A weekly podcast sharing real stories, expert advice and local insights — exploring the human side of health care across Vermont and northern New York.
Each week we share stories, advice and insights from those closest to care in Vermont and northern New York while exploring the local and national issues shaping health care. Catch "Living Healthy Together" live airing on Radio Vermont's WDEV Fridays at 1 pm.
Have questions or ideas? Email us at HealthTalk@UVMHealth.org.
Join the conversation and discover the human side of health care. Living Health Together is a partnership of University of Vermont Health and Radio Vermont. WDEV-AM Waterbury 550 AM WDEV-FM Warren/Sugarbush 96.1 FM WDEV-FM Barre 96.5 FM WDEV-FM Montpelier 98.3 FM WDEV-FM Island Pond 101.9 FM.
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About Phil Rau
Phillip Rau is a senior communications specialist with UVM Health and a former reporter, editor and editorial writer. He joined the health system in 2018 and lives in northern New York with his wife, Bethany, son Owen, and two golden retrievers, Rory and Olive.
Latest Episodes
Everyday Heart Health - From Checkups to Cardiac Rehabilitation
February 16, 2026
Even if you don’t have a rare cardiovascular condition or need specialized cardiac care, heart health impacts almost every aspect of your life.
Join us for Heart Health on Living Healthy Together, as we sit down with experts in cardiovascular research, heart rehabilitation and prevention, exercise and nutrition related to cardiac health.
Crisis, Care and Community - A Year of Impact in Mental Health Urgent Care
February 9, 2026
Join us as we look back on the Center’s first year providing mental health support services, and speak with mental health experts about the impact it has made, the services available, and mental health needs and challenges across our region.
Medical Respite - Bridging the Gap for Those Without Shelter
February 2, 2026
Learn about the need and impact of Home Health’s Medical Respite Program, which is aimed at addressing gaps in care and support for individuals struggling with housing insecurity.
Changing the Beat - How UVM Medical Center is Advancing Heart Care
January 28, 2026
Join us as we meet leaders and specialists from across the Cardiology team at our region’s only academic medical center and learn about their paradigm-shifting work. Including a new biomarker test that gives physicians prescribing blood thinning medications more information on bleeding risks than ever before, pioneering new treatments for the sickest heart patients and uncovering previously unknown misconceptions about heart health.
How Vermont’s Only Pediatric Neurosurgeon Helps Young Brains Overcome Big Challenges
January 23, 2026
At 14 years old, Kian Ruid’s life was suddenly turned upside down by debilitating headaches so powerful he couldn’t even stand upright. An MRI revealed the reason: a rare abnormality in Kian’s brain known as an AVM.
Join us as we speak with Kian and his mother, Rebecca Ruid, about their family’s experience navigating this life-changing medical journey and how Kian made a remarkable recovery after surgery and returned to the ice just nine months later.
Beyond Nutrition - Culinary Medicine and the Future of Healthy Habits
January 20, 2026
Our relationship with food is always changing. But one thing that doesn’t is its powerful impact on our health and wellness. Join us as we dive into the concept of Culinary Medicine, a paradigm-shifting approach to food and wellness at University of Vermont Medical Center that includes everything from the hospital’s nutritional services department, to specialty programs that support cancer patients, members of the community, individuals struggling with chronic pain and much more.
Into the Comfort Zone - Reducing Fear for Pediatric Patients
December 9, 2025
Join us as we explore a leading-edge approach to helping pediatric patients and families cope with the stress and uncertainty that can impact their willingness to seek medical care later in life — and meet the dedicated team of nurses and Child Life Specialists who are taking care of pediatric patients and are now finding ways to expand The Comfort Zone to help young adults as well.
Advancing Suicide Care for Rural Communities
December 5, 2025
Join us as we explore the care and support systems available across our region — and learn how the arrival of an expert team of mental health clinicians who specialize in evidence-based suicide care could expand access to life-changing care and revolutionize how we treat and support suicidal individuals.
Pathways to Recovery: Inside Central Vermont’s Unique Substance Use Disorder Treatment System
November 14, 2025
Join us as we follow Aaron’s journey through opioid use disorder and meet the mental health and substance use clinicians, peer recovery coaches and primary care physicians who have built a unique regional system of treatment, care and support that has served thousands of people across our region — and is now being replicated in other states.
Steps to Recovery: How Robotics is Transforming Rehabilitation
November 7, 2025
Somdeb Chatterjee and Valerie Hunter have both accomplished something extraordinary: losing and then regaining their ability not just to walk but move all of their extremities. For Somdeb, the journey began with an international trip during which he contracted a rare and mysterious condition called Gillian-Barre syndrome.
Breathing Easy - Navigating Respiratory Disease Season
October 31, 2025
At barely four months old, Weston Bird faced a life-threatening battle with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) that kept him in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Golisano Children’s Hospital at University of Vermont Health for weeks. This week, we follow Weston’s journey back to health through the eyes of his mother, Kristen Bird, a pediatric provider in Burlington, and learn about medical advances that are changing the risks of respiratory disease season for children, parents and senior citizens.
Quality Time - One Family’s Palliative Care Journey
October 24, 2025
As Jayne Dobrin’s health declined in 2024, her husband, Steve, and adult daughters faced difficult conversations and emotional challenges. That’s when Steve and Jayne connected with the palliative care team at UVM Health — University of Vermont Medical Center, who helped guide them through some of the most complex and difficult moments of their lives.
From Crisis to Connection: How WRAP Reaches Those Hardest to Help
October 17, 2025
Follow Cash Rich’s journey through addiction, trauma and medical crisis, and how a health care program uncovered the deeper reasons behind his resistance to life-saving care.
Inside ECMO: Supporting the Sickest Heart Patients
October 10, 2025
Since being diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kathy Johnson has lived an extraordinary medical odyssey.
Every Minute Counts - A Stroke Changes Everything in an Instant
October 3, 2025
When Trent Campbell suffered a series of strokes beginning in 2018, he and his wife, Nikki Juvan, knew their lives would change forever.
Culture of Caring: Hair Care IS Health Care
September 26, 2026
Imagine having to shave your head after a hospital stay, because the team caring for you wasn’t able to properly care for your hair. Hair care in the hospital can be challenging – especially for people of color.
Healthy Starts: Kids, Classrooms and Care
September 19, 2025
Discussing mental health at home and school, absenteeism and their effects on wellbeing and achievement.
The Sound of Connection: A Caregiver's Voice
September 6, 2025
When dementia and Parkinson’s made words hard to find, Allegra Miller and her husband, Bob Rinkema, found a new way to connect — through music at the piano. Their shared playing became a language of its own, even when conversation was difficult.
Medicaid Cuts: What They Mean for Rural Health Care
August 22, 2025
We dive into major Medicaid changes and their impact in our region. Dr. Sunny Eappen joins a panel of leaders from across our health system to unpack the impacts and share how our health system is helping patients, caregivers and rural hospitals prepare.
Heart Attack on the Mountain: A System of Cardiac Care
August 15, 2025
Hear the gripping story of Steve Stahl, who survived a widow maker heart attack on the slopes of Mount Mansfield. Join special guest UVM Health CEO Dr. Sunny Eappen as we talk critical care, follow Steve’s inspiring road to recovery and discuss the future of cardiac care in our region.