Katherine Milkman is an Assistant Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research relies heavily on "big data" to document various ways in which individuals systematically deviate from making optimal choices. Her work has paid particular attention to the question of what factors produce self-control failures (e.g., exercising too little or eating too much junk food) and how to reduce the incidence of such failures. Katherine has published in leading periodicals such as Management Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Psychological Science. She also is an Associate Editor for the Behavioral Economics Department at Management Science and a member of the Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Editorial Board. Her work has been featured by media outlets such as The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, BusinessWeek, The Economist, NPR, and Harvard Business Review. In 2011, Katherine was recognized as one of the top 40 business school professors under 40 by Poets and Quants, and in 2013 she was voted Wharton's "Iron Prof" by the school's MBA students. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and has a Ph.D. from Harvard University's joint program in Computer Science and Business. In this interview, Katherine discusses her research in temptation bundling, planning props, and commitment devices among other topics and their implications to improving health behavior.

Attorney David O’Bryon is founder and president of O’Bryon & Company. With more than thirty years of association and government experience, he has served organizations as an executive, consultant, and volunteer. He registered as a lobbyist before the U.S. Congress in 1980 and has been involved in all major federal legislative initiatives for the chiropractic profession since then. He has served as Executive Director of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges since 1996. Prior to forming O’Bryon & Company, Dave served as chief executive officer for many nonprofit organizations and in key government staff positions. He was a senior Congressional staff member for both U.S. Representatives Gilbert Gude and Newton Steers, Jr. He serves on the Secretariat of the National Association of Colleges and Universities and was President of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions. He was awarded degrees from Gettysburg College and the Potomac School of Law, along with an honorary doctorate from Logan College.

This podcast is about stress in the United States. Depending on an individual’s age, gender, race and ethnic/racial background, stress is a common feature in the lives of many Americans. It can begin early in life for students who worry about such matters as being bullied or worrying about being accepted at the college of one’s choice. Upon completion of one’s formal education, there is anxiety over finding a job and having sufficient income to pay off student debts. Marriage and having children bring on strains of their own, such as paying medical bills and meeting educational costs. Advances into older age brackets often are accompanied by the onset of chronic disease plus additional concerns about how to cope with health care expenses such as medications.

For the first three months of The Health Crossroad, a new item was added on a daily basis. Negotiations are underway however,with two potential acquirers/partners for the program and site. Until a decision is finalized, new material will be posted either on an irregular basis or not at all. Thank you for your support at The Health Crossroad!

Dr. Jerry Kennedy is a chiropractor, an author, and I’m happy to say, a podcaster, with one of the top-ranked new shows on iTunes in health! Dr. Kennedy’s journey began when he realized the importance of himself in feeling great and reducing pain. Since then, he dedicated his career to helping others understand their bodies. Dr. Kennedy is the author of two books, The Posture Paradox and The Neck Pain Cure. In this interview, through personal anecdotes and great analogies, Dr. Kennedy discusses the importance of viewing health in a new light and redirecting the focus to one that is more positive and healthy.

Matt Hendricks is a Principal Consultant at Pharmica Consulting. Matt has worked in life sciences for nearly 20 years, splitting his time between Informatics and R&D Portfolio planning.  Matt specializes in collaboration and decision support with experience as varied as leading an internal usability service to implementing sophisticated mathematical modeling for clinical trial patient recruitment, to building iOS games.  Matt is six sigma certified and has his Masters of Science in Information Science from Penn State.

Dr. Roy Meyer is a seasoned professional of the healthcare system, having spent over 35 years practicing cardiology and internal medicine for Kaiser.  He initially earned his BA at Yale University in Art History before pursuing his medical degree at the University of Alabama Medical School. From there, he continued his training in Chicago before settling in the San Francisco area. Dr. Meyer has long been an athlete and an avid artist, spending much of his free time now playing golf and singing and songwriting performing live throughout various counties around San Francisco, where he raised his three sons and currently lives with his wife.

Matt Hall is CEO of Human Care Systems, which he started in 2008 to provide service and support to help clinicians and patients better manage complex diseases. Prior to starting Human Care Systems, Matt co-founded the Kerdan Group, a biopharma and life science consulting firm. Matt has also worked in venture capital and as a consultant at Bain & Company. He has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, South Africa, and the US. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Political Economy from Williams College.

Dr. Amy Nicole Nayar is an Advocacy & Outcomes Research Leader with a 15-year track record of successfully driving Market Access within the pharmaceutical industry. A passionate patient advocate, Amy Nicole has a natural ability to create patient access right treatment through a combination of persuasive data and win-win partnerships.  Pfizer’s Patient Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships Network grew from 5 to 168 employees across 58 countries under her leadership. A published author in behavioral health, Dr Nayar is an advocate for empowering patients with digital platforms that improve adherence, and therefore, patient outcomes. Knowing that extrinsic motivators are short-lived, she is most enthusiastic about adherence programs that target intrinsic motivators for long-term behavior change. She is currently helping companies capitalize on the changes coming out of health reform and Health IT to empower better patient outcomes at lower cost. Dr Nayar is a licensed Pharmacist, with Undergraduate Studies and a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Michigan, and a Masters in Health Outcomes & Pharmacoeconomics from the University of Arizona. In this interview, Dr. Nayar provides personal reflections on how she got started in health outcomes and tremendous insights into patient-reported outcomes, the difference between indirect and direct costs to the system, leadership, and many other relevant topics.

This podcast is about music and its relationship to health. Music in one form or another is something that has been in existence for as long as when humans first inhabited the earth. Whether instrumental or vocal, music has served as a primary source of comfort, enjoyment, and inspiration for our species. The stirring power of national anthems provides just one example of the importance that music plays in affecting human emotions.