In this powerful episode of The Care2Grow Show, Dr. Larry Arbeitman sits down with Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, Co-President and CEO of Cooper University Health Care, to explore one of the most important and overlooked forces in modern healthcare:

Compassion.

This is not a philosophical conversation.
It's a data-driven discussion grounded in over 500 scientific studies proving that caring is not a soft skill — it is a measurable clinical and operational advantage.

Together, they unpack the growing compassion crisis in healthcare and why reconnecting with patients may be one of the most powerful solutions to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and prevent provider burnout.

• The truth about the compassion crisis in modern healthcare
• Why compassion improves clinical outcomes, cost efficiency, and patient adherence
• The surprising connection between compassion and reduced provider burnout
• Why empathy alone can lead to burnout — and how compassion is different
• The concept of "depersonalization" and its role in provider exhaustion
• How small moments (as little as 40 seconds) can dramatically impact patient experience
• Why healthcare must move from transactional to relational care
• How leadership and systems must support compassionate care at scale
• The role of technology (including AI) in restoring patient connection

"Compassion is not a soft skill. It improves outcomes, lowers costs, and decreases burnout."

Dr. Mazzarelli shares that the data is clear:

When providers connect with patients in a meaningful way, three things happen:

1. Better outcomes
2. Lower healthcare costs
3. Less provider burnout

This is the foundation of Compassionomics — and a call to reimagine how healthcare is delivered.

Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE is the Co-President and CEO of Cooper University Health Care and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

He leads a $3B nonprofit academic health system with over 14,000 employees and 1,800+ providers across 95 specialties .

He is the co-author of the bestselling books:

• Compassionomics
• Wonder Drug

His work focuses on leadership, healthcare transformation, and the science of compassion in medicine.

Healthcare is evolving.

Patients are no longer just looking for treatment —
They are looking for connection, trust, and care.

This episode challenges providers and leaders to rethink how they show up:

Not just as clinicians…
But as humans serving humans.

🎧 Listen on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6DChMMsiKHU3RGxyPET2K8

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-care2grow-show/id1862210422

https://www.compassionomics.com/

https://a.co/d/0dhrTAmb (Book available for purchase on Amazon)

https://www.wonderdrugbook.com/

https://a.co/d/0fkQy2o2 (Book available for purchase on Amazon)

Subscribe, rate, and review to help spread the message
Share this episode with a colleague who believes healthcare can do better

Together, we can rebuild a healthcare system rooted in compassion, connection, and care.

Because we have to Care… to Grow.

"The Courage to Be Human: Healing Beyond Symptoms with Dr. Gerard Perrella"

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Dr. Larry Arbeitman sits down with Dr. Gerard Perrella—chiropractor, educator, and practitioner of over 40 years—to explore what it truly means to heal.

This episode goes far beyond symptoms, diagnoses, and procedures. It dives into the emotional, neurological, and human dimensions of healing—revealing why so many patients stay stuck… and what it actually takes to create transformation.

Dr. Perrella shares his personal healing journey, including overcoming childhood trauma, and how that experience reshaped the way he cares for patients today. Together, they unpack the CareFirst philosophy and why connection—not just correction—is the missing link in modern healthcare.

If you're a practitioner, this conversation will challenge how you think about care.
If you're a patient, it may change how you think about your own healing.

• The difference between treating symptoms vs. facilitating true healing
• Why 80% of subluxation is rooted in emotional stress and trauma
• How unresolved past experiences continue to impact the nervous system
• The moment that changed Dr. Perrella's life: "You can heal"
• Why patients don't need more treatment—they need reconnection
• The role of vulnerability and trust in patient outcomes
• How a practitioner's own healing journey directly impacts their patients
• The power of language, energy, and presence in clinical care
• Why today's healthcare system is failing—and what must change
• The Care2Grow mission: putting care back into healthcare

Dr. Gerard Perrella has been practicing chiropractic care for nearly four decades after earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College in 1986. He currently practices at Upper Cervical Chiropractic of Monmouth in New Jersey.

His care philosophy centers on helping patients move beyond symptom-based thinking and reconnect with their body's innate ability to heal through deep personal transformation and nervous system restoration.

🌐 Website: https://www.care2growconsulting.com/

Follow, rate, and share the podcast:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DChMMsiKHU3RGxyPET2K8
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-care2grow-show/id1862210422
• Website / Episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/600625

Care is not a technique.
Care is not a transaction.

Care is the courage to be human—and to help others do the same.

SHOW NOTES

In this deeply moving episode of The Care2Grow Show, Dr. Larry Arbeitman sits down with therapist, professor, and creative arts healer Dr. Dina Schapiro to explore what it truly means to care.

With over 30 years of experience, Dina brings a powerful perspective on healing that goes far beyond traditional healthcare models—into presence, connection, nature, and the human spirit.

Together, they unpack the illusion of separation, the limitations of the current healthcare system, and the profound role of compassion, creativity, and self-awareness in healing.

This conversation challenges providers to look beyond protocols and reconnect with the essence of care—reminding us that healing is not something we do to people, but something we hold space for.

If you are a healthcare provider feeling burnt out, disconnected, or searching for deeper purpose—this episode will shift your perspective.

Because in the end…

We don't just treat patients.
We meet humans.

KEY THEMES

• The difference between empathy and true compassion

• Why "holding space" is the highest form of care

• The illusion of separation in healthcare

• Healing as a continuous, flowing process

• The role of nature in emotional and spiritual healing

• Why the system prioritizes sickness over wellness

• Creativity and presence in patient care

• Self-compassion as the foundation for healing others

• Fear vs. love as driving forces in healthcare

• Reconnecting providers to purpose

10 KEY MOMENTS (TIMELINE)

1. The Compassion Crisis in Healthcare
Dr. Larry sets the stage: care is missing—and it's costing outcomes, retention, and fulfillment.

2. Dina's Lifelong Calling to Care
Dina shares that her calling began before kindergarten—care isn't learned, it's remembered.

3. What Care Really Means
Care is not hierarchical—it is presence, connection, and shared humanity.

4. The Illusion of Separation
We believe we are separate—but healing begins when we remember we are connected.

5. Healing Requires Belief and Acceptance
Healing starts when we trust the process and allow both pain and growth.

6. Making Peace with Pain
Healing isn't about eliminating pain—it's about allowing it without judgment.

7. The Healthcare System Problem
The system prioritizes numbers over human connection—and often depends on sickness to survive.

8. Fear vs. Love in Healthcare
Fear drives the system—but love creates sustainable healing and energy.

9. What It Means to Truly Hold Space
Presence—not fixing—is what allows real healing to happen.

10. Healing as a Ripple Effect
When one person heals, it changes relationships, patterns, and generations.

FEATURED QUOTE

"Care is very, very deep… it is not a hierarchical experience.
It really is feeling present with somebody."

Listen to The Care2Grow Show:

• Apple Podcasts (iTunes):
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-care2grow-show/id1862210422

• Spotify:
  https://open.spotify.com/show/6DChMMsiKHU3RGxyPET2K8

• Libsyn:
  https://sites.libsyn.com/600625

• Care2Grow Consulting:

https://www.care2growconsulting.com/

This episode is a reminder that healthcare doesn't need more systems.

It needs more presence.

Because…

We have to care to grow.