The Smart Care Team Spotlight Podcast

The future of healthcare depends not just on better technology, but on nurses being brave enough to shape it. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, host Molly McCarthy, MBA, RN-BC, a former US Microsoft CNO, delivers an NYU commencement address where she shares how her mother’s cancer journey inspired her to become a nurse and shaped her belief in the power of human-centered care. She calls on the next generation of nurses to approach AI and healthcare innovation with cautious optimism while taking an active role in designing, questioning, and shaping the technologies that are transforming their profession. Her message is ultimately about purpose, courage, advocacy, and recognizing that a nursing identity can be a powerful foundation for whatever path comes next. Listen to Molly McCarthy’s inspiring call to nurses to find their purpose and shape the future of healthcare! Resources: Connect with and follow Molly McCarthy on LinkedIn. Listen to the Smart Care Team Spotlight podcast here!

From bedside care to system-wide change, this conversation traces how clinical experience can drive research and health equity impact. In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Dr. Bridgette Rice, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Villanova University, discusses her journey from neonatal intensive care nursing to becoming a nationally recognized researcher and leader focused on health equity and vulnerable populations. She explains that patient experiences, particularly those related to mental health and social determinants of health, inspired her to use research as an advocacy tool to drive meaningful change. Bridgette shares both optimism and caution about AI in healthcare, stressing that technology must be developed responsibly, inclusively, and with human oversight. She also offers advice to emerging nurses and researchers about following their passions, embracing unexpected opportunities, and using every experience as a stepping stone for future impact. Tune in for insights on health inequities, community-driven research, and the opportunities and risks of AI in care! Resources: Connect with and follow Dr. Bridgette Rice on LinkedIn. Follow Villanova University on LinkedIn and explore their website!

What happens when AI in healthcare stops assisting and starts practicing? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, host Molly McCarthy partners with the Healthcare on Air podcast by Verizon, and along with its hosts Robin Goldsmith and Brian Urban, they welcome Geisinger’s Dr. Jonathan Slotkin, Chief Medical Officer of Strategy and Growth, Tim Fitzgerald, Chief Strategy Officer, and Susan Lucas Collins, Vice President of Geisinger Ventures, to discuss how Healthcare AI is transitioning from a supportive tool to a core component of care delivery, with innovations like ambient listening, virtual nursing, and AI-driven clinical decision-making becoming standard expectations. These technologies are not only improving efficiency but also reshaping workforce dynamics, recruitment, and long-term care models, especially in rural and home-based settings. The conversation highlights a major inflection point: AI systems are beginning to take on regulated clinical tasks, signaling a shift in how care is delivered and by whom. However, questions around regulation, ethics, reimbursement, and the role of human oversight will ultimately shape the pace and impact of this transformation. Tune in to explore how AI is redefining care delivery, workforce expectations, and the very role of clinicians in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape! Resources: Connect with and follow Dr. Jonathan Slotkin on LinkedIn. Connect with and follow Brian Urban on LinkedIn. Connect with and follow Susan Lucas Collins on LinkedIn. Follow Geisinger Health System on LinkedIn and visit their website! Connect with and follow Molly McCarthy on LinkedIn. Check out more episodes of the Smart Care Team Spotlight podcast here! Connect with and follow Robin Goldsmith on LinkedIn. Connect with and follow Brian Urban on LinkedIn. Check out more episodes of the Healthcare on Air podcast here!

What if the people best positioned to fix healthcare are the ones who’ve been closest to the problem all along? In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Mary Lou Ackerman, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Health with Saint Elizabeth Health Care, and Nico Gennaro Sciasci, Chief Executive Officer of SONSIEL, discuss how “The Power of Nurses” lies in their ability to influence change and redesign healthcare through frontline insight. They emphasize that nurses are not just caregivers, but innovators and system architects who understand the full patient experience. Through SONSIEL, a global movement is emerging to equip nurses with the tools, confidence, and community to turn problems into scalable solutions. The conversation highlights that the future of healthcare depends on empowering nurses to lead innovation and integrate human care with digital intelligence. Tune in to hear how nurses are evolving from caregivers to system architects and leading a global movement to redesign healthcare from the inside out! Resources: Connect with and follow Mary Lou Ackerman on LinkedIn. Follow Saint Elizabeth Health Care on LinkedIn and explore their website! Connect with and follow Nico Gennaro Sciasci on LinkedIn. Follow SONSIEL on LinkedIn and explore their website! Mary Lou has co-authored two books, The Future of Aging and The Rebel Nurse Handbook: Inspirational Stories by Shift Disruptors.