The Smart Care Team Spotlight

From bedside care to system-wide change, this conversation traces how clinical experience can drive research and health equity impact. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Bridgette Rice, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Villanova University, discusses her journey from neonatal intensive care nursing to becoming a nationally recognized researcher and leader focused on...

What happens when AI in healthcare stops assisting and starts practicing? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, host Molly McCarthy partners with the Healthcare on Air podcast by Verizon, and along with its hosts Robin Goldsmith and Brian Urban, they welcome Geisinger’s Dr. Jonathan Slotkin, Chief Medical Officer of Strategy and Growth, Tim Fitzgerald, Chief Strategy Officer, and Susan...

What if the people best positioned to fix healthcare are the ones who’ve been closest to the problem all along? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Mary Lou Ackerman, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Health with Saint Elizabeth Health Care, and Nico Gennaro Sciasci, Chief Executive Officer of SONSIEL, discuss how “The Power of Nurses” lies in their ability to influence change...

What if the biggest breakthrough in healthcare innovation isn’t AI, but how we choose to use it? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, host Molly McCarthy partners with the Healthcare on Air podcast by Verizon, and along with its hosts Robin Goldsmith and Brian Urban, they welcome Geisinger’s Dr. Jonathan Slotkin, Chief Medical Officer of Strategy and Growth, and Tim Fitzgerald, Chief...

What if the secret to becoming a trusted advisor in healthcare isn’t expertise, but how well you listen, serve, and show up? In this episode, Mike Higgins, Executive in Residence at the Health Management Academy and an advisor to several other healthcare companies, connects his leadership style to early lessons in empathy and service from his family’s funeral business, which carried into his caree...

Global impact starts with local trust and sustainable partnerships. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Ruth Frey, Executive Director for Global Collaborations at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses building sustainable global pediatric care through community-driven innovation and long-term partnerships. She reflects on her 45-year career at the Children’s Hospital of...

What happens when nurses help design AI instead of just using it? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Colleen Mallozzi, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Informatics Officer at Jefferson Health, discusses how healthcare organizations can use AI and emerging technologies to redesign care delivery while reducing nurses' burden. She explains why frontline nurses must be deeply invol...

Real progress in healthcare tech happens when nurses co-design the tools and the how is treated as seriously as the what.  In this episode, Dr. Susan D. Smith, Director of Technology Research and Education at ChristianaCare and a nursing technology researcher, discusses how she moved from pediatric critical care into practice-based research and helped launch collaborative robots in a complex hospi...

Nursing, technology, and health equity collide! In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dylan Wallace, Family Nurse Practitioner at MedStar Medical Group, discusses how nurses can leverage technology to enhance patient care. She shares her journey from ER nurse to nurse practitioner, her work with underserved populations, and her commitment to health equity. Dylan also highlights the rol...

A practical path to reducing clinician burden is using ambient AI to capture documentation, allowing nurses to spend more time with patients.  In this episode, Gregg Springan, a nurse executive at Epic, discusses how his ICU background and “listen first” leadership philosophy shape technology designs that serve real clinical workflows. He explains why nurses belong inside health tech companies, th...

What if the most significant barrier to healthcare innovation isn’t the science, but the system around it? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Tiffany Wilson, CEO of the Science Center in Philadelphia, discusses accelerating healthcare innovation by bridging the gap between breakthrough ideas and real-world impact. She explains how the Science Center helps startups navigate evidence...

Nurses must not only have a seat at the table—they should be sending the invitations and leading the conversation on technology and care. In this episode, Dr. Simmy King, Chief Nursing Informatics and Education Officer at Children’s National Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, discusses how the fusion of informatics, education, and wellness can drive safer care, better outcomes, and a...

Simulation is redefining how nurses learn, collaborate, and step into emerging roles across the entire care continuum.  In this episode, Dr. Susan Kilroy, inaugural Endowed Professor in Healthcare Simulation and Innovation at Villanova University’s Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, discusses her unconventional path from business student and injured college athlete to pediatric nurse, educator, and n...

Unlocking the future of nursing and healthcare technology! In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Ani Bilazarian discusses ways to enhance nurse retention and improve patient care through technology and effective management practices. She highlights how gaps in care coordination lead to ER overuse for patients with complex chronic conditions and how tools like AI, telehealth, and roboti...

Nurses are not a cost to the system—they are the system’s greatest source of value. In this episode, Dr. Olga Yakusheva, economist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, explores how the Nursing Human Capital Value Model redefines the economics of healthcare by recognizing nurses as value creators who drive patient outcomes and financial sustainability. She also discusses the role of AI in sup...

Transforming healthcare through collaboration and innovation! In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Lori Wightman, Regional Chief Nursing Officer for Trinity Health’s Ohio Market and Professor of Practice at Washington University in St. Louis, explores how nurses and engineers can collaborate to redesign healthcare systems that truly improve patient care. She emphasizes the importa...

How can technology transform nursing without losing the human touch that defines patient care? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Nancy Beale emphasizes the need to involve clinicians in technology design, bridge technical capabilities with clinical needs, and foster critical thinking skills as AI and digital tools reshape nursing. She shares her priorities of reducing administr...

Bridging the gap between nursing and engineering is vital to creating impactful healthcare innovations. In this episode, Kelly Landsman, biomedical engineer and registered nurse, discusses the profound benefits of merging nursing insights with engineering solutions to drive patient-centered healthcare. She highlights critical issues like involving nurses early in technology design, leveraging simu...

AI is no longer an emerging technology in healthcare—it’s becoming a foundational tool transforming how care is delivered. In this episode, Kristy Fogle discusses how her journey from emergency medicine to digital health leadership has led to the creation of virtual nursing programs that ease burdens on clinical staff while improving outcomes. She also shares key lessons from piloting and expandin...

What happens when a nurse sits at the design table and changes the future of healthcare? In the Smart Care Team Spotlight episode, Dr. Debbie Gregory shares her journey from clinical nursing to healthcare design after recognizing that nurses were often excluded from critical decisions shaping care environments. She emphasizes the need for nurses to lead in integrating technologies like AI and virt...

Nurses must be involved in the decision-making process regarding technology implementation to ensure that it truly meets the needs of clinicians and patients.  In this episode, Claire Zangerle shares her journey into nursing leadership and the importance of giving nurses a voice in decision-making. She highlights AONL's digital transformation principles, the evolving roles of nurses in virtual car...

Ambient AI can ease documentation and capture real-time care data in high-pressure settings like flight nursing, freeing clinicians to focus on patients. In this episode, Kolby Kolbet, Chief Innovation Officer at Life Link III, discusses his unique journey from EMS and mortuary science to flight nursing and his current innovation leadership role. He details the demanding world of air medical trans...

AI and technology can enhance healthcare in the OR by reducing distractions and enabling clinicians to work at the top of their licenses.  In this episode, Dr. Josh Wymer shares his journey from nursing school to the Navy and his current work serving Missourians and leading the AORN Task Force on AI in perioperative care. He emphasizes the vital role of nurses, the importance of ethical AI, and th...

What happens when a nurse blends clinical experience with cutting-edge technology? You get innovation that actually works for the people delivering care. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Kelly Aldrich, Professor of Nursing Informatics and Director of Innovation at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and founder of Mindful Immersive Nursing Demonstration Lab, shared her jou...

Imagine a world where technology not only supports but transforms the way nurses deliver care. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Jason Fratzke discusses his transition from clinical nursing to nursing informatics, driven by a passion for integrating technology into patient care. He emphasizes the importance of human connection in healthcare, especially amidst rapid technologica...