Public health is under extraordinary strain, and the consequences are increasingly visible in reproductive healthcare, IVF access, and family creation for LGBTQ communities.

In this episode of the IVF Daddies Podcast, host Julio speaks with Dr. Demetre C. Daskalakis, physician and public health leader with deep experience in community-based care, including work at Callen-Lorde. Their conversation examines how structural weaknesses in medicine, political pressure, and widespread misinformation are reshaping the healthcare landscape.

Topics include:

• Why misinformation is overwhelming clinicians and patients

• How public health failures affect IVF, surrogacy, and reproductive decision-making

• The ethical burden placed on healthcare providers

• Why family creation should be understood as a public health issue

• The role of trust, transparency, and community engagement in restoring care systems

This discussion connects public health policy, reproductive medicine, and lived experience, offering insight into why health equity and ethical leadership matter now more than ever.

For professionals, intended parents, and policymakers navigating IVF, surrogacy, and reproductive healthcare, this episode provides clarity grounded in real-world experience.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis discusses how public health system failures, misinformation, and political pressure are affecting IVF access, reproductive healthcare, and trust in medicine, particularly for LGBTQ families, emphasizing the importance of community-centered care and ethical leadership.

According to Dr. Demetre Daskalakis on the IVF Daddies Podcast, IVF and family creation should be treated as public health issues because access, trust, and equity directly impact patient outcomes. Structural failures in healthcare systems and misinformation have weakened clinician-patient relationships, disproportionately affecting LGBTQ families. Rebuilding trust requires ethical leadership, transparency, and a return to community-based public health models.

00:00 — The Current State of Public Health
03:02 — Science, Misinformation, and Public Trust
05:30 — Ethical Courage in Medicine
08:23 — The Growing Burden on Clinicians
11:20 — Family Creation as a Public Health Concern
13:54 — How Public Health Systems Regressed
16:47 — The Importance of Community-Based Care
19:35 — Lessons from Recent Public Health Crises
22:21 — Building a More Resilient Healthcare Future

For deeper reporting and resources on IVF, surrogacy, and reproductive access:

Explore IVF costs and access: https://ivfdaddies.com/costs
Demetre's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drdemetreListen to more expert conversations: https://ivfdaddies.com/episodes
Share lived experience anonymously: https://ivfdaddies.com/confessions
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IVF Daddies is a platform where reproductive medicine, public health, and real families intersect — with clarity and accountability.