Patient-Physician Communication.    Over the past 5 decades Dr. Gersony has been one of the most influential physician leaders in American Pediatrics and,...

On Episode 12 of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke invites a local colleague, Dr. Richard Hahn - an experienced Pediatric Psychiatrist - to address a very important and timely issue: the Mental Health of Children during the Covid-19 pandemic.    Dr. Hahn is a graduate of several prestigious institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),  NY Medical College,  Corne...

On this 11th episode of the Pursuit of Health podcast, Dr. Fethke is honored and excited to invite a dear friend and colleague, Steven Tannenbaum, Esq., to debunk the notion that doctors and lawyers are necessarily always adversaries.   Our guest is a seasoned attorney with over 40 years of experience and a senior partner in Tannenbaum, Bellantone & Silver PC, a civil litigation law firm based...

In our second Take A Step Back episode we take the opportunity to look back over and comment upon Episodes 4 through 7. Our host,  Dr. Fethke, is joined by a fourth year medical student, Kevin Kriege, and an experienced pediatrician, Dr. Dominic Berlingieri. Together, they reflect on the lessons gleaned from these four episodes, including;    Episode 4 (Part 2) - Schools play a vital role as entry...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Meghna Dassani, a pioneer dentist in Houston, Texas who is committed to addressing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) through a comprehensive approach which includes educating others about the  prevalence and implications of this unrecognized and dangerous disturbance of sleep.   She shares the personal journey during her training that led her to incorporate the tr...

On Part 2 of this episode, we continue the discussion with our special guest,  Dr. Maya Shetreat, M.D., a thought leader in Medicine and a pioneer who has helped redefine how we think about health.  After her conventional training as a Pediatric Neurologist she continued to grow intellectually and philosophically and is now also an herbalist and urban farmer.   She is the author of the groundbreak...

On this episode, our special guest is Dr. Maya Shetreat, M.D., a thought leader in Medicine and a pioneer who has helped redefine how we think about health.  After her conventional training as a Pediatric Neurologist, she  continued to grow intellectually and philosophically and is now also an herbalist and urban farmer.  She is the author of the groundbreaking book, The Dirt Cure: Growing Healthy...

In Part 2 of this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast - in a co-branded session with Parent Heart Watch, the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation and the Dominic Murray 21 Memorial Foundation - Dr. Fethke continues his discussion with three thought leaders and pioneers who have spent the past two decades addressing the recognition and prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death, particular...

In Part 1 of this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast - in a co-branded session with Parent Heart Watch, the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation and the Dominic Murray 21 Memorial Foundation - Dr. Fethke sits down with three thought leaders and pioneers who have spent the past two decades addressing the recognition and prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death, particularly in the young...

On Episode 6 Part 2 we continue to explore the concept of Implicit Bias in Healthcare with the help of two brave and remarkable healthcare professionals, Dr. David M. Loeb, M.D., PhD, who is the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; and Denise Velazquez, a Senior Social Worker in the same division...

On Episode 6 Part 1 we begin to explore the concept of Implicit Bias in Healthcare with the help of two brave and remarkable healthcare professionals: Dr. David M. Loeb, M.D., PhD, who is the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; and Denise Velazquez, a Senior Social Worker in the same division at...

On Part 2 of this episode, Dr. Fethke continues his dialogue with Ernesto Chan on the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on our nation’s elderly.  Mr. Chan is a Director of Nursing at a Longterm Care facility in New Jersey. Mr. Chan shares his experiences and the broader implications they provide to all of us who may be caring for our vulnerable parents and grandparents.    The discussion picks up f...

On this episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke was honored and excited to invite a dear friend and colleague, Ernesto Chan, to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on our nation’s elderly. Mr. Chan is a Director of Nursing at a Longterm Care facility in New Jersey, which we have intentionally kept anonymous in order to not bias one facility or institution over another. Mr. Ch...

On this episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke continues his discussion with colleagues and neighbors - Dr. Philip Wilken and Dr. Avi Silber -  who also happen to be practicing pediatric physicians and administrators in the Greater Hudson Valley of New York State. In this virtual fireside chat, they expand upon the role of finances in the quality and effectiveness of healthcare deliv...

After a week-long break, The Pursuit of Health Podcast is back with another exciting episode. Dr. Fethke sits down with colleagues and neighbors - Dr. Philip Wilken and Dr Avi Silber -  who also happen to be practicing pediatric physicians and administrators in the Greater Hudson Valley of New York State. In this virtual fireside chat they delve into the role of finances in the quality and effecti...

In our first Take A Step Back episode, we take the opportunity to look back over and comment on Episodes 1 through 4.  Our host,  Dr. Fethke, is joined by a first year medical student, Alyssa Shannon, and an experienced practicing pediatrician, Dr. Emily Brown. Together, they reflect on the lessons learned from the first four episodes, including:   Episode 1 - How healthcare has strayed from its o...

On this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, we continue our visit with Dr. Elizabeth Sassi, a Nurse Practitioner on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic in a large public school system just outside New York City. As a nurse with 38 years of experience, including 20 years in critical care and a background in Epidemiology, she brings a unique perspective to the role that public education p...

On today's episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Sassi, a Nurse Practitioner on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in a large public school system just outside New York City. As a nurse with over 38 years of experience - including 20 years in critical care and a background in Epidemiology - she brings a unique perspective to the role that publ...

On today’s episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Dr. Theresa Hamlin, the Associate Executive Director at The Center For Discovery in Harris, New York. This residential facility provides for over 300 adults and children with complex developmental disabilities, including autism.   The Center is a school, a day-care center, a farm, a medical clinic, a research center, an...

On today’s episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke continues his conversation with Meghan Kelly, the Director of the Child Life  Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. On our last episode, we introduced Meghan and her work in the field of Child Life. On this episode, we review Child Life as a field still fighting to claim its true legitimacy.   We discuss disparities on whe...

On today’s episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Meghan Kelly, the Director of the Child Life  Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. They discuss her work in the unique healthcare specialty of Child Life and its implications for our greater U.S. health system.  Ms. Kelly invites us into her world and teaches us about the valuable role and evolution of this...

Dr. Eric Fethke continues his discussion of our current healthcare system from Part 1 of this first episode. With the history behind the American healthcare system explained, he now reviews the current status of our health system and explores the returns on our investment - what we are getting for our money.  This episode makes an often daunting and confusing healthcare system more comprehensible...

Dr. Eric Fethke begins this first episode with an introduction to the mission and philosophy of The Pursuit of Health. As our host, he invites us to recognize the role that our healthcare system plays in promoting the value of every individual’s life, so that we as a people may rediscover the revolutionary principles of our founding fathers.  After this introduction, Dr. Fethke kicks off the main...