INTERVIEWS

Guest: Bianca Venuti

Presenter: Henry Acosta

Guest Bio: Six months ago her amazing mum, Maria Venuti, had a major haemorrhagic stroke which resulted in significant bleeding in her brain. Even though her mum had experienced brief periods of high blood pressure in the past, it was very unexpected and such a huge shock. They were definitely not prepared for the way it has turned their lives upside down. Her recovery and rehab has been a slow process but she’s making great progress and Bianca is so proud of how far she has come. Bianca has teamed up with Priceline Pharmacy because she wants to help highlight the need for regular blood pressure checks to fight against stroke.

Segment overview: In today’s segment, we are joined by Priceline Pharmacy Mission Health Ambassador Bianca Venuti here to share information about their recently launched campaign in collaboration with the Stroke Foundation, Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check. Bianca shares her mother’s stroke story to encourage others to have their blood pressure checked as this is the number one risk factor for stroke. In the previous year a total of 56,000 checks were recorded and they aim to beat that number this year. Bianca has partnered with Priceline Pharmacy, following her mother’s major haemorrhagic stroke last year, to help spread awareness on the importance of having our blood pressure checked regularly.

Guest: Wendi Carroll

Presenter: Henry Acosta

Guest Bio: Wendi Carroll is a certified personal trainer and pilates specialist. She was an international television presenter on Aerobics Oz Style for 15 years, and most recently, she has worked with VARLAH to develop an eight-week online fitness program designed specifically for seniors

Segment overview: In today’s Health Supplier Segment, we welcome Wendi Carroll here to talk about Zest – the first fitness program that caters for the unique physical activity and nutrition needs of baby boomers launched by VARLAH. VARLAH is Australia’s leading on-demand fitness streaming service and is now accessible from anywhere in the world. They offer a myriad of fitness programs, designed to cater to all ages, fitness levels and interests, while being accessible to each and every user no matter where they are or what time of day it is. ZEST is designed for those in their 50s, 60s or 70 plus and offers tailored workouts for every fitness level. The video workouts can be streamed on demand from home or anywhere and anytime from an internet-enabled device such as a mobile phone, TV, tablet, laptop or PC.

Guest: Dr. Sandeep Mahendra Jani, MD, MPH
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Dr. Sandeep Mahendra Jani, MD, MPH, is a Cardiologist with MedStar Health. He specializes in conditions related to Heart Failure and Transplantation Medicine Cardiology, He is Certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology as well as Internal Medicine.

Segment overview: Dr. Sandeep Jani discusses methods by which the rate of hospital readmission among Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) patients can be greatly reduced.

Guest: Maryann Wahmann

Presenter: Neal Howard  

Guest Bio: Maryann Wahmann was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor in 2001, and is currently also living with carcinoid syndrome. She is one of the founders of the Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network (NCAN), a nonprofit whose mission is to intensify awareness of neuroendocrine tumors and carcinoid cancer among the general public and in the medical community around the world. The organization assists patients, caregivers and support groups worldwide by providing access to important and updated information about the disease, and offers a hotline, organizes national and regional conferences, and hosts fundraisers, including an annual walk and a ‘Celebration of Life’ gala.

Segment overview: Maryann Wahmann, founder of The Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network, talks about patient education conferences that raise awareness of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and other rare cancers.

Guest: Amy Berman
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Amy Berman is a Senior Program Officer with the John A. Hartford Foundation. She heads the Foundation’s development and dissemination of innovative, cost-effective Models of Care that improve health outcomes for older adults. Among these efforts, Ms. Berman is responsible for the Foundation’s work to advance palliative care led by Diane Meier and the Center to Advance Palliative Care. She also directs a number of collaborations with federal partners, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the Administration for Community Living.

Segment overview: Amy Berman, Senior Program Officer with the John A. Hartford Foundation talks about creating a more age-friendly health care system for older adults.

Guests: Stanley Goldstein, M.D. and Takeisha Smith
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Stanley Goldstein, M.D., is board certified in adult and pediatric allergy, asthma and immunology, and Pediatric Pulmonology. Dr. Goldstein graduated from New York Medical College in 1975. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Long Island Jewish Hillside Medical Center and his fellowship in Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 1980 and has since been practicing in Rockville Centre, New York.

TaKiesha Smith is the mother of a child with allergic asthma.

Segment overview: Dr. Stanley Goldstein along with Takeisha Smith, mother of a child with allergic asthma, discuss common allergic triggers and symptoms, and the importance of managing this condition in children.

Guests: Dr. Douglas Dieterich and Bob Rice

Presenter: Neal Howard

Guest Bio: Dr. Douglas Dieterich is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Liver Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and also Director of The Institute for Liver Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System , New York, NY. Dr. Dieterich graduated from Yale University in New Haven, CT and received his Doctorate of Medicine from New York University of Medicine in NY.  He became Clinical Assistant Professor of medicine and then a Clinical Professor of Medicine, both at the New York University.  He remains as an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

Bob Rice is a former hepatitis C patient who, after undergoing multiple rounds of treatment and a liver transplant, has been cured of his disease. He also works as a HepC/HIV educator at Hope House in Boston, MA.

Segment overview: Dr. Douglas Dietrich and former Hepatitis C patient, Bob Rice, discuss the importance of getting tested for Hepatitis C.  

Guests: Robert J. Davis, Ph.D. & Brad Kolowich, Jr.  

Presenter: Neal Howard  

Guest Bio: Robert J. Davis, Ph.D., is an award-winning health journalist whose work has appeared on CNN, PBS, WebMD, and in The Wall Street Journal. The president of Everwell, he hosts its myth-busting “Healthy Skeptic” videos. Brad Kolowich, Jr., is a certified personal trainer whose celebrity-packed client list includes actors, athletes, and TV personalities. He has been featured in fitness magazines and recognized as one of the “Best Bodies of Atlanta.”

Segment overview: Robert J. Davis, Ph.D., and Brad Kolowich, Jr.,  talk about their book “FITTER FASTER: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day” (AMACOM; May 11, 2017)

Guest: Wendy Booker
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Wendy Booker is a life-long adventurer, author, speaker and MS advocate. Wendy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her 40s when she was busy with career and family. Since her diagnosis, Wendy has been dedicated to raising awareness of the day-to-day challenges people living with MS face, and to working with others living with MS and their support partners to find solutions that enrich their lives and enable them to continue to do the things they love.

Segment overview: Wendy Booker, a multiple sclerosis patient advocate, who was diagnosed with MS in her 40’s, discusses her experience with this surprise diagnosis, her day to day challenges, and how she came to be the first MS patient to stand at the North Pole.

Guest: Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas, MD, MPH
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Jacqueline Nicholas, MD, MPH is a board-certified clinical neuroimmunologist specializing in multiple sclerosis (MS) and spasticity. Dr. Nicholas provides diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive care for all types of MS, as well as a wide range of other neuroimmunological conditions. She also manages intrathecal baclofen pumps and administers botox for spasticity and migraine. She received her undergraduate degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine in Toledo, Ohio. Additionally, Dr. Nicholas completed her Master of Public Health degree at The Ohio State University College of Public Health.

Segment overview: Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas talks about the results of the MS MindSet Survey and GatherMS, an easy-to-use community-driven program that brings together existing resources and support services to help navigate the everyday unpredictability of MS.