165. Can We Rebuild Trust in Healthcare After the COVID-19 Pandemic? | Heather Hammerstedt MD, MPH

Dr. Heather Hammerstedt is an emergency medicine physician, lifestyle medicine coach, and founder of Wholist Health. With over 20 years of experience in acute and chronic care, she has dedicated her career to addressing the root causes of illness through integrative approaches. Dr. Hammerstedt’s unique perspective combines her frontline emergency medicine work with her passion for coaching patients on nutrition, mindfulness, and movement.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing impact on healthcare inefficiencies.
• The growing distrust between patients and providers and its implications for care.
• Alarmism in health messaging and the role of social media health experts.
• Who should lead public health conversations: clinicians, influencers, or multidisciplinary teams?
• Strategies for clinicians to navigate systemic barriers and moral injury.
• Simple lifestyle changes—nutrition, sleep, and movement—that can transform health.

Resources mentioned in the show:

• JAMA Network Open: Proposed Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees
• Wholist Health
• Dr. Matt Ramsey’s Podcast: 43cc