Here's the Problem

Today we're jumping into the pharmaceutical industry with Phil DeSantis. Phil brings over fifty years of executive experience with firms such as Merck, Squibb and J&J. He is also the past Chair of the Parenteral Drug Association Science Advisory Board and is active in the International society for pharmaceutical engineering. He has published numerous articles, technical reports and books in the area of pharmaceutical engineering and is the co-editor of the forthcoming book Handbook of Validation of Pharmaceutical processes.

Phil and Kelly breakdown "Big Pharma" and shed some light on misconceptions about the pharmaceutical industry. They also talk about the balance between innovation and expense, how the pharmaceutical industry intersects with the larger conversation of healthcare policy and the effect of over regulation.

Vicki Loner, the CEO of OneCare Vermont, joins the podcast to talk about healthcare reform. Specifically, Vicki talks about accountable care organizations, or ACOs, and the process of moving from a fee for service system to value based care. Vicki covers a lot of ground to help us better understand the way our healthcare system currently exists, how innovative practices are changing how we deliver care, and what the future of healthcare may look like.

How can a country with some of the most advanced medicines, practitioners, and facilities in the world still be struggling with affordable and equitable healthcare? We isn't America making progress in closing gaps in healthcare?

As Season 3 investigates these questions, host Kelly Nagle is joined by medical professionals, health economists, public policy professionals, pharmaceutical executives, and politicians to explore the issues, obstacles, and impediments that are preventing the United States from providing affordable and equitable access to healthcare as a basic human right.

In yet another behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of our Winter Research Cohort, we watch our change agents absorb, process, and adapt to new information. In this episode, Tom Leatherbury, the Director of SMU Dedman School of Law's First Amendment Clinic, visits the cohort to discuss what happens when you try to incorrectly apply the First Amendment, helping our cohort avoid taking a costly wrong turn during the early stages of our research.

Here's the Problem is a production of the Teen Think Tank Project, a student-run policy institute that develops policy frameworks for social justice issues and empowers students to become agents of change.

Former NBA player and social justice advocate, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stopped by the Teen Think Tank Project Winter Research Cohort earlier this season to chat about social protest, racial inequality in America, and the need for change agents to challenge existing constructs in order to bring about true change (as well personal growth.) This compelling Q&A didn't make the cut from the original podcast's edit, but we are happy to bring it to you as part of a this bonus episode.

Here's the Problem is a production of the Teen Think Tank Project, a student-run policy institute that develops policy frameworks for social justice issues and empowers students to become agents of change.

The Teen Think Tank Project's inaugural research cohort presents their public policy framework. The group outlines how to most effectively address racial inequality and systemic racism by outlining the obstacles that athletes face when attempting to affect change and how we as allies can help empower these individuals and elevate their voices.

Teen Think Tank Members include: Jack Baranoksi, Jared Cannon, Jeremy Cimino, Gwyneth Craney, Nolan Eichorn, Jack James, Savannah Riera, Rohan Rathod, and Kyra Turpie.

The Teen Think Tank Project is a student-run policy institute that develops policy frameworks for social justice issues and empowers students to become future change makers.

The Teen Think Tank Project is a student-run policy institute that develops policy frameworks for social justice issues and empowers students to become future change makers.

Just after the conclusion of the NBA's 2020 season "in the bubble," USA Today's National NBA Reporter, Mark Medina, joined the podcast to talk with host Kelly Nagle about the social protest efforts of NBA players, former president Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric, human rights issues in China, and whether or not other sports can replicate the impact that the NBA has had when it comes to elevating athlete voices in furtherance of social justice issues.

Here's the Problem is a production of the Teen Think Tank Project, a student-run policy institute that develops policy frameworks for social justice issues and empowers students to become future change makers.

This week the podcast drops in on the Winter Research Cohort as they host a panel of sports business educators who joined the conversation to discuss the impact that sport business has on social justice issues in society. Professor Mike Finkelstein of Rutgers University, Professor Dave Torromeo of Manhattanville College, and Professor Dave Perricone of Centenary University join Teen Think Tank Project co-founder Matt DeSantis to talk about the impact that sports has on society, the economics of professional athletics, and the role sports industry sponsors play in facilitating social change.