20-Minute Health Talk host Chethan Sathya, MD, sits down with Craig Spencer, MD, — ER physician, global health leader, and public health professor at Brown University — for a story that stretches from childhood dreams of “sharkology” to the front lines of the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak. [Note that this was recorded prior to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.] Dr. Spencer explains why he walked away from a surgical path, moved to China, and ultimately chose emergency medicine to “treat anyone, for anything, anywhere.”

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

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Part two turns to home turf: Covid-19’s early days in New York City. Dr. Spencer addresses what public health experts got right — including the lifesaving impact of Operation Warp Speed — and what went wrong. Dr. Spencer and Dr. Sathya also unpack the collapse of trust in medical science, arguing that public health’s dramatic successes in saving lives and protecting populations at home and abroad can’t remain invisible if experts want to convince the general public — especially when fear, loss, and economic pain reshape perceptions.

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom:

• Press releases
• Insights
• Podcasts
• Publications

Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit our career site and explore our many opportunities.

Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

In the first episode of this two-part 20-Minute Health Talk, Chethan Sathya, MD, sits down with Don Berwick, MD — former Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator (CMS) and founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Dr. Berwick traces his path from early harrowing medical experiences to a career dedicated to improving patient care and healthcare delivery. The conversation moves to how patient solidarity could become a force for change and why simplifying to a single, public payer could create conditions that could fix the delivery of health care while actually improving patient choice and lowering costs.

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom:

• Press releases
• Insights
• Podcasts
• Publications

Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit our career site and explore our many opportunities.

Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.