Episode 1 · Mar 8, 2026 · A Healthy Conversation
with Dr. Lisa Belisle & Dr. Jeff Barkin
About this episode
Dr. Jeff Barkin and Dr. Lisa Belisle open A Healthy Conversation as co-hosts, introducing the show and the spirit behind it. Barkin, a psychiatrist, and Belisle, a family physician who also hosts Radio Maine, describe a program built for long-form, respectful dialogue rather than soundbites. They explain the gentle pun in the show's name: the topics are about health in its many forms, and the conversation itself is meant to stay healthy and welcoming for guests and listeners alike.
The two physicians turn to the cost and future of health care in Maine, the oldest and one of the most rural states. They examine the intent behind efforts to control hospital prices and weigh them against the pressures facing rural hospitals already at risk of closing. Drawing on careers in medicine and health leadership, they discuss preventive care, outpatient settings, and the human stakes when a community loses its hospital, its jobs, and its access to care.
Belisle and Barkin also take up difficult national and global subjects and the lasting, often invisible weight of trauma on service members and families. Both speak to the value of approaching hard questions with care. They share thoughts on weighing sources, understanding context, and managing news consumption thoughtfully, modeling the kind of grounded, good-faith exchange the show hopes to offer.
Mentioned in this episode
More from Dr. Jeff Barkin · Dr. Lisa Belisle
From this episode
“Communication is medicine.”
“It really is about the listening.”