Ep14: How this Hospital Uses Podcasts to Advance Pediatric Healthcare

How do you go from recording in borrowed conference rooms with equipment in a shopping bag to one of the top five pediatric podcasts in the world? Jessie Cohen and Melanie Douglass from Children's Hospital Colorado did exactly that, building a homegrown podcast experiment into a show with over 2 million downloads across 187 countries.

Now operating from a dedicated studio, they reach primary care providers across their seven-state region and beyond by applying journalistic storytelling techniques that create deeper trust and engagement than traditional medical education formats.

Cohen, a former national correspondent, encourages doctors to go beyond the white coat and share the human experiences that shape their practice. In this session, they'll share how they turned grassroots passion into global impact.

This episode features a recording from the 2025 Health Podcast Summit. Get free access to all 37 sessions here: ⁠⁠⁠healthpodcastsummit.com⁠⁠

Chapters00:00 Intro

02:03 Meet the Team and Charting Pediatrics

04:47 Top Five Pediatric Podcast Worldwide

06:18 Why Podcasting for Physician Relations

08:27 Target Audience and Secondary Listeners

11:23 Spanish Language Podcast Launch

16:08 Evolution from Part-Time to Dedicated Resources

18:52 Jesse's Journalism Background and Transition

21:47 Dedicated Personnel and Equipment Challenges

23:42 Building the Studio

25:17 Live Events Strategy

27:38 Strong Storytelling Beyond the White Coat

30:04 Dr. Lori Sherlock's Vulnerable Story

32:51 Trusted Education and Hospital Reputation

35:12 Heart Institute Promotion Campaign

37:54 Recording and Editing Advertisements

39:08 Dynamic Ad Insertion Discussion

42:11 Listener Testimonial from Auburn Student

46:04 ROI and Strategic Planning

48:37 How to Get Started Advice

51:06 Where to Find Charting Pediatrics

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Jessie Cohen on LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/jessie-cohen-ba9b30b1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-cohen-ba9b30b1/

Connect with Melanie Douglass on LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/melanie-douglass-mba-72916843/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-douglass-mba-72916843/

⁠Charting Pediatrics podcast⁠ (all platforms)

⁠Pediatrics en Línea⁠ - Spanish language sister podcast

⁠2024 Podcast Hype video

Connect with Dan Kendall

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://linkedin.com/in/dankendall

• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/healthtechdan

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