A Dose of Optimism is a podcast dedicated to exploring the world of healthcare innovation and the optimists driving meaningful change.
Hosted by Omkar Kulkarni, this show shines a light on bold ideas, transformative solutions, and the passionate individuals working every day to make healthcare better for children and their families.
Each episode dives into the real-world challenges facing the healthcare industry and highlights the people and organizations pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. From tackling mental health and food allergies to reimagining hospital care and harnessing Artificial Intelligence for better outcomes. Listeners will discover game-changing solutions, hear stories of creativity and resilience, and gain inspiration from leaders who believe in building a healthier, more hopeful future.
From medical professionals and entrepreneurs to patients and community advocates, the podcast brings together diverse voices united by a shared commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Whether you’re working inside the industry or simply curious about the innovations shaping tomorrow’s care, A Dose of Optimism offers insight, connection, and inspiration.
“The content, views, opinions, and information presented on this podcast do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles or of the sponsors of the podcast. CHLA does not endorse the views, opinions and information presented on this podcast and CHLA specifically disclaims any legal liability or responsibility for the podcast’s content.”
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Children’s mental health challenges are rising worldwide, yet access to effective care remains limited. In this episode, we explore new approaches to pediatric mental health with three leaders working to expand access and improve outcomes.
Kristina Saffran, CEO of Equip, explains why eating disorders are one of the most misunderstood public health crises affecting children and adults, and how evidence-based family-based treatment can dramatically improve recovery when delivered earlier and more broadly.
Dana Klein, co-founder of Gheorg, shares how a new generation of child-centered digital tools is helping children ages 7–12 build emotional resilience, develop coping skills, and identify mental health challenges before they escalate.
Sophia Waitt, Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, adds the perspective of a therapist working directly with teens and young adults, discussing the mental health impact of social media, identity pressure, and digital environments on developing minds.
Together, the conversation explores how innovation, technology, and early intervention can help address one of the most urgent pediatric health challenges of our time.
Canadian healthcare innovators are proving that optimism, data, and thoughtful technology can reshape pediatric care. In this episode, three leading physician-innovators share how digital health, artificial intelligence, and smarter care models are transforming outcomes for children and families.
Dr. Shazhan Amed discusses how her startup Haibu Health is using digital health platforms and data integration to improve the lives of children living with type 1 diabetes, reduce hospitalizations, and support care across the entire lifespan.
Dr. Joshua Liu, CEO at SeamlessMD, explores the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare, from the rapid rise of AI scribes to the next generation of tools focused on care delivery, workflow automation, and patient engagement.
Dr. Devin Singh, Founder & CEO Hero AI, shares groundbreaking work using real-time AI models in the pediatric emergency department to accelerate diagnoses, reduce wait times, and improve care for vulnerable populations.
Together, they offer an optimistic perspective on how Canada’s healthcare ecosystem is driving meaningful innovation in pediatric care.
Season 2 Premiere: Return of the Parentrepreneurs!
Season 2 · Episode 1
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 • Duration 38:55
We’re kicking off Season 2 by spotlighting parent-innovators who turned lived experience into action. This episode brings together founders who are reshaping pediatric mental health, literacy, and NICU care through empathy, technology, and perseverance.
Hafeezah Muhammad, founder and CEO of Backpack Healthcare, shares how her son’s mental health crisis led her to build a technology-enabled, family-centered mental health platform that serves children as young as four and supports parents, caregivers, and clinicians together. Carla Small, founder of Sprout Labs, explains how science-backed literacy tools and AI can identify dyslexia early, personalize instruction, and prevent years of academic struggle and declining self-esteem. Phil Martie, founder of Nicolette, reflects on his NICU journey as a parent of premature twins and how it inspired him to build tools that turn complex hospital data into clear, empowering insights for families navigating neonatal intensive care.
Together, these conversations highlight the power of early intervention, empathetic design, and technology that meets families where they are, before crises deepen and systems fail them.
CMIOs: Speaking Multiple Languages to Deliver Innovation
Episode 12
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 • Duration 25:17
Pediatric healthcare is shaped by systems that are often invisible to patients and families, yet deeply influential in how care is delivered. In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, Omkar Kulkarni is joined by three leaders working at the intersection of pediatrics, informatics, and digital transformation.
Rod Tarrago, CMIO Pediatrics at Amazon Web Services, and Troy McGuire, CHIO at CHLA, share how informatics and data-driven design can reduce friction in pediatric care. Together, they discuss interoperability, clinician workflows, and the importance of building systems that support care teams without adding unnecessary burden.
Shaun Miller, CHIO at Cedars-Sinai, brings a health system perspective on clinical decision support, physician wellness, and the responsible use of digital tools. He explains how thoughtful technology implementation can improve efficiency while keeping clinicians focused on patient care.
This conversation highlights how careful system design, collaboration, and practical innovation can make pediatric healthcare more connected, more humane, and more sustainable for the people delivering and receiving care.
Improving children’s health requires more than medical care alone. It depends on access to nutritious food, early learning support, trusted information, and healthcare systems designed around families.
In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, Omkar Kulkarni speaks with three leaders working across different parts of the pediatric ecosystem. Sam Polk, CEO of Everytable, shares how food access and affordability shape health outcomes and why he believes nutritious meals should be available in every community. Patti Miller, Director of Too Small to Fail (Clinton Foundation), discusses the role of early childhood development, media, and caregiver support in building lifelong health and learning foundations. Laura Wood, EVP, Patient Care Operations and System Chief Nurse Executive at Boston Children's Hospital brings the perspective of a nurse leader, highlighting how care delivery models, professional practice environments, and digital tools can better support children and families.
Together, they explore how cross sector collaboration can help address complex challenges in children’s health and why optimism comes from practical, people centered solutions already taking shape.
Parents want fast, credible answers about their children’s health, and asynchronous care is opening a new path to get there.
In this episode, Omkar Kulkarni speaks with two leaders shaping how families access pediatric care. Ellen Da Silva, Founder and CEO of Summer Health, explains how message based pediatric support can deliver answers from real physicians within minutes. She shares how parents use text, photos, and videos to get both urgent and everyday questions addressed without needing live appointments. Then, designer and digital health leader Arna Ionescu Stoll describes how Wavely Dx is turning the smartphone into a diagnostic tool, starting with ear infection detection through sound analysis and expanding to concussion screening. Together, they explore how asynchronous care can reduce unnecessary visits, improve access, and give parents confidence in moments of uncertainty.
Once a year, a very special group gathers in person: the behind-the-scenes innovators, operators, clinicians, policymakers, and digital health leaders shaping the future of children’s healthcare. This year, that group met in Chicago at the KidsX Pediatric Health Innovation Summit, and we recorded the entire experience.
In this unique live episode, Omkar shares highlights from the day: inspiring stories from leaders like AVIA CEO Clay Holderman, discussions on patient experience and digital tools from Stacy Zoucha, insights into pediatric AI from Ali Nasser, and conversations about policy, innovation pathways, device development, and the role of federal agencies with Stephen Konya and Dr. Juan Espinoza.
It’s a rare look at the community of “innovation enablers” working to make healthcare better for children, the people who build connections, remove barriers, and help new ideas find their way into practice.
From Minecraft to Remote Monitoring: Innovating the Patient Experience
Episode 8
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 • Duration 42:01
Pediatric innovation has never been static, and today, children’s hospitals across the country are adopting new tools that make care more connected, supportive, and responsive to family needs. In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, Dr. Bimal Desai of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Dr. Zafar Chaudry of Seattle Children’s share how their teams are rethinking the patient and caregiver experience through digital innovation.
Dr. Desai discusses the unique realities of pediatric remote patient management, how digital check-ins are supporting medically complex children at home, and why small, high-need populations are often the biggest drivers of meaningful impact.
Dr. Chaudry then shares how Seattle Children’s is approaching AI thoughtfully (emphasizing culture, trust, and workflow) and why tools like their Minecraft hospital world are giving young patients a sense of agency during their hospital stay.
Together, they offer a grounded and hopeful look at how digital health, careful design, and cross-disciplinary collaboration can make care more supportive for families, while keeping clinicians at the center of decision-making.
When a child becomes seriously ill, parents often find themselves navigating overwhelming information, emotions, and decisions, all while trying to stay present for their families. In this episode, we meet two remarkable innovators whose ideas were born from these very moments.
Aubrey Kelly, CEO of Rabble Health, shares the story of her son’s leukemia diagnosis, the emotional and logistical realities of living at a children’s hospital, and how that experience reshaped her understanding of patient support. Drawing on her biopharma background, she explains why she created Rabble Health to help families access information, resources, and shared decision-making tools when they need them most.
We also meet Ella Casano, the Stanford student who invented Medi-Teddy at age 12 after seeing how intimidating IV bags looked to children receiving treatment. What began as a school project has now supported more than 15,000 pediatric patients worldwide through a nonprofit committed to making care feel a little less frightening.
This conversation highlights how families, through lived experience, creativity, and determination, can drive meaningful improvements in pediatric healthcare.
Food allergies affect millions of children across the U.S., but what if many could be prevented before they start?
In this episode of A Dose of Optimism, host Omkar Kulkarni speaks with Daniel Zakowski, CEO of Ready, Set, Food!, and Dr. Jaclyn Bjelac, pediatric allergist and immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic, about the groundbreaking science and strategies behind early allergen introduction.
Daniel Zakowski shares how a personal family experience led to the creation of Ready, Set, Food!, a company making it simple for parents to safely introduce common allergens like peanut, egg, and milk during infancy. He explains the public health impact, from insurance coverage to Medicaid partnerships and legislative progress across states.
Dr. Bjelac brings the clinical perspective, breaking down decades of research and the pivotal LEAP study that changed everything, proving that early exposure can reduce peanut allergy by more than 70%. She explains the connection between eczema and food allergies, and why empowering parents with the right information can transform lives.
It’s an inspiring look at how science, innovation, and advocacy are reshaping the future of childhood health, one spoonful at a time.
The content, views, opinions, and information presented on this podcast do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles or of the sponsors o
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