Profound Conversations

This episode will examine the imbedded strategies and pillars which support effective DEI initiatives within the organ procurement community.  We will examine what it looks like to become holistically and systemically equitable, inclusive and diverse?  Then we will ask executive leaders to rate their organizational performance alongside the standards recognized as the most effective for multicultural populations.

Simply put, diversity is defined as the presence and representation of people of differing races, religions, ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, languages, nationalities, political parties, socioeconomic groups, and other characteristics that inform an individual’s worldview and experiences. It is impossible to comprehend or foster equity and inclusion without diversity. 

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. Violence within communities across America has a major impact on health outcomes. Washington DC, Baltimore and many other urban centers throughout America experience the horrors of gun violence and other serious acts of crime.

This episode seeks to create a dialogue which examines these challenges to social determinants of life, as we learn from grass root change makers and mental health professionals about the role their organizations are playing in the transformation of our communities under siege. 

Most Executives clearly advocate for “work/life balance”, however what does that balance actually require; and is it a shoe size that fits all?   In 2023 how do women who have questions about balancing their desires for financial stability, luxury, family responsibilities, health, joy, and fulfilment, achieve this while pushing back against burnout and self-sacrifice? 

How do our diets play a role in our ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and what are the signs to be aware of that hint to onset mental, emotional and physical decline in our wellbeing?  These and other fascinating ideas will be examined by our Conductor and guest conversationalists.  

The virtues of sight, sound and movement are therapeutic modalities essential to obtaining Universal Health, Well Being, and Community Transformation. Episode one speaks into the use of sound/music as a common bond that provides an on ramp for deeper examinations of the realities of where we experience dis-ease.   This informative conversation is part one of a series of episodes which will examine sight, sound and movement as therapeutic modalities for patients as well as those who may not perceive the health challenges they are inside of due to inequality, white supremacy, lack of trust, as well as a myriad of social challenges prevalent in today's world.

When organizations set out to achieve lofty goals, whether they are record breaking profits, client satisfaction indexes or the achievement of record-breaking organ transplants, what are essential elements that must exist within their culture in order to achieve success? This episode examines how effective Executive Leadership has the potential to create the deep sense of purpose and commitment to an organization's values and mission, and how this can ultimately lead that organization to breakthrough outcomes. 

This episode of Profound Conversations will explore the intersection between cultures of care, the dynamics of loss and grieving, as well as the impact that donation has for families that give and receive the gift of life. Our intent for this episode will be to create new understandings and pathways to wellness within the context of great loss.  

The opioid epidemic refers to the enormous surge in opioid addiction and overdose over the last several decades in the United States.  Much of the epidemic has its origins in medical practice. Devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic include increases in opioid misuse and related overdoses, as well as the rising incidence of newborns experiencing withdrawal syndrome due to opioid use and misuse during pregnancy. Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record. An estimated 40% of opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid.


Episode VI will explore the less than obvious connections between mental illness and substance abuse. We would like to assert that one, often overlooked foundational connection is, the unhealthy need that leads to the opioid use, which completely destabilizes a Healthy Mental decision-making process. Are we still in an epidemic in 2022? What are harm reduction policies and what have been their outcomes? Which populations are currently most affected? What can individuals, neighborhoods, communities, cities actively do to assist in solving this epidemic? What are good Samaritan laws? Are their signs that the tide is changing? What are the Trust factors in need of transforming that will lead to satisfactory resolutions?

Profound Conversations Executive Producers are the Muslim Life Planning Institute, a national community building organization whose mission is to establish pathways to lifelong learning and healthy communities at the local, national and global level.   MLPN.life

The Profound Conversations podcast is produced by Erika Christie www.ErikaChristie.com

The overriding opinion within the medical community of practice is that  caregivers should attempt to reduce psychiatric barriers to successful transplantation.  However certain questions remain after years of debate: (i) are current evaluations uniform throughout transplant centers throughout the country?  How should we view transplant eligibility criteria that exclude patients with affective and psychotic disorders from transplantation on the basis of their psychiatric diagnosis?    These and other questions will be explored during this in depth hour of Profound Conversations with our esteemed guests from the medical community.

Conversationalists:
Farha Abbasi, MD
Michigan State University Dept. of Psychiatry

Clive Callender, MD
Professor of Surgery, Howard University Hospital

Shawn-Paul Harrison
Medical Navigator Specialist
Louisiana Organ Procurement Association

Anil Paramesh, MD,
Professor of Surgery, Urology, and Pediatrics 
Tulane University School of Medicine

Joey Boudreaux
Chief Clinical Officer
Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency


Profound Conversations Executive Producers are the Muslim Life Planning Institute, a national community building organization whose mission is to establish pathways to lifelong learning and healthy communities at the local, national and global level.   MLPN.life

The Profound Conversations podcast is produced by Erika Christie www.ErikaChristie.com