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 health care systems.

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

 

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Patricia McGaffigan

Patricia McGaffigan Senior Advisor for Safety, IHI

This week’s guest

Patient Safety, Workforce Safety, and the Conditions for Safer Care

In this special World Patient Safety Day episode, Patricia McGaffigan joins Turn on the Lights to explain why healthcare organizations cannot deliver consistently safe, compassionate care without also protecting and supporting their workforce. She discusses why leaders must move beyond reacting to individual errors, distinguish burnout from moral injury and compassion fatigue, and create systems that encourage people to speak up, report risks, and learn from mistakes.

This week’s episode

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WPSD Logo

Patricia McGaffigan Senior Advisor for Safety, IHI

IHI Spotlight*

This Week’s Spotlight

In this IHI Spotlight, Patricia McGaffigan highlights the significance of World Patient Safety Day, with its goal of raising awareness and promoting action on safety. The 2026 edition of World Patient Safety Day focuses on addressing one of the major health concerns affecting billions of people and accounting for 74% of deaths worldwide, namely noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

* 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.

 

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Podcast microphone, notebook, and mug on a table between two chairs in a bright, modern room.