{"podcast":{"title":"Turn on the Lights Podcast","slug":"turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880","podcast_index_feed_id":6307880,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/NSSMO6501171747","website_url":"https://www.ihi.org/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/03eaaad0-d23e-11ed-9e41-e33b9cfb8f4d/image/73706558b12b7a1c50e00a6d60e66830.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"IHI","episode_count":143,"summary":"Hosted by Dr. Philip McAdoo, Director of Internal Equity and Workplace Well-Being at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Turn on the Lights is a podcast that aims to improve health care worldwide by shedding light on health care issues through thought-provoking, patient-centered conversations. By demystifying health care problems, we hope to activate both the public and health care professionals to help accelerate changes leading to health and health care improvements worldwide. Our discussions cover various topics such as health care delivery, health equity, quality, and social justice. The podcast features solutions from around the world and encourages listeners to take action. Brought to you by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).","last_synced_at":"2026-07-17T20:19:37.731848+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880"},"episode":{"title":"Why Public Health Matters Most When You Don’t See It with Dr. Rochelle Walensky","slug":"why-public-health-matters-most-when-you-don-t-see-it-with-dr-rochelle-walensky","published_at":"2026-05-01T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880/why-public-health-matters-most-when-you-don-t-see-it-with-dr-rochelle-walensky","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSSMO8634430394.mp3?updated=1777339566","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSSMO8634430394.mp3?updated=1777339566","summary":"Public health is easiest to overlook when it is doing its job well, and hardest to defend when uncertainty is unavoidable. In this episode, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, former CDC Director and infectious disease physician, reflects on the leadership challenges, pressure, and public scrutiny she faced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses the difficulty of communicating evolving science in real time, preparing for congressional hearings, and rebuilding morale within an agency under intense strain. Dr. Walensky also highlights lesser-known public health efforts, including the CDC’s work to prevent measles spread during the Afghan evacuation. She shares her perspective on the agency’s current challenges and emphasizes the importance of relationships, workforce trust, modern data systems, and her ongoing work with the Vaccine Integrity Project. Tune in to hear why rebuilding trust in public health will require not only better systems, but better storytelling. Resources Follow Dr. Rochelle Walensky on LinkedIn. Explore the CDC’s role in public health preparedness and response here. Read about the Vaccine Integrity Project here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Public health is easiest to overlook when it is doing its job well, and hardest to defend when uncertainty is unavoidable. In this episode, Dr. Rochelle W…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2806,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880/episodes/why-public-health-matters-most-when-you-don-t-see-it-with-dr-rochelle-walensky/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/turn-on-the-lights-podcast-6307880/why-public-health-matters-most-when-you-don-t-see-it-with-dr-rochelle-walensky.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}