Mapping Healthcare is a radio show and podcast where a medic with a map explores ways in which people around the globe make the world of healthcare better and what we can learn from them. The host is a pediatrician, educator, and researcher who leads programs to help people access high-quality healthcare and stay healthy. All past episodes are archived below. Find Mapping Healthcare on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast
16. Soaring to New Heights to Prevent and Treat Blindness from EcuadorFri, 08/22/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhPreventable blindness affects millions of people. That's the dark reality for far too many, even when treatments are available. While medical advances have lowered rates of blindness, our global population is growing and aging rapidly. And the longer people live, the more likely they are to develop age-related eye conditions. Visual loss profoundly affects people physically, psychologically, economically, educationally, and socially. Andrea Molinari, an eye surgeon with Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, tells us about her work focused on promoting eye health in regions that most need that care. |
15. Healthcare Leadership that Inspires Purpose from MassachusettsFri, 07/25/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhHealthcare faces rising costs, quality problems, and workforce shortages, and the ability to rally people around a shared, meaningful purpose is more critical than ever. So, how do healthcare leaders begin to inspire this sense of purpose to fuel innovation? Don Berwick, President Emeritus of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, tells us about his transformational leadership journey, characterized by leading through influence, inspiring purpose, and channeling intrinsic motivation into action. |
14. Building Breast Cancer Awareness in JordanFri, 07/11/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhBreast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women globally, with outcomes that are drastically different based purely on where you happen to live. What's fascinating is how much this challenge isn't just a medical one, but is deeply entangled with social factors, cultural norms, and economics. Salma Jaouni Araj shares how the Jordan Breast Cancer Program implements early detection to reduce deaths from breast cancer and address personal beliefs and family situations that are silent, invisible barriers to screening and treatment. |
13. Caring for Home Care Workers in NigeriaFri, 06/27/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhThere’s no place like home when it comes to comfort, health, and healing. Home care lets people with illnesses or disabilities live where they feel most comfortable. And it's a whole world of care delivered by an essential workforce that is vital to our health systems, but one that often operates in the shadows. Reliance on home care is growing, with a move away from nursing homes towards care in the community. Chika Odioemene tells us about her experience in training and supporting home care workers in Nigeria and how this growing workforce alleviates healthcare worker shortages. |
12. Co-designing Telehealth in Remote Communities on the Tiwi IslandsFri, 06/13/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhPrimary care is the foundation of any health system but it faces massive challenges globally, especially in geographically isolated communities. One solution is telehealth or virtual care, a natural fit for remote areas. Bridging geographic distances makes it easier to connect with clinicians and reduce travel time and costs. Tim Shaw shares how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on Australia’s remote Tiwi Islands bridged this gap using technology and co-designed care with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to help their community access comprehensive and coordinated primary care. |
11. Decoding Patient Safety Data in DenmarkFri, 05/30/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhHow do we understand when things don't go as planned in healthcare and how do we learn from the vast majority of times when things work out just fine? The science of patient safety deals with preventing harm in healthcare settings. We explore the core ideas behind three views – Safety I, II, and III – complementary approaches that tell us when we should find and fix patient safety problems, learn from what went right, and identify and reduce hazards. Carsten Engel tells us about Denmark's national patient safety incident reporting systems, one of the oldest such databases in the world. |
10. The Web of Human, Animal, and Ecosystem Health in RwandaFri, 05/16/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhToday we explore something that connects you, me, 8 billion people, and every living thing on our planet. One Health recognizes that human health, animal health, and the ecosystem are deeply linked. And if one part gets sick or damaged, its effects ripple through the whole system. Michael Wilkes tells us about how he combines medicine, his One Health work in Rwanda, and his career as a journalist. From rabies and bird flu, to superbugs and mountain gorillas, we hear about how One Health isn't just about reacting to crises like pandemics. It's about being better prepared for emerging health challenges. |
9. The Power of the Patient Voice in KentFri, 05/02/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhDespite an increasing focus on person-centered care, patients frequently have little influence in matters that affect them the most. Hear how patient advocates amplify the voice of the patient and how these change agents work at the core of healthcare improvement efforts. Integrating the perspective of people ultimately affected by medical decisions identifies gaps in care that are often missed. Anna Edwards tells us about her journey as a person with a chronic condition and her years of experience in making sure that health systems hear the voice of the patient. |
8. Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness in FlandersFri, 04/18/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhKindness in healthcare, like in other settings, is contagious. It spreads through social networks and can trigger a chain reaction where people feel the need to pay it forward, a phenomenon called prosocial contagion. Initiatives to promote kindness in healthcare improve clinical care and patient outcomes, and reduce stress and burnout among healthcare staff. Kris Vanhaecht tells us about the Mangomoments initiative in Belgium that demonstrated the ripple effects of small unexpected acts of kindness in clinical settings on patients and healthcare workers. |
7. Dialing Down the Heat on Healthcare’s Carbon Footprint in SydneyFri, 04/04/2025 - 5:30pm | Dr. ShaikhIt might seem paradoxical. The very industry dedicated to healing and promoting health is also a significant contributor to the climate crisis. If global health care was a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest carbon emitter. Jeffrey Braithwaite tells us about how health systems, hospitals, and clinicians in Australia are working to reduce their carbon footprint. Hear how making informed choices about tests, treatments, and procedures, and considering their environmental impact alongside their clinical effectiveness and cost is a vital part of this effort. |
Post new comment