Health Matters’ mission is to promote health equity by elevating the conversation around healthy habits, preventative health, and relevant public health issues. By approaching these topics with an equitable lens, we can all do our part to empower individuals to make more informed decisions about their health and care.

On this episode, Dr. Jose Medina-Inojosa and Alisa Johnsrud talked with Dr. Ilan Shapiro, the Medical Director of Medical Education, Wellness, and a touch of innovation / Medical Correspondent at AltaMed Health Services.

The trio talked about the COVID vaccine rollout, as well as dealing with the pandemic in their communities. “We need to start vaccinating our communities against fear,” Shapiro said, on getting people in the community vaccinated. One of the things they noted was the misinformation campaign, especially on social media. Shapiro stressed the importance of continuing good healthcare post-covid, such as providing patients with Medicare and Medicaid, as these typically help underserved communities and people of color.

Shapiro always had the dream to be part of public health policy in Mexico. He started his career working for the Mexican Secretary of Health as the liaison between Mexico and the World Health Organization (WHO), followed by his Pediatric Residency at Mount Sinai Children’s Hospital in Chicago. He tries to train his residents that when a patient comes to see you, you need to visualize that you are the waiter and the patient is there to eat a meal. You need to make sure when they leave, they are happy. It’s essential to get patients treatment they believe in themselves.