In this episode, Abby sits down with Taryn Bilo, MPH, Medical Respite Manager at the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council. Taryn shares her unconventional path from undergraduate volunteer work to becoming a leader in homeless healthcare and public health policy.

Starting with volunteer work at a housing resource agency in Olympia, Washington, Taryn discusses how early experiences shaped her decade-long career in homeless services. She opens up about the realities of working in direct service—from helping launch one of the first low-barrier shelters in her community to starting a medical respite program—and why she eventually pursued a master's in public health to shift toward upstream thinking and systems-level change.

Taryn explains what medical respite care is and why it's critical for people experiencing homelessness who are discharged from hospitals with nowhere to recover. She discusses the importance of integrating behavioral health and substance use services, developing gender-affirming care practices, and addressing social determinants of health in meaningful ways. She also tackles the policy landscape, including concerns about Medicaid cuts and exciting innovations like Washington State piloting medical respite as a reimbursable service.

Whether you're considering a career in public health, homeless services, or healthcare policy, this conversation offers honest insights into the challenges of working with vulnerable populations, strategies for preventing burnout, and what gives Taryn hope for the future despite uncertain times.

In this episode, Tanvi sits down with Dr. Jean Anderson, Professor Emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Johns Hopkins, to explore her groundbreaking career in HIV and women's health. Dr. Anderson shares her journey from medical school in the 1970s, when AIDS hadn't even been identified, to founding one of the first HIV Women's Health Programs in the nation. She discusses the evolution of HIV treatment from a uniformly fatal diagnosis to a manageable chronic condition, the importance of seeing patients as whole people rather than just diagnoses, and why healthcare should always remain centered on humanity. Through powerful patient stories, including her friendship with Rose, a peer counselor who has worked in her program for decades, Dr. Anderson illustrates how compassion combined with medical advances can transform lives.

Dr. Mathuram Santosham scored J3 on his qualifying exam—the second-worst grade possible. His headmaster said medical school was impossible. But one teacher fought for him, and that changed everything. From watching children die of dehydration in 1960s India to revolutionizing treatment on Apache reservations to eliminating meningitis globally, Dr. Santosham shares why dreaming big, embracing failure, and lifting others up are the keys to an impactful career in medicine.

In this episode, Tanvi sits down with Dr. Megan Weil Latshaw, faculty member at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and environmental health expert. Dr. Latshaw shares her unconventional journey from dreaming of curing cancer as a seventh grader to discovering her true calling in environmental health after realizing lab work wasn't her passion.

Inspired by her philosophy of being a "prepared opportunist," Dr. Latshaw discusses how environmental health examines the impact of our surroundings—air, water, food, and neighborhoods—on human health. She opens up about her impactful work on transit equity in Baltimore, where community collaboration and data analysis influenced real legislation and policy changes at both state and federal levels.

Dr. Latshaw also shares practical advice for aspiring public health professionals, emphasizing that strong graduate school applications focus on personal stories and resilience rather than just grades, and highlighting how 80% of career opportunities come through networking. She introduces listeners to the emerging field of planetary health, which connects human health to the health of our planet.

Whether you're interested in environmental health, public policy, or making community-level change, this conversation offers insights into building a career that combines science, advocacy, and real-world impact.

In this episode, Abby sits down with Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, M.D., Psychiatrist-in-Chief Emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, and Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rosenbaum shares his unique career journey that has taken him between clinical psychiatry, hospital administration, and groundbreaking research.

Inspired by his father's work as a general practitioner, Dr. Rosenbaum discusses how family influence shaped his path into medicine and his approach to patient care. He opens up about the challenges of balancing leadership roles with clinical work, the evolution of his career from administration to directing innovative psychiatric research, and what it's really like to pioneer psychedelic therapy in modern medicine.

Whether you're interested in psychiatry, healthcare leadership, or cutting-edge medical research, this conversation offers insights into how one doctor built a career that spans multiple areas of healthcare while staying true to his passion for helping patients.

Welcome to Healthcare Unveiled! 🩺 In our very first episode, hosts Abby and Tanvi introduce themselves and share their mission: making healthcare careers accessible to everyone, not just those with insider connections.

Tired of the mystery surrounding healthcare professions? We're here to pull back the curtain with honest conversations about real career journeys - the good, the challenging, and everything in between.

In this episode, we'll share why we started this podcast and what drives our mission, what to expect from upcoming interviews with healthcare professionals across all fields, how we're building a community beyond just the podcast, and resources to help you navigate your healthcare career journey.

Whether you're a high school student exploring options, considering a career change, or already in healthcare and curious about other paths, this podcast is your guide to realistic, unfiltered career insights.

Connect with us:

🌐 Visit our website for blog posts and additional resources.

📱 Follow us on Instagram @healthcareunveiled for quick tips and behind-the-scenes content