Episodes

Sometimes LinkedIn DMs come in handy, as this is the case with Dr. Paul Toomey. A cold outreach became a spot on the show when this Board-certified surgical oncologist — and biomedical engineer by trade — began to share his remarkable story with me. Paul is the CEO of Ring of Hires, which claims to hold the mantle of "The Zillow of Healthcare." Paul's hill to die on is helping rural private practices with their staffing challenges to ensure office culture meets the needs of their patients. He's got a compelling and highly relevant narrative to share, so stick around and enjoy the show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prepare the Wayback Machine for today's chat with Leah Shearer, who, for all intents and purposes, was one of the first ten volunteers from 2007 who contributed to the birth of Stupid Cancer and the greater young adult cancer movement. The "girl so nice she got cancer twice" Leah—a native of Rochester, NY— found out about my efforts when I guest starred as myself on a TV show called "Side Order of Life" for a scene I wrote based on a real-life young adult cancer meetup. (Back then, we called them "Stupid Cancer Happy Hours.") So, she emailed me, and the rest was history. I hadn't seen her in years, but we've reunited right here in-studio for a nostalgic trip down memory lane about how the sausage was made and what it took to build a global movement from scratch before the Internet, life with dumb phones. At an irreplicable moment in time, everyone dropped their egos and their missions to unite around one cause: Adolescents and Young Adults with cancer deserved better. And we w…

Erica Hawthorne identifies as a "People-Focused Marketer," has won several industry awards in digital media strategy as a badass "Black Wellness Marketer." I recently heard her speak at a Pharma conference, and she blew the doors of the place, stunning the audience with her no-BS perspective and forthright honesty. She basically tore a hole in space/time, and I had to get her on the program. She joins me in-studio to share her remarkable story, her take on how to "fix" the parts we can, why Pharma Marketing is horrible, and what the "Ultimate Rubix cube" of patient-centricity could be. Even better, Erica is an archetype GenXer, so we throw down the gauntlet on nostalgia, the nineties (which sucked), the eighties (which were awesome), and all the shenanigans you would expect from this show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kicking off Season 8 of Out of Patients, in today's special "Back To School" episode, I'm joined live in-studio once again by my fabulous twins, Koby and Hannah. "Kids say the darndest things" ain't got nothing on this amazing conversation about how we spent our summer vacation, what it means to turn 13, and the looming accelerant that is 8th Grade (and soon High School right around the corner). Enjoy every moment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode is made possible in part by The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACSCAN), the nation's leading cancer advocacy organization working daily to make cancer issues a national priority.  Today I am joined live in-studio by Pam Traxel (ACSCAN Senior Vice President for Alliance Development and Philanthropy), Kate Weisman, a young adult cervical cancer survivor, and Ian Locke, a Ph.D. student in molecular cancer biology at Duke University.  Kate is a state lead ambassador for ACSCAN Massachusetts, and Ian is a congressional district member for ACSCAN North Carolina. Together with Pam, we talk about channeling anger into action, what lobbying the federal government looks like, and how getting legislation passed across the aisle can help millions of Americans at a clip. What's more, we invite you — the listener — to join the thousands of cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates fighting on Capitol Hill daily to make healthcare suck less for…

I sat down with this certified health educator named Julia who, after a storied career in that discipline, found herself in the patient's chair instead.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Tania Small, a returning champion to Out of Patients. She is a pediatric oncologist by trade who crossed over to drug development so she could scale the medicines that could help more children than she ever could in practice.

Dr. Sudhir Gadh is a board-certified psychiatrist and Commander in the US Navy Reserve. He is also Medical Director for the Center for Recovery and Wellness, with a core focus on low-dose Lithium, as a comprehensive approach for patients to improve brain function. Joining Matthew live in-studio, they talk about our nation is failing to address the mental health crisis, empathy in medicine, physician burnout, ongoing stigma, and, most interestingly, the history of 7-Up. You heard that right. In his words, “Psychiatry is about understanding and adjusting your life story towards progress.” Enjoy the show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's quirky show, I welcome Jen Palumbo, an epic human Energizer Bunny who takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Jen is a freelance writer, Forbes contributor, and women's health advocate, specifically for reproductive rights. In a spirited coincidence, it turns out we both went to the same college at the same time, were both Theater people, and have dozens of friends in common. We are ships in the night for sure. As fellow parents of IVF children, we bonded over the current state of the state. And as fellow Binghamton graduates, we bonded over Wegmans, being Theater nerds, and 1990s dorm life in the southern tier. Jen is a true Long Island: loud and proud. Let the hilarity, dark humor, and GenX Therapy begin. Enjoy the show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mental health is an umbrella term that spans a spectrum of severity. But when it comes to treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, it's a whole other ball game. A former healthcare communications executive, Jon Nelson is a living, breathing example of hope and progress in the mental health ecosystem. Joining Jon is Dr. Helen Mayberg, a neurologist, and psychiatrist at the Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics. Learn how the latest advances in Deep brain stimulation (DBS) practically cure suicidal patients like Jon, but not without a considerable asterisk around access, approval loopholes, coverage, emerging skepticism, and, of course, massive stigma. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gabe Charbonneau is a rural health Family Physician, Co-Founder of Medicine Forward, and progenitor of the viral #FightBurnout movement sweeping the country. Among the many critical issues discussed, Gabe highlights the decline in quality care against the backdrop of unrealistic demands of payers and health systems, the everyday mental health decay facing HCPs, and the relentless chokehold healthcare has on the entire medical profession. Are you angry yet? Gabe believes it's time to reclaim the soul of medicine in America. Learn more about Gabe and his social justice efforts at FightBurnout.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I was privileged to welcome Dr. Danielle Carnival, White House Cancer Moonshot Coordinator, to the studio. We talked about the President's priorities, principal directives, and legislative strategies, as well as what Americans can look forward to in the coming months and years through this ambitious and transformational National initiative. Carnival, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, served as chief of staff and senior policy director for the 2016-2017 White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force. Subsequently, she served as vice president of the Biden Cancer Initiative. She's also a friend of Wegman's. So there's that, too. To learn more about the Whitehouse Cancer Moonshot initiative, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot. Enjoy the show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode is a case study in the showcasing of genuine humanity. So we're going to rural Alabama to talk with a gentleman named Kermit Farmer, a genuine renaissance man of many disciplines. Kermit lost his wife Linda, an oncologist, to cancer after 19 years of marriage. He is doing extraordinary work in her name, her honor, and her spirit by supporting his local community through mission-driven community engagement. In his own words, "There is no elevator to healing. We all have to take the stairs." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The world of investing, investor culture, startup culture, Series-B rounds, and cap tables are foreign concepts to many people, especially me. And to further reinforce my "fish out of water" status in this particular sector of the life sciences industry, I doubled down by welcoming Deanna Dammers to join me live in-studio at OffScrip Health HQ, whom I have christened "The VC Whisperer." Deanna possesses a rare breed of communications skills in the investor relations world, in addition to growing her portfolio as VP of Investor Relations for Kiffik Biomedical, an innovative new digital health platform transforming remote patient monitoring. She is also an avid animal lover and smart as a whip. Hear if you can spot her nervousness, as this was her first podcast interview. Enjoy the show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's modern-day pharmacist faces very different challenges, especially given America's rural health crisis. Everything from access and resourcing to burnout and pricing, patients are more dependent than ever on the relationship with their local pharmacist. Joining Matthew on today's episode is Eddilisa Martin, PharmD, owner & CEO, and Clara Health/M&B Sciences. She is the first in her family to graduate from college and the first African-American to receive a PharmD from the University of Okl...

I am privileged to have lived an unordinary life. No one asks to get sick, yet here we are, drafted into a life born of our condition, fueled by the right amount of rage and disappointment, and motivated to do our best to plug the holes in the dam that we can. From fixing Macs in the 1990s at Omnicom, giving piano concerts for the American Cancer Society, sitting on the Advisory Board of Google Health, volunteering for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, kicking off Health2.0, and moonlighting with Stand Up To Cancer, to founding Stupid Cancer, hosting The Stupid Cancer Show, producing the OMG! Cancer Summit and CancerCon, and reinventing myself with #OutOfPatients and OffScrip Health, it's been a very "Forrest Gump-ish" ride. Hearing "Write a book!" was a near-weekly suggestion throughout those years, yet I never felt it was the right time. The shelves in my office at Stupid Cancer featured hundreds of books, wall-to-wall. Human lives put to paper, some of whom ar…

Vanessa M. Rissetto, MS, RD, CDN, goes toe-to-toe with Matthew Zachary in a quick-witted battle of wry sarcasm, dark comedy, and GenX nostalgia in this throwback episode about life before the Internet when food, in general, was less horrible and how a BA in History transformed her into a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Culina Health. she and her team offer personalized virtual nutrition care from experts you can trust – and it's covered by insurance, no less. They're reinventing what it means to work with a nutritionist without guilt, shame, or gimmicks. Learn more at https://culinahealth.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

[FANBOY ALERT] For most healthcare geeks, Andy Slavitt may be best known as the Former Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For millions more, he is the podcast hero we didn't know we needed and the one we so clearly deserved as the host of Lemonada Media's award-winning podcast, "In The Bubble with Andy Slavitt." Launched just before the world went to shit in early 2020, In The Bubble became a literal voice of reason while we were sanitizing our Amazon boxes and fighting for toilet paper at Costco as if they were Cabbage Patch Kids in the 1980s. A weekly vocal elixir of sorts, Andy and his storied dry wit blended healthcare policy, layman's breakdowns, and human vulnerability with a healthy splash of entertainment thanks to such early guests as Tina Fey, Al Franken, and Matthew McConaughey. Each episode brought — and still brings —a little structure and sanity to an otherwise chaotic world. Today, Andy is currently USofCare Co-Founder and…

Dr. Sejal Vyas is a Pediatric and Adult Neuropsychologist with 25 years of experience who performs neuropsychological evaluations, legal/forensic assessments, learning consultations, and cognitive remediation. Her areas of expertise include neurodevelopmental syndromes (such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and other genetic conditions), neurologic syndromes (such as concussions, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy), as well as other neuropsychiatric conditions (such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder). She has an established track record working with children, adolescents, and young adults and is set to partner with New York State on some groundbreaking research and programming later this year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For today's special 300th episode, Matthew talks among himself, reflecting with gratitude on how it all started and how it's still a thing. No guests; just Matthew and his thoughts. (Which, while usually an alchemical recipe for disaster, turns out pretty good this time around. Thank you to everyone who has helped bring this show into existence and believes in its mission, purpose, and impact. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode, Matthew fanboys out a bit, visiting Central Park SOLE for an interview with Board Certified Foot Surgeon and the star of the hit TLC show, "My Feet Are Killing Me." Dr. Brad Schaeffer. Spoiler: There's a lot of talk about feet. Before Brad became a famous TV star, he began life raised in rural America and has been very open about his struggle with his sexual identity within a traditional and religious community. He found his true self and, only recently, bravely and publicly...

Mental health is an umbrella term that spans a spectrum of severity. But when it comes to treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, it's a whole other ball game. A former healthcare communications executive, Jon Nelson is a living, breathing example of hope and progress in the mental health ecosystem. Joining Jon is Dr. Helen Mayberg, a neurologist, and psychiatrist at the Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics. Learn how the latest advances in Deep brain stimulation (DBS) practically cure suicidal patients like Jon, but not without a considerable asterisk around access, approval loopholes, coverage, emerging skepticism, and, of course, massive stigma. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One might not inherently presume to put the words "Verizon" and "Healthcare" in sequential order, but that is precisely what Gary Lynch is here to talk about. The former 80s compute nerd, and professional strongman competitor is the Global Practice Lead for Verizon's Healthcare and Life Sciences Vertical. Proving that the communications giant is more than just cell phones, we talk about how the future of telehealth and rural health depends more on telecommunications infrastructure than we ever perceived. You'll also hear how Verizon implements health literacy and education initiatives nationwide with the most unlikely retail partners. That, and a healthy dose of 80s references. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This ad-free episode of Out of Patients is made possible by the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for community oncology practices and, most importantly, the patients they serve. COA is the only organization dedicated solely to community oncology, where most Americans with cancer receive treatment. Learn more at https://timetoscreen.org. In today's episode, Matthew is joined by Debra Patt, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, a practicing oncologist and breast cancer specialist in Austin, Texas, and an executive vice president of Texas Oncology with responsibilities in healthcare policy and strategic initiatives. She is an active leader in breast cancer and research in healthcare informatics. Their conversation ranges from cancer screenings, medical burnout, and COVID's impact on society to physician self-care, rural health challenges, and the mandatory dosage of 80s pop culture references. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi…