House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy

As Dr. Murthy prepares to conclude his term as Surgeon General, the moment is , the moment is bittersweet: serving as Surgeon General has been the honor of his lifetime, and saying goodbye is hard. For this second-to-last episode of House Calls, he calls on his my moai – friends and fellow physicians Dave Chokshi and Sunny Kishmore – to reflect on the issues he took and how serving as Surgeon General has shaped him. Dr. Murthy also shares his final act as Surgeon General: offering a Parting Prescription for America. It is a summary of what I have learned from my two terms, and what I believe will help heal the pain many people across our country are experiencing right now. (02:51)    How is Dr. Murthy feeling days before his time in office ends?(04:59)    What did it feel like to be asked to serve a second term as Surgeon General?(06:41)    What was Dr. Murthy’s approach to figuring out what he wanted to work on in his second term?(09:48)    What aspect of his work as Surgeon General does Dr. Murthy feel particularly resonated with the people he has served?(15:47)    What did Dr. Murthy learn from his first term as Surgeon General that he brought to his second?(19:37)    What was the biggest challenge of being Surgeon General?(21:33)    What does Dr. Murthy think his children will remember about this time?(23:53)    How has Dr. Murthy influenced the role of Surgeon General?(25:53)    What personally caused Dr. Murthy angst while he was serving as Surgeon General?(33:35)    What was the impact of his work on his family?(39:17)    What is the power of unconditional love?(43:41)    What is U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “Parting Prescription” For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.  For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.  Dr. Dave Chokshi, Physician & Public Health Leader  Twitter: @davechokshi    Dr. Sandeep (Sunny) Kishore, Physician-Scientist  Twitter: @sandeep_kishore  Instagram: @sunnyk5    About Dr. Dave Chokshi & Dr. Sunny Kishore  Dr. Dave A. Chokshi is a practicing physician and public health leader who most recently served as the 43rd Health Commissioner of New York City. From 2020-2022, he led the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its historic campaign to vaccinate over 6 million New Yorkers. Previously, Dr. Chokshi was the inaugural Chief Population Health Officer at the largest public healthcare system in the nation. He has held successive senior leadership roles that span the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. A Rhodes Scholar and White House Fellow, he is nationally recognized as a transformational leader, a clinical innovator, a policy expert, and a fierce advocate for a stronger and more equitable health system.    Dr. Sandeep (Sunny) Kishore is a physician-scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. He has worked on closing the “know-do” gap and translating scientific insights into real-world applications with focus on chronic disease prevention & control. Currently, he is focused on developing a scalable treatment algorithm for blood pressure control to improve cardiometabolic health for primary care clinics across the University of California. His work has led to the addition of over ten treatments to the Essential Medicines List of the World Health Organization (WHO) for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and mental illness. He also has provided technical guidance to Resolve to Save Lives with a focus on fixed dose combinations for blood pressure and led large global networks focused on reducing the toll of chronic illness worldwide.      Dr. Kishore completed his medical and graduate training at Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Institute and Oxford, undertook his clinical training at Yale and Brigham & Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and has held fellowships at Harvard, Yale and the Dalai Lama Center at MIT. He currently resides in the Bay Area with his wife. 

On a recent trip to India, the Surgeon General sat down with the delightful and inspiring father-daughter duo of Aamir and Ira Khan. Aamir is a renowned and beloved actor and producer, appearing in some of India’s biggest films. Ira Khan is founder of the Agatsu Foundation, a peer support and counseling center in Mumbai. Many people assume Aamir and Ira’s lives are easy and worry-free given their success and fame. But as you’ll hear in our conversation, they, like all of us, have their own mental health struggles. Ira openly shares her experience with depression and anxiety. And at the height of his career, Aamir stepped back from acting to reconnect with himself and his family. They are very open about their mental health journey, which they are taking together as father and daughter. We hope this conversation gives families the inspiration and courage to have honest conversations about mental health.  This conversation is the EXTENDED version of the conversation that appears on Netflix India’s YouTube channel. (03:10)    What was the culture of mental health different for Aamir and Ira when each were growing up? (08:06)    How has Ira struggled with, and addressed, her mental health?(13:39)    How did Aamir respond to Ira’s mental health struggles, and navigate his own?(25:00)    How is loneliness affecting people around the world, and what can we do about it?(35:22)    How can we shift the culture around talking about mental health, and make it as easy to talk about as a physical ailment?(40:41)    What have Aamir and Ira learned from doing therapy?(51:43)    How has social connection been a powerful healing force in Dr. Murthy’s life?(01:00:35)    What advice do Aamir and Ira have for parents and for young people struggling with their mental health? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.  Aamir Khan, Actor and Filmmaker Instagram: @aamirkhanproductions X: @AKPPL_Official Ira Khan, Mental Health Advocate Instagram: @khan.ira @agatsufoundation About Aamir & Ira Khan Ira Khan is the founder and CEO of Agatsu. She has clinical depression since age 18 and was diagnosed in 2019. She is a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeping Instructor and a HAP counsellor at Agatsu and regularly conducts sessions on Emotional Hygiene, which is Agatsu’s primary proposal to society. She’s on the Steering Council of IMHA. Ira is also a passionate advocate of mental wellbeing in her personal capacity having done talks, panel discussions and podcasts. The kindness of her heart is rivalled only by the fire of her spirit. She recognizes that human beings themselves are humanity’s greatest enemies when they are busying themselves not being its champions. Agatsu is her invitation to everyone to confront the unknown within and find their own truth. ----- Through his career in Hindi films, Aamir Khan has established himself as one of the most popular and influential actors of Indian cinema. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including four National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. He was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010. In 2001, Khan started a production company, whose first release, “Lagaan,” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and earned him a National Film Award for Best Popular Film and two more Filmfare Awards (Best Actor and Best Film). Khan's greatest commercial successes came with “Ghajini," “3 Idiots,” “Dhoom 3,” “PK,” and “Dangal,” all of which held records for being the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Khan won his third Best Actor award at Filmfare for “Dangal.” In addition to acting, Khan is a humanitarian and has participated and spoken out for various social causes. He has created and hosted the television talk show “Satyamev Jayate,” through which he highlights sensitive social issues in India.

“You can re-imagine anything.” This was life advice that fashion designer Phillip Lim was given by his mother. His family escaped the Khmer Rouge and came to America as refugees. They had no resources and had to start over from scratch. Somehow, Phillip rose to become one of the most successful fashion designers in the world. He started his label 3.1 Phillip Lim with his business partner when they were both just 31 years old.In this heartfelt episode of House Call, we catch Phillip in a moment of evolution, surprising the fashion world by stepping away from his company and starting a new, unknown chapter in his life. As he opens up about his continuous journey of becoming, of re-imagining his life, Phillip and the Surgeon General ponder: how do you distinguish between success and fulfillment? How does being part of a community help our mental health? Why is creativity and sense of play so important? What is the connection between beauty and the values we live?While they come from very different worlds of medicine and fashion, Phillip and the Surgeon General are both guided by love of community, a desire to help others, and the inspiration of their mothers.(02:46)  What role has Phillip Lim’s mom played in his life?(06:20)  How did Phillip Lim maintain a sense of optimism in his early life?(09:20)  How did curiosity and creativity put Phillip Lim on an unexpected path?(15:27)  How did Phillip Lim navigate the competitive world of fashion?(18:54)  What practices does Phillip Lim use to stay grounded?(23:02)  What is the difference between success and fulfillment for Phillip Lim?(26:33)  How can we find the courage to make big life changes?(31:58)  How is Phillip Lim building community and advocating for mental health?(42:32)  What message does Dr. Murthy have for Phillip Lim’s mother?(48:05)  Phillip Lim asks Dr. Murthy for advice on empowering others to be seen, heard, and show up for each other.We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls. Phillip Lim, Fashion Designer & Mental Health AdvocateInstagram: @therealphilliplim @creatingspace_community @morethanourbellies @nytougherthanever Fashion designer and Creative Director, Phillip Lim, was born to Chinese parents. A weekend job at Barneys South Coast Plaza led to an internship with Katayone Adeli, and eventually, a position on her design team. When Adeli relocated to New York, Lim remained in Los Angeles and co-founded his first label, Development. After four years at Development, Lim relocated to New York to launch 3.1 Phillip Lim where he spent 20 years at the helm of the pioneering, modern luxury brand before departing in late 2024 to pursue new ventures.Lim is recognized as one of the most talented and successful American designers in the fashion industry. He is the recipient of several prestigious industry honors including the Fashion Group International's Women’s Designer ‘Rising Star’ Award, the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear, the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear, and the CFDA Award for Accessories Designer of the Year.Beyond the label, Lim has become a leader, author, entrepreneur, and recognized community advocate. In 2021, he led the #STOPASIANHATE movement, co-founding a GoFundMe initiative that has raised over $7,000,000 to date. Lim continued growing his personal projects in 2021, launching the “House of Slay” alongside his best friends. The House of Slay established a community that served as a safe, inclusive space for underrepresented voices from all walks of life. The group was honored at the 2022 CFDA Awards with the CFDA Positive Social Influence Award. And in 2023, Lim co-founded Creating Space, a grassroots organization aimed at bringing attention and healing to the mental health crisis affecting the AAPI community.

Do you feel you can no longer talk with people who hold different opinions? Has anger become the predominant tone? If we want this to change, how can we as individuals, change the way we talk and connect when we differ?   Dr. Francis Collins is a pro at stepping into spaces that many of us are avoiding right now. He’s remarkably good at finding common ground with people who think differently than he does. You may know Francis as one of our nation’s greatest scientists. The former director of the National Institutes of Health and a physician-geneticist, he led the the National Human Genome Research Institute and successfully led the effort to sequence the human genome. He is also known for his landmark discoveries of the genes responsible for critical diseases like cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s Disease. His recent book, The Road to Wisdom, centers on principles he considers essential for navigating today’s polarized society: truth, science, faith, and trust. He finds both faith and science as essential for exploring this challenging question of how we connect with each other across divides. For Francis, love, beauty and goodness lie at the foundation of who we should be as humans. We should use our time together to experience these with others. In this episode of House Calls, Francis shares his own stories of finding common ground and establishing genuine friendships, even in the face of fundamental disagreement. Drawing from his experience as a scientist and as a man of faith, he offers strategies for building relationships that lean on a positive view of humanity, and that free our minds from the negativity of social media, to re-create a society that feels better to all of us. As Francis says, “We the people are the solution to what has happened to we the people.” A talented musician, Francis ends our conversation by sharing a song he performed with famed opera singer Renée Fleming. Written during the Civil War, the song was created to bring the country together during a time a great division. It remains so relevant today. (03:24)    Why is Francis Collins known as “The Singing Scientist?” (05:21)    What’s the connection between music and the brain? (12:07)    How does Francis Collins view the divisions in our country? (18:25)    What can we, as individuals, do to build connections with people who think and feel differently? (24:46)    What are some strategies for having meaningful conversations across differences? (28:35)    How did a friendship blossom from a conversation referred to as “a meeting with an elitist and a deplorable”? (35:11)    How can we remove hostility from our dialogue? (43:05)    How has Francis Collins’ book club become a safe space for him? (45:41)    Why is it important to Francis Collins to help people? (48:37)    What is the role of faith in Francis Collins’ life? (52:16)    What don’t people talk more openly about their faith experiences? (54:43)    Why don’t we talk more about values? (01:01:22)    Why is the Civil War-era song Francis Collins and Renée Fleming sing still relevant today? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at ⁠[email protected]⁠ with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit ⁠www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls⁠.  Dr. Francis Collins, Scientist & Former Director, NIH About Dr. Francis Collins Dr. Francis Collins is a physician-scientist. Under his direction, the Human Genome Project produced the first finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book in 2003. From 2009 to 2021, Collins served under three Presidents as the Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. Following a year in the White House as the President’s Acting Science Advisor, he oversees a research laboratory as a Distinguished Investigator in the intramural program of the National Human Genome Research Institute. He also leads a bold administration initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States. His contributions to science, medicine, and society have been recognized by the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Templeton Prize. His most recent book is “The Road To Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust” (Little Brown and Worthy, 2024).