Root of the Issue

Root of the Issue

Conversations with Health Equity Champions The Root of the Issue shares the personal and professional journeys of nationally recognized health equity advocates and their work to end disparities in access to healthcare and basic needs in America. Our podcast provides inspiration to become involved in our collective quest for health equity and offers common sense solutions to the underlying injustices that prevent all Americans from living a life of health and well-being.

Episodes

March 17, 2024 37 mins

Welcome to "Root of the Issue"! In this episode, we delve into the vital intersection of food and health with our esteemed guest, Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC). With over a decade of experience in policy and strategy, Alissa leads FIMC in its mission to provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries, medical nutrition therapy, and education to individuals grappling with ...

Mark as Played

In this episode of Root of the Issue, we sit down with Angela Brandt, Chief Administrative Officer, ProMedica. With over two decades of experience in not-for-profit healthcare, Angela is a seasoned executive known for her transformative leadership and strategic acumen. From her early days at ProMedica to her current role steering enterprise-wide transformations, Angela shares insights into her journey, highlighting ke...

Mark as Played

In this episode of "Root of the Issue," our host Barbara Petee engages in a compelling conversation with Kim Reno, a senior manager in the Policy and Advocacy department of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The discussion explores Kim's role at the Foundation, her healthcare roots in Toledo, Ohio, and the impact of healthcare access disparities on individuals with Cystic Fibrosis. They delve into the crucial issues of nutrit...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue, join our host Barbara Petee as she sits down with Priya Bathija, Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, for an eye-opening conversation. In this episode, they uncover the stark disparities in healthcare accessibility for women and the concerning lack of readily available information about women's health. Together, they explore the systemic issues leading to unequal care and how we can work tow...

Mark as Played

In this week's episode of Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Scott Carter and Will Thomas of Conduit Government Relations; a government relations firm that specializes in grassroots organization and issue advocacy services through public affairs; with a focus on the social drivers of health that affect and impede too many Americans from a life of health and ...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by William - Bill - Novelli, Emeritus Professor of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Over the course of their conversation, they discuss Bill’s pivot from the advertising world, what he sees in the students that he works with, his various mentors over the course of his career, as well as what ways he sees for us to combat the immense divisi...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Anthony WeeklyChief Community Reinvestment Officer at Truist Bank. In this role, Anthony is responsible for collaborating with community development partners and regulators to help meet the credit needs of low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals and communities. Over the course of their conversation they discuss the histori...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue we’ve turned the tables and our guest is our very own Barbara Petee, President of the Root Cause Coalition. Over the course of the conversation with our special guest host, Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, Barbara discusses the origins of the inception of the Coalition, her inspirations for pursuing work in the social determinants of health and health equity, and the power of mentoring the next gen...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Amy Yaroch, PhD, Executive Director of the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Amy discuss the work of the Gretchen Swanson Center, the increased awareness of the social determinants of health and health equity, Amy’s optimism for alleviating hunger by 2030, and much more. 

When asked what...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Alfreda Rooks, MPA, Director of Community Health Services (CHS) at Michigan Medicine, UM Health. In this role, Alreda works to advance the mission to identify creative solutions to address the various health and social needs of the community. Over the course of their conversation they discuss the work that CHS does across the region and state, Alfreda’s fam...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue, our host Barbara Petee, is joined by Domonic Hopson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP). NFP serves more than 21,000 patients across eight sites in Cleveland and Lakewood, OH and provides primary and preventive care, and integrated services, including behavioral health, pharmacy, midwifery and dental care.

Over the course of their ...

Mark as Played

In this special encore, we revisit a conversation with Susan Benigas, the Executive Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Susan shares the powerful work of the ACLM, and its focus on lifestyle medicine, a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine – a whole-food, plant-predominant ...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Wendi Huntley, President and CEO of Connecting Kids to Meals. In her role, Wendy guides the nonprofit organization in providing hot, nutritious meals, at no cost, to at-risk kids ages 18 and under in low income and underserved areas of northwest Ohio. Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Wendi discuss the history of the organization, the role...

Mark as Played
July 10, 2023 43 mins

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Mike Curtin, CEO of the DC Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C. DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. Over the course of their conversation, Mike details his unconventional path into the non-profit space, his childhood upbringing in which giving back to the community w...

Mark as Played

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Gary Cates, the Chief Philanthropy and Government Relations Officer for ProMedica. Gary shares his story on how he became involved in the movement towards addressing the social determinants of health as well as some of those that influenced and inspired him along the way. When asked why health equity is such an important issue for the country to address, Gary responded ...

Mark as Played

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Cathryn Couch, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Ceres Community Project. Cathryn shares how her time in both the corporate and non-profit worlds honed her leadership skills, the significance of food as medicine, as well as the importance of providing the next generation with the tools they need to be capable of sufficiently feeding both body and mind. When...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Leigh Caswell, Vice President of Community and Health Equity at Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Over the course of their conversation, Barbara and Leigh discuss how organizations can better collaborate with communities to address their most urgent needs, the outcomes of the system’s Food Farmacy program in the New Mexico area, the role community he...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Tina Anderson, the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Territory Coach for CVS Health. Tina is often described as the bridge between the healthcare needs of the population and the company. Her grassroots approach drives efforts to insert CVS Health and Aetna as a healthcare partner in every community. Over the course of their conversation they...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Peter Simonsson, PhD, MSW, LCSW, a criminologist at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.  Dr. Simonsson has extensive experience conducting community research in criminal-legal settings with a focus on violence and violent victimization. In addition to his academic work, he serves as an expert witness in hearings involving children w...

Mark as Played

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Dr. Tiffany Preston Whitman, an at-large Toledo, Ohio City Council member. Since arriving on the Council, Councilwoman Whitman has led efforts for historic reinvestment in youth programming and sponsored legislation to increase public safety accountability and transparency. Over the course of their conversation they discuss:

  • The crucial need to address t...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

    How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. Plus, entertaining stories from a combined 21 years in the league, off-field interests, and engaging conversations with special guests. Watch and listen to new episodes every Wednesday during the NFL season & check us out on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok for all the best moments from the show.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.