Street Medicine and the Power of Empathy: A Conversation with Dr. Jim O'Connell

In the second episode of the Museum's new podcast series on empathy, Boston Children's Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow sits down with Dr. Jim O'Connell, President of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP).

For nearly four decades, Dr. O'Connell has walked the streets of Boston, redefining what health care can look like. In addition to leading BHCHP, he serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Board Chair of Winter Walk.

In their conversation, Dr. O'Connell shares the unlikely path that led him to street medicine, the shelter nurses who taught him some of his most lasting lessons, and how his work has challenged common assumptions about homelessness. He also reflects on the power of community events like Winter Walk, where neighbors who are housed and unhoused walk side by side—breaking down stigma with every step.

Learn more and sign up for the next Winter Walk at: https://winterwalk.org/