Charged: New Podcast Features Female Leaders in Health Care

Mass General recently launched a new podcast called Charged, featuring some of the hospital’s leading female voices. The podcast is devoted to showcasing the passion and talent of Mass General staff, while uncovering stories of the relentless daily pursuit to break boundaries and provide exceptional care.

In the first episode, "Leading with Empathy," physician-in-chief Katrina Armstrong, MD, discusses how she strives to lead with empathy and what she learned her first day on the job—the day of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“Medicine has become so complex,” Dr. Armstrong says. “These stories help to shed light on what goes on behind the scenes. No matter how advanced the technology is, in the end, medicine is about the connection between patients and their care teams. We strive to keep that at the center, and Charged is a wonderful opportunity to share those stories.”

Charged: Season One

The first season of Charged includes:

• "Changing the Face of Addiction Treatment" - Sarah Wakeman, MD, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative, discusses her dedication to improving the treatment of substance use disorders and how it is revolutionizing the way the disease is thought of and talked about
• "Valuing Your Own Diversity" - Marcela del Carmen, MD, Mass General Physicians Organization chief medical officer and a gynecologic oncologist, shares how her experience as an immigrant fleeing Nicaragua as a child inspired her to dedicate her career to reducing disparities in cancer care and promoting diversity in medicine
• "Women and the Heart" - Malissa Wood, MD, co-director of the Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program, talks about the complexities of heart disease in women versus men and what that means for the care and treatment of the disease

The season also features stories from Misty Hathaway, MIA, senior director for International and Specialized Healthcare Services; Denise Gee, MD, a bariatric surgeon; Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, deputy director of the Disparities Solutions Center; and Pamela Jones, MD, a neurosurgeon in the Department of Neurosurgery.

Telling Unique Stories

“It is my hope that listeners hear these stories and tap into the collective energy and wisdom of the leaders interviewed,” Dr. Wood says. “Each speaker has found her path to leadership in a unique way, and the lessons learned apply to leaders not only in health care, but in many other disciplines as well.”

For more information and to explore episodes of the podcast, visit www.massgeneral.org/charged/.