Episodes

  • Singing in Exile: Music, Hope, and the Passover Seder | Ep 12

    Singing in Exile: Music, Hope, and the Passover Seder | Ep 12
    Mar 31 2026

    Can we sing songs of joy when our world feels broken?

    In this special pre-Passover episode, Dr. Jonathan Weinkle delivers a powerful live session from the Conference on Medicine and Religion. Starting with Psalm 137 (“By the rivers of Babylon”), he weaves together biblical texts, Jewish history, the trauma of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, and live musical performances to show how music becomes medicine for the soul in exile.

    Through original songs, traditional melodies, and wordless niggunim, Dr. Weinkle demonstrates how we hold both grief and hope. He explores the four levels of Jewish interpretation (PaRDeS) and ends with the core message of the Exodus: because we were once slaves, we are called to empathy and to ease the suffering of others.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Singing in the Strange Land: Even when we feel exiled by illness, grief, displacement, or trauma, we can still create and share music that carries memory, praise, and hope.
    • Music as Soul Medicine: Songs help us process pain while reminding us of wholeness, human dignity, and the divine spark vital for both patients and healthcare professionals.
    • Empathy from the Exodus: The Passover story transforms our suffering into compassion. Because we were strangers and oppressed, we must work to stop the suffering of others.

    About the Show:

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host:
    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    1 hr
  • Dwelling in the 'Who Knows' - Chaplaincy in Crisis | Ep11

    Dwelling in the 'Who Knows' - Chaplaincy in Crisis | Ep11
    Mar 17 2026

    What happens when medicine says "I don't know" and chaplains step in to hold the unknown?

    In Episode 11 of Healing People, Not Patients, Rabbi Kara Tav shares her experience starting as a palliative care chaplain at NYU Langone Brooklyn just weeks before the world recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic. She describes transforming hospital units, supporting weeping doctors who couldn't admit uncertainty, ministering to isolated dying patients, and navigating moral injury amid refrigerated trucks, empty trains, and public gratitude that didn't fully grasp the horror. Drawing on Jewish teachings, she explores chaplaincy as presence in the "who knows," helping access inner spiritual resources for healing, and emerging from trauma with hope that survival itself is a miracle.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Chaplaincy's Unique Role: Chaplains minister to the spirit alongside medical teams, helping patients and staff access inner resources and meaning especially vital when doctors face the limits of knowledge and say "I don't know."
    • Dwelling in Uncertainty During Crisis: In the early pandemic chaos, chaplains were comfortable in the unknown, providing quiet support to frustrated clinicians, creating prayer cards for unaccompanied deaths, and holding space for moral distress and isolation.
    • Healing Through Presence and Survival: True healing involves mutual noticing of suffering; chaplains model being present without fixing. Survival amid unimaginable loss reminds us people are meant for freedom, health, and rejoicing not endless suffering.

    About the Guest:

    Rabbi Kara Tav, MA, BCC, is a rabbi, board-certified chaplain, educator, and spiritual counselor based in Pittsburgh. With extensive experience in hospital chaplaincy including as manager of spiritual care and palliative care chaplain at NYU Langone Brooklyn during the height of the early COVID-19 pandemic she now offers consulting, counseling, teaching, and community education. She specializes in supporting spiritual needs in times of illness, crisis, and uncertainty, drawing on Jewish tradition to help individuals and professionals find meaning and resilience.

    🔗 Connect with Rabbi Kara Tav:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbikaratav

    About the Show

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host:

    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    43 mins
  • Bonus Days: Purim, Persistence, and the Power of Patient Advocacy | Ep10

    Bonus Days: Purim, Persistence, and the Power of Patient Advocacy | Ep10
    Mar 3 2026

    Can patient advocacy and persistence lead to "bonus days" in chronic illness?

    In Episode 10 of Healing People, Not Patients, Abbe Feitelberg, a healthcare leader and Crohn's disease advocate, discusses her 10-year path to diagnosis, the loneliness of navigating healthcare alone, and her work with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Drawing from her professional role training clinicians in leadership and her personal "bonus days" after a life-threatening flare, she explores building team-based care, listening actively to patients, and seeing them as whole people. Abbe connects her story to Purim, emphasizing hidden strengths, self-advocacy, and honest partnerships for better outcomes.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Misdiagnosis Barriers: Abbe's experience highlights how chronic conditions like Crohn's can be overlooked in young, active individuals, leading to years of misunderstanding and the need for persistence in seeking answers.
    • Self-Advocacy and Partnership: Patients should maintain agency, advocate with providers, speak up about their desired life, and recognize that honest communication is key to effective care, while providers must listen without ego or assumption.
    • Bonus Days and Leadership: After a severe 28-day hospitalization, Abbe views extra time as "bonus days" to make count; she trains healthcare leaders to create supportive teams, reduce stress, and focus on patient values for compassionate, outcome-driven care.

    About the Guest:

    Abbe Feitelberg is the Chief People Officer for a multi-site healthcare company focused on interventional psychiatry, based in Colorado. A former public defender with a law degree, she has transitioned into healthcare leadership, training physicians and teams to improve patient experiences and outcomes. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease after a decade of misdiagnosis, she has 30+ years of personal experience managing chronic illness. Abbe is deeply involved with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, raising funds through endurance events like half marathons, cycling, and hiking Machu Picchu, while advocating for legislative reforms on step therapy and prior authorizations. She is also an avid cyclist, photographer, traveler, and longtime friend of the host.

    About the Show:

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host:

    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    38 mins
  • Making a Living is Killing Us | Ep9

    Making a Living is Killing Us | Ep9
    Feb 17 2026

    What happens when work breaks the body and spirit?

    In Episode 9 of Healing People, Not Patients, Jonathan Clemens, a PA specializing in occupational medicine, shares insights from his work with long-term injured workers. With over 20 years of experience transitioning from IT to medicine, he discusses the challenges of balancing patient care with insurance, employers, and ethical dilemmas like malingering. Drawing from biblical texts and personal stories, they examine the loss of income, social connections, and self-worth due to injuries, the moral injuries faced by healers, and strategies for recovery and reintegration. Clemens emphasizes the role of faith in sustaining purpose and treating patients with dignity.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Barriers in Occupational Medicine: Clinicians must navigate multiple stakeholders, patients, insurers, employers, while detecting fraud without punitive care, treating all with respect despite a 5% malingering rate.
    • Impact of Injuries on Identity: Workers lose income (replaced at only 60%), social ties, and self-actualization; disability fixation can lead to despair, especially for immigrants or older workers, but retraining and community support offer paths to recovery.
    • Dangers to Healers: Healthcare professionals face physical and moral injuries from violence, burnout, and systemic pressures; faith and patient-centered approaches, like allocating time for stories, help mitigate these risks and restore purpose.

    About the Guest:

    Jonathan Clemens is a Physician Assistant specializing in occupational medicine in Olympia, Washington, with a background in family medicine, sleep medicine, pain medicine, and eating disorders. He holds a PA degree from Pacific University and a Doctor of Medical Sciences from A.T. Still University in Arizona. After a successful career in IT security, he transitioned to medicine at age 40, focusing on long-term injured workers in Washington's industrial insurance program. He met host Dr. Weinkle at the Conference on Medicine and Religion and shares a passion for integrating faith, ethics, and patient care.

    About the Show:

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host:

    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    53 mins
  • From Illness to Exodus - Stories from our Journeys | Ep8

    From Illness to Exodus - Stories from our Journeys | Ep8
    Feb 3 2026
    How can ancient storytelling techniques illuminate modern illness experiences?In Episode 8 of Healing People, Not Patients, Aviva Rosenberg, CEO of the Gaucher Community Alliance, and Caryn, an occupational therapist living with Gaucher, share powerful narratives inspired by the Exodus story. Using the "First Fruits Declaration" as a framework, a four-line summary of enslavement to freedom. They unpack personal journeys with Gaucher disease, from childhood pain and experimental treatments to adult transitions, emotional isolation, and advocacy. Caryn recounts her pioneering role in early drug trials, while Aviva emphasizes the need for stories to bridge gaps in medical understanding, address inequities in newborn screening, and empower patients, especially in neuropathic types where treatments are limited. The discussion highlights common challenges like dismissed pain, clinician humility, and the push for policy changes, offering lessons for all chronic illnesses on listening deeply and fostering equitable care.Top 3 Takeaways:Storytelling as Advocacy: Using concise narratives like the Exodus summary helps patients articulate complex experiences, making unmet needs (e.g., pain, fatigue) visible to clinicians and policymakers who might otherwise rely on normal lab results.Transitions in Chronic Illness: Gaucher patients often face physical, logistical, and emotional shifts, from childhood dependence to adult independence, requiring proactive management of care, insurance, and mental health to combat loneliness and burnout.Pushing for Equity and Recognition: Newborn screening for Gaucher varies by state, leading to inequities; advocacy through stories and community support is crucial to expand access, fund research, and ensure all patients, including those in rural areas, connect with expert providers.About the Guest:Aviva Rosenberg:Aviva Rosenberg, JD, is CEO and co-founder of the Gaucher Community Alliance (GCA), a patient-led advocacy group for Gaucher disease. As a Type 1 patient and healthcare attorney with 25+ years' experience, she focuses on education, storytelling, policy advocacy like newborn screening, and addressing unmet needs like pain and fatigue in both Type 1 and neuropathic communities.Connect with Aviva:Website: www.gauchercommunity.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaucherCommunity/Instagram: @gauchercommunityallianceCaryn:Caryn, an occupational therapist from DC with Type 1 Gaucher, was among the first pediatric participants in 1988 NIH enzyme replacement trials at age 8, averting life-threatening crises. Now in her 40s with five children, she manages chronic pain, fatigue, and emotional transitions, drawing on Jewish faith and resilience to share her Exodus-like journey of independence.About the Show:Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship."Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."About the Host:Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    40 mins
  • Healing and Humanity: Ideas for the Next Generation of Medicine | Ep7

    Healing and Humanity: Ideas for the Next Generation of Medicine | Ep7
    Jan 20 2026
    How can healthcare become more human, more responsive, and more compassionate?In Episode 7 of Healing People, Not Patients, Dr. Jonathan Weinkle speaks with six University of Pittsburgh students about creative, patient-centered projects they developed to address real gaps in medical care.Sophia Smallwood and Thai-Hy Lam, propose an AI-driven support platform to help patients with iron deficiency anemia feel heard and connected, especially when their symptoms are dismissed. Ryan Ross and Trevor Staab introduce the idea of “narrative pain consults,” giving young patients uninterrupted time to tell their stories. Finally, Shruti Chandrashekar and Guillermo Cruz explore how using pediatric simulated patients in medical training can improve communication with children and teens.Across all three conversations, a powerful theme emerges: technology and training matter, but listening matters more.Top 3 TakeawaysLived Experience Must Be Valued: Patients, especially women and young people, are often dismissed when lab numbers don’t fully explain their symptoms. Listening to lived experience can reveal critical information that tests alone miss.Storytelling Improves Care: Giving patients even a few uninterrupted minutes to share their story can strengthen trust, reduce frustration, and improve clinical outcomes. Narrative pain consults offer a practical way to do this.Kids Deserve a Voice Too: Children and adolescents communicate differently than adults. Training medical students with pediatric simulated patients helps future clinicians develop empathy, age-appropriate language, and better listening skills.About the Guests:Sophia Smallwood: A sophomore neuroscience major at the University of Pittsburgh with minors in chemistry and religious studies. Sophia is passionate about patient advocacy and drew on her mother’s experience with iron deficiency anemia to help design an AI-based patient support model.Thai-Hy Lam: A sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh on a pre-PA track, majoring in natural sciences. Tahi is involved in the Vietnamese Student Association and pre-PA club and is interested in how technology can strengthen patient advocacy.Ryan Ross: A senior neuroscience major at Pitt planning to apply to medical school. Ryan helped design the concept of narrative pain consults after interviewing a friend whose chronic pain was repeatedly dismissed.Trevor Staab: Also a senior neuroscience major at Pitt and aspiring physician. Trevor co-developed the narrative pain consult model to bridge gaps between patient experience and clinical decision-making.Shruti Chandrashekar: A freshman molecular biology major on the pre-med track. Shruti co-authored a project exploring how pediatric simulated patients can improve medical education and help children feel more respected and heard.Guillermo Cruz: A public health major on the pre-med track from Allentown, PA. Guillermo helped develop a practical budget and implementation plan for integrating pediatric simulated patients into medical training programs.About the ShowHealing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship."Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."About the HostDr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • “And You Shall Live By Them” - Patient-Centered Religion | Ep6

    “And You Shall Live By Them” - Patient-Centered Religion | Ep6
    Jan 6 2026

    How can religious obligations adapt to illness without compromising faith or well-being?

    In Episode 6 of Healing People, Not Patients, Rabbanit Miriam Fenster, a Halacha advisor, discusses navigating Jewish observance amid mental and physical health challenges. Drawing from her work with the Maaglei Nefesh program and decades of advising, she addresses conflicts like fasting during Yom Kippur for those with diabetes or eating disorders, Shabbat observance in mental health crises, and tailoring guidance to personal stories. Miriam emphasizes empathy, flexibility within Halacha's "four walls," and empowering individuals to find their path, offering insights for religious practitioners and healthcare providers alike.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Flexibility in Halacha: Jewish law provides a structured framework but allows vast adaptability for individual health needs, viewing deviations not as "cheating" but as valid alternative paths.
    • Person-Centered Guidance: Effective advice requires listening to the "question behind the question," understanding personal context, and sometimes consulting experts or deferring to the individual's self-knowledge.
    • Lessons for Medicine: Healthcare professionals can learn from Halacha's nuanced approach—balancing evidence-based guidelines with empathy, avoiding premature closure, and recognizing social or emotional factors influencing patient needs.

    About the Guest:

    Rabbanit Miriam Fenster is a Halachic advisor and long-time student and teacher at Matan HaSharon in Ra'anana, Israel, specializing in advanced Halacha for women. She advises individuals aged 15 to 85 on family life, life cycles, Shabbat, and Kosher laws. Through the Maaglei Nefesh program, she supports those with mental illnesses in aligning Jewish observance with their health needs, drawing from personal experiences and a compassionate, individualized approach.

    🔗 Connect with Rabbanit Miriam Fenster:

    https://mnefesh.org/ Maaglei Nefesh

    https://www.matan.org.il/en/ Matan

    About the Show:

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host:

    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Because You Were Strangers: Caring for the Refugee Population | Ep5

    Because You Were Strangers: Caring for the Refugee Population | Ep5
    Nov 18 2025

    How do we welcome the stranger in today’s clinics?

    In Episode 5 of Healing People, Not Patients, Dr. Naghmeh Rowhani, and Ashok Gurung, join Dr. Jonathan Weinkle to discuss refugee and immigrant health. Dr. Rowhani, building a new pediatric immigrant clinic in San Diego, shares barriers like language gaps and fear of ICE. Ashok, a Bhutanese refugee now in medical school, recounts surviving refugee camps, community suicides, and translating mental health concepts across cultures. Together they explore cultural humility, somatic symptoms of trauma, and community resilience amid political turmoil—urging clinicians to advocate beyond medicine and foster trust through genuine care.

    Top 3 Takeaways:

    • Cultural Humility Over Competency: No clinician can master every culture; success lies in humility, curiosity, and building trust over time—especially when language or worldview gaps persist.
    • Trauma Hides in the Body: Refugees often present with unexplained pain (headaches, abdominal pain) rooted in stress and displacement; ruling out physical causes while gently addressing psychological roots requires patience and cultural sensitivity.
    • Community as Medicine: Tight-knit immigrant networks provide food, support, and hope during crises (e.g., food stamp cuts); clinicians succeed by connecting patients to these lifelines and advocating for housing, education, and safety.

    About the Guests:

    Dr. Naghmeh Rowhani, is an academic faculty in Pediatrics at UC San Diego, developing an immigrant/refugee health clinic with a federally qualified health center. With an MPH from Harvard focused on child protection, she previously worked with global orphans and near-border Mexican communities.

    LinkedIn : linkedin.com/in/naghmeh-rowhani-md-mph

    Ashok Gurung, a Bhutanese refugee orphaned young, survived refugee camps and now pursues his MD at AdventHealth/University of Chicago. A community leader addressing Bhutanese mental health crises and suicides, he bridges cultural concepts of trauma for better care.

    About the Show

    Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship.

    "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul."

    About the Host

    Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.

    He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.

    🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com

    🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a

    📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen

    📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle

    The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions.
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    48 mins