1 in 10 newborns in the US have congenital heart disease. Advances in early treatment is great news for parents under this stress. Mark talks with Dr. Mathew Elias from Cardiac Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (C.H.O.P.) about procedures and early warning signs, 97% of those born with CHD are expected to reach adulthood. Listen now.

What does the First Amendment guarantee? PETA has filed the very first Amendment Lawsuit against  the NIH. PETA maintains it has the right to receive communications from what are called, "willing speakers' and in this case the macaque monkeys named Beamish, Sam Smith, Nick Nack and Guiness. Listen to this interview with Mark's special guest, Jeff Kerr - PETA Foundation Chief Legal Officer.

Heard about America's new Solitaire? It's the number 1 game being played right now. Valerie Greenberg tells Mark about the prizes for you just download the App from the Google App store and play Solitaire Grand Harvest teaming up with Snoopy ...who? get the info now.....

Mark gets the 'skinny' on 529 plans from the Principle of Edward Jones.
There are amazing opportunities for individuals who have a 529 plan including Tax benefits and more than just higher education.

Edward Jones Principal Steve Rueschhoff leads the Managed Investments and Insurance areas in Packaged Products.

He and his teams are responsible for leading and coordinating the firm’s product strategy, product management and wholesaling support for mutual funds, exchange traded funds, 529 plans, unit trusts and insurance.

Prior to joining Edward Jones, Steve held a variety of roles in the industry. He served as vice president of Life Product Management at Allstate; was a principal with Davis, Conder, Enderle and Sloan, Inc.; and worked as a retirement benefits consultant at Aon Hewitt.

Steve participates in several financial services industry committees and serves on the board of the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI).

He is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

For more information please visit: https://www.edwardjones.com/us-en/market

The new Goodwill Rising Together Initiative is raising eyebrows and helping hundreds of skilled workers and not so skilled find career light at the end of the tunnel. Mark interviews Steven C. Preston, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries for this episode.

The old saying, "A dog is a man's best friend" but when it comes to postal workers, that may not be the case. So, what is USPS doing to combat the severe situation across the country?

As the U.S. Postal Service’s Manager of Employee Safety & Health Awareness, Leeann Theriault is responsible for communicating and evaluating public health service efforts to improve employee awareness of safety and health programs on a variety of important safety topics nationwide, such as the National Dog Bite campaign.

Partnering with communication and wellness functions to ensure clear employee messaging to maximize communication channels to promote a strong occupational safety and health culture throughout the organization.

To spread the word on social media, use the hashtag #dogbiteawareness

More than 80% of consumers are impacted by inflation which is a growing worry for Americans across the country. Mark talks with Author and Podcast Host "The Money Girl" about the Harris Poll and its key findings.

Laura Adams is one of the nation’s leading finance, insurance, and small business authorities.

As an award-winning author, spokesperson, and host of the top-rated Money Girl podcast since 2008, millions of readers, listeners, and loyal fans benefit from her practical advice.  

Her mission is to empower consumers to live healthy and rich lives by making the most of what they have, planning for the future, and making smart money decisions every day.

She received an MBA from the University of Florida and lives in Vero Beach, Florida.

The Podcast “Money Girl”

Mark speaks with Commander Paul Dillard about Honoring Our PACT ACT and where it stands. Along with that, they discuss what distinguishes Memorial Day from other important days such as Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day.

About Paul Dillard:

Vietnam War veteran Paul E. Dillard was elected national commander of The American Legion on September 2, 2021, in Phoenix during the organization’s 102nd national convention.

He first joined the nation’s largest veteran’s organization in 1969. A native Texan, Dillard graduated from Whitesboro High School in 1965 before joining the U.S. Navy and serving in Vietnam through four campaigns, including the Tet offensive.

He was honorably discharged as a radarman second class petty officer from the Navy Reserve before attending Grayson College Junior College and East Texas State University.

A paid-up-for-life member of American Legion Post 265 in Lake Kiowa, Texas, he has served at every level of the organization.

Dillard formed the Dillard & Gann Insurance company and is a licensed airplane pilot.

His theme as national commander of The American Legion is “No Veteran Left Behind.”

  For more information please visit: www.legion.org

Prakash Pattni is the Managing Director, Financial Services Digital Transformation EMEA, IBM talks with Mark about how IBM Cloud Financial Services help Banks address security and compliance requirements.

About Prakash Pattni:

Prakash Pattni is responsible for partnering with IBM’s financial services clients to deliver their transformational outcomes through IBM Cloud.

Prakash brings deep financial services experience gained across technology, investment banking operations, and finance and has led numerous initiatives including public cloud transformation, agile and product model implementation, and infrastructure modernization.

Prakash uses his extensive client-side experience and understanding of the challenges faced by financial services organizations to help IBM clients accelerate their digital transformation journeys.

For more information please visit: IBM.com/Cloud

Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services' Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aditi Mallick is Mark's special guest for this episode. Just how important are the behavioral health services and how is CMCS helping eligible children and teens to get coverage through Medicaid and CHIP?

About Dr. Aditi Mallick:

Aditi Mallick, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), where she leads the Center’s clinical strategy and cross-center work on health equity, social determinants of health, and innovation in whole-person care, among other areas.

Before joining CMCS, Dr. Mallick led the COVID-19 Response Command Center for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) where she oversaw strategic and operational efforts around vaccination, testing, case investigation, and contact tracing statewide. A core focus of her COVID-19 work was ensuring equitable access and improving outcomes for historically marginalized populations. 

Before NCDHHS, Dr. Mallick worked closely with a range of healthcare stakeholders across the public and private sectors – including state Medicaid agencies, provider organizations, managed care organizations, and other payors – focusing on strategy, innovation, and data-driven change implementation. Her prior federal experience includes serving as a Senior Medical Advisor in the Office of the Administrator at CMS, where she focused on MACRA implementation, value-based payment in Medicare fee-for-service, clinician engagement, and clinician burden reduction.

Dr. Mallick continues to care for patients and brings that experience to her work at CMS. She earned her A.B. with honors from Harvard College, her M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine, and completed internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

To get more information, call 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669) or visit the “Find Coverage for Your Family” section on InsureKidsNow.gov

IBM has announced education initiatives with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Specialisterne Foundation, and 6 HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities). Mark's guest is Justina Nixon- Saintil, IBM VP and Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

About Justina Nixon-Saintil,
IBM VP and Global Head, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ESG

Justina Nixon-Saintil drives strategic, socially responsible programmatic investments that enable IBM’s technology and talent to address some of society's biggest challenges worldwide. 

The CSR programs Justina manages enable IBM and its employees to transform their altruism into reality. For example, Justina leads IBM’s efforts to improve the career readiness of communities, particularly those that have been traditionally under-resourced. Under Justina’s direction, IBM mobilizes and combines skilled employee volunteerism, partnerships, and curricula via programs such as IBM SkillsBuild, to help create more inclusive, better prepared and innovative schools and workforces.

She also spearheads corporate practices that underpin the company's tradition of uncompromising ethics and transparency in its operations and environmental footprint. As IBM's Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) focal point, Justina articulates the company's "Good Tech" narrative to stakeholders, including investors.
 
Previously, as director of CSR at Verizon, Justina created and led programs to make education more inclusive. Earlier in her career, she was an Engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information please visit: skillsbuild.org

Dr. Pamela Habib, head of US Medical Affairs at Bayer Radiology and Dr. David Schacht, Breast Radiologist at Northwesterern's Lynne Sage Breast Center discuss the all-important topic of Breast Cancer and the issue of 'Dense Breasts' and its impact on breast cancer risk.

About Dr. Pamela Habib:  

Dr. Habib leads the US Medical Affairs team at Bayer Radiology and oversees engagement with healthcare professionals, communication of scientific data, and various educational and research initiatives.

Dr. Habib is a Breast Radiologist who completed her breast imaging fellowship at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. In clinical practice, she focused on mammography, MRI, ultrasound, and breast interventional procedures.

About David Schacht:
 

Dr. David Schacht is a breast radiologist at Northwestern's Lynne Sage Breast Center at Prentice Women's Hospital.  He has been an attending physician both at Northwestern, and previously at the University of Chicago.  He obtained his undergraduate, medical, and public health degrees all from Northwestern before pursuing his radiology residency and breast imaging fellowship at the University of Chicago. His academic interests include understanding new uses of MRI to detect breast cancer and the use of case-based learning to improve the performance of radiologists.  

 For more information please visit: https://radiologyresources.bayer.com/dense-breast-resources

This wonderful groundbreaking research comes from TeachKind, PETA's Humane Division.
Mark discusses with the Program Manager, Lisbet Chiriboga, how tens of thousands of educators across the U.S. help to incorporate kindness into their curriculum.

About Lisbet Chiriboga:

Lisbet Chiriboga is the program manager of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) TeachKind program.

She creates lessons and activities that aim to foster empathy for animals and are appropriate for even the youngest learners along with other resources for educators interested in humane education.

She works directly with school districts, teachers, and homeschooling parents, providing them with free animal-friendly educational materials, and conducts virtual humane education teacher workshops and presentations for administrators.

Before joining PETA, she taught in New York City for 12 years.

For more information, please visit: TeachKind.org

Mark's (Chocolate) Guest is a professional standup comedy promoter and performer with live stage, TV and concerts in his past and a serial business entrepreneur. From a chain of famous comedy clubs to art galleries and a touring submarine Biz and a Beach shack in Hawaii, Scott Edwards can tell you a few stories. A fun MBS, join us!

Mark discusses with Dr. Steven Cliff from the US DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety administration the 'Where's the baby? Look before you Lock' campaign which runs May through September.

About Dr. Steven Cliff:

Dr. Steven Cliff, Deputy Administrator of NHTSA, oversees the nation’s vehicle safety agency that sets vehicle safety standards, identifies safety defects and manages recalls, and educates Americans to help them drive, ride, and walk safely.

Cliff brings an extensive scientific and regulatory background to his leadership role at NHTSA. Most recently, he served as the deputy executive officer at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), an organization he first joined in 2008 as an air pollution specialist.

Since then, he held a variety of positions at CARB, eventually overseeing its climate program. Cliff received a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. He then completed a postdoc on atmospheric sciences at the University of California, Davis’ Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.

For more information, visit https://www.noheatstroke.org

In this episode, we learn how edge computing can help your organization innovate faster to give your customers a better user experience.

About Dave Cooper:

Dave Cooper is an expert in enterprise technology and is Senior Vice President of Edge Compute at Lumen Technologies. His duties and role include all aspects of the business including P&L, Sales/Revenue, Product and Development. 

Dave has 24 years of experience in designing, building and maintaining large-scale network and data-center architectures. He has spent the last decade leading network and software teams in progressing network automation and orchestration at scale. 

Did you know the following about Senior IT Decision Makers?

56% say that in 5 years their most mission-critical application will require 5 milliseconds or less.

75% say edge compute will have a positive impact on spurring innovation.

77% say their organizations’ latency challenges can only be solved by edge computing.

For more information, please visit: www.lumen.com/edge    

Dr. Zara Nanu is the CEO/Co-Founder of Gapsquare which helps companies achieve pay equity. Listen to how data science and AI are reimagining the future of work.

About Zara Nanu

Dr. Zara Nanu is a powerful advocate for workplace gender equality and wider fair pay.
Starting her career combatting human trafficking and campaigning on women’s rights issues, Zara is now at the forefront of the push for technology to build more inclusive workplaces.

Using her expertise Zara can be seen speaking at international events, sharing her ideas with the OECD and through her recent TED talk as well as within a range of reports & publications.

Zara believes in putting the power and responsibility of equality and diversity in the hands of employers.

As the CEO of Gapsquare, which offers expansive diversity, equality data intelligence and report generation, Zara is utilizing data science and AI to reimagine the future of work.

 

A new study from the "Afterschool Alliance" shows that parents recognize afterschool programs definitely support wellness, mental health among children and youth. Join Jodi Grant and Jennifer Sirangelo as they share what this actually means for all of us.

About Jodi Grant:

Since 2005, Jodi Grant has been Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance, a non-profit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs.

Jodi graduated from Yale University with honors and received her law degree from Harvard University. She currently serves on the Board of Partners for Livable Communities and is a Trustee of America’s Promise. She lives with her husband and two children in Washington, DC.

About Jennifer Sirangelo:

Jennifer Sirangelo leads National 4-H Council in its mission to increase investment and participation in high-quality 4-H positive youth development programs.

Sirangelo joined the National 4-H Council in 2006 to grow support for America’s largest youth development organization.

Council is the non-profit partner to the nation’s 4-H movement, supporting leadership development for nearly six million young people through diverse and inclusive programs in agriculture, science, health, and civic engagement by way of alliances with America’s philanthropic sector.


For more information please visit: www.afterschoolalliance.org

The Health Programs Director at Unidos US discusses with Mark who is eligible for the SNAP Program and what barriers are preventing Latino families from accessing the program.

ABOUT ALEJANDRA GEPP

Alejandra Gepp is a seasoned bilingual public health professional with expertise in training and community engagement, program management, and strategic planning.

She currently works at Unidos US (formerly, National Council of La Raza) – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States – as Health Programs Director for Training and Engagement.

In this capacity, Ms. Gepp leads the strategy, development, and evaluation of food insecurity portfolio.

Ms. Gepp has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in education and human resource development, and a certification in public health.

For more information please visit: www.unidosus.org



 

Mark speaks with Dovid Efune, Honorary Chairman of the Algemeiner, a New York City newspaper covering American and international Jewish and Israel-related news.
Dovid is now the Publisher of the famous New York Sun, with a relaunch as an online daily.

About Dovid Efune: 

British-born Efune has a Master's in Hebrew Letters and lives in New York City with his wife and family. He is the Publisher and Chairman of the historic New York Sun newspaper.

The New York Sun was founded in 1833 and was quickly heralded as one of the most influential American newspapers. It sold for a penny, making news available for the first time to working men and women in New York. After the Civil War, the Sun grew to become America’s largest newspaper and over the years achieved many accolades, including two Pulitzer Prizes. It ceased publication in 1950.

It was then revived in print in 2002 and competed with the New York Times. The relaunched New York Sun’s mission is to uphold the finest journalistic traditions and to speak out the sentiment of the American people. It’s motto: “It Shines for All.”

For more information please visit www.nysun.com

It is heartbreaking to hear what is done to these thousands of monkeys brought into the USA. It is also extremely dangerous to us, and we'll find out why in this episode.

About Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel:

She is a senior science advisor on primate experimentation for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

A Fulbright scholar who has studied the human-primate interface in Africa, Asia, and the primate biomedical facilities of the U.S. for nearly 40 years, she has published 95 peer-reviewed articles spanning the fields of primatology, virology, epidemiology, microbiology, and conservation.

Her work includes addressing the neglect and disease risk posed by the University of Washington’s Washington National Primate Research Center, where she worked before coming to PETA.

DID YOU KNOW:

Since the start of the pandemic nearly 70,000 monkeys have been imported into the U.S. These monkeys arrived from more than 300 international shipments and were then trucked to secretive quarantine facilities.

Quarantine is designed to protect public health by detecting monkeys arriving with viral hemorrhagic fevers, tuberculosis, pathogens that can cause deadly diarrheal diseases, fatal diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, and Herpes B—a zoonotic macaque virus.

Not all the monkeys make it out of quarantine alive and it is not uncommon for  dangerous pathogens to be missed, showing up months or years later to threaten public health and further undermine the utility of these monkeys as biomedical models.

Primate facilities in Texas and Louisiana acknowledge that the thousands of monkeys whom they are housing outdoors are reservoirs for deadly parasites that can spill over into human populations.

PETA has been urging the NIH to move away from experiments on animals, and its campaigns have shut down numerous NIH-funded experiments, including shocking psychological experiments on baby monkeys taken from their mothers shortly after birth.

Can we get rid of Diabetes 2 altogether?
This new book from Dr. Barnard may have the answer for you. This is new science, and the results that are being achieved are amazing in the areas of weight gain, infertility, menopausal symptoms, thyroid problems, and many others.

About Dr. Neal Barnard

Dr. Barnard has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking NIH-funded study that paved the way for viewing type 2 diabetes as a potentially reversible condition for many patients.

Dr. Barnard has authored more than 100 scientific publications and 20 books for medical and lay readers.

His newest book “Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health” is set to be a winner. Go to the link below and check out the details and where to get a copy.

This just may be the answer for sufferers of Diabetes 2

 https://www.pcrm.org/yourbodyinbalance

Mark's guest Jay Woods Founder/CEO of Omega Accounting Solutions shares how SMB and Nonprofits could be leaving thou$$ands of dollars on the table but could still benefit from the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program.

About Jay Woods

Jay Woods is founder and President of Omega Accounting Solutions where he is responsible for the company’s business development and strategic planning.

With 20 years of experience in financial management, business leadership, and corporate strategy, Woods’ focus is on building long-term strategic partnerships with clients and helping business owners access a full-functioning accounting department.

To relieve businesses from the devastation of the pandemic, Woods added a tax incentives solution center as part of Omega's mission to help businesses not only survive but thrive.

This interview opportunity was provided by Omega Accounting Solutions.

Clinical Psychologist for Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Dr. Michael Breus Ph.D. discusses snoring and how to stop it!

About Michael Breus

Dr. Breus gives the reader the exact time to have sex, run, a mile, eat a cheeseburger, buy, sell, ask your boss for a raise, and much more based on over 200 research studies.  

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a double board-certified Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Sleep Specialist. He is one of only 168 psychologists in the world to have taken and passed the Sleep Medicine Boards without going to Medical School. 

Dr. Breus is the author of four books with the newest book (2021) Energize! Go from dragging Ass to kicking it in 30 days, adds the concepts of Movement (not exercise), and Intermittent-Fasting to his already famous Sleep Chronotypes. It was recently named one of the top books of 2021 by The Today Show.

In his 3rd book (2017) The Power of When, which is a groundbreaking bio-hacking book proving that there is a perfect time to do everything, based on your biological chronotype (early bird or night owl). Dr. Breus gives the reader the exact time to have sex, run, a mile, eat a cheeseburger, buy, sell, ask your boss for a raise, and much more based on over 200 research studies.  

He is an expert resource for most major publications doing more than 400 interviews per year (Oprah, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, NY Times, Wall Street Journal etc.-list available). Dr. Breus has been in private practice for 23 years and recently relocated to and was named the Top Sleep Doctor of Los Angles, By Readers Digest.

www.mutesnoring.com

It's Free just download it from the App Store! Bingo Blitz the latest gaming craze to reduce stress and you can play with worldwide gamers for free! Innovative features and exciting narratives. Bing Blitz!

DR. Steven Cliff is the Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). He talks with Mark about the importance of Vehicle Safety Week.
Vehicle recalls keep our roads safer for everyone!

About Dr. Steven Cliff, Deputy Administrator of NHTSA:

He oversees the nation’s vehicle safety agency that sets vehicle safety standards, identifies safety defects and manages recalls, and educates Americans to help them drive, ride, and walk safely.

NHTSA’s work also includes establishing fuel economy regulations and helping facilitate the testing and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies. The agency has a budget of more than $1 billion and more than 600 full-time employees across the country.

Cliff brings an extensive scientific and regulatory background to his leadership role at NHTSA. Most recently, he served as the deputy executive officer at the California Air Resources Board, an organization he first joined in 2008 as an air pollution specialist. Since then, he held a variety of positions at CARB, eventually overseeing its climate program. From 2014 to 2016, Cliff joined the California Department of Transportation as the assistant director for sustainability. He returned to CARB in 2016 when then-Governor Jerry Brown of California appointed him senior advisor to CARB’s board chair.

 Cliff’s most recent work as deputy executive officer at CARB included program oversight of regulations for passenger vehicle emissions, medium- and heavy-duty engine emissions, implementation of vehicle and engine emissions and on-board diagnostics certification, transportation land-use planning and analysis, and incentive and investment programs for reducing emissions. He worked with environmental and equity advocates, senior industry officials, association representatives, and other stakeholders on program development.

Cliff played an active role at the University of California, Davis for nearly two decades. In 2001, he joined the school’s Applied Sciences department as a research professor, later becoming affiliated with the school’s Air Quality Research Center. Through the years, he has supported independent air quality and climate research programs while balancing his time at CARB, including being an approved program coordinator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Light Source.

Cliff received a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. He then completed a postdoc on atmospheric sciences at the University of California, Davis’ Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

A new book out shows how Intelligent Automation can Transform Businesses and Drive Growth. IDC Research predicts $42.6 Billion in this field by 2025.

About Rajendra Prasad:

Rajendra Prasad (RP) is the Global Automation Lead at Accenture and heads a team that has helped organizations across the globe successfully implement and scale their intelligent automation transformations. He has spent over two decades innovating and defining frameworks for driving efficiency and managing change in software engineering. Prasad holds multiple patents and built Accenture myWizard®, an AI-powered intelligent automation platform.

Any industry runs more efficiently and finds new opportunities for value. In fact, IDC Research estimates that spending on automation software will reach $42.6B by 2025.

Intelligent automation goes one step further, bringing in artificial intelligence and machine learning to reinvent business processes, guide better decisions and free up employees to take on more challenging and creative work. Yet many companies struggle with where to start and how to scale.

To address this growing interest, technology experts at Accenture, a leader in digital transformation technologies, have written a how-to guide for implementing and maintaining a successful intelligent automation strategy. 

The Automation Advantage, available now, will serve as a strategic and practical guide for technology and business leaders, explaining how companies can drive intelligent automation at scale while weaving AI into the fabric of the organization.

They cut through myths and misunderstandings to blaze a clear trail for any business leader looking to develop an intelligent automation strategy, create new value and realize growth—all with a human-centric approach.

www.accenture.com/automationadvantage

It seems that Americans are at a crossroads with the economy. In this episode, Mark asks Mona Mahajan a Senior Investment Strategist what the results from the latest survey conducted by data intelligence company are, Morning Consult.

ABOUT MONA MAHAJAN

Mona Mahajan is a Senior Investment Strategist on the investment strategy team at Edward Jones.

She helps develop and communicate the firm's macro-economic and financial market views, as well as create impactful thought leadership in order to help clients meet their long-term financial goals.

She also is a voting member of the asset allocation team, supporting the firm's strategic and opportunistic portfolio allocation decisions. Mona has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, spanning equity and fixed income analysis, global investment strategy, and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Edward Jones, she was the U.S. Investment Strategist at Allianz Global Investors for nearly five years.

She appears regularly on financial media, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, as well as print media like The Wall Street Journal and Barron's.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted by global data intelligence company Morning Consult among a national sample of 2,200 adults from January 7 – January 10, 2022.

Lance Henson is an award-winning Poet, Author, Native Rights Activist, and Educator. He talks with Mark about his articles in the New Continental Magazine and how his heritage is on the world stage.

About Lance Henson 

Henson now lives in Italy, but he grew up in Oklahoma where his grandparents raised him in the traditions of the Cheyenne tribe.  He has published 28 volumes of poetry, which have been translated into 25 languages. He has been described as the "foremost Cheyenne poet now writing."

The aim of The Continental Literary Magazine is to introduce exceptional Central European literature to the American readership. In addition to the English-language writings of the best authors in Central Europe, the quarterly also features the writings of world-famous American writers such as Lance Henson.

https://continentalmagazine.com

In this episode, Maggie Ference from the Nations #1 SBA lender discusses the opportunities that exist for small business start-ups - especially for minority business owners.

Got a great biz idea? Here's your access to Capital!

ABOUT MAGGIE FERENCE:

Maggie is a Senior Vice President and the Business Banking Credit, SBA, and Operations Director for Huntington National Bank, a $174 Billion Dollar Regional Bank based out of Columbus, Ohio.

Maggie has built a career working with start-ups on business plans, helping small businesses expand into commercial companies, finding aging owners a generational solution for the sale of their business, and even helping those customers who fall on hard times, small business lending solutions are her passion.

Huntington is the nation’s #1 SBA lender by the number of loans.

For more information please visit: https://www.huntington.com/SmallBusiness/loans/lift-local

Mark talks with Curtis Symonds MOBE Chairman and President HBCUGO.TV about the April 21-22 "Solutions for Reimaging Our Future" Symposium. Here Curtis Symonds and Byron Allen President and CEO of the Allen Media Group will conduct a fireside chat and challenge US Brands and the Advertising industry to bring equality to advertising in 2022.

About Curtis Symonds
MOBE Chairman and President

Curtis an innovative and charismatic cable television distribution and marketing pioneer created Hoop Magic Basketball Academy as the premier sports and entertainment venue to serve the Northern Virginia community.

Curtis is also known by his peers and business community for giving his time and resources to engage and improve the lives of socially economically disadvantaged youth a safe haven to learn and excel through sports activities. He serves as an assistant basketball coach and consultant at a top-five catholic high school Paul VI in Northern Virginia.

Curtis is a former president of the T. Howard Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting women and people of color in the satellite and telecommunications industry. He is also Co-Founder and CEO of HBCUGO.tv (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and former COO, of the Washington Mystics WNBA Basketball franchise.

Curtis was named one of the most 100 influential people in the cable industry in 1998 by Cable Fax Magazine. Symonds served as the Executive Vice President of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing for BET Holdings, Inc. from 1988-to 2001. During his tenure at BET, Symonds also served as Executive Vice President of BET on Jazz from 1996-2001; President and COO of BET Action Pay Per View from 1992-2001; and President and COO BET International from 1992-2001.

Symonds’ arrival at BET in 1988 facilitated the successful growth of sales revenue, from 4 percent at the beginning of his career to 57 percent, creating the opportunity for the sale of BET to Viacom.

Prior to joining BET, Symonds spent five years (1983-88) at ESPN, Inc., working in the network’s Chicago office. He began as ESPN’s local advertising sales consultant, and within a year he was promoted to director of affiliate marketing for the Midwest region. In addition, Symonds has also served as system manager for Continental Cablevision of Ohio, Inc.

A board member of the Cable Advertising Bureau and the Cable Academy, he also spent 10 years (1983-1993) on the board of directors for the National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC). Symonds is a recipient of the 1998 National Cable Television Association (NCTA) Vanguard Award for marketing excellence, the highest award for marketing in the cable industry. In 1997, Symonds was presented The Clyde Award for Marketing Excellence from Marketing Opportunities in Black Entertainment, and the Black United Fund’s prestigious “Walter Bremond” – Achieving Against the Odds Award.

A native of Bermuda, West Indies, Symonds is a Central State University (Ohio) graduate. He resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife Pat and their three children.


About MOBE 

The MOBE series has delivered business building, education, and mentoring resources for African-American professionals since 1992. 

The MOBE SymposiumTM is the leading advanced marketing conference designed to accelerate business growth with thought leaders, industry influencers, and business owners, enabling them to share cultural insights for purpose-driven brands and savvy marketers. MOBE’s proven track record of facilitating strategic alliances and professional development has resulted in agreements between Black businesses and major corporations that have delivered revenue-producing connections and partnerships. 

An estimated $200 million in business the first year was generated as a direct result of associations conceived at MOBE symposiums. MOBE (pronounced MO-Bee) is where marketing, technology, sports, and entertainment professionals join with emerging businesses, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals and corporations. 

The MOBE series has delivered business building, education, and mentoring resources for African-American professionals since 1992.  Corporations, agencies, entrepreneurs, media, and marketing executives can now register for the virtual MOBE Symposium held on the Hopin platform at bit.ly/MOBE2022.  For more information about the conference, please visit MOBEsymposium.com,  follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and connect with us on Linkedin. 

The MOBE 30th Anniversary Symposium is sponsored by Prudential, BET Networks, and AARP. visit mobesymposium.com

40% of Americans have resolved to build up their savings in 2022. How what with the Pandemic and inflation soaring what's the secret. Erin McCullen, Head of Deposit Products for the BOA, shares how and why America Saves Week can help you.

About Erin McCullen

Bank of America Head of Deposit Products.

Prior to this role, McCullen has held a number of leadership positions in Credit, Operations, Fraud, Risk, Marketing, and Deposits at both MBNA, America, and Bank of America.

Erin McCullen is the Head of Deposit Products at Bank of America, leading a team that delivers everyday banking and savings solutions to more than 45MM clients.  In this role, she directs the company’s efforts in providing a full range of consumer deposit products and services including checking, savings, and money market accounts as well as CDs and IRAs. McCullen is responsible for a $980B deposit portfolio, one of the largest in the world, that delivers more than $20B in revenue to the company overall. 

Under her leadership, the product team has delivered a number of solutions to help clients better manage their financial lives, resulting in continuous portfolio growth of 2% each year. 

Her team developed and delivered SafeBalance Banking, one of the first checking accounts in the industry that has no overdraft fees.  Since then, SafeBalance has received a number of accolades and awards, including national certification from the Cities for Financial Empowerment/BankOn, for having features and benefits that provide individuals safe and affordable access to financial services. Additionally, SafeBalance was the catalyst for Money Magazine naming Bank of America the ‘Best Bank for College Students’ in 2019.  

In 2020, the Deposits Products team also launched Balance Assist, a revolutionary short-term loan that provides an affordable way for clients to manage their immediate liquidity needs.  Since its release, Balance Assist has proven to be another tool that helps clients bank confidently and better manage their finances. 

McCullen is originally from Chicago, IL, and Baltimore, MD.  She is a graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Va., where she played collegiate level volleyball and lacrosse.  With her leadership and passion for helping others, McCullen serves as the chair of the Disability Action Network which works to foster an inclusive environment that accepts, values, respects and supports individuals impacted by disabilities. 

She is also a volunteer within the public school system.  Currently, McCullen resides in Charlotte, NC, with her husband and three sons.

The Author of "Stories from the Middle East and Beyond" and "The Devil is a Black Dog" and "The Most Beautiful Night of the Soul" has just returned from Ukraine and speaks with Mark about a new Literary Magazine called "The Continental" online and in Barnes and Noble. Go to www.continentalmagazine.com. What Happens Now?

About Sandor Jaszberenyi 

Author of “The Most Beautiful Night of the Soul: More Stories from the Middle East and Beyond” and “The Devil Is a Black Dog: Stories from the Middle East and Beyond.” 

Sandor is a celebrated author who received Hungary’s top literary prize.  

As a correspondent for European news sites, he has covered conflicts throughout the world, often in the Middle East and his writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.  

Accenture Ventures was created to address the funding gap for black-owned businesses. So, this month is Black History month, I found it to be a good time to find out in-depth about Accenture Ventures and its first recipient "Sway Brand," a multicultural media technology platform.

About Kathryn Ross:

Kathryn Ross has enjoyed a long career with Accenture focusing on emerging disruptive technologies and helping industry-leading clients prepare for, combat, and understand how these new functions and capabilities will impact their businesses. Kathryn is the global lead for Open Innovation and the Black Founders Development Program, which is helping to level the playing field for Black technology startup founders and entrepreneurs through investment, mentorship, community, and support.


About Horace Flournoy:

Horace Flournoy is a Multicultural Media Strategist skilled in Diversity-driven planning and focuses on partnerships & content solutions with creators and influencers for SwayBrand.

Horace launched SwayBrand with one idea in mind: to help brands develop authentic partnerships and source original creative content from Black, Latino, and Asian influencers who may normally go undiscovered by brand marketing teams.

For more information, please visit: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/technology/black-founders-development-program

Mark has a frank and very interesting talk with one of the world's most sought-after Psychic/Medium Vicki Monroe. How do you know if a passed loved one is trying to contact you? How does a psychic/medium help other people and much more!

Vicki Monroe is considered to be one of the world’s leading psychic mediums whose gifts go far beyond basic spirit messaging to include spiritual counseling, health and wellness counseling, criminal cold case investigation, and more.

Vicki Monroe was born with the ability to see, hear and speak to the Spirit World. She has been communicating on a daily basis with these “Spirit Guides” since the age of 4. It was not until 1987, and the death of her sister, Heather, age 23, and her sister’s husband Tom, 25, that she began using this ability with people that lived around her.

As her 4 children grew, and her messages from the “Other Side” became even stronger, she began working at local radio and television stations taking random calls from followers. They were not allowed to give her any information about themselves, but instead could only ask, ”Who’s around me?”. That was when her career as a Spirit Messenger, Psychic Medium took off, making her a household name.

She has traveled the world giving lectures and speaking engagements of well over 500 people, where she unlike many other Mediums will go on to read as many people as she can in a 2-hour show. Her soft nature and often humorous teachings of the afterlife have given her a worldwide audience and a listing in the infamous book of Top 100 Psychic Mediums in the world today.

Vicki considers herself more of a teacher, and never a preacher. She is someone that listens to the people who come to her with an open heart, but more importantly an open mind. She has helped change the lives of so many in the last 20 years and will continue to do her best to help those who need answers and find peace when they cannot find it themselves. She does large venues, radio, television, and voiceovers. She has appeared on numerous national television shows and specials. Her appearance on “Psychic Detective”, is still considered one of the top 5 ever aired, and is still being played after 11 years!

She still makes many public appearances, and does sessions via phone and occasionally in person. In her spare time, Vicki loves using her Ph.D. in Holistic Health to grow and use herbs for both cooking and medicine. She is currently working on her second book that will be out, “When The Spirits Say So!”. The title and the reason she is taking her time with it. She calls New England Home but has many places around the world that have touched her heart that she calls home as well.

She is a wife of 38 years, a proud mother, and a Grandmother of 4. At age 57 she believes life has just begun!

vicki@vickimonroe.com
(207)499-1089

An award-winning Ex-Pat from Mark’s hometown appears on this episode of “The Mark Bishop Show” Jason Edwards is the Author of ‘Icebergs to Iguanas’ a large format series of books illustrating his national geographic imagery. Photography to Jason is mor than just capturing beautiful pictures, it’s about the stories that go with them!

He likes to refer to himself as a "Part-time Trader - Full-Time Trouble Maker"
Rob Booker wasn't always the successful trader coach and mentor he is now. Mark delves into this very competitive space and learns from the head trader and publisher at Daily Profit Publishing but as you'll hear from the man himself, it wasn't always this good!

About Rob Booker

An interview with a trading veteran who did it the hard way.

Lost it all made it again than the 2010 financial crisis hit. First, it was Forex currency and then stocks to become arguably one of the best traders and teachers out there.

Born in Miami, raised in Mission Viejo, CA, and attended BYU. Law school: University of California. Started his first company in 1999. Wrote first book adventures of a currency trader in 2007.

Rob Booker is a trading veteran of over 20 years, a published author, a podcast host, and the head trader and publisher at Daily Profit Publishing.

Back in 2000, Rob was heavily in debt and desperate to find a change in his life. He always knew about the financial markets and had an interest in them, but when he started, he looked at trading as a “quick fix” for all his problems.

That wasn’t how it worked out. Rob lost most of the money he started with and spent the next 11 months working his way to becoming “profitable.” It took a huge toll on him, but he got there. And he kept working at it, doing the hard work that a lot of folks never commit to. Four years later, he was a full-time trader. By 2006, he was doing incredibly well and felt like he had reached trading nirvana. Then the 2010 financial crisis hit, and Rob had to start all over again.

Having become successful with forex (currency) at first, Rob decided to try again with stocks and rebuilt his career from square one. During that time, he became an expert in trading bear markets and still considers it one of his greatest strengths as a trader.

Part-time trader. Full-time troublemaker.

Rob is currently the head trader and publisher at Daily Profit Publishing.

21 years trading
936 watchlists/yr
1224 trades/yr *not including his personal acct.
33,127 traders and students - what I call the “happiest family of traders on the planet”

Website: robbooker.com

Mark speaks with Andrei Faji the Director of Engagement for PandaDoc. Small to medium businesses are transitioning to digital document management more than ever. Why? Yet only 53% of decision-makers say they are comfortable with the process! Plenty of room to learn with PandaDoc.

About Andrei Faji
Director of Engagement Marketing at PandaDoc

A guest speaker at SXSW and IBM’s Builder Fair, Andrei has helped emerging businesses connect with their customers by creating authentic interactions. He lives with his family in Austin, TX.

Andrei Faji helps businesses build brands and tell remarkable stories.

He’s the Director of Engagement Marketing at PandaDoc, the tool that makes it ridiculously easy to create, sign, and edit documents digitally.

Over the past decade, he’s helped companies such as Dosh (acquired by Cardlytics) and Bloomspot (acquired by Chase) find their company narrative and bring it to market.

A guest speaker at SXSW and IBM’s Builder Fair, Andrei has helped emerging businesses connect with their customers by creating authentic interactions. He lives with his family in Austin, TX.

Incredible interview of how artificial intelligence is creating the future of plant supplies through Bio-Factory Calytx and PlantSpring. Mark's guests explain how the future of plant-synthetic biotechnology is critical for corporations in the future.

About Michael Carr

They share a very exciting initiative, how they are using AI and machine learning, and why plant-based solutions will be a driving force in the goal of sustainability in the future.

Michael joined Calyxt as a Director and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2021. Michael brings more than 20 years of business, financial, and operational leadership experience to Calyxt.

He was previously the Vice President of M&A, Strategy, and Innovation at Darling Ingredients, Inc., a global developer, and producer of sustainable natural ingredients and renewable energy. He obtained his M.B.A. from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University, and he also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from California State University – Northridge.

About Dr. Travis Frey

Travis brings over 15 years of experience in the agricultural industry and technology innovation to Calyxt.

Travis received his B.S. in Horticulture from Penn State University, M.S. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin, Ph.D. in the Plant Biology and Biotechnology Program at the University of Delaware and DuPont/Pioneer, and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business. Prior to joining Calyxt, Travis held science and innovation leadership roles at major U.S-based agricultural corporations.

For more information, please visit: calyxt.com/

As we commemorate the 49th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22, abortion access is at stake like never before, with the Supreme Court expected to weigh in on a key case later this year that could decimate the ability to get abortion care.

Still, even with Roe in place for decades, anti-choice politicians have passed state laws and created obstacles that have pushed abortion care out of reach for far too many.

Kimberly Inez McGuire is the executive director of URGE:

NATIONAL EXPERT KIMBERLY INEZ MCGUIRE EXPLAINS WHAT IS NEEDED TO SECURE ABORTION ACCESS NATIONWIDE.

JANUARY 22ND MARKS THE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE VS. WADE

Kimberly Inez McGuire is an award-winning communications strategist, queer Latina reproductive justice advocate, and lifelong policy wonk with more than a decade of experience creating and implementing winning strategies to reshape the public narrative and policy landscape.

As Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Kimberly leads the organization in building a world where all people have agency over their own bodies and relationships, and the power, knowledge, and tools to exercise that agency. Kimberly brings to her work with URGE comprehensive, intersectional experience with youth leadership, wins in federal and state policy and campaigns, and deep roots in reproductive justice organizing.

Previously, Kimberly served as a Senior Program Director with Conway Strategic and Director of Public Affairs for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH). Kimberly is also an URGE success story – her journey in reproductive justice began with an URGE internship as a college student. Kimberly participated in the 2017 cohort of the Rockwood Leadership Institute Reproductive Health, Rights, & Justice Fellowship. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).

A prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, Kimberly have been featured in: Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and other outlets. Kimberly uses she/her/ella pronouns.

Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, is a state-driven national organization that builds power and sustains a young people’s movement for reproductive justice by centering the leadership of young people of color who are women, queer, trans, nonbinary, and people of low income.

She is a national expert on abortion access and a prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, who has been featured on The Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and others.

1012 14th Street NW, Suite 305 Washington, DC 20005
Toll Free 1 (888) 784-4494 Phone 1 (202) 965-7700 Fax 1 (202) 965-7701

Do your shopping selection in the subway on the way home or have your driverless cargo do the shopping for you during the day and bring it home or just sit in front of your large screen with your family and select your goods and have it delivered. Fascinating!

About Karl Haller:

Karl Haller - Partner, Consumer Center of Competency IBM Consulting 

Karl leads IBM’s Consumer Industry Center of Competency, where he works with retailers and consumer goods companies worldwide to digitally reinvent their businesses and operationalize the use of advanced capabilities across their enterprise.

Karl has over 25 years of experience in retail, fashion, and consumer goods, and has served in executive positions in Strategy, Customer Engagement, and Marketing at Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, The Limited, and Doner Advertising. 

Karl began his career in the strategy consulting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Humble Design is a Not4Profit that has designed and fitted out 2400 homes and helped 7,800 individuals in various American Cities have a home and not an empty house when relocating from homeless shelters. Mark speaks with Treger Strasberg TV Host and Founder of "Humble Design"

TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF THE HOMELESS

Founder of Non-Profit that Furnishes Homes for the Previously Homeless Talks About Her Holiday Deco Day Reveals

About Tregor Strasberg and Humble Design:

Treger Strasberg founded the nonprofit Humble Design in 2009.

What started out as a small nonprofit in Detroit offering design services, and furnishings to those exiting homelessness grew and expanded to five cities across the US, and led to a television show, "Welcome Home", which earned two Daytime Emmy nominations running on the CW Network in 2018-2019 and is still popular on-demand on the BYU TV app. 

 Humble Design is a nonprofit that helps families transitioning out of homeless shelters by providing furnishings and design services. The organization turns empty houses into clean, dignified, and welcoming homes — a very simple idea that can change a family's future. The organization serves families and veterans leaving shelters.

Humble Design has served over 2,000 families nationally through its chapters in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland,  Seattle, and San Diego. Their 2000th home was celebrated in August 2021. 

Please visit humbledesign.org 

It's your Tax wasting $168 Billion every ten years on crucifying animals when there is no need.
www.peta.org/biden or just Text Biden 73822

Who Biden chooses to lead the largest research-funded org in the world is critical!

ABOUT KATHERINE ROE:

Katherine Roe, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and Chief of Science Advancement and Outreach with the Laboratory Investigations Department of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), where she liaises with government funding agencies, universities, and corporations to end harmful and ineffective experiments on animals.

She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University and earned a doctorate in psychology and cognitive science from the University of California–San Diego. 

After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, she went on to become a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health, where she served for eight years.

Dr. Roe has more than 20 years of experience conducting brain and neuroimaging research with humans and is an expert at experimental design and data analysis.

For more information, please visit www.peta.org

What do Employers need to do for 2022?

The Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Network at YPO. Dr. Christine Crawford talks with Mark
about the newly released survey that gives surprising statistics.

What benefits are there in working from home?

About Christine Crawford:

Christine Crawford, ScD, is a fearless and strategic CEO with 15+ years of business leadership backed by Harvard scientific training that gives her an objective approach to challenges and solutions.

Her expertise in talent management has supported her success as a leader in the very large, complex organization that is McDonald’s.

She coaches CEOs to face, assess, and address blind spots and issues and supports them in framing and communicating issues in a way that mobilizes the team.

As an advocate for visible and valued customers and employees, she is inspired by creating and encouraging environments where all are genuinely seen and heard.

www.ypo.org

FICO Chief Marketing Officer shares with Mark the results from the 2022 Digital Trends Report the 5 emerging trends ahead.

About Nikhil Behl

Nikhil Behl is the Chief Marketing Officer at FICO (NYSE: FICO), a Silicon Valley pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions and transform organizations.

At FICO, Nikhil leads worldwide marketing, public relations, government relations, and inside sales and channels.

A serial entrepreneur, Nikhil has over 25 years of technology, software, and e-commerce experience.

Prior to FICO, he worked at large established tech companies such as Hewlett Packard as well as numerous Silicon Valley startups.  

For more information, please visit www.fico.com 

Mark speaks with the head of Cetera Business Consulting Michel Dillon why there aren't enough women in the Financial Advice and Planning industry. It's now offering great careers.

More About Michelle Dillon:

Michele is the Head of Business Consulting for Cetera, where she focuses on providing financial professionals with a growth framework that meets them where they are to help them optimize their businesses and enhance efficiency. She leads her team in providing coaching, practice management, succession planning, advisor business development and growth programs that enable Cetera’s financial professionals to deliver an Advice-Centric Experience® to clients.

Michele is an accomplished senior-level leader in the investment and wealth management industry who has worked across learning enablement, leadership development, growth strategy, business development, and marketing for nearly three decades. She has a proven track record of growing and transitioning financial professionals’ practices to more sustainable, growth-oriented business models with keen attention to training.


For more information please visit: www.cetera.com

The largest compounding pharmacy in the nation is Empower and Mark's guest is Shaun Noorian CEO and Founder. A licensed reputable pharmacy, some of the strictest regulations in the world blow away the myths about this industry. Get The Facts! Go to https://www.empowerpharmacy.com

The pandemic has impacted people's attitudes on financial conversations and health decisions. Mark speaks with Alison Carnie, Principal, Edward Jones Company about results from the latest Age wave and Harris Poll for 44.5 million Americans. She also gives great tips on how to plan end of life action steps with the whole family.

MORE ABOUT ALISON CARNIE: 

Alison Carnie serves as director of Trust Services and Chief Administration Officer of the Edward Jones Trust Company. She is responsible for trust administration, estate settlement services and trust special asset administration.

Carnie first joined Edward Jones in 2006 as an intern in the legal and business development departments of Edward Jones Trust Company. After graduating from law school, she worked as an associate at a St. Louis-based law firm focused on estate planning. In 2012, Carnie returned to Edward Jones as a wealth strategist and team leader in the Client Consultation Group, which is responsible for partnering with financial advisors in working with high-net-worth clients with complex needs.

Carnie received her bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University and received her Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law.

www.edwardjones.com

Great tips for navigating this years medicare benefits and medicare advantage with Gary Culp, Medicare Advantage Expert; Chief Growth Officer at Cigna.

BIO - Gary Culp

Gary Culp is the Chief Growth Officer at Cigna and has expertise in all aspects of healthcare including strategic planning, leadership management, profit and loss, product development and management, marketing, and sales.

Gary’s a healthcare industry veteran with over 20 years' of progressive executive leadership, profit and loss accountability, distribution and sales, and management experience driving results across multiple markets.

For more information please visit: www.cigna.com/medicare

Mark speaks with Dr Meena Seshamani about Medicare Open Enrollment for changes to your health or prescription drug plans. You may get State assistance so check this out or go to 1800 Medicare or better still, Medicare.Gov for the Plan Finder for you.

Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD Bio:

Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD is an accomplished, strategic leader with a deep understanding of health economics and a heartfelt commitment to outstanding patient care. Her diverse background as a healthcare executive, health economist, physician and health policy expert has given her a unique perspective on how health policy impacts the real lives of patients. She most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed, and implemented population health and value-based care initiatives and served on the senior leadership of the 10 hospital, 300+ outpatient care site health system.

The care models and service lines under her leadership, including community health, geriatrics, and palliative care, have been nationally recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and others. She also cared for patients as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

 Dr. Seshamani also brings decades of policy experience to her role, including recently serving on the leadership of the Biden-Harris Transition HHS Agency Review Team.

Prior to MedStar Health, she was Director of the Office of Health Reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she drove strategy and led implementation of the Affordable Care Act across the Department, including coverage policy, delivery system reform, and public health policy.

She received her B.A. with Honors in Business Economics from Brown University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar.

She completed her residency training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and practiced as a head and neck surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.