To Care is Human

What does it take to be a more informed, engaged patient? In this episode of Humans in Healthcare, Terri Ipsen sits down with Dr. Amit Singh, pediatric hospitalist and Physician Director for Patient Experience at Cook Children's, who shares practical ways patients can take a more active role in their healthcare. From preparing for appointments and asking meaningful questions to navigating medical information and participating in shared decision-making, Dr. Singh offers insights that strengthen communication and build trust. At the heart of the conversation is a simple message: Better healthcare happens when patients and physicians work together.

Spiritual care is more than religion. It is about helping people find meaning, hope, and connection during life's most vulnerable moments. In this episode of Humans in Healthcare, Rev. Christine Davies, Director of Spiritual Care at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, challenges common misconceptions about chaplaincy and illustrates how chaplains support patients, families, and healthcare professionals through life's most difficult moments. The conversation explores the importance of human presence in an increasingly technology-driven healthcare environment. At its heart is a powerful message: Spiritual care is everyone's responsibility.

In this episode of the PX Marketplace series, Stacy Palmer talks with Dr. Harris Baden, co-founder of Ripple Health AI, about the critical connection between patient experience, quality, and safety. Dr. Baden challenges healthcare leaders to "widen the aperture" to broaden how they view these priorities and recognize how deeply interconnected they are. Together, they explore how communication and human connection influence outcomes, why experience must be integrated into an organization's broader quality and safety strategy, and how leaders can build cultures where patients, families, and team members feel heard, valued, and supported.

In this episode of the What Matters To You (WMTY) podcast series, Jen Rogers and Karen Turner from the WMTY Convening Team share their experiences with Kiia Lappalainen about how they have turned "What matters to you?" from a simple question into meaningful action across healthcare organizations. The duo shares how listening to patients, families, and staff can strengthen relationships, inform care, and inspire change while offering practical guidance for engaging leaders, starting small to build a "What Matters" culture with lasting impact.

In this episode, Jason Wolf talks with Shella Southern, Chief Patient Experience Officer at OU Health, who shares a deeply personal and organizational journey that has shaped her perspective on human experience. From experiencing healthcare as a grieving family member to helping lead a systemwide culture transformation, she explores how listening, caring for the workforce, and co-designing change can create better experiences, and why she has never felt more hopeful about where healthcare can go.

In this episode of Leading the Conversation, Jason Wolf sits down with Lai Yee Soh, Group Chief Patient Experience Officer at Singapore's National University Health System, to explore what it takes to advance human experience across complex healthcare systems. They discuss the power of collaboration, shared ownership, patient and family partnership, and learning across organizational and national boundaries. Lai Yee also challenges experience leaders to have the courage to remain curious, embrace complexity, and continually ask, "Who gets left behind?"

In this episode, Stacey Palmer sits down with Laurel Pointer, Director of Community Marketing at Susan G. Komen®, to explore the human experience of navigating breast cancer. Drawing on her 27 years with Komen, her family's history with breast cancer, and her own experience as a survivor, Laurel shares how advances in research, patient navigation, advocacy, and compassionate care are making a difference for patients and families. She also offers an important reminder for healthcare providers.

In this episode, Jason Wolf sits down with Anders Vege and Shaun Maher, members of WMTY.world's Convening Team. They reflect on their journeys from nursing and quality improvement to leadership in the global "What Matters to You?" movement. Through moving personal stories about patients, families, and their own parents, they demonstrate how understanding what truly matters to each individual can restore dignity, strengthen relationships, improve health outcomes, support staff, and make better use of healthcare resources. The pair also discusses the role of leaders in embedding this approach as a guiding cultural principle—not simply another process—and offers practical advice for creating meaningful change.

What could a recent U.S. Department of Justice memo mean for people with disabilities and the future of community-based care? In this inaugural episode of Front & Center, we examine the ongoing debate surrounding the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision and explore its potential impact on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Featuring perspectives from a family advocate, a public policy leader, and national reporting, this conversation provides context, examines the issues from multiple viewpoints, and highlights why this topic matters to patients, families, and communities.

What if your volunteers stopped showing up? Houston Goodwin, CEO of Better Impact, joins Stacy Palmer to discuss how healthcare organizations can better leverage volunteer programs to improve patient experience, support staff, and make the case for greater investment. Learn how volunteer leaders can measure the impact of their programs, tell their story with data, and position volunteerism as a strategic arm of healthcare.