On August 22, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by H. William Higgins, II, MD, MBE, from the University of Pennsylvania, home to the oldest Department of Dermatology in the US with a world-renowned reputation.

Listen now to learn about skin cancer prevention and treatment including Mohs surgery and its new application for treating melanoma from a leading expert in the field!

Dr. Bill Higgins is the Director of the Pennsylvania Hospital Mohs Lab and an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania.

​Your Real Champion: A New Lease on Life

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champions were Julie Avalos, Executive Director, and Lyn Schoenfeld, Esq, President of the Board of Directors, from the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County (DAP).

In 1976, after a Delaware County woman’s life ended as a result of domestic violence, a group of lawyers came together to form DAP. Many victims of abuse don’t want to talk about their pain. DAP encourages victims to speak out and come together to eliminate violence. DAP also offers emergency shelter, food, clothing, safety planning/counseling for parents and children, and legal services. Learn how you can help this important cause!

On August 15, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Megan Healy, MD, an Associate Professor from Temple University Hospital, which boasts the busiest Emergency Department in the city and evaluates up to 100,000 patients a year.

Dr. Megan Healy is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and an Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

Listen now to learn when you should choose Urgent Care versus the Emergency Department. You’ll also have a better understanding of what symptoms and signs need immediate attention. 

​Your Real Champion: Two For The Road

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champions were Sister Constance Touey, IHM and Sister Jeannette Lucey, IHM!

Sister Constance and Sister Jeannette are nuns who spent 31 years at St Francis de Sales School in Philadelphia. They came in 1984 when the school was in disrepair and many students were refugees from around the world. Armed with great teaching skills, structure, and love, they transformed the failing school into a model of academic excellence. This past Spring, they spent several weeks working at the Southern border helping to care for unaccompanied boys ages 13-17 and refugee families. In their round trip, they logged over 14, 500 miles. These incredible women are both over 80 years old!

On August 8, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Katy Doroshow, DO, an Obstetrician/ Gynecologist at Main Line Health, and Susanne Bechhold, MSN, RN, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and full-time Lactation Consultant at Lankenau Medical Center and Main Line Health, for a discussion on breastfeeding.

Human milk is a living biologic substance that contains key nutrients, living growth factors, and bioactive substances (like antibodies) that help with a baby’s immunity. Listen now to hear about the benefits of breastfeeding for babies and their parents.

​Your Real Champion: King of the Road

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Jeremy King, a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist)!

Jeremy was engaged to be married when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He recovered from surgery but continues to struggle with balance, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. His wife Chelsie sought the talents of a fellow school teacher Matt Zigler (pictured below), who worked with students to create “WheeStroll” – an adaptive vehicle that combines a stroller and wheelchair giving Jeremy the independence that allows him to take his five-month-old son for a walk.

On August 1, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Edward T. Creagan MD FAAHPM for a discussion on Pet Therapy. Interacting with animals can help patients recover from or cope with certain medical conditions. It can also help the patient build relationship tools that can be transferred to human relationships and build strong social networks, vital to healing from mental illness. Tune in to hear what is behind this growing trend!

Dr. Creagan is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine, and Palliative Care Consultant.

​Your Real Champion: Shamrock Reins

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Janet Brennan, Founder and President of Shamrock Reins.

Equine therapy is a tool for navigating the return to civilian life for veterans and first responders. The patient takes the horse into the arena where obstacles are set up. The horse can sense the rider’s anxiety, anger and will not cooperate. Then the pair works together and overcomes the obstacle together, learning coping skills for life. Janet sees her program as an opportunity to thank and serve those who have served our country.

On July 26, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Deni Carise, PhD, the Chief Clinical Officer of the Recovery Centers of America, and an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Psychiatry.

In the second of our two-part series on the Opioid Epidemic, we continued our coverage with a discussion on treatment options for Opioid Use Disorder including counseling and medications. Listen today to learn more from Dr. Carise who has extensive experience in helping people through recovery!

​Your Real Champion: Think Outside The Box

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Monica Kelsey!

Monica was adopted at birth by a loving family. At age 37 she met her birth mother who shared the devastating news that she had actually abandoned Monica only hours after giving birth. The story fueled Monica with a new sense of purpose, and this retired firefighter and medic turned all of her focus on saving other babies from dying after being abandoned. Tune in to learn about Safe Haven Baby Boxes!

On July 18, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Deni Carise, PhD, and Reverend Lorina Marshall-Blake. In the first part of our two-part series, we discussed the current epidemic with Opioid Use Disorder. On Sunday, July 25, you’ll learn about options for treatment!

Deni Carise, Phd is the Chief Clinical Officer of the Recovery Centers of America, and an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Psychiatry.

Reverend Lorina Marshall-Blake is the President of the IBX Foundation. Independence Blue Cross celebrates the 10 year Anniversary of the IBX Foundation! Foundation President is Rev. Lorina Marshall-Blake leads the charge to improve access to health care, prepare nurse leaders, address critical public health issues and solve community health challenges through innovation.

​Your Real Champion: Keira Kares Foundation

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Keira Drissel!

Keira is a grateful cancer survivor. For months she received chemotherapy through a very large IV in her skin called a port. Now she makes “port pillows” that cushion the skin beneath the pressure of a seatbelt, helping other kids with cancer have a more comfortable ride in the car.

On July 11, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by David Moolten, MD, Pathologist and Medical Director of the American Red Cross. As Medical Director of the American Red Cross, Dr. Moolten had a very important message! With a sharp increase in demand, but a major decline in supply, there is a critical shortage in our nation’s blood supply. Learn how you can help to save a life!

​Your Real Champion: Hayley’s Sunshine

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Hayley Reath!

When a family loses a child we automatically reach out to the grieving parents, but who is there to comfort the siblings who have also suffered the loss? Hayley’s Sunshine is a program that brings a smile to the remaining siblings while providing support to parents.

On July 4, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Alana Mauger, the Regional Communications Manager for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Tune in to hear safety tips for when you are celebrating the 4th – including respect for fireworks and grilling, special precautions around the water at swimming pools, a lake, or the beach, and establishing a meeting point and a buddy system at crowded parks!

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Geoffrey Beauchamp, Esq.!

Geoff is a layperson who answered the call to join a medical mission team, which serves the people of Haiti who live in abject poverty. Hear about the great work of Blue Sky Surgical.

On June 27, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, The Bernard W. Godwin Professor of Prostate Cancer, Chairman, Department of Urology, Senior Director Clinical Affairs, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Enterprise VP for Urology, Jefferson Health System and Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal of Urology International, Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital.

Dr. Gomella provided an update on risks, diagnosis, and treatment for prostate cancer. He will also discuss the symptoms and treatment for an enlarged prostate and explain what to do if a patient sees blood in his urine.

​Your Real Champion: Tommy's Gift For Kids

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Tommy Ricci!

Tommy was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 1/2 years old. It was the gift of a teddy bear that pulled him through. As a survivor, he provides the same comfort and encouragement to other children facing cancer through his foundation called “Tommy’s Gifts for Kids”.

On June 20, 2021, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Tyra Bryant-Stephens, MD, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Director and Founder of the Community Asthma Prevention Program, and Sr Director of the Center for Health Equity.

Dr. Bryant-Stephens has over 20 years of experience in diagnosing and treating asthma in children. Learn how you can recognize the signs and avoid the triggers which cause asthma attacks. Learn about CAPP, her comprehensive Community Asthma Prevention Program which is improving the lives of children with asthma and their families.

​Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was John McConnell!