Ep. 60: Dr. Jamila Michener is a professor of government and public policy at Cornell University. She studies poverty, racism and public policy, with a particular focus on health and housing. She is author of Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power (Princeton University Press, 2026). She is co-editor of Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis (Sage Publications, 2024). She is inaugural director of the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures and senior associate dean for public engagement at the Brooks School of Public Policy.

Jamila’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Russell Sage Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, and the Ford Foundation. Her public writing has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Vox, and other many other outlets. She works closely with community-based organizations around the country to apply research insights to address urgent problems facing racially and economically marginalized communities.

Prior to working at Cornell, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at the University of Michigan. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Princeton University.

Listen now, and learn more about how Jamila is a pioneering leader in healthcare.

For more about the Health Fund, visit https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 59: Clay Wirestone returns to Pioneers in Health to discuss his new book, “Opinionated.” Clay serves as the opinion editor at the Kansas Reflector, and his new book provides an eye-opening tour through the golden age of Kansas journalism and proves why local newspapers and incisive commentary are indispensable for an informed public.
Listen now, and learn more about this new book covering innovative leaders in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 58: Wendell Potter is a bestselling author and journalist whose work has been published inThe New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and many other media outlets. Since leaving his 20-year career as an executive at two of the world’s largest healthcare corporations – Cigna and Humana – he has testified before Congress numerous times to explain how the health insurance industry really works. A former investigative reporter, Washington correspondent and corporate executive, Wendell delivers an insider’s perspective into those issues as editor-in-chief of his HEALTH CARE un-covered newsletter and through the nonprofit work he leads. He is the founder and president of the Center for Health and Democracy and leads the Lower Out-of-Pockets (LOOP) NOW coalition, which works with policymakers, employers and health benefits consultants to reduce the unsustainably high deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements that burden millions of American families. He also has helped produce four documentaries that delve into various aspects of the U.S. health care system.

Listen now, and learn how Wendell is an innovative leader in healthcare.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 57: Laura Howard serves as Secretary for both the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF).

During the span of her career, Howard has served in various roles at the then-Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) from 1997 to 2011, including as Assistant Secretary, Deputy Secretary for Health Care Policy, and Deputy Secretary for Operations. After leaving state service in 2011, she served for three years as the Region VII Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Regional Administrator within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also led the KU Public Management Center. In that role, Howard had the opportunity to interact with KDADS staff through the Center’s Emerging Leaders and Certified Public Management® programs.

Listen now, and learn how Secretary Howard is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep. 56: Anthony Wright serves as the executive director of Families USA. Before joining the organization, Anthony Wright served 22 years as executive director of Health Access California, a statewide healthcare consumer advocacy coalition. Under Anthony’s leadership, Health Access California led state efforts to win patient protections, fight budget cuts, invest in the safety net, expand coverage, and advance equity and prevention.

Anthony led California’s coalition effort to help pass and later defend the Affordable Care Act, and for state policies to implement and improve the law to attain the biggest drop of the uninsured rate in the nation. He was responsible for numerous successful health care advocacy efforts to pass critical health reforms — such as nation-leading laws to stop surprise medical bills, ensure timely access to care, stop hospitals overcharging, and expand Medicaid regardless of age, assets, or immigration status.

A consumer advocate and community organizer quoted widely in state and national media, Anthony’s background also includes working for New Jersey Citizen Action, the Center for Media Education, The Nation magazine, and at the White House in Vice President Al Gore’s office. Raised in the Bronx, he graduated from Amherst College magna cum laude in both English and Sociology.

Listen now, and learn how Anthony is an innovative leader in healthcare.

For more about the Health Fund, visit www.healthfund.org.

Ep. 55: Dr. Sharla Smith completed her Ph.D. in Health Systems and Services Research with a concentration in Health Economics from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2013. Sharla is a health services and systems researcher whose primary research is maternal and infant health disparities, women cancer disparities, and community engagement.

She is the co-founder of Kansas Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants and the founder of the Kansas Birth Equity Network. She has experience manipulating large datasets and performing descriptive, cross-sectional, and longitudinal data analysis using SAS and Stata, and conducting social network analysis. In addition, she has over four years of experience in clinical research. Dr. Smith is passionate about developing a culture of birth equity through community engagement, empowerment and education.

Sharla has experience teaching public health law, public health policy and law, introduction to public health, developing public health interventions, introduction to health policy and politics, and epidemiology. She advises students and has served as a faculty mentor on master's-level and Ph.D. research projects.

Listen now, and learn how Sharla is an innovative leader in health care.

For more about the Health Fund, visit www.healthfund.org.

Ep. 54: Avenel Joseph, Ph.D, joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in early 2020 as the vice president for policy, where she leads the foundation’s policy office and heads its Washington presence. Previously, Joseph served for more than 10 years shaping public policy in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. She began her career on Capitol Hill in 2009 in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked in both a personal office and on the Natural Resources Committee. In July 2013, she moved to the Senate as the chief health advisor for Senator Edward J. Markey, managing a comprehensive health care portfolio before transitioning to become his director of policy and oversight. Joseph received her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology at Emory University; graduated with a master’s degree in developmental toxicology from the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign; and earned her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Pennsylvania State University.

Listen now, and learn how Avenel is an innovative leader in health care policy.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

Ep: 53: A rerun of one of our most popular episodes of 2025. Justin Duncan, BS, NRP, CCEMT-P, FP-C, serves as the chief executive officer for Washington County Ambulance District. Chief Duncan holds a bachelor’s degree in EMS administration and is currently a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership.

Chief Duncan has a long history in EMS, serving as both a ground and air EMS clinician. He obtained numerous certifications and designations, including the following: Nationally Registered Paramedic, Missouri Licensed Paramedic, Board-Certified Critical Care Paramedic and Board-Certified Flight Paramedic.

Given Chief Duncan’s history of dedication to healthcare and passion for education, his career naturally progressed into both education and leadership. He has served as an EMS instructor, a line level supervisor, department manager, regional director and now chief executive officer.

In addition to overseeing Washington County Ambulance District, Chief Duncan serves as the president of the Missouri EMS Association (MEMSA), is a board member for the Missouri EMS Agent Corporation, and a member of the National EMS Management Association.

Chief Duncan has endeavored to maintain both breadth and depth in all his healthcare pursuits. He is a life-long advocate for EMS professionals, an ardent supporter of education, and is constantly looking for new ways to bring innovative therapies into the prehospital setting. He is particularly passionate about mobile integrated healthcare systems and the study of mechanical ventilation.

Listen now, and learn how Justin is an innovative leader in healthcare.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/