Compassionate Health Care
A Conversation with Dr. Deb Roman
In a time when health care often feels more like a business than a system of care, Dr. Deb Roman is working to restore its heart. In this conversation, Deb, as she likes to be called, reflects on the state of medicine in the United States today — what is working, what is failing, and what is needed to move toward a system that truly supports healing.
Drawing from her years of experience as a physician, educator, and advocate for integrative medicine, she emphasizes the importance of connection, compassion, and whole-person care. She describes the toll that current systems take on both patients and practitioners, and how a shift toward more humane, relational approaches can transform not just outcomes, but the very experience of health care.
At the core of her vision is a belief that medicine is most effective when it acknowledges the full humanity of everyone involved. This means treating patients not as problems to be solved, but as people to be understood; and supporting providers so they can practice medicine in alignment with their deepest values.
Listen to the full conversation to hear her insights on how we can reimagine health care as a space for healing — not only of bodies, but of relationships and communities.