In this week’s episode we talk to Dr. Olivia Nathan, a pharmacist at Equitas Health, who has a focus on community health. Her work centers equitable healthcare access for black women. She’s given a TEDx talk on the disproportionate allotment of PrEP to black women (‘PrEPare Black Women: Health Inequity in PrEP Access’) and currently works on disseminating vaccine information in her local community in Columbus, Ohio. As a fierce advocate both in the pharmacy and on the ground with the people she serves, she models what it looks like to integrate community voices and perspectives into health advocacy. On our show we discuss her journey into pharmaceutical medicine and how her identity as a black woman has shaped her future ambitions in advancing health literacy and equity.
🎙EPISODE 4 TEASER🎙Up next, we talk to Theresa, a nurse manager at a large academic hospital in Boston, about her work applying principles of community health to a hospital setting. She started exploring her interest in community health while a student at Northeastern, where she eventually took up the opportunity to support people in Guatemala. Eventually returning back to Boston, she brought her passion for community health work to a community health van. While working at an academic hospital was a much different speed, she’s now committed herself to applying important lessons in comprehensive, holistic care to every part of her clinical work at the HIV clinic.
🎙EPISODE 3 TEASER: Dr. Tedaldi’s wealth of knowledge couldn’t have been restricted to one episode, so be sure to catch Part 2 of our discussion with her in tomorrow’s episode!
🎙EPISODE 2 TEASER: Our second episode brings the spotlight to the provider side of HIV care. We've invited on Dr. Ellen Tedaldi MD MACP (she/hers), the Director of Temple University Hospital's HIV Program. We were first connected with her through Michael Vitez, a Pulitzer Prize winning writer for his exploratory journalism work on stories from people who are terminally ill. When Anu introduced our project to Mr. Vitez after one of his narrative medicine workshops, he immediately pointed her to Dr. Tedaldi.
She has fought on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, since its beginnings in the 70's as GRID (gay-related immunodeficiency disorder). Dr. Tedaldi brings a multifaceted approach to patient advocacy, one that integrates community, hospital, and federal resources to support the diverse patient population that she cares for. Furthermore, her work on various clinical trials focuses on researching health disparities, how to structure culturally appropriate care, and more. Her commitment to patient-centered care, health equity, and community service remains an inspiration to anyone pursuing a career in medicine.
We learned so much from our conversation with her, that we decided to split it into two parts. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, July 15th for part 1!
🎙Listen in to a teaser of our first episode! 🎙Full episode releasing this Monday, June 28th!
Exciting things are happening on June 28th…. 👀
Videography: Anudeeta Gautam
Graphic design: Ritisha Ghosh