Most of us don’t think about food safety until something goes wrong—a recall notice or a moment in the kitchen when we wonder, “Is this still safe to eat?” 

In this episode, we take a look behind the scenes at how food safety is ensured long before our food reaches our grocery carts or kitchen tables. Dr. Conrad Choiniere, a senior leader in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Human Foods Program, discusses why fresh produce can be especially challenging when it comes to food safety, how recalls actually work, and the coordination in farming, production, and distribution that keeps food safe. 

We also break down your common food safety myths and offer practical, science-backed tips you can use at home to reduce risk while handling the food you love to eat. 

Dr. Conrad Choiniere is the director of the FDA Human Foods Program Office of Microbiological Food Safety. He has spent over 20 years at the FDA, leading food safety initiatives and studying consumer attitudes and behavior. On top of working on food safety at the FDA, Dr. Choiniere was also director of Population Health Science for the department’s Center for Tobacco Products. 

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Explore the Human Foods Program 

Stay up to date on FDA’s recalls 

Learn more tips about safely handling food 

Caring for your mental health isn’t just about treatment. It’s about living a full life.

This is how the New York State Office of Mental Health is rethinking how we handle mental health—by centering recovery, resilience, and the whole person—not just a diagnosis. 

The office’s Chief Recovery and Resilience Officer Julie Burton explains what recovery in the context of mental health looks like practice, why thriving—not just surviving—matters, and how empathy, choice, and community connection shape better mental health outcomes. We also explore mental health workforce challenges and how supporting them is essential to effective care. 

As the new year begins, this episode offers a timely reminder that recovery happens not only in clinics, but in communities and everyday human connection.

Julie Burton is the first chief recovery and resilience officer at the New York State Office of Mental Health. She has over 30 years of experience in both community-based direct care for individuals and families, focusing on training and education and implementing programs to help people in care move toward full recovery. She previously served as her office’s director of adult services. 

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Explore Community Oriented Recovery and Empowerment (CORE) services 

Learn more about the New York Office of Mental Health 

Technology has the power to make interacting with our cities and local governments smoother, easier, and more intuitive—but only when it's designed with people at the center. 

We enter Season 4 of Empathy Affect with Boston Chief Information Officer (CIO) Santiago Garces, who shares how the city is using digital tools and AI to strengthen trust, improve services, and deepen the connection between residents and their government. From the everyday impact of Boston 311 to emerging AI pilots that help the city respond faster and more transparently, Santiago explains why innovation in Boston isn't about chasing the newest tech. It's about meeting people where they are. We get into what people-centered digital government looks like, how to prepare a public workforce for responsible AI use, and what other cities can learn from Boston's approach. 

Santiago Garces is the CIO for the City of Boston, where he leads the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT). He was previously the executive director of Community Investment in South Bend, Indiana, and formerly served as CIO of both South Bend and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

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Read up on Boston’s Interim Generative AI Guidelines 

Get to know Boston 311 

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Disasters leave more than physical damage. They carry lasting financial consequences for the people, businesses, towns, and cities they impact. A new report from the New Jersey Office of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) lays out in stark terms storms, flooding, and rising recovery costs are increasingly putting pressure on the state’s infrastructure, housing markets, and municipal finances. 

In our Season 3 finale, NJ DEP Chief Economist unpacks the report’s findings—from shrinking tax bases and rising insurance costs to the financial feedback loops that can trap communities in cycles of risk. But they also discuss how local governments can plan smarter, invest in resilience, and protect the economic backbone of New Jersey’s communities. 

Michael Russell serves as Chief Economist at NJDEP, where he specializes in regulatory impact analysis. He previously served as assistant professor of Economics at Centenary University in New Jersey, where he directed the Center for Sustainability and the Sustainable Practices program. 

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Read the full Economic Risks of Climate Change in New Jersey report  

Rural communities are the backbone of America—growing our food, fueling our economy, and sustaining traditions that reach far beyond county lines. But in Pennsylvania, as in much of the country, rural health is under strain. Provider shortages, rising rates of chronic disease, and shrinking access to specialty services like obstetrics (maternal health) leave families and entire towns at risk.

Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health Director Lisa Davis has spent more than 30 years working to address these challenges. In this episode, Lisa shares how rural communities and state leaders are finding creative solutions to ensure care is within reach—from deploying community health workers to expanding telehealth and more. These strategies and innovations reveal a bigger truth: rural health is inseparable from the nation’s health.  

Lisa Davis has directed the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health since 1999, providing leadership on networking, coordination, and technical assistance across the state’s rural hospitals, health clinics, training programs, and community partners. She has previously held roles at Penn State’s Department of Health Policy & Administration. Her work history spans a range of public health fields, including nutrition, mental health, substance use recovery, and correctional health. 

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Learn more about the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health

PTSD is often called the “invisible wound” of military service. For many veterans, it shows up in nightmares, sudden triggers, or the feeling of being constantly on edge, making everyday life feel like another battlefield. But there’s hope: PTSD is treatable, and recovery is possible. 

Since 1989, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD has been the world’s leading resource for understanding and treating this condition. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Paula Schnurr, the center’s executive director, about how science becomes healing—through groundbreaking research, innovative therapies, and real stories of veterans reclaiming their lives. 

Dr. Paula Schnurr is the executive director of the National Center for PTSD and had previously served as deputy executive director of the center since 1989. She is also a professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the editor of the Clinician’s Trauma Update-Online. 

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Explore the National Center for PTSD 

Learn more about PTSD through AboutFace  

Contact the Veteran Crisis Line if you’re a veteran in crisis or concerned about one 

As storms grow stronger and insurance becomes harder to access, Floridians are looking for answers—and support. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is working to stabilize the insurance market while giving homeowners the tools to build resilience before disaster strikes. 

Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky discusses the launch of new wind mitigation resources, the expansion of the My Safe Florida Home program, and how Florida is investing in smarter, safer homes through inspections, grants, and homeowner education. He also explains how these efforts are helping to attract more insurers back into the state and keep premiums manageable. 

Whether you’re a homeowner navigating insurance decisions or a policymaker seeking scalable solutions, get insight into how state-led strategies can empower people to protect what matters most. 

Mike Yaworsky has served as Florida’s insurance commissioner since March 2023. Prior to his position his was the vice chairman of the Florida Gaming Control Commissioner and was OIR’s chief of staff from 2017 to 2021. Prior to joining OIR, Yaworsky served as legal counsel for the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.  

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Explore My Florida Home to apply for a free inspection or grant 

Keep up to date with OIR’s resources, information, and more 

Stories around substance use disorder (SUD) have too often been framed around crisis and moral failing. But SUD is a health condition—no different from heart disease or cancer—and it deserves public response rooted in care, not stigma. San Francisco is working to change that narrative. Through evidence-based treatment, innovative telehealth programs, and groundbreaking stigma-reduction campaigns like Living Proof, the city is reimagining recovery and how public health can meet people where they are. 

Dr. Jeffrey Hom, Medical Officer for Science and Policy in San Francisco’s Department of Public Health Substance Use Services joins us to discuss how storytelling can shift public perception, and accessible services can guide people onto paths of recovery. The conversation is a reminder that recovery becomes possible when health systems lead with both science and empathy. 

Dr. Jeffrey Hom is the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Substance Use Services Medical Officer for Science and Policy. He previously served as medical director for the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction and has lectured for Jefferson Health and the University of Pennsylvania. 

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Learn more about San Francisco’s Night Navigator and street care programs 

Hear from people recovering from SUD in San Francisco through Living Proof 

Palm Beach County, Florida, was the epicenter of the state’s opioid crisis for many years as pill mills and malfeasance plagued the county’s communities. Since 2017, the county has been addressing the crisis, forming an advisory committee, appointing a drug czar and shifting its response toward a strategy centered on long-term recovery. With opioid settlement money to allocate over the next 20 years, the latest plan looks to spend 90% on social determinants of health—like job training, stable housing, and community support—and 10% on acute care. 

This paradigm shift is rethinking traditional approaches to addressing substance use disorders (SUD), placing recovery at the heart of government response. Palm Beach County Drug Czar John Hulick joins this episode to discuss this bold action and how other local governments can draw from the county’s playbook to inform their own work on SUD.  

John Hulick was Palm Beach County’s Office of Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorders senior program manager and drug czar. He began serving in this position in 2018. He previously had focused on policy in New Jersey, being tapped to serve as former Governor Chris Christie’s executive director of the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and serving as policy advisor to the governor for Human Services, Children, and Families in the Office of the Governor. He is an individual in long-term recovery and has also supported his daughter throughout her journey in recovery from addiction.

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Read the Palm Beach County Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Plan 

How do you turn complex environmental health data into something people can actually use—and trust?  

In this episode of Empathy Affect, we talk with Matthew Montesano, senior director of data communication at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy. Matthew leads the team behind the city’s Environment & Health Data Portal, a public-facing platform that unpacks key environmental health topics—like air quality, heat, and traffic—and distills complex data into clear, accessible information New Yorkers can use to understand their environment and protect their health.  

We explore how thoughtful design, clear communication, and human-centered strategy can transform government data into trusted sources of information. This episode dives into how cities can meet the public’s expectations for clear, actionable information.  

Matthew Montesano is the senior director of data communication at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy. He was previously the immunizations program communication lead for the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health and led the development and maintenance of the Minnesota Public Health Data Access Portal. He has experience in community organizing, grant writing, and health communication. 

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Explore NYC’s Environment & Health Data Portal