Patients Come First

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Pam Smith, a recently retired radiology technician who earned the nickname “X-ray Pam” during her 38-year career at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. She joins us for a conversation about her career, bone density scans, workforce development, her retirement plans, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Mark Witcher, a functional neurosurgeon with Carilion Clinic, who joins us for a conversation about his work with patients experiencing movement disorders, chronic pain, epilepsy, and to discuss a recent trip he and neurosurgery residents took to a far away nation at the top of the world to help patients and share their expertise. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Clifford Meyers, a board-certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist with Twin County Regional Healthcare, a Lifepoint Health facility in Galax, VA. He joins us for a conversation about his career, health care delivery in rural Virginia, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Bob Trestman, Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Carilion Clinic for a conversation about his work, mental health, collaboration with the Virginia Coordinated Clinical Research Network, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Aamir Khan, the medical director of VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center’s Islet Cell Transplant Program. He joins us for a conversation about his work, the Hume-Lee Transplant Center, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Fouzia Siddiqui, a physician and neurologist who is Director of the Sleep Center at Sentara RMH Medical Center. She joins us for a conversation about her career, her journey from Pakistan to the United States to pursue her passion, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Jasmohan Bajaj, a physician based at the VCU Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, and a professor with the VCU School of Medicine. He joins us for a conversation about his work, research findings indicating a connection between cognitive decline and liver health, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Henna Qureshi, a physician with Inova Health, and Leigh Guarinello, Director of Community Health programs with Inova Health, for a conversation about their careers, Inova’s community health efforts, how the Unite Us Platform is leveraged to support patient needs, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Donna Wilmoth, Chief Nursing Officer at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. She joins us for a conversation about her nursing career, how Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center became the first certified sensory-inclusive hospital in Virginia, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. James Daniero, a laryngologist at the UVA Health Voice and Swallowing Clinic who specializes in caring for people who use their voice extensively. The conversation covers his specialized training, the kinds of patients Dr. Daniero works with, vocal cord health, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Melissa Herd, Acting Director and Executive Officer for Region III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Director Herd join us for a conversation about her career, the work of HHS across Region III (which includes Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, and Pennsylvania), National Minority Health Month, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Stephanie Lareau, an emergency medicine physician who is certified in wilderness medicine and Director of the Carilion Clinic Wilderness Medicine Fellowship program. Dr. Lareau join us for a conversation about her career, wilderness medicine, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Patrick Watson and Taylor Tereskerz, pre-hospital clinicians who work within Population Health and Community Paramedicine at UVA Health. They join us for a conversation about their professional backgrounds, UVA Health’s Community Paramedicine Program, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Theresa Dix, Chief Nursing Officer at Wythe County Community Hospital, a Lifepoint Health facility. She joins us for a conversation about her career, Wythe County Community Hospital's National Quality Leader Designation, workforce development, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Delante Monroe, a sous chef at Mary Washington Healthcare. He joins us for a conversation about the role of culinary professionals in hospital settings, his award-winning painting skills, his interest in information technology, the power of positivity, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features UVA Health CEO Dr. Craig Kent, who also serves as Executive Vice President for health affairs at the University of Virginia and is a past member of the VHHA Board of Directors. Dr. Kent joins us for a conversation about his career and work, a discussion about some exciting clinical research being conducted at UVA Health, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Caitlyn Berry, an occupational therapist with Sportable, a Richmond-based adaptive sports organization. The conversation covers the mission and history of Sportable, the work of occupational therapists, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Jeremy Bock, an interventional cardiologist and endovascular specialist, who is Medical Director of the cardiology practice at VHC Health. The conversation covers his career, cardiovascular health, hypertension, a minimally invasive surgical technique to treat patients with high blood pressure resistant to other forms of management, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Deborah Floyd, a nurse and Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator with Sentara Health. The conversation covers her career, how her current work is informed and inspired by personal experience with loss, wellness for health care professionals, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Theresa Blankenship, Director of Women and Infant Services at Clinch Valley Health. She joins us for a conversation about her nursing career, rural health care, and the work of the Clinch Valley team during an emergency situation involving a mother giving birth during a medical crisis. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Greg Hundley, a cardiologist and Director of the Pauley Heart Center at VCU Health. He joins us for a conversation about his career and clinical work, medical imaging, heart health, training future generations of cardiac sonographers, his podcast, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Michael Feldman, Medical Director of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center at VCU Health. The conversation covers his career and clinical work in burn care, the importance of Burn Awareness Week and burn prevention initiatives, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Kristie Williams, Vice President of Carilion Giles Community Hospital and Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital. She joins us for a conversation about her career path in nursing, the recent implementation of Moxie Robots at Carilion Giles to support staff delivering patient care, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Frank Amico Jr., a heart failure, transplantation, interventional, and critical care cardiologist at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare. He joins us for a conversation about his career, shares his powerful personal story of recovery from serious brain and spinal cord injuries, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Martin Hehir, an anesthesiology resident at UVA Health, who joins us for a conversation about his medical and athletic career, participating in the U.S. Olympic trials as a long-distance runner, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Mollie Luck, a music therapist at VCU Health. She joins us for a conversation about the role of music therapy in clinical settings, working with patients, a program at VCU to record the heartbeats of patients nearing the end of life, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Holly Mortlock, Deputy Director of External Affairs and Policy with the Virginia Health Insurance Marketplace that is overseen by the State Corporation Commission (SCC). She joins us for a conversation about her professional background, the work of the SCC, Virginia's health insurance marketplace, the recently concluded open enrollment period, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Wally Smith, a physician at VCU Health who specializes in the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease. He joins us for a conversation about his path to medicine, his work, promising new gene therapy treatments for the disease, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Olga Mazur, a general surgeon at Fauquier Health who specializes in the surgical management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). She joins us for a conversation about her background, treatment options for severe heartburn, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Dr. Aaron Chevinksy, a surgical oncologist and Director of the oncology service line for the Riverside Cancer Care Network. He joins us for a conversation about cancer and cancer care, how artificial intelligence technology advances are supporting cancer detection, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Alan Lombardo, Chief Executive Officer of Sheltering Arms Institute, for a conversation about physical therapy, working with seriously wounded military veterans on rehabilitation, the expansion of Sheltering Arms Institute, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview Melody Dickerson, Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations and Chief Nursing Officer at VHC Health in Arlington, Virginia. She joins us for a conversation about her work, trauma care, workplace wellness, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview Frankie Stamps, a Fauquier Health patient, for a conversation about how physical and speech therapy, an active lifestyle that include pickleball and skydiving, and medication have helped him manage Parkinson's disease for a decade. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview Dr. Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne, the director of UVA’s Center for Leading Edge Addiction Research, for a conversation about her work to support individuals with substance use disorder, research and clinical trials on addiction, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview Dr. Samuel Schiavone, a psychiatrist with Inova Fairfax Hospital, for a conversation about his work, military servicer, mental health care, the condition of seasonal affective disorder, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Bergen Nelson, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, for a conversation about her career and past work as a New York City school teacher, some of her areas of research interest, the topic of food insecurity, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Garry Myers, Director of Graduate Endodontics and an associate professor in the VCU School of Dentistry, for a conversation about his military career, the discipline of endodontics, workforce challenges impacting dentistry, his involvement in the Iditarod dog sled races, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Mark Miller, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and a sports medicine specialist at UVA Health, for a conversation about his military career, work as a collegiate team physician, a book he co-authored on supporting healthy young athletes, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

The latest episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features an interview with UVA School of Medicine professor Daniel J. Cox, PhD, for a conversation about his own journey with type 2 diabetes as well as a grant-funded clinical research study about innovative methods to achieve diabetes remission without weight loss or medication. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

The latest episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Tameka Irving, a community benefit manager at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, for a conversation about her work and the community health programmatic offerings provided by the hospital. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

The latest episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Erin Davis, a palliative care and med-surge nurse at VCU Community Memorial Hospital, for a conversation about her work and the critical role she played in helping to rescue a family involved in a serious interstate wreck on a rainy summer morning. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton for a conversation about her career, the work of the Virginia Department of Health, efforts to combat fentanyl abuse, address the behavioral health crisis, flu shots, health care workforce development, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Katie Coleman, a young woman from Texas who was diagnosed with a rare, advanced form of kidney cancer and has used online platforms to document her journey through treatment and recovery. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Connor Berlin, a UVA Health neurosurgery resident, about his travel to Ukraine to volunteer at a hospital and treat injured soldiers and civilians impacted by combat hostilities. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Katie Hougasian, a young nurse at Lewis Gale Medical Center who suffered a stroke during a work shift, about that experience, her recovery, her efforts to raise awareness about the risk of stroke, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Elise Cope, PhD, an assistant professor in the UVA School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience, for a conversation about social memory, the research of the Cope Lab regarding social memory and brain function and cognition, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Felicia Wilson, who works with the Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program at Riverside Regional Medical Center, for a conversation about her work, the Riverside Hand-in-Hand program, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an inspiring young man from the Richmond area with a real spirit of strength and perseverance. Khalil Watson, who was paralyzed several years ago by an assailant, recently walked across the stage for his college graduation with the aid of assistive mobility technology from Sheltering Arms Institute, where he has been a rehabilitation patient. The conversation covers Khalil's personal story, his rehabilitation, his future plans, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Erika Canouse, a physician assistant with Inova Health System who works with neurosurgery patients, for a conversation about her work, background, her family and professional connection to the D.C. United team from MLS, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Laura Noonan, a social media personality who uses content creation to get real, in an engaging way, about the difference between the reality and fantasy of being married to a physician. The conversation covers the story of how she and her husband met, what inspired her to share her experience on social media, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.