HITea With Grace

Hosted by Grace Vinton

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Episodes

116

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

HITea with Grace, hosted by digital health expert Grace Vinton, spotlights women leaders in the healthcare IT and pharma innovation sector. What sets Grace's podcast apart is the intentional inclusion of women patient and caregiver leaders in the dialogue – whose perspectives are often overlooked in conversations about healthcare and research innovation. As a patient advocate, digital health influencer, and award-winning healthcare communications professional, Grace is deeply committed to promoting technologies that save lives and amplifying patient and caregiver voices in the process. She is well-known for telling powerful innovation stories and educating the industry on emerging trends, helping shape industry categories. Grace has interviewed over 80 women leaders on her podcast to date, magnifying their industry know-how, as well as their personal and professional stories. Her commitment extends beyond the microphone, actively contributing to the evolution of patient-driven healthcare and technology. Grace's standout quality lies in her audacious goal: to engage with every woman leader in the healthcare industry – spanning care, research, informatics, funding – and challenge them to incorporate real patient and caregiver voices and experiences into their work.

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60 recent

June 16, 202629 min

Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib Spills the Tea on the Women's Sleep Apnea Crisis

In this episode of HITea, Grace welcomes Chelsie Rohrscheib, PhD, sleep expert and scientist at Wesper, whose work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, sleep medicine, and diagnostic innovation. Women are diagnosed with sleep apnea at roughly half the rate of men, and yet the consequences of going undetected are just as serious. Dr. Rohrscheib is on the front lines of changing that. Together, Grace and Dr. Rohrscheib unpack why women's sleep apnea looks so different from the textbook picture, how hormonal transitions like perimenopause dramatically raise risk at the exact moment symptoms get dismissed, and what years of undiagnosed sleep-disordered breathing quietly does to cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive health. They also explore what's actually moving the needle: home sleep testing, wearables, and a growing shift in how primary care providers are being trained to listen differently to women. And of course, no HITea With Grace episode would be complete without finding out what tea Dr. Rohrscheib brought to the conversation and the story behind her favorite mug. Join us for a conversation about innovation, equity, and the sleep crisis hiding in plain sight. Connect with Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crohrscheib/ Learn more about Wesper: https://wesper.co/ Listen, subscribe, and stay connected with HITea With Grace for more conversations with healthcare leaders making a difference. Cheers! ☕

June 11, 202618 min

Dr. Robin McLeod Spills the Tea on How NSAP Is Uniting the Autism Community

In this episode of HITea, Grace Vinton welcomes Robin McLeod, PhD, LP, CEO of the National Society of Autism Professionals (NSAP), clinical psychologist, and systems-level leader whose career has spanned clinical practice, executive leadership, and field-wide transformation. Dr. McLeod is building something the autism field has never had: a unified professional home for the multidisciplinary community of clinicians, educators, researchers, advocates, and support professionals working across the autism ecosystem. Together, Grace and Dr. McLeod explore what NSAP is and why it was needed, why the autism field has long operated in silos and why now is the right moment to change that, how NSAP plans to integrate the voices of autistic individuals and their families, and what it will take to bridge the persistent gap between research and real-world implementation. They also tackle the increasingly polarized conversation around autism care philosophies and how the field can move toward more collaborative, evidence-informed dialogue. Join us for a candid conversation about community, innovation, and the future of autism care. Connect with Dr. Robin McLeod: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmcleodphd/ Learn more about NSAP: https://www.catalight.org/press-release/national-society-of-autism-professionals-nsap-launches-to-create-a-unified-voice-to-move-the-field-forward Listen, subscribe, and stay connected with HITea With Grace for more conversations with healthcare leaders making a difference. Cheers! ☕

June 10, 202620 min

Dr. Julie Wood Spills the Tea on Brain Health Advancements

Welcome to HITea With Grace, where we spill the tea on healthcare IT, innovation, leadership, and the people transforming healthcare. In this episode, Grace welcomes Julie Wood, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Director at Linus Health, family physician, public health leader, and longtime advocate for advancing patient-centered care. After nearly three decades in family medicine and executive leadership roles within healthcare, Dr. Wood is now helping shape the future of brain health through AI-enabled cognitive assessment and early detection tools. Together, Grace and Dr. Wood explore why brain health has historically lagged behind other preventive health priorities, the realities primary care clinicians face when trying to address cognitive concerns during brief patient visits, and how emerging technologies are changing the landscape of Alzheimer's detection and intervention. And of course, no HITea With Grace episode would be complete without finding out what tea Dr. Wood brought to the conversation and the story behind her favorite mug. Join us for an insightful conversation about innovation, prevention, and the future of brain health. Connect with Dr. Julie Wood:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-wood-md-mph-2873112a/ Learn more about Linus Health:https://www.linushealth.com Listen, subscribe, and stay connected with HITea With Grace for more conversations with healthcare leaders making a difference. Cheers! ☕

May 12, 202615 min

Dr. Bridget Duffy Spills the Tea on a New AI Guardrail for Patient Communication

Welcome to HITea with Grace, where we spill the tea on all things health IT—and the moments shaping the future of care. In this episode, Grace sits down with Dr. Bridget Duffy, the nation’s first Chief Experience Officer, longtime patient experience leader, and co-chair of the AI Care Standard™, for a timely conversation at the intersection of AI and human-centered care. Dr. Duffy shares the journey that led her from championing patient experience to helping define one of the first comprehensive standards for patient-facing AI. As health systems rapidly adopt chatbots, portals, and automated communication tools, she breaks down what prompted the creation of the AI Care Standard—and why existing governance frameworks simply weren’t built for this moment. Together, they unpack the 10 Core Pillars of the Standard and the real-world challenges organizations will face in operationalizing them. From treating AI communication with the same rigor as clinician interactions to addressing bias, health literacy, and accessibility, this conversation gets into what responsible AI actually looks like in practice—not just in principle. Looking ahead, Grace and Bridget Duffy, MD, board member of Vital.io and co-chair of the PatientAI Collaborative™ explore how the AI Care Standard could shape regulation, accreditation, and industry norms—and what success really looks like five years from now. As always, the episode closes on a more personal note, with reflections on leadership, resilience, and advice for women building careers in healthcare and health IT. It’s thoughtful, forward-looking, and grounded in one core idea: technology should strengthen—not replace—the human experience in healthcare.

May 5, 202616 min

Pharmacist Havy Ngo-Hamilton Spills the Tea on Medication Costs and the Broken Rx Journey

In this special episode of HITea, Grace sits down with Havy Ngo-Hamilton, PharmD, a pharmacy innovation leader at Buzz Health, to unpack what’s really happening between the moment a prescription is written and when a patient actually gets their medication. Havy brings a front-line perspective on where the prescription journey breaks down most—whether it’s access barriers, affordability challenges, or friction at the pharmacy counter. Together, they dig into how cost isn’t just a financial issue, but a major driver of medication adherence, and why “price transparency” often falls short of what patients actually need at the point of care. This conversation goes beyond buzzwords to explore what meaningful transparency and better patient experiences should really look like. They also take a closer look at prescription savings models and digital platforms, separating what simply raises awareness from what truly improves outcomes. From the role health systems should play to the innovations worth paying attention to, this episode highlights why medication affordability is a system-wide issue—not just a pharmacy problem. As always, the conversation closes with a more personal note, as Havy shares what drives her, how she navigates challenges, and her advice for women building careers in healthcare and health IT. It’s a thoughtful, practical, and refreshingly honest discussion—served with a side of tea, of course.

April 28, 202613 min

HIMSS Special: Dr. Niki Panich Spills the Tea on Fixing Women’s Health and Governing AI Right

Live from the HIMSS conference, HITea with Grace serves up another candid conversation as Niki Panich, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Penguin Ai, joins Grace to dig into one of healthcare’s most persistent—and overlooked—challenges: women’s health. From gaps in research and care delivery to the opportunities for innovation, this episode explores where the system is falling short and where momentum is finally building. Niki brings a sharp, strategic perspective to the conversation, connecting the dots between women’s health and the rapid rise of healthcare AI. As new technologies promise to reshape care, Grace and Niki unpack the real questions: Who are these tools being built for? What data are they trained on? And how do we ensure they don’t reinforce the very gaps we’re trying to close? Of course, no conversation about AI is complete without governance. Together, they get into what responsible AI actually looks like in practice—from oversight and accountability to the policies and guardrails needed to build trust. It’s a thoughtful, forward-looking discussion that blends innovation with realism—and a clear reminder that better health outcomes start with more inclusive, intentional design.

April 24, 202613 min

HIMSS Special: Robin Roberts Spills the Tea on Rural Health Transformation and Supporting Senior Populations

Live from the HIMSS conference, HITea with Grace brings the conversation straight from the floor as Grace sits down with Robin Roberts, Director of Health IT Regulatory Affairs at PointClickCare, to spill some timely tea on the future of health data. From the CMS Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program to the broader push for more equitable care, this episode dives into how policy and innovation are colliding to reshape what’s possible—especially for rural communities. Robin breaks it down with a regulatory insider’s perspective, unpacking what the RHT Program really means in practice and where health information exchanges (HIEs) fit into the bigger picture. As the industry continues to talk about interoperability, this conversation gets real about what’s working, what’s not, and what it will take to actually connect the dots across the healthcare ecosystem. Of course, it wouldn’t be HITea without getting into the human impact. Grace and Robin explore why connected, longitudinal data is especially critical for senior populations navigating complex care journeys—and how better data sharing can move us closer to truly coordinated, patient-centered care. It’s equal parts policy, perspective, and practical insight—served up fresh from HIMSS.

March 25, 202612 min

ViVE Special: Dr. Sari Green Spills the Tea on Clinically Governed AI and Revenue Integrity

Live from ViVE in Los Angeles, Grace sits down with Dr. Sari Green, Physician Executive Director at Accuity Healthcare, to unpack one of the most critical - and often misunderstood - topics in health IT today: clinically governed AI. From her career journey as a physician leader to her perspective on how AI is reshaping the revenue cycle, Dr. Green shares why clinical oversight isn’t optional... it’s essential. The conversation dives into the real risks health systems face when AI isn’t grounded in clinical context, including documentation integrity, medical necessity, and rising denial rates. Together, Grace and Dr. Green explore where AI can truly move the needle on revenue integrity, how leaders should think about ROI beyond automation, and what metrics actually signal sustainable success. They also tackle the growing tension between payer behavior and documentation gaps and how organizations can get ahead of it. To close, Dr. Green shares personal insights on leadership, resilience, and advice for women navigating careers in healthcare and health IT.

March 20, 202613 min

ViVE Special: Sandra Johnson Spills the Tea on Clinical Decision Support

At ViVE this year, I sat down with Sandra Johnson, SVP of Client Services at CliniComp for a thoughtful conversation on the evolving role of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) and AI in healthcare. We dig into one of the biggest ongoing challenges - alert fatigue - and why simply adding more intelligence isn’t the answer. Sandra shares a powerful perspective on the need for flexible, thoughtful architecture that supports the underlying logic of CDS, recognizing that every clinician, system, and workflow has different needs and expectations. We also explore how AI, including ambient listening, is beginning to reshape how insights are delivered, and what it will take to make these tools truly useful (not overwhelming) in real-world care settings. Grab your cup of tea. If you care about building smarter, more human-centered health tech, this conversation is for you!

February 17, 202625 min

Brianna Fitchett Spills the Tea on Modernizing Autism Education and Care Models to Empower Families

Welcome back to HITea With Grace, where we spill the tea on healthcare IT, innovation, and the women driving change. In this episode, Grace is joined by Brianna Fitchett, Vice President of Clinical Impact at Catalight, for a candid conversation about the future of autism and intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) education and care. Brianna shares her career journey from behavior therapist to healthcare leader, and offers a firsthand look at the growing challenges facing the autism care ecosystem; including workforce shortages, long wait times for diagnosis and services, and clinician burnout. With autism prevalence now at 1 in 31 in the U.S., the demand for care has never been higher. Together, Grace and Brianna dive into: How parent-mediated and research-backed care models are reshaping autism services What it really takes to close the research-to-practice gap in behavioral health The role of virtual learning platforms and scalable clinician training How data-driven, outcome-focused education improves both clinician confidence and family outcomes Catalight Academy and the vision behind the Elevate Your Impact conference What the next 5–10 years could look like for autism and I/DD care As always, the conversation wraps with Brianna’s advice for women in healthcare and health IT. Pour yourself a cup and join us!

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