Season 10 • Episode 766

766 - The Legacy of Dr. Levi Watkins: Heart Surgeon and Activist

Jun 7, 2024

19:34

Episode Description

About this episode:

June 8 would mark the 80th birthday of Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., a cardiothoracic surgeon at Johns Hopkins known for being part of the first team to implant an automatic defibrillator in a human patient. But Dr. Watkins was so much more: a civil rights and political activist, a champion of Black and other people who are underrepresented in medicine, and a snappy dresser with a great sense of humor. Today, two people who knew and worked with Dr. Watkins share their memories as we celebrate his legacy.

Guests:

Dr. Lisa Cooper is a public health physician, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, and a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine.

Steven Ragsdale is a former senior administrator at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a faculty member in Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

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