Jeral Self, PhD, MPH - A Prescription for Policy: How Doctors Can Support Healthcare Access and Equity

Health policy researcher and advocate Dr. Jeral Self joins host Dr. Michael Jerkins to explore one of the most overlooked yet impactful forces in healthcare: policy. With over 17 years of experience, Dr. Self shares what most people, and even many doctors, misunderstand about Medicaid, and why that matters more than ever.

From school-based health initiatives and rural hospital struggles to the rapid rise of telehealth, this episode digs into the real-world effects of policy decisions and the importance of doctor involvement beyond the clinic. Dr. Self also opens up about how motherhood reshaped her perspective on care, and why advocacy can’t be something we only take on after burnout.

How do we make sense of a system as complex as Medicaid? Where can doctors make a difference without a policy degree? And how do we keep patients, especially the most vulnerable, at the center of all this? Whether you’re new to health policy or already active in advocacy, this episode is a thoughtful, personal, and practical look at how doctors can be agents of change in a system that desperately needs it.