Advancing Health

The biggest threats to children’s health aren’t always clinical — they’re happening in communities every day. In this conversation, Mary Kate Daly, senior vice president and chief of community health of the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, explains how long-term investments, powerful community partnerships, and a first-of-its-kind community health hub are leading to better outcomes for kids in Chicago and beyond.

Youth mental health is at a critical juncture, with rising demand and limited access to care across communities. In this conversation, David Stark, chief of government and external affairs and philanthropy officer at UnityPoint Health, shares how a major philanthropic investment is helping expand mental health services for children and adolescents. Learn how a “no wrong door” model is transforming access and connecting young patients to the right services faster for better long-term outcomes.

Millions of Americans are burdened by medical debt — but solutions are emerging. In this conversation, Undue Medical Debt's Allison Sesso, president and CEO, and Eva Stahl, vice president of policy, engagement and research, share how the organization has helped eliminate over $27 billion in patient debt, and how hospitals are partnering with Undue Medical Debt to help relieve financial burdens for patients. Hear actionable strategies and ideas that are key to improving patient financial health.

The role of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is rapidly evolving as health care systems focus on the present and future. In this conversation, Phillip Chang, M.D., chief medical and quality officer of CommonSpirit Health, shares insights on measuring data and quality, leading clinicians through change and building a more patient-centered future.

As hospitals face rising demand, staffing shortages and overcrowded ERs, how can America's health care system keep up? In this conversation, Scott Edelman, executive director of Burke Rehabilitation, shares how post-acute care hospitals are helping relieve pressure on acute care facilities, and how these rehab centers act as a critical safety valve to improve patient flow, reduce length of stay and deliver better outcomes.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the future of health care — from predictive early warning systems that detect patient deterioration to ambient AI tools that streamline clinical documentation. In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and the 2026 AHA board chair, speaks with Amy Rockman, director of the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, a systemwide initiative of Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health. The two explore AI applications that are delivering measurable improvements in hospital mortality, safety, and clinician burnout, and how a “living lab” approach, interdisciplinary teams, and responsible AI integration are benefitting patients and the health care workforce.

Improving community health requires more than clinical care alone. In this conversation, Venita Owens, president of Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center, and Andrea Hayes, manager of marketing and public relations for Baylor Scott & White, discuss how medical care, nutrition, education and fitness are coming together to support underserved populations in Dallas.To learn more about the Healthier Together Conference, please visit https://healthiertogether.aha.org/

Some patients don’t need more care — they need a different kind of care. In this conversation, leaders from University of Utah Health share how an intensive primary care model is reducing hospital utilization and improving patient stability.

In this Advancing Health encore episode, Duke University's Anna Tharakan, lead project manager on Closing the Gap on Hypertension Disparities, and Bradi Granger, Ph.D., research professor at Duke University School of Nursing and director of the Duke Heart Center Nursing Research Program, discuss how Duke’s team is closing hypertension disparities by integrating community health workers, student ambassadors and local clinics.

As demand for mental health care rises, primary care clinics are expanding how they support patients. In this conversation, John Muir Health's Jeremy Fish, M.D., director of the Family Medicine Residency Program, and Pilar Corcoran-Lozano, PsyD, behavioral health core faculty and supervising psychologist of the Co-Training Program, discuss how training physicians and behavioral health professionals as a team is improving patient care, strengthening teamwork and expanding access to these vital mental health services.

Health care leaders are facing workforce shortages, rising burnout and growing demand for care. So, what’s working — and what's next? In this conversation, Gratia Pitcher, M.D., chief medical officer and patient experience dyad leader with Essentia Health, and Larissa Africa, vice president of health care workforce solutions with Staff Garden by Ascend Learning, discuss findings from the 2026 AHA Health Care Workforce Scan and how hospitals are redesigning care teams, using AI to reduce administrative burden, and building career pathways for the next generation of clinicians.

Hospitals impact far more than what happens inside their walls. In this conversation, Doug Brown, partner with Manatt Health and current chair of the American Hospital Association's Foster G. McGaw Prize Committee, discusses how hospitals are tackling food insecurity, workforce development, safe neighborhoods, and other social drivers of health through authentic community partnerships. Discover what it takes for hospitals to truly serve as cornerstones of their communities, and how the Foster G. McGaw Prize highlights these innovative programs that are making a difference.To learn more about the Foster G. McGaw Prize and apply for the 2027 award, visit aha.org/fostermcgaw.

In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and the 2026 AHA board chair, sits down with Mark Boucot, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Potomac Valley Hospital, to explore how rural hospitals can leverage technology and partnerships to deliver care close to home. From reopening a shuttered ICU to launching a low-cost virtual ICU partnership, Boucot shares how the 25-bed critical access hospital went from near-empty beds to full occupancy — all while keeping patients local and strengthening its community.

What does it take to ensure every child — no matter his/her ZIP code — has access to pediatric care? In part two of this conversation, leaders from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Mercer University School of Medicine reveal how targeted pediatric scholarships and deep community partnerships are building a sustainable pipeline of pediatricians committed to serving rural communities.

Across rural Georgia, more than 60 counties lack a single pediatrician. In this conversation, Jean Sumner, M.D., Dean of Mercer University School of Medicine, and Marc Welsh, vice president of child advocacy at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, share how an innovative public-private partnership is transforming access to pediatric care and building pipelines of rural-ready physicians.

In this Advancing Health encore episode, Josh Neff, CEO of CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital, discusses a new cutting-edge communication platform that sends patient EKGs directly from the ambulance to the cardiologist in real time. Josh explains how this simple, affordable tool is cutting treatment times and saving lives in one of the nation’s most challenging regions for emergency cardiac care.

Preventing workplace violence in health care takes more than security. In this conversation, Thomas Ahr, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Hospital Sisters Health System, details how the health system is prioritizing prevention, supporting staff after incidents, and turning safety into a leadership responsibility.

In part two of this conversation, John Riggi, the AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, talks with the FBI's Brett Leatherman, assistant director, Cyber Division, and Gretchen Burrier, assistant director, Office of Private Sector, about how nation-state actors are leveraging cybercriminals and AI to disrupt health care. They also discuss how hospitals and health systems of any size can build trusted, local relationships with the FBI before a cyber crisis hits.

In part one of this two-part conversation, John Riggi, the AHA's national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, talks with the FBI's Brett Leatherman, assistant director, Cyber Division, and Gretchen Burrier, assistant director, Office of Private Sector, about the FBI's new campaign against cyberthreats, the surge of cyberattacks in U.S. health care, and what hospitals and health systems can do right now to defend themselves.

Behind every safety metric is a leadership decision. In this conversation, Thomas McGinn, M.D., MPH, senior executive vice president and chief physician executive officer at CommonSpirit Health, shares how the organization aligns leadership, standardizes processes, and uses analytics to reduce variation and improve patient outcomes — work that made CommonSpirit Health a 2025 finalist for the AHA Quest for Quality Prize.For more information on the AHA's Quest for Quality Prize, please visit https://www.aha.org/about/awards/quest-for-quality