The Community Calls with Dr. G

Call from Friday July 31st, 2026 featuring Richard Amador from HealthCare Access Maryland. Richard Amador, who joined the HCAM team in July 2017, currently serves as HCAM's Outreach Manager in the Connector program. In this role, his educational background in language and pedagogy comes together with his knowledge about insurance affordability programs and policy to increase health literacy in the communities served by HCAM. Richard, a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, holds a B.A. in Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and he received an M.A in Latin American Literature from UC Berkeley in 2009. Richard has spent the last decade applying his background in the humanities to a career path dedicated to advocating for Maryland residents' access to health care – from working as a Spanish translator and interpreter at the Columbia Health Center Clinic within the Howard County Health Department to a Connector employee since inception in 2013.

Call from Friday July 24th, 2026 featuring Patient Advocate Keri Lipperini. Keri Lipperini is a U.S. Navy veteran, advocate, educator, and founder of Lipperini Community Outreach and Support, LLC. Her work is also shaped by lived experience. Keri lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a complex and often misunderstood condition that went undiagnosed for years, leading to unnecessary pain, uncertainty, and lasting physical impact.

Call from Friday July 17th, 2026 featuring Dr. Jennifer Trout. Dr. Trout earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. She practiced in several states across the country before returning to Maryland to work on her family's dairy farm. 

Call from Friday June 26th, 2026 featuring Bailey's Heart & Soul Founder, Patrice Bullock. Bailey's Heart and Soul Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that no child dies while playing the sports they love. Their mission is to empower communities by teaching life-saving CPR and AED skills and providing critical heart screenings for school-age children to detect sudden cardiac arrest early. Patrice Bullock is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Nursing Credentialing Center with a deep passion for healthcare, chronic disease management, and patient advocacy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stevenson University and a Master's in Healthcare Administration from the University of Maryland University College.

Call from Friday June 26th, 2026 featuring Dr. Sameer Khan. Johns Hopkins hepatologist Sameer Khan has expertise in liver disease and treats patients with fatty liver disease and obesity. Dr. Khan earned his medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He completed internal medicine residency training at the Yale School of Medicine, where he was chief resident, and fellowship training in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Khan is also interested in clinical education and public policy.

Call from Friday June 12th, 2026 featuring Patient Advocate Terri Milton and Dr. Naim Alkhouri. As a Patient Advocate and Student of Life, Terri is making an impact in the world around her by spotlighting MASH, a disease of the liver, Transplant Patients and their journeys, and the need for awareness, education, and changes in policy around these issues. As a liver transplant recipient, she understands the struggles and the longterm implications of living life on the edge of death. Dr. Naim Alkhouri is a distinguished figure in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology, holding several key leadership positions. He is the Director of the Steatotic Liver Program at Northshore Gastroenterology and the Director of Research at the Clinical Research Institute of Ohio (CRIOH). Dr. Alkhouri also serves as the Chief Academic Officer at Summit Clinical Research in San Antonio, TX. His previous appointments include Director of the Metabolic Health Center at the Texas Liver Institute and Assistant Professor of both Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Texas (UT) Health in San Antonio.

Call from Friday June 5th, 2026 featuring Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni. Dr. Moragianni specializes in obstetrics and gynecology as well as reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She is highly skilled in all aspects of fertility care. A native of Greece, she graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and from Georgetown University with a Master of Science degree in physiology and biophysics. She went on to earn her medical degree from the Drexel University College of Medicine, and she completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Jefferson Abington Hospital. At Harvard Medical School and Boston IVF, Dr. Moragianni completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility in 2012, and she has since worked at several leading academic institutions as well as in private practice. Previously, Dr. Moragianni served as medical director for fertility care at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and medical director at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She has been recognized with numerous professional awards during her years in practice. Dr. Moragianni has returned to Maryland with her family. She is excited to care for new patients as a health care partner and to be an advocate in their journey toward parenthood.

Call from Friday May 29th, 2026 featuring Dr. Kim Levinson. Kimberly Levinson, M.D., is an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Her areas of clinical expertise include minimally invasive surgery with both robotic and single incision laparoscopy, ovarian cancer debulking, cervical cancer and dysplasia. Dr. Levinson received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University. She earned her M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her medical residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and performed a clinical fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Levinson has also completed international research at Preventive Oncology International in Peru and the School for International Training in Chile. Dr. Levinson joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2014.

This week due to the holiday we have a throwback episode! This call is from January 23, 2026 featuring Dr. Clifford Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell's work has focused on several areas: indoor environments; public health practice particularly related to environmental and occupational health; development of surveillance systems for environmental and occupational health, including development of Maryland's Environmental Public Health Tracking program at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and training of health professionals and para-professionals, particularly as it relates to preparedness.  

Call from Friday May 15th, 2026 featuring Dr. Marcie Johnson. Dr. Marcie Johnson, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Iowa City VA. She specialized in neuropsychology and is trained in a range of evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapeutic approaches. Dr. Johnson has worked with people across the lifespan, from childhood to older adulthood. She has conducted individual therapy, group therapy, and psychological assessment. Dr. Johnson offers counseling and therapy for a broad spectrum of mental health concerns. She also conducts psychological assessments for individuals who have academic and learning concerns.

Call from Friday May 8th, 2026 featuring Dr. Sheryl Gabram-Mendola. Dr. Gabram-Mendola is an expert in the surgical treatment of breast cancer and management of patients at high risk for breast cancer. She has also engaged in significant efforts to improve community awareness of the earlier detection of breast cancer in underserved minority women, to meet the rehabilitation needs of breast cancer patients, and to conduct analyses on the impact of various quality metrics and algorithms on patient care at Grady Memorial Hospital. She was surgeon-in-chief for the Emory Department of Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital from 2011-2020; director of the Avon Comprehensive Breast Center at Grady, a model program for providing breast health care services to underserved communities, from 2005-2020; and deputy director of the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady (GCEE) from 2009-2020.

Call from Friday May 1st, featuring Dr. Sumeska Thavarajah. Dr. Sumeska Thavarajah is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of expertise include nephrology.  Dr. Thavarajah earned her M.D. at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Connecticut Health Center and performed nephrology fellowships at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the University of Connecticut Health Center. She serves as chair of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland's Medical Advisory Board. She was recognized by the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland with a Linda Cameron Award for Patient Services in 2015.

Call from Friday April 24th, featuring Dr. David Yaden. David B. Yaden, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. A psychological scientist by training, Dr. Yaden studies how mental health and well-being are impacted by certain experiences and mental states. He is the Principal Investigator of the Yaden Lab within the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. He is the co-founder of the Hub at Oxford for Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE). He is a member of Medicine for the Greater Good and educates about scientific research and evidence-based practices.

Call from Friday April 17th, 2026 featuring Dr. Natalie Exum. Dr. Natalie Exum is a water scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Her work focuses on linking health with water and sanitation infrastructure. She is currently working on community-engaged approaches to understand how drinking water exposures in Baltimore City are affecting the health of residents. 

Call from Friday April 10th, 2026 featuring Dr. Otis Brawley. Otis Brawley is a globally-recognized expert in cancer prevention and control. He has worked to reduce overscreening of medical conditions, which has revolutionized patient treatment by increasing quality of life and reducing health disparities. Brawley's research focuses on developing cancer screening strategies and ensuring their effectiveness. He has championed efforts to decrease smoking and implement other lifestyle risk reduction programs, as well as to provide critical support to cancer patients and concentrate cancer control efforts in areas where they could be most effective. Brawley currently leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort on cancer health disparities at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, striving to close racial, economic, and social disparities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide. He also directs community outreach programs for underserved populations throughout Maryland.

Call from Friday April 3rd, 2026 lead by our host Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos (Dr. G). Dr. Galiatsatos is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician.  He is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive lung disease, tobacco cessation, and in the care of critically ill patients in the Medical ICU.  He is a member of the Obstructive Lung Disease Group at Johns Hopkins, oversees the Tobacco Treatment Clinic and provides teaching to medical students and residents at Johns Hopkins.

A special episode featuring Dr. G in conversation with David M. Rubenstein. David M. Rubenstein is an investor, philanthropist, interviewer, author, and historian. He is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest and most successful private investment firms. Established in 1987, Carlyle now manages $477 billion from 27 offices around the world. Mr. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native and is the Chairman, CEO, and principal owner of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington, and the University of Chicago; a Trustee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; an Emeritus Trustee of Johns Hopkins Medicine; and a Director of Moderna, Inc. and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Rubenstein is a member of the American Philosophical Society, Business Council, Harvard Global Advisory Council (Chairman), Madison Council of the Library of Congress (Chairman), Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University (former Chairman), and Board of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community.

Call from Friday March 27th, 2026 featuring Dr. Errol Bush, MD. Errol L. Bush, M.D., FACS, is a thoracic surgeon and surgical director of the Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program for the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center. He also serves as director of the Ex vivo Lung Perfusion Program (EVLP).  Dr. Bush specializes in the surgical treatment of chronic and end stage lung diseases, as well as benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) diseases and lesions of the chest. He is skilled in minimally invasive operations such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a type of thoracic surgery performed using a small video camera that is introduced into the patient's chest via a scope to treat lung and esophageal cancers. Dr. Bush also has experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs can no longer serve their function. His research interests include investigations of outcomes and health disparities related to lung cancer, lung transplant and ECMO patients. Dr. Bush is currently leading several open clinical trials. 

Call from Friday March 20th, 2026 featuring Carrie Cox, RN, Certified Burn Registered Nurse. Carrie Cox is a master's prepared registered nurse with over 20 years of program development and management experience in complex medical education throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. She has over 10 years' experience as a Clinical Research Nurse and Coordinator with Clinical Research Management experience. She has worked with diverse multidisciplinary teams to complete over 60 HSR research projects, including Phase I through Phase III industry sponsored clinical trials, federally funded (NIH/DOD) multi-center trials, and investigator-initiated research.

Call from Friday March 13th, featuring Ms. Velma Henderson, RN & former NFL Pro-Bowl Linebacker Art Still! Velma Henderson, RN, MS, CNAA, BC, is an accomplished Administrator, Consultant, Trainer and Presenter. She retired as Chief Nursing Officer at Howard University Hospital Washington, D.C. where in addition to her regular duties, she developed and implemented a comprehensive, organization-wide Customer Service Improvement Plan. She also served as a board member for WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, the Chi Eta Phi Education Foundation, the National Black Nurse Association and the Nursing Spectrum. Art Still is one of the greatest defensive ends in University of Kentucky history, and built a remarkable 12-year NFL career, including an amazing run with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yet today, football is only part of his story. In 2023 he was diagnosed with ATTR amyloidosis, a rare hereditary disease caused by the buildup of amyloid proteins that can impair major organs, often affecting the nerves, heart, and kidneys. Now Still is using his platform to raise awareness and advocate for early detection and treatment of this condition.

Call from Friday March 6th, 2026 featuring Shavini Fernando. Shavini is a former parient of Dr. G, & is sharing her story about her Pulmonary Hypertension diagnosis. Shavini is a VR /Video Game developer turned in to MedTech Developer; "to save lives of fellow PH patients and more to put a stop to preventable deaths that occur due to hypoxia!" 

Call from Friday February 27th, 2026 featuring Dr. Natalie West. Dr. Natalie West is a pulmonary specialist in the Greater Baltimore area who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Her focus also includes the treatment of interstitial lung disease, lung transplantation, COPD, asthma, and pulmonary hypertension. She also manages patients in the medical intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure caused by asthma, pneumonia, COPD, and the acute respiratory distress syndrome, as well as other conditions such as gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary embolism, diabetic ketoacidosis, and shock from sepsis, hypovolemia, and heart disease. Dr. West also serves as the associate program director of the Johns Hopkins Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program and plays an active role in recruitment of new fellows and mentoring fellows in the division.  

Call from Friday February 20th, 2026 featuring Dr. Sara Strout. Dr. Strout is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, focused on Cardiothoracic Transplant and Advanced Heart Failure.

This week we have a throwback episode! This call is from May 2024 and features Maryland's Secretary of Agriculture, Kevin Atticks Kevin Atticks was appointed Acting Secretary of Agriculture on Jan. 18, 2023 and sworn in as Secretary on March 2, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Atticks was CEO (and founder) of Grow & Fortify, a company supporting value-added agricultural organizations and the businesses they represent. Grow & Fortify published the first assessment of the state's value-added agricultural industry, illustrating the expansive impact generated by this sector, which includes wineries, creameries, meat processing, agritourism, equine and dozens of other industry segments.  Atticks was also the Executive Director of the Maryland Wineries Association, Brewers Association of Maryland and the Maryland Distillers Guild, and served as the President of the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council, and the Chair of the WineAmerica State & Regional Associations Advisory Council.​ Atticks formerly served on the University of Maryland College of Agriculture's Global Leadership Council, the board of Future Harvest and the board of the Maryland Tourism Coalition.​

Call from Friday February 6th, 2026 featuring Marianne Clancy, CEO of Cure HHT. Ms. Clancy has been CEO of Cure HHT for 24 years. Under her leadership, she initiated the Cure HHT research grant funding program to established and young researchers. Under her tenure, through the investment of $3 Min seed grants since 2004, HHT research funding has been leveraged nearly $60M in private and public investment. She has been instrumental in providing the patient voice to the design of HHT clinical research trials. Marianne has expanded access to expert HHT care through the establishment and management of 33 HHT Centers of Excellence in North America and 25 centers globally. Her work in obtaining release of the HHT gene patents led to the launch of genetic testing for HHT in North America. Her team has led collaborations to enable the robust growth of the International Scientific Conferences in HHT since 2001 as the sole sponsor of these convenings.

Call from Friday January 30th, 2026 featuring Dr. Martin Steinberg. Dr. Martin Steinberg is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include adult psychiatry. He earned his M.D. from Wake Forest University. He completed a residency and a fellowship in psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Steinberg's interests include depression, agitation and related behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's; the relationship between physical exercise and dementia; and dementia in the assisted living and nursing home setting.

Call from Friday January 9th, 2026 lead by our host Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos (Dr. G). Dr. Galiatsatos is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician.  He is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive lung disease, tobacco cessation, and in the care of critically ill patients in the Medical ICU.  He is a member of the Obstructive Lung Disease Group at Johns Hopkins, oversees the Tobacco Treatment Clinic and provides teaching to medical students and residents at Johns Hopkins.

Call from Friday January 9th, 2026 featuring Dr. Natalie Exum. Dr. Natalie Exum is a water scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Her work focuses on linking health with water and sanitation infrastructure. She is currently working on community-engaged approaches to understand how drinking water exposures in Baltimore City are affecting the health of residents. 

This week we have a throwback episode due to the Holidays! This call is from November 2024 and features Dr. Natalie Exum. Dr. Natalie Exum is a water scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Her work focuses on linking health with water and sanitation infrastructure. She is currently working on community-engaged approaches to understand how drinking water exposures in Baltimore City are affecting the health of residents.

Call from Friday December 19th, featuring Dr. Anne Yacoub. Anne Damian Yacoub, M.D., is a neurologist who specializes in both multiple sclerosis and headache. Her areas of expertise include the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological disorders that involve the central nervous system. She is also an expert in acute and chronic management of headache disorders. Dr. Yacoub earned her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, followed by a residency in neurology at the McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Yacoub spent one year studying the diagnosis and management of headaches as a Seymour Diamond Headache Medicine fellow in a combined program at the Diamond Headache Clinic and the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. She subsequently trained as a clinical and research fellow in the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology, studying neuroimmunology and neurological infections. Dr. Yacoub's research interests include studying migraine headaches in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Call from Friday December 12th, featuring Dr. Michael Streiff. Dr. Streiff's major clinical interest involves the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. He has written several comprehensive reviews on vena caval filters and the management of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients. He chairs the Venous Thromboembolism Guideline Committee for the National Comprehensive Cancer Center Network and has served on international consensus panels to develop standardized guidelines for the use of vena caval filters in the management of venous thromboembolism. As a member of a Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Center panel, he participated in the development of evidence reports on the management of venous thromboembolism.  As Medical Director of the Anticoagulation Management Service and Outpatient Clinics, he and his colleagues from the Department of Pharmacy have been actively involved in developing policies and procedures for standardizing anticoagulation management and guidelines for VTE prevention at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. As the consulting Hematologist for the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center, he is actively involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease and other hemostatic disorders.

Call from Friday December 5th, 2025 featuring Dr. Otis Brawley. Otis Brawley is a globally-recognized expert in cancer prevention and control. He has worked to reduce overscreening of medical conditions, which has revolutionized patient treatment by increasing quality of life and reducing health disparities. Brawley's research focuses on developing cancer screening strategies and ensuring their effectiveness. He has championed efforts to decrease smoking and implement other lifestyle risk reduction programs, as well as to provide critical support to cancer patients and concentrate cancer control efforts in areas where they could be most effective. Brawley currently leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort on cancer health disparities at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, striving to close racial, economic, and social disparities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide. He also directs community outreach programs for underserved populations throughout Maryland.

This week we have a throwback episode due to the Holiday. This call is from August 2024, lead by our host Dr. G. Dr. Galiatsatos is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician.  He is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive lung disease, tobacco cessation, and in the care of critically ill patients in the Medical ICU.  He is a member of the Obstructive Lung Disease Group at Johns Hopkins, oversees the Tobacco Treatment Clinic and provides teaching to medical students and residents at Johns Hopkins.  

Call from Friday November 21st, featuring a very special guest, former NFL Pro-Bowl Linebacker Art Still! Art Still is one of the greatest defensive ends in University of Kentucky history, and built a remarkable 12-year NFL career, including an amazing run with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yet today, football is only part of his story. In 2023 he was diagnosed with ATTR amyloidosis, a rare hereditary disease caused by the buildup of amyloid proteins that can impair major organs, often affecting the nerves, heart, and kidneys. Now Still is using his platform to raise awareness and advocate for early detection and treatment of this condition.  

Call from Friday November 7th, featuring Dr. Katie Shaw. Katherine Shaw, M.D., practices internal medicine and pediatrics at East Baltimore Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed her residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Shaw is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics.

Call from Friday November 7th, featuring Dr. Todd Wolynn. Dr, Wolynn received his Medical Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania and earned his Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University. He is CEO of Kids Plus Pediatrics an independent pediatric practice in Pittsburgh, PA with three locations and 20 providers. His areas of expertise include: practice management, breastfeeding medicine, sleep medicine, medical communication, vaccine advocacy and healthcare media engagement. In the past few years Dr. Wolynn's focus has been on: healthcare quality, social determinants of health and mental health support in the primary care setting, and confronting vaccine disinformation and weaponized anti-vaccine social media attacks. He cofounded Shots Heard Round the World (www.ShotsHeard.org) which is now operated by the Public Good Projects a non-profit supporting 'the science and art of communication for change'. Dr. Wolynn is also Board President of Trying Together, a non-profit which supports 'the work of early childhood'.

Call from Friday October 31st, featuring Dr. Kelly Mills. As the director of the Johns Hopkins Movement Disorders Division, Dr. Kelly Mills cares for patients who have movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, atypical parkinsonism, dystonia, ataxia, tremor and Huntington's disease. He also evaluates and manages patients needing deep brain stimulation to manage their movement symptoms and provides botulinum toxin treatment for various disorders. In his research, Dr. Mills explores the cognitive dysfunction that can occur in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. He is particularly interested in describing the role of the basal ganglia in cognition, especially in the context of various diseases that can affect this structure. His work focuses on clarifying how certain treatments might impact cognitive and psychiatric problems. For instance, Dr. Mills studies how deep brain stimulation, when used to treat movement symptoms, can impact cognitive function such as attention, memory or impulsivity.

Call from Friday October 24th, 2025 featuring Dr. Sheryl Gabram-Mendola. Dr. Gabram-Mendola is an expert in the surgical treatment of breast cancer and management of patients at high risk for breast cancer. She has also engaged in significant efforts to improve community awareness of the earlier detection of breast cancer in underserved minority women, to meet the rehabilitation needs of breast cancer patients, and to conduct analyses on the impact of various quality metrics and algorithms on patient care at Grady Memorial Hospital. She was surgeon-in-chief for the Emory Department of Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital from 2011-2020; director of the Avon Comprehensive Breast Center at Grady, a model program for providing breast health care services to underserved communities, from 2005-2020; and deputy director of the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady (GCEE) from 2009-2020.

Call from Friday October 17th, 2025 featuring Dr. Chase Johnson. Dr. Johnson provides direct patient care and anesthesia consultation for a range of surgical cases. His goal is to work with each patient and their caregivers, ranging from pediatric to geriatric cases, to optimize their anesthesia experience. One key component to his work is educating patients to help them better understand the risks and benefits of anesthesia in the context of their personal medical history. Using an informed and collaborative approach, patients are better able to reach their goals of care and get their surgical needs met. He is also focusing on furthering our understanding and management of geriatric care during the perioperative period, specifically.

Call from Friday October 10th, 2025 featuring Dr. Otis Brawley. Otis Brawley is a globally-recognized expert in cancer prevention and control. He has worked to reduce overscreening of medical conditions, which has revolutionized patient treatment by increasing quality of life and reducing health disparities. Brawley's research focuses on developing cancer screening strategies and ensuring their effectiveness. He has championed efforts to decrease smoking and implement other lifestyle risk reduction programs, as well as to provide critical support to cancer patients and concentrate cancer control efforts in areas where they could be most effective. Brawley currently leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort on cancer health disparities at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, striving to close racial, economic, and social disparities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide. He also directs community outreach programs for underserved populations throughout Maryland. Brawley joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2019 from the American Cancer Society and Emory University.

Call from Friday October 3rd, 2025 featuring Dr. Marcie Johnson. Dr. Marcie Johnson, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Iowa City VA. She specialized in neuropsychology and is trained in a range of evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapeutic approaches. Dr. Johnson has worked with people across the lifespan, from childhood to older adulthood. She has conducted individual therapy, group therapy, and psychological assessment. Dr. Johnson offers counseling and therapy for a broad spectrum of mental health concerns. She also conducts psychological assessments for individuals who have academic and learning concerns.

Call from Friday September 19th, 2025 featuring Dr. H. Catherine Wilbur. Dr. H. Catherine Wilbur is an Assistant Professor of Oncology, and a Johns Hopkins Physician.

Call from Friday September 19th, 2025 featuring Dr. Erica Johnson. Erica Johnson, M.D., earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, followed by a medical degree at the University of Maryland. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Johnson serves as a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and recently completed 11 years as a medical corps officer in the United States Army, where she served as associate program director for the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship Programs at BAMC. She also held an appointment as assistant professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Johnson has research interests in infections associated with combat trauma and deployment infection control, as well as HIV outcomes, gender-based health issues, and disparities in care.

Call from Friday September 12th, 2025 featuring Dr. Paul O'Rourke. Dr. Paul O'Rourke is an Associate Professor of Medicine and serves as Assistant Dean for Medical Student Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Dr. O'Rourke co-directs the Johns Hopkins Medical Education Pathway, a longitudinal medical education training program for Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview internal medicine residents.  He directs the Outpatient Medicine Curriculum of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Internal Medicine Residency.  He spends the majority of his time teaching and advising medical students and internal medicine residents.  He is involved in medical education research with a particular focus on primary care education and advocacy, humanism in medicine, high value care, and health disparities.  He is active on the national level through the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM).  He currently serves as a national councilor for APDIM.

Call from Friday September 5th, 2025 featuring Dr. Rebecca Stone. Dr. Rebecca Stone is an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Her area of clinical expertise is gynecologic cancers, including cervical, uterine, vulvar and ovarian cancer, as well as gestational trophoblastic disease. Dr. Stone is a highly skilled surgeon with expertise in laparoscopic and robotic surgery for gynecologic tumors. She also serves as director of the Gynecology Enhanced Recovery after Surgery initiative, an innovative, multidisciplinary program that improves recovery and healing time after major abdominal surgery, as well as minimizes health care costs for patients.

Call from Friday August 29th, 2025 featuring Dr.Martin Steinberg. Dr. Martin Steinberg is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include adult psychiatry. Dr. Steinberg earned his M.D. from Wake Forest University. He completed a residency and a fellowship in psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Steinberg's interests include depression, agitation and related behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's; the relationship between physical exercise and dementia; and dementia in the assisted living and nursing home setting.

Call from Friday August 22nd, 2025 featuring Dr. Annette Anderson and Principal Justin Holbrook. Annette C. Anderson is a native of Baltimore and a graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools, an experience that has left an indelible mark on her career interests in educational equity and adequacy. Besides her research pursuits, she has served in a variety of school-based positions, including classroom teacher, teacher leader, curriculum coordinator, and assistant principal. She served as the chief executive officer and founding principal of Widener Partnership Charter School, the first university-assisted charter school in Pennsylvania. The school quickly became known to state and local education officials as a successful model for university-public school partnerships. As Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Anderson is frequently quoted in media, internet and education outlets. Justin Holbrook is the current principal at Armistead Gardens Elementary Middle, a 3-year-old to 8th grade school in Baltimore City. Prior to becoming a principal, he served as an assistant principal for three years and trained for one year as a resident principal in BCPSS. As an educator, Holbrook taught all subjects in 1st grade and then transitioned to 4th grade math and science where he was named as the 2017 Baltimore City Schools Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Most recently, he was named as a 2023 Connected School Leader by the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP). Holbrook is endorsed by the New Leaders Aspiring Principal Program and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Goucher College with a minor in Spanish and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola University Maryland.

This week we have a throwback episode while we take a brief Summer break! This call is from October 2024, featuring Dr. Kristina 'Monti' Montemayor. Dr. Kristina Montemayor is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins. She worked as a bedside nurse for five years prior to receiving her medical degree with honors from the University of Texas Medical Branch and then completed her Internal Medicine residency and Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship training at Johns Hopkins. Her clinical and research areas of expertise include adult cystic fibrosis, sex differences in pulmonary exacerbations, and women's health in cystic fibrosis. Her clinical work also involves caring for critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units. 

This week we have a throwback episode while we take a brief Summer break! This call is featuring Dr. Otis Brawley. Dr. Otis Brawley is professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and 39th Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Brawley leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort of cancer health disparities at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, working to close racial, economic and social disparities in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide.

This week we have a throwback episode while we take a brief Summer break! This call is from August 2024, featuring Dr. Matt McNabney. Dr. Matthew McNabney is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include geriatric medicine. Dr. McNabney serves as the program director of the medical director for the Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) and chair of the Mosaic Initiative Workgroup in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. Dr. McNabney earned his M.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and performed a fellowship in geriatric medicine and gerontology at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine