Inspired To Heal

Stories of clinicians, educators, innovators, and researchers who built or led programs of excellence in government health institutions. Each guest has excelled in clinical medicine, program building, or public health. They persevered and succeeded through a clear vision, collaboration, and a passion for the mission of government-run health systems. Their stories will inspire those seeking change in their own organizations.

Contributors

Host

William Trick

I trained as a doctor at a veterans hospital, a public safety-net institution, and a state university academic medical center. My public health orientation developed further through my work at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, including participation in the outbreak investigation "EIS" program, and throughout my career, which included leading a research unit within Cook County's government-run health system. In these roles, I had the privilege of collaborating with many mission-driven professionals who were dedicated to protecting the health of all people, with a particular focus on marginalized communities.

After separating from Cook County in 2024, I am now driven to share the stories of the esteemed clinicians, educators, and innovators who have built or led programs of excellence within government health institutions. Their work has inspired countless individuals, and I believe it will inspire you as well.

https://inspiredtoheal.net

Editor

Christine Acob

Dr. Christine Acob retired from Cook County and joined Inspired to Heal as Production Associate after her Beats & Balance interview. After directing the Internal Medicine residency program, Chris is enjoying life as an avid hiker, photographer, and learner—whether drums or finding the perfect balance of light & shadows (literally).

Editor

Jake Trick

Jake graduated from Northwestern University in 2024, with a major in Biological Sciences (Concentration: Computational and Systems Biology) and a minor in Science in Human Culture (Theme: Medicine and Society). He is currently living in Washington DC and working at the National Institutes of Health as a part of their Post-Baccalaureate Program. While applying to medical schools, he has been working on researching guests, editing content from the episodes, and assisting with pre-interview script development.

Guests

Guest

Benjamin Mba

Dr. Benjamin Mba is an internal medicine physician and Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. His career spans three continents, training in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States at Cook County Hospital. He is nationally-recognized for his teaching prowess and was featured in Dr. Sanjay Saint's book "Teaching Inpatient Medicine". Currently, Dr. Mba is the Vice Chair, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Yale School of Medicine.

Guest appearance on:

Guest

Bob Weinstein

Dr. Weinstein is the former Chair of the Infectious Diseases and the Department of Medicine at Cook County Hospital. He is the past-president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), a past-chair of the CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), a past member of the IDSA Board of Directors, and a past member of the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Disease Board of Scientific Counselors and Chair of that Board’s Antimicrobial Resistance Working Group. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Guest appearance on:

Leadership with Laughter: The Triple-Threat Doctor

Guest

Brian Lucas

Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Professor of The Dartmouth Institute

Hospitalist Physician
White River Junction VA Medical Center

Guest appearance on:

Academics Advance Mission

Guest

Cathy Deamant

Guest appearance on:

Creating a Palliative Care Program

Guest

Chris Smith

Guest appearance on:

Legacies in Medicine: Marcus Welby to Smartphones

Guest

Christine Haley

Guest appearance on:

Healing when Unhoused: Creating a Medical Respite Center

Guest

David Goldberg

Guest appearance on:

Chicago to Chinle: A Journey from Urban to Tribal Health Justice

Guest

David Schwartz

Doctor David Schwartz is an infectious diseases physician. He retired from Cook County Hospital as the Chairman of Infectious Diseases in 2022 and remains clinically active caring for outpatients in the Ruth Rothstein CORE center. Dave is an expert and researcher on issues related to judicious use of antimicrobial agents (antibiotics).

Guest appearance on:

Cook County Hospital's Past & Present

Guest

Jack Raba

Dr. John Raba (Jack) received his medical degree from Northwestern University and after spending a year working in Alaska and Guatemala, returned to be the medical director for Cook County Jail. He remained in this position for decades, building a nationally recognized program for correctional health care.

Guest appearance on:

Guest

Jeff Schraider

Guest appearance on:

Running Toward Chaos

Guest

Jen Smith

Guest appearance on:

Treating Addiction: Compassion Meets Courage

Guest

Keiki Hinami

Guest appearance on:

Healing when Unhoused: Creating a Medical Respite Center

Guest

Ken Brucks

Ken Brucks is a lifelong Chicagoan who has worked as a Catholic priest and then as a SEnior Management Analyst at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was a friend of Dr. Raba's as a young adult and provides an epilogue recounting Jack's counsel during the terminal illness of Ken's mother.

Guest appearance on:

Healthcare Behind Bars & Beyond Borders (Part 1)

Guest

Mary Driscoll

Guest appearance on:

Healing Connections: Weaving Community into Healthcare

Guest

Mildred Williamson

Dr. Mildred Williamson is a social worker and former Executive Director of HIV Services at the Ruth Rothstein Core center, and former HIV/AIDS section Chief for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Her interest in social work as a profession was motivated by her girl scout leader, who was a psychiatric social worker, and a passion for social justice.

Guest appearance on:

Women Healing Women with HIV/AIDS

Guest

Peter Clarke

Guest appearance on:

Legacies in Medicine: Marcus Welby to Smartphones

Guest

Toyin Falusi Nwafor

Toyin Falusi Nwafor is an infectious diseases physician and former Director of HIV services for Cook County Hospital. She is now the United States HIV Medical Affairs Director at Gilead Sciences.

Guest appearance on:

Women Healing Women with HIV/AIDS