On this episode of 20-Minute Health Talk, host Chethan Sathya, MD, speaks with emergency physician and CEO Eric Wei, MD. They trace his path from a resident focused on quality improvement to leading New York City’s storied flagship hospital, Bellevue. Dr. Wei shares why he still works Friday emergency department shifts, what COVID taught him about crisis management and the mission that drives care “without exception.”

This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom:

• Press releases
• Insights
• Podcasts
• Publications

Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit our career site and explore our many opportunities.

Watch more episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

In a climate of mistrust, what builds credibility? In part 2 of this 20-Minute Health Talk, host Chethan Sathya, MD, and Eric Wei, MD, make the case for empathy and listening to community messengers over monologues, share COVID coordination lessons we must hardwire, and outline top NYC public health priorities—mental health, homelessness, violence prevention, and closing life-expectancy gaps.

This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom:

• Press releases
• Insights
• Podcasts
• Publications

Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit our career site and explore our many opportunities.

Watch more episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Leana Wen, MD — Washington Post columnist, emergency medicine physician, author and former Baltimore health commissioner — joins host Chethan Sathya, MD, to explore what truly builds trust in public health: listening without judgment, translating evidence into real-life decisions and acknowledging the tension between individual liberty and community well-being. She shares lessons from Baltimore’s opioid response, the importance of one-on-one conversations, and why starting from shared values offers a path forward in a polarized time.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 28 hospitals, 890 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians.

We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom:

• Press releases
• Insights
• Podcasts
• Publications

Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit our career site and explore our many opportunities.

Watch more episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.