The Health Advocates

This week on The Health Advocates, we unpack a series of developments that signal a pivotal moment in U.S. health policy. The FDA has refused to review Moderna’s new mRNA-based flu vaccine, raising questions about regulatory standards and the future of vaccine innovation. At the same time, the Trump administration has launched TrumpRx, a new prescription drug discount platform that promises savings but faces scrutiny over its...

Congress has passed, and President Trump has signed, a major government funding bill that includes a wide range of health care policies, from telehealth extensions and hospital-at-home programs to long-sought reforms targeting pharmacy benefit managers. But alongside those wins, the legislation also raises serious questions about the future direction of federal health policy.

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven New...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark sits down with Dr. Cynthia Overton to explore what person‑centered care truly looks like, through the eyes of someone who has lived it.

At age 26, Cynthia experienced a sudden spinal cord injury that left her temporarily paralyzed—an event that fundamentally reshaped her understanding of health care. Today, she draws on both lived experience and evidence‑based frameworks...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark breaks down a surprising moment of bipartisan agreement in Congress: a new Health and Human Services funding bill that includes meaningful wins for patients and public health.

From protecting CDC and NIH funding to extending telehealth flexibilities and hospital-at-home p...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark speaks with Ohio State Representative Michele Grim, the only public health professional currently serving in the Ohio legislature. Rep. Grim shares how her background in public health advocacy led her to politics, where she now champions legislation to expand access to care, fight misinformation, and protect vulnerable populations.

Together, they dive into the challenges of he...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, we break down one of the most pivotal and controversial ACIP meetings in recent history. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee voted to roll back the universal hepatitis B birth dose, a policy that has protected newborns from chronic liver disease for more than three decades. We explain what ACIP decided, why the changes were not based on new scientific evidence, and how misinformation ...

In this special year-end episode of The Health Advocates, host Steven Newmark takes a step back to review several of the most significant public health developments of 2025.

The episode covers major leadership changes at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, key meetings and votes of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), ongoing challenges related to vaccine access and uptake, and continued deb...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, we break down one of the most pivotal and controversial ACIP meetings in recent history. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee voted to roll back the universal hepatitis B birth dose — a policy that has protected newborns from chronic liver disease for more than three decades. We explain what ACIP decided, why the changes were not based on new scientific evidence, and how misinfor...

How can lawmakers rebuild public trust in health, and make prevention a shared priority?

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark speaks with Texas State Representative Nicole Collier, a leading voice on health equity, women’s health, and preventive care. From her work on the Select Committee on Preventable Diseases and Women’s Health to her advocacy for fair access to vaccines, Rep. Collier brings...

In this special Thanksgiving episode, Steven helps our community prepare for the conversations that matter most. Every year, GHLF shares its “Turkey Day Talking Points” to support people living with chronic illness or who are immunocompromised as they navigate discussions about vaccines with family and friends.

This episode breaks down simple, compassionate ways to explain why vaccines are so important, and why p...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, host Steven Newmark breaks down what the recent federal government shutdown means for health care access and vulnerable patients. Then, he’s joined by Mahsa Pazokifard, a passionate patient advocate living with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), a rare and often misunderstood autoimmune condition. Mahsa opens up about the challenges of getting diagnosed, how the disease has impacted her l...

Pandemics aren’t only about pathogens, they’re about people, politics, and the deep inequities in our health systems. In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark speaks with Dr. Tyler Evans, an infectious disease and public health leader whose career has spanned the front lines of global outbreaks from Ebola to COVID-19. As the former Chief Medical Officer for New York City and co-founder of the Wellness and...

Open enrollment for 2026 is underway — and for millions of Americans managing chronic or rare diseases, understanding your health insurance options is essential. In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark breaks down what open enrollment is, what’s new this year, and how to navigate changes in your plan.

Drawing from Aimed Alliance’s 2026 Open Enrollment guide, Steven explains key terms like dedu...

In this special episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark speaks with Kathi Lopez, who shares her journey of being diagnosed with Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA). Kathi talks about the challenges of getting a proper diagnosis, navigating treatment, and managing life with a rare autoimmune condition. She shares how staying informed, connected, and engaged in advocacy has helped her take control of her care, and how she now helps ot...

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognized groundbreaking advances in understanding immune regulation — but what do they mean for people living with autoimmune disease? In this episode, Dr. Shilpa Venkatachalam, Chief Patient-Centered Research and Ethical Oversight Officer at GHLF, joins Steven to explore how our immune system knows when to act — and when to stop. Shilpa explains the importance of these d...

What happens to America’s health when Washington grinds to a halt? In this episode of The Health Advocates, we break down the latest federal government shutdown and what it means for public health agencies across the country. We explain what a shutdown actually is, drawing from past shutdowns over the last 30 years, and then dive into the immediate and long-term impacts on the CDC, FDA, NIH, and other agencies that millions o...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark sits down with Richard (RJ) Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda Solutions, to explore the intersection of technology, data, and patient advocacy. With decades of experience in healthcare technology, RJ shares how he and his team design digital tools that help patients take control of their health while supporting providers and payers alike. They also discuss patient engagement, ac...

In this episode of The Health Advocates, we unpack a turbulent week in public health. The CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee (ACIP), now reshaped under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., met to debate changes to the COVID-19, MMRV, and Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations. Despite heated rhetoric and process irregularities, the committee ultimately kept broad access to COVID-19 vaccines — a short-term win for patients...

This fall’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout is more confusing than ever. The FDA has narrowed eligibility to older adults and people with high-risk conditions, while major medical societies are urging broader access — and insurance companies are waiting for new guidance from ACIP, the advisory committee that’s been reshaped by RFK Jr.

In this episode of The Health Advocates, host Steven Newmark explains who qualifies as ...