Health Dame With Robin Strongin

What does it mean to be old, and why do we hesitate to use the word? New York Times columnist Paula Span joins Robin Strongin to talk about aging, caregiving and the stories she has covered in The New Old Age since 2009.

Paula explains how she checks health information and why she returns to earlier stories as medical evidence changes. She also shares what she is learning while writing a book about people in their 80s. Too often, she says, research groups them with everyone over 65, missing what makes this stage of life distinct. One person she met is an 81-year-old teacher whose work still gives her a sense of purpose.

Robin and Paula discuss ageism and the value of spending time with people of different generations. Robin shares her experience caring for her husband after his dementia diagnosis, and she and Paula talk about how speaking openly can reduce stigma.

What role does an oncology nurse play before, during and after cancer treatment?

Robin Strongin talks with Erica Fischer-Cartlidge, DNP, RN, AOCNS, EBP-C, chief clinical officer at the Oncology Nursing Society. Erica shares the patient experience that led her to oncology nursing and explains why these nurses often become a steady source of information, support and advocacy for patients and families.

They discuss advances in cancer treatment, the lasting relationships nurses build with patients and the need to address burnout through both individual support and system-level change. Erica also explains the Oncology Nursing Society’s policy priorities, including access to quality cancer care, cancer prevention, research and nursing workforce issues.

The conversation also looks at the financial strain of cancer treatment. Erica encourages patients and caregivers to tell their oncology nurses when medications or care become difficult to afford so they can help identify support programs and other resources.

What does a clinical nurse specialist do, and how is the role different from that of a nurse practitioner?

Robin Strongin talks with Dr. Jackie Iseler, an adult health clinical nurse specialist, associate professor and program director of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Concentration at Grand Valley State University Kirkhof College of Nursing. She also serves as president of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Dr. Iseler explains how clinical nurse specialists improve care across three areas: patients, nursing practice and health care systems. She shares how asking “why” as a young nurse led her to the profession and discusses her work with heart and lung transplant patients, people using left ventricular assist devices and nurses implementing evidence-based practices.

The conversation also examines why many patients and health care leaders are unfamiliar with clinical nurse specialists, how state practice laws affect their work and why CNSs must communicate their impact on patient safety, quality and health system costs.

How do climate change, air pollution and toxic chemicals affect children’s health, and what can parents do to protect their families?

Robin Strongin talks with Liz Hurtado, senior manager for field engagement and partnerships at Moms Clean Air Force, where she also directs EcoMadres, its Latino engagement program. They discuss the health risks linked to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, plastics and petrochemical pollution, including concerns during pregnancy and childhood.

Hurtado explains why children are especially vulnerable and how some communities face greater exposure because they are located near highways, factories and industrial facilities. She also shares how Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres provide bilingual education, connect families with evidence-based resources and help parents turn concern into action.

Who controls your health data, and can you trust that it is accurate, secure and available when you need it?

Robin Strongin talks with Tina Grande, founder, president and CEO of the Healthcare Trust Institute; Terri Stewart, president and CEO of SYNCRONYS; and Connor Walsh, CISO and cybersecurity officer for the Americas at Siemens Healthineers. They discuss privacy, patient access and cybersecurity, including how errors can follow patients across health systems, the challenges facing rural communities and the growing use of AI in cyberattacks.

Robin also shares her struggle to correct her late husband Brian’s medical records when Parkinson’s disease was listed instead of Lewy body dementia. The experience shows how inaccurate data can affect patient care, public health research and the search for new treatments.

The guests also look ahead to the 2026 ADAPT Conference, where government leaders, health care organizations and patient advocates will address data access, privacy and trust.

WARNING: content deals with sexual violence/sexual trauma, self harm and suicide. We encourage listeners and visitors to take care of themselves—please decide if and when you are ready to listen and visit the site.

Dance gave Beth Braun a way to survive grief, process trauma and stay connected to herself. It later became the foundation for Esperanza Dance Project, a nonprofit that uses dance, education and peer advocacy to help young people understand sexual trauma, mental health challenges and the importance of asking for help.

In this conversation with Robin Strongin, Braun shares how her daughter’s experience with childhood sexual abuse led her to recognize the signs of trauma in her own students and confront her own history as a survivor. She explains how Esperanza Dance Project brings narrated performances, classroom resources and trained peer advocates into middle schools and high schools.

Braun also discusses the barriers she has faced when schools avoid difficult conversations, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and the need to see disruptive behavior as a possible sign of pain. Her work gives young people a safe way to feel seen, heard and less alone while connecting them with trusted adults and support resources.

The conversation also examines the connection between movement, mental health and healing, and why the arts can reach people when words are not enough.

rainn.org (RAINN: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

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Online Chat: online.rainn.org 

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After a career advocating for employers and healthcare policy, Neil Trautwein now describes himself as an advocate with a “client of one.” Diagnosed with ALS in July 2025, he is using his experience and policy background to push for research, treatment access and stronger support for people living with the disease.

In this conversation with Health Dame host Robin Strongin, Neil explains how early symptoms led to his diagnosis, how ALS has affected his mobility and daily life and why support from family, friends and advocacy groups has mattered. He also discusses the financial demands of ALS care, the value of multidisciplinary clinics and the effect the disease has on caregivers.

Neil shares his work with I AM ALS and the ALS Association, including efforts to reauthorize the ACT for ALS. The legislation supports research, data sharing and expanded access programs for patients who may not qualify for clinical trials. He also reflects on emerging treatments, the possible role of artificial intelligence in research and his hope that continued progress will lead to a cure.

It is a personal conversation about adapting to change, accepting support and choosing to remain engaged while living with a progressive disease.

Health Dame’s Robin Strongin sat down with Debbie Witchey, President & CEO of the Association for Behavioral Health & Wellness (ABHW) to talk about integrating behavioral and mental health with physical health, shifting treatment paradigms and advancing policies to improve mental health and substance use disorder services, raising awareness, and reducing stigma.

In this episode of Health Dame, Robin Strongin speaks with Dr. Chloe Bird, professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and program director of the Center for Research on Women’s Health, Sex Differences and Population Health at Tufts Medical Center.

Dr. Bird explains why women’s health research still lags behind,  how male bodies are still often treated as the default in medicine and why clinical trials must do more than simply include women. They discuss the need to study how diseases present in women, how women respond to treatment and how gaps in the evidence base affect diagnosis, care, policy, and precision medicine.

The conversation also looks at what it would take to make these gaps visible, measurable and harder to ignore. For Dr. Bird, better science on women’s health is not just about women. It is about improving healthcare for everyone.

Jarrett Brown was diagnosed with a type-2 meningioma in August 2024.  He went into brain surgery to remove a tangerine-sized tumor on the same day he was scheduled to take the LSAT. Just 28 days after the surgery, he took the LSAT and is now a second-year law student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. His stated reason for entering law school is that he wants to spend the rest of his life speaking for people who do not have a voice.

Before attending law school, Jarrett was a longtime food processing worker. Though he never played football, he likes to say he was a Green Bay Packer because he worked in a packing plant in Green Bay, WI.  During the nearly 20 years that he worked in food processing, Jarrett was a workers' rights advocate. He worked on his own, with unions, and with political organizations to advance the causes of individual workers, groups of workers, and the public.