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Author: William Trick
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County Hospital’s Past & Present: A Candid Conversation with Dr. David Schwartz
With the looming cutbacks to Medicaid, safety net health systems are vital. After three decades at County, Dr. David Schwartz explores its tumultuous history—one filled with challenge and progress. As a young doctor, he grappled with the frustrations of witnessing sometimes indifferent medical care, which improved under strong leadership and reduced political interference. Join us for stories of clinical care and our nation’s first blood “bank”. Epilogue provided by Scott Fridkin, former Cook County Hospital fellow and CDC epidemiologist.
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Healthcare Behind Bars at Cook County Jail (Part 2) with Dr. Jack Raba
While working in Guatemala, Dr. Jack Raba is recruited back to Cook County Hospital to be the medical director for Cook County Jail. He negotiates and spearheads the transformation of healthcare at the jail, and champions public health initiatives to combat tuberculosis, smoking, and sexually transmitted infections. He courageously works to reduce the use of excessive force within the walls of the jail and pre-arrival by Chicago Police. Epilogue provided by Doctors Jane Leonardson and Connie Mennella, two Northwestern Medical Students who made correctional healthcare a career after hearing Dr. Raba’s guest lecture.
A Doctor’s Life in Correctional Healthcare, Dr. Jack Raba
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Cook County Jail: Patients, Public Health, & Prevention (Part 1) with Dr. Jack Raba
In Part 1, Dr. Jack Raba recounts his transformative high-school volunteer experience at Cook County Hospital, his return to Cook County as a student at Northwestern Medical School. Seeking to build clinical confidence, he took a year off to work in hospitals in Mexico and Guatemala. As a physician-in-training at Cook County Hospital, he and his colleagues grappled with the ethical dilemma of physicians going on strike. Hear about the brief incarceration of the strike organizers and Jack’s accidental escape from Cook County Jail. Epilogue provided by Ken Brucks, longtime friend and sometimes rival on Christ the King basketball courts.
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Healing when Unhoused: Creating a Medical Respite Center with Christine Haley & Keiki Hinami
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Beats and Balance: The Rhythm of Effective Leadership with Dr. Christine Acob
Dr. Christine Acob trained at Cook County Hospital and ended her 30-year career as the Chair of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. She provided calm and compassionate leadership before, during, and after the COVID pandemic. But, perhaps, she is best remembered as the drummer for resident rock bands. Commentary provided by former vocalist, Dr. Paula Eryacizi.
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Chicago to Chinle: A Journey from Urban to Tribal Health Justice with Dr. David Goldberg
Dr. David Goldberg discusses his over 30-year career spanning Cook County & the Indian Health Service with characteristic humility and thoughtfulness. Join this deep thinker as he describes how his dreams of being a physicist evolved into a career addressing health disparities—as a frontline clinician, preventive medicine champion, and social justice advocate. Commentary provided by Dr. Jen Smith.
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Academics Advance Medicine with Dr. Brian Lucas, Inaugural Chair of Hospital Medicine
Dr. Brian Lucas discusses his experience as a clinician, educator, & researcher at Cook County Hospital. A serial innovator, he founded the hospital medicine program, bedside ultrasound and procedure services, and a short-stay unit for rapid assessment & treatment of patients. A national expert in bedside ultrasound, he now works at the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice. Brian discusses the value of academic excellence for patient care and reveals an unconventional hobby! Commentary provided by Dr. Stefan Tchernodrinski.
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Creating a Palliative Care Program with Dr. Cathy Deamant
Dr. Cathy Deamant was drawn to the mission of Cook County Hospital as a medical student. After providing care for patients hospitalized with HIV/AIDS, she was motivated to improve the care of patients with terminal illnesses in a safety-net institution. This included hospice care, and when requested, facilitating a return to their country of origin for immigrant patients—commentary provided by Dr. Josh Baru.
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Will Consumer Safety Survive Partisan Pandering?
In 1972, during Richard Nixon’s Presidency, Congress overwhelmingly passed the consumer product safety bill with bipartisan support—87% of Senators voted “Yea” (Figure). As a result, an intentionally independent, bipartisan federal regulatory agency entity was formed, The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). To minimize political interference, no more than three of the five commissioners can be affiliated with a single political party. The CPSC has played a critical role in the protection of consumers, frequently children, from products that result in serious injury and death. Think of defective pool drains, small coin batteries, and lead-coated toys. The current bill intends to move the agency into the Department of Health and Human Services—compromising its independence.
Perhaps Gabe Knight, Consumer Reports senior safety policy analyst, said it best through a press release:
“Simply put, shortsighted plans to dismantle the nation’s long-standing product safety watchdog will make everyone less safe. Whether they’ve heard of the agency or not, Americans depend on the CPSC every day. If this agency is eliminated, we will be left to face a more dangerous marketplace, and suffer from increased exposure to hazardous products that can injure or kill. Consumer Reports calls on Congress to assert itself, reject this budget request, and defend the agency it created and has supported for more than fifty years.”
References: All accessed July 1, 2025
