From Rural ER Doc to the Governor’s Mansion: How Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Is Rewriting the Rules of Public Health
Episode Description
Dr. Josh Green is an emergency physician who’s done what many doctors only talk about. He’s taken a seat at the table and turned it into a platform for real change. After two decades practicing rural medicine in Hawaii and witnessing firsthand the systemic failures that lead to poor outcomes, he ran for office in his scrubs - and won. Today, as Governor of Hawaii, he’s applying the triage mindset of emergency medicine to some of the most complex public health and policy problems of our time, from homelessness and housing to climate change, Medicaid reform, and AI in healthcare.
In this episode of How I Doctor, Dr. Graham Walker talks with Josh about how clinical experience shapes better leadership, why physicians need to be in public office, and what it means to build a healthcare system that actually works - especially when resources are scarce. If you’ve ever felt like your work in medicine should mean more, this conversation will show you how one ER doc turned frustration into a force for statewide change.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How ER training helps leaders make faster, better decisions during crises
- Why housing should be treated as a core public health intervention
- How Hawaii’s unique healthcare model delivers lower costs and longer life expectancy
- Why physicians make strong political candidates—and how to start your own campaign
- How to think like a policymaker without losing your clinical instincts
- How low-resource rural practice taught him to rely on relationships and diagnostic skill, not technology
Find out more about Josh here and connect with him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/govjoshgreen/
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