In today’s episode, we meet Joel Corcoran, CEO of Clubhouse International, a groundbreaking global network restoring hope and community for people living with mental illness.

Joel shares how a grassroots group in 1940s New York City became a worldwide movement of Clubhouses, inclusive, member-driven spaces where recovery isn’t just possible, it’s thriving. These aren’t clinical programs; they’re dynamic, intentional communities where people with serious mental illness find purpose, opportunity, and belonging. Staff and members work side-by-side, not as patients and providers, but as partners, rebuilding lives through meaningful work, education, friendship, and advocacy. It’s a model that empowers people to move from isolation to contribution and the ripple effect reaches far beyond the clubhouse walls.

Discover how Clubhouse International is building bridges across 33 countries, transforming not just lives, but entire communities.

Whether you're a mental health advocate, policymaker, or someone seeking hope, this episode will move and inspire you.

👉 Listen now and learn how community creates healing.
🎧 Available on all major podcast platforms.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

In this powerful episode, Seth Kahan sits down with Dale Cyr, CEO of Inteleos, to explore how bold leadership, smart technology, and collaborative ecosystems are reshaping global healthcare—starting with portable ultrasound.

Cyr leads Inteleos, a nonprofit certifying over 150,000 healthcare professionals across 100 countries, with a mission rooted in patient safety through clinical proficiency. But this isn't just about credentials—it's about saving lives.

🚀 A Global “Moonshot”: Ultrasound Proficiency by 2030
The centerpiece of the conversation is Inteleos’ Ultrasound Proficiency Grand Challenge, an ambitious global effort to ensure all healthcare professionals using ultrasound are proficient by 2030. It’s a big goal—but it’s already producing results.

Cyr shares how the initiative launched in Kenya, where maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high. By collaborating with the Ministry of Health, local midwives, and over a dozen stakeholder groups, Inteleos helped create a national policy requiring education and certification for handheld ultrasound. The impact? Thousands of lives could be saved annually—especially mothers and babies in rural communities.

🩺 From Washing Machines to Smartphones
Cyr explains how ultrasound technology has gone from $250,000 machines the size of washing machines to $2,000 handheld devices that connect to smartphones. This game-changing shift is putting powerful diagnostic tools into the hands of midwives, nurses, and clinicians in remote areas, but only if they know how to use them properly—Inteleos’ core mission.

🌍 Building an Ecosystem, Not Just a Program
One of the most innovative aspects of the initiative is the use of “interaction field” thinking—a business model built on shared value and collaborative ecosystems. Cyr emphasizes that 95% of impactful change can’t be done alone. Instead, Inteleos partners with governments, equipment manufacturers, professional societies, and local communities to create win-win solutions where everyone contributes—and everyone benefits.

💡 Scaling with Vision, Tech, and Trust
The fastest policy adoption Dale has seen in his career—from pilot to national strategy in just two years.

He highlights:
How AI is becoming a “cognitive partner” at Inteleos, freeing professionals from repetitive tasks and unlocking creative, mission-driven work

Inteleos’ governance transformation to support global scaling and cross-sector impact
💬 Final Word: “We're In It for the Long Haul”

Cyr concludes with a call to action: though USAID funding was recently cut, Inteleos is pressing forward. The board has committed to continuing the Kenya initiative—and scaling across East Africa and beyond. For Dale, it’s not about temporary impact. It’s about sustainable, systemic change.

“We’re not here for a quick hit—we’re building lasting infrastructure that transforms lives.”

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

Medical physics plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of modern healthcare. From diagnostic scans like CT imaging to advanced treatments such as radiotherapy, medical physics is behind the technology and precision that drive these procedures. In this video, we explore how medical physicists contribute to ensuring the right dose reaches the right patient—whether through imaging, therapy, or radiopharmaceuticals. You'll also learn how treatment is monitored and adjusted based on models that track patient progress before, during, and after care. Discover how this essential field is quietly transforming the way we diagnose and treat disease every day.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

Chris and I discuss the origins of the Thriving Earth Exchange, a program connecting scientific expertise with local community needs. The initiative began around 2016 with a young scientist's idea to address community challenges through scientific collaboration.

The program focuses on participatory, place-based science, where communities and scientists co-create solutions to local problems like water quality, soil contamination, and environmental challenges. Key to its success was flexible funding, support from the AGU board, and the leadership of Raj Pandya.

By 2019, the program had completed 100 projects benefiting 17 million people. Challenges included explaining the concept, finding the right scientists and communities, and measuring social impact beyond traditional financial metrics.

The Thriving Earth Exchange has since grown, expanded partnerships, and become an integral part of AGU's mission to extend scientific expertise to communities.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

I'm thrilled to share insights from a recent conversation with Dr. Ehsan Samei, Reed and Martha Rice Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Duke University. We discussed an exciting Grand Challenge I’m leading with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine—focused on identifying bold, breakthrough challenges that could shape the future of medical physics.

But what is medical physics? Its applications are vast—spanning MRI, lasers, ultrasound, AI, and nuclear medicine. As I’ve spoken with physicists dedicated to this field, I’ve been inspired by the incredible advancements on the horizon. From AI models to digital twins, the future of medical physics is unfolding in powerful ways.

During our conversation, Dr. Samei shared his perspective on developing AI models for medical applications. He echoed the famous phrase, “All models are wrong, but some are useful,” emphasizing that the goal is to find models that are truly impactful in advancing patient care.

Scientific breakthroughs don’t just improve technologies—they open doors to new research, innovative techniques, and deeper understanding. They prevent suffering, save lives, and reshape our world. It's a privilege to contribute to this transformative work.

Dr. Samei’s leadership has been pivotal in integrating physics principles into clinical practice, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in patient care. Listen in to learn more about this groundbreaking work!

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

Welcome to the podcast on grand challenges. Today, I’m diving into Stop Stigma Together, an initiative I lead that aims to eliminate stigma surrounding mental health and substance use disorders on a national scale. This effort was launched through the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, following a transformative $150 million gift from the Huntsman family to the University of Utah.

Stigma exists at three levels—structural, social, and individual—impacting policies, workplace environments, and personal attitudes. To tackle this, we collaborate with major organizations like Mental Health America, NAMI, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, working across sectors such as media, criminal justice, education, and marginalized communities. Our approach includes advocacy, policy reform, and public awareness campaigns like Love Your Mind and Mental Health Care Works.

By bringing together experts, policymakers, and those with lived experience, Stop Stigma Together is building a movement to transform how Americans think about and address mental health. Visit StopStigmaTogether.org to learn more and join us in this grand challenge.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

In this interview, I sit down with Glenn Kreiner, the Ellis Skaggs presidential chair in business ethics at the University of Utah, to discuss his involvement with the Stop Stigma Together initiative, a Grand Challenge focused on addressing mental health stigma. Kreiner shares his passion for applying research to real-world problems and highlights the initiative's key achievements, such as building a diverse leadership infrastructure and convening impactful summits. You both emphasize the importance of balancing ambiguity and concrete goals, leveraging complementary skills within the leadership team, and learning from other Grand Challenges, like the innovative mental health court model in Miami-Dade. Kreiner also discusses his current work on workplace stigma, legal analysis, and longitudinal research, all aimed at driving long-term, systemic change.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info

In this podcast, we’ll explore “wicked problems” —complex social issues like poverty or climate change—using a “systems model for change.” This model emphasizes three interconnected levels: personal beliefs, social systems, and structural systems. Grand Challenges, such as “Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation” or improving ultrasound proficiency, demand changes across all three. For instance, healthier nurses (personal) need supportive workplace environments (social) and stronger healthcare policies (structural). Meanwhile, boosting ultrasound skills requires comprehensive training (personal), institutional support (social), and clear regulations (structural). Engaging everyone at every level is crucial: individuals, communities, policymakers, and anyone affected. Collaboration ensures buy-in and fosters lasting solutions. Although these challenges are complex, they’re solvable through coordinated efforts that address each layer of the system. Inspired by Kenneth McLeroy’s CDC model, we see that true change is social, requiring community-driven, multifaceted approaches to transform big issues into collaborative progress.

For all the podcasts, highlight videos, resources, and everything you want to know about Grand Challenges, click visit grandchallenges.info