Award-winning podcast highlighting West Virginians in healthcare launches third season tomorrow
CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission announced today that the third season of Appalachian Care Chronicles– a podcast featuring first-person accounts from healthcare professionals across West Virginia – launches with four new episodes on September 25, 2024. The new episodes, all available tomorrow, feature:
- Julie Young, a licensed independent clinical social worker and the Director of Social Services at HospiceCare in Charleston;
- Dr. Tom Takubo, a pulmonologist and practicing physician who serves as Majority Leader in the West Virginia State Senate;
- Sally Adams, an MRI technician who operated the first MRI machine in Charleston in the 1990s; and,
- Jordan Dennison, a peer recovery support specialist who draws on his own experience with substance use disorder to help others in recovery.
“Our goal is to share these stories with anyone who has ever considered a career in healthcare, including young people who are thinking about who they might like to be in the future and those considering a new path,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “By spotlighting those who take on these critical, life-saving jobs – and have a real passion for doing so – we hope to inspire new generations of caregivers for the Mountain State.”
Hosted by Dr. Aryana Misaghi, a 2023 graduate of Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, the podcast follows those working both behind the scenes and on the frontlines, uplifting the work they do and explaining how they got there.
“It’s been an honor to share personal stories and shine a light on the folks that keep our people healthy and safe,” said Dr. Misaghi. “As a recent graduate of Marshall University’s medical school, I’m very passionate about encouraging more young people to join our state’s healthcare workforce.”
The Higher Education Policy Commission received startup support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and works with Charleston-based media and communications firm 84 Agency to produce the podcast. Earlier this year, the podcast won two top-tier creative communication awards: an Award of Excellence from the Communicator Awards anda Platinum Award from the Hermes Creative Awards.
“Our team has traveled all over the state to document the daily lives of West Virginians who are dedicated to caring for others,” said Carling McManus, 84 Agency CEO and Co-Founder. “We’re thrilled and honored that Appalachian Care Chronicles has won two of the country’s most competitive, prestigious awards for creative marketing and communications.”
The podcast was chosen for an Award of Excellence from more than 3,000 entries to the 30th annual Communicator Awards, which is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The podcast was also chosen to win a Platinum Award from more than 6,000 entries submitted to the Hermes Creative Awards, which is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
Appalachian Care Chronicles can be found online at www.appalachiancarechronicles.com, or through platforms such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The podcast is also on Facebook and Instagram at @AppalachianCareChronicles and on Twitter at @AppCarePod.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Health Sciences works to grow and strengthen the healthcare workforce of the future by promoting equitable access to health and behavioral health sciences education and through supporting research, practice, and policy.
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