Reflect. Inspire. Strengthen. Empower.

Join leading physicians, scientists and innovators from Mayo Clinic and beyond in candid conversations about what it’s going to take to transform health care for a more just, more equitable future.

From Our Leadership

Can talking about equity inspire a new mindset about it?

In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Mayo Clinic committed $100 million toward eradicating racism and eliminating disparities in healthcare. As we looked to unite our colleagues around this and our broader equity, inclusion and diversity efforts, we developed a framework that would allow our organization to identify existing gaps in EID practices internally while exploring innovative, evidence-based approaches that could be adopted across the field of healthcare.

We called it RISE—Reflect, Inspire, Strengthen and Empower—for the key themes guiding the work as we join hands to build a better community and society. Our annual RISE for Equity Conference provides a broad platform for the conversations we’ve been having with colleagues here and across the medical community, but we wanted to reach many (many) more individuals with the learnings from these in-person gatherings. Thus, the Mayo Clinic RISE for Equity podcast was born.

Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

Professor of Medicine and Medical Director, Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, Mayo Clinic.

Barbara Jordan

Administrator, Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, Mayo Clinic College.

Latest from Our Podcast

Listen to the latest from the RISE for Equity podcast.

    • Season 1, Episode 1

      Spotlight on Mayo Clinic’s RISE for Equity

      Runtime: 15:05

      Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

      Barbara Jordan

      Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

      Barbara Jordan

      Reflect. Inspire. Strengthen. Empower. RISE cofounders Dr. Anjali Bhagra and Barbara Jordan share how these four simple words can evolve equity and inclusion in every industry, starting with healthcare. “My constant challenge to myself,” said Bhagra, “was that I did not want to develop a program that was more like a checkbox of complete this training and complete that training.” Rather than creating seminars, she crafted a concept that stresses human development and could be…

    • Season 1, Episode 2

      Saving Black Lives: The Cancer Care Gap 

      Runtime: 36:51

      Folakemi Odedina, Ph.D.

      Alyx Porter, M.D.

      Folakemi Odedina, Ph.D.

      Alyx Porter, M.D.

      In a health care industry where Black people are statistically more likely to develop and die from many forms of cancers compared to whites, Drs. Folakemi Odedina and Alyx Porter are working daily on initiatives to close the gaps. In this wide-ranging discussion about Black representation in cancer care, the two talk to RISE for Equity Host Lee Hawkins about strategies for mobilizing communities and fostering workforce diversity to improve outcomes. “I grew up in…

    • Season 1, Episode 3

      Beyond Men: Gender Diversity in Medical Research  

      Runtime: 22:23

      Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D.

      Michele Halyard, M.D.

      Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D.

      Michele Halyard, M.D.

      As the health care industry works to address disparities in clinical trial participation, some Mayo Clinic doctors trying new approaches. In this episode, Drs. Sharonne Hayes and Michele Halyard detail the deliberate exclusion of women from these studies, and the dramatic effects on health outcomes for women, from decades of misdiagnosis of heart attacks and heart disease to delayed detection of breast cancer. Encouraging more researchers to diversify their patient pool is not enough; the…

    • Season 1, Episode 4

      Keeping Track: Data and Disparities

      Runtime: 26:21

      Felicity T. Enders, Ph.D.

      Felicity T. Enders, Ph.D.

      As a biostatistician, Dr. Felicity Enders spends much of her time analyzing medical research and crunching of the numbers we read about in newspapers and medical journals. In this interview, Dr. Enders reveals how this behind-the-scenes work is actually the frontline in addressing racism in healthcare. Join Lee Hawkins as he learns about the new data-collection approaches being used to track patient health over time and how they reveal the devastating “accelerated aging” effects of…

    • Season 1, Episode 5

      Black Men in White Coats

      Runtime: 47:39

      Lewis Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D.

      Eddie Greene, M.D.

      Corey Shy, M.D.

      Lewis Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D.

      Eddie Greene, M.D.

      Corey Shy, M.D.

      Only about three percent of the nation’s doctors are Black men, which lives in stark contrast to the overall Black population. In this episode, Lee Hawkins gathers a panel of Black men to examine this disparity and the unquestionable ripple effect of representation—or lack thereof. Listen as three accomplished Black men in white coats dissect the hurdles to medical school and representation in healthcare—from opportunity and mentorship, to the power of seeing a doctor in…

    • Season 1, Episode 6

      Is AI Biased? How Do We Fix It?

      Runtime: 32:26

      Maia Hightower, M.D., M.B.A., MPH

      Ivor Horn, M.D. MPH

      Maia Hightower, M.D., M.B.A., MPH

      Ivor Horn, M.D. MPH

      Artificial Intelligence is full of technological and economic promise, but, just like its creators, AI isn’t free from subconscious discrimination. As AI becomes more commonplace in the medical field, questions of whether racial bias will be mitigated or expanded in the future are omnipresent. The solution will depend on how much effort is put into making AI more equitable. Join Lee Hawkins, Drs. Maia Hightower and Ivor Horn as they delve into this new frontier.…

    • Season 1, Episode 7

      Pride and Pronouns: Caring for trans and nonbinary patients

      Runtime: 39:52

      Fadi W. Adel, M.D.

      Jennifer L. Koehler

      Patrick L. Decker-Tonnesen

      Fadi W. Adel, M.D.

      Jennifer L. Koehler

      Patrick L. Decker-Tonnesen

      Uncertainty over which pronouns to use with gender diverse patients can spark anxiety for medical professionals and new acquaintances alike. But that anxiety is no match for the trauma felt by transgender, intersex and other gender diverse patients who deal with being misgendered every day. Host Lee Hawkins is joined by a panel of Mayo Clinic experts to unpack the medical importance of pronouns and why best practices in equity, inclusion, and diversity cannot be…

    • Season 1, Episode 8

      RISE for Youth: Equipping the Next Generation

      Runtime: 25:00

      Walé Elegbede, M.B.A., PMP

      Faizaa Omar

      Safa Sheikhibrahim

      Walé Elegbede, M.B.A., PMP

      Faizaa Omar

      Safa Sheikhibrahim

      We are all born with potential, but not all of us are given the opportunity to realize it. This is particularly true of young people of color. The RISE for Youth program seeks to bridge the gap, with a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the NAACP (Rochester), designed to help underrepresented students find power against those odds. Featuring RISE for Youth program leader Walé Elegbede, and two rising star students, Host Lee Hawkins leads…

    • Season 2, Episode 1

      Welcome to Season 2 of Mayo Clinic’s RISE for Equity Podcast

      Barbara Jordan

      Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

      Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara

      Barbara Jordan

      Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

      Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara

      RISE cofounders Dr. Anjali Bhagra and Barbara Jordan discuss the crucial role of equity in healthcare, and how Mayo Clinic is building an ecosystem of equity to create a more inclusive environment for staff and patients. In reflecting on season 1 of the RISE for Equity podcast, Dr. Bhagra shared, “I think in this space, it is incredibly important for us to learn from and disseminate stories. I’m very, very proud of the fact that…

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    The Podcast Team

    Anjali Bhagra, M.D.

    Anjali Bhagra, M.D. FACP, is a Professor of Medicine and Medical Director, Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity at Mayo Clinic. She has served as the physician lead to operationalize the commitment against racism at Mayo Clinic, and is a cofounder of the GRIT in Medicine and RISE for Equity podcasts.

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    Barbara Jordan

    Barbara Jordan is an Administrator at Mayo Clinic, with a dual assignment with leadership responsibility for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Office for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.

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    Lee Hawkins

    Journalist Lee Hawkins works with American Public Media as a special correspondent after a 19-year stint at the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of the forthcoming book: Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free (HarperCollins 2023).

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    Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara

    Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara is a writer. Her work has been recognized by VONA/Voices of Our Nation, Loft Literary Center, Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. As a journalist, she serves as writer, host, and associate producer of R-Town on PBS.

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    WETA

    The Well Beings campaign was created by WETA, the Washington, D.C., arm of PBS and addresses the critical health needs of Americans through broadcast content, original digital content, and impactful local events. It brings together partners from across the country to create awareness and resources for better health for all.

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    RISE Stories

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