Turn on the Lights Podcast

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Two microphones in a warmly lit podcast studio with shelves, books, plants, and a heart-monitor display in the background.

Turn on the Lights: A Healthcare Improvement Podcast

Turn on the Lights is a podcast that brings clarity, urgency, and humanity to the most pressing issues in health and healthcare today. Hosted by Dr. Philip McAdoo, Director of Internal Equity and Workplace Well-Being at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), this series invites listeners into honest, thought-provoking conversations with people who are challenging the status quo.

This podcast is for people improving healthcare — offering candid conversations, practical ideas, and fresh perspectives from people working to make care better.

★ 4.8/5

Apple Podcasts

★ 4.9/5

Spotify

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Podcast Host Philip McAdoo

Philip McAdoo, Ed.D.Director of Internal Equity and Workplace Well-Being 

Behind the Mic

Meet Your Host

Dr. Philip Dorian McAdoo is an organizational strategist, educator, author, advocate, and storyteller. He serves as Director of Internal Equity & Workplace Well-Being at IHI, where he helps strengthen the cultures, practices, and conditions that allow people and systems to improve. As host of Turn on the Lights, Philip brings a human-centered lens to conversations about trust, dignity, leadership, and building better healthcare systems.

Why It’s Worth a Listen - An Intro from Philip

 

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Ricki Fairley

Ricki Fairley Co-Founder and CEO, Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance

This week’s guest

Black Breast Cancer, Advocacy, and Trust

In this episode, Ricki Fairley joins Turn on the Lights to discuss trust, science, and collective action in the fight against Black breast cancer. Drawing on her own journey as a triple-negative breast cancer survivor, Ricki explains why the science of Black breast cancer must be treated differently, how the "purple cape" of accountability shapes Black women's experience of illness, and why doctors, pharma, and health systems must change the language, the data, and the support they offer.

This week’s episode

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Ashley Jackson

Ashley Jackson, MS, CHES Project Director, IHI

IHI Spotlight*

This Week’s Spotlight

In this IHI Spotlight, Ashley Jackson introduces IHI's Cancer Collective Action Collaborative, a 14-month initiative connecting healthcare organizations, cancer centers, and community-based and advocacy groups to address disparities across the cancer care journey. She shares why moving from awareness to action requires an honest look at gaps in care, committed partnerships, and accountability, and why building trust with communities must come before any collaborative work begins.

* At the end of select episodes, the IHI Spotlight connects the conversation to IHI’s work and learning from the field. Explore practical insights, resources, and ideas to help bring what you’ve heard into your own work.

What Listeners Are Saying

Turn on the Lights Podcast

Turn on the Lights Podcast

“A must-listen for anyone who cares about health equity and system transformation.”

What Listeners Are Saying

Turn on the Lights Podcast

Turn on the Lights Podcast

"Thank you for this meaningful work - lighting the way forward. Every little bit helps."

What Listeners Are Saying

Turn on the Lights Podcast

Turn on the Lights Podcast

“Finally — a podcast that doesn’t just talk about problems, but explores real solutions.”

Turn on the Lights Podcast

Explore Past Episodes

Search conversations with healthcare leaders, clinicians, advocates, and changemakers, or explore episodes by theme.

 
Subscribe to the Podcast

Listen to "Turn on the Lights" Wherever You Get Your Podcasts

Stay connected to thoughtful conversations about equity, leadership, improvement, and what it takes to build healthier systems. 

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