This week, I had the honor of speaking to a group of about 80 high school juniors in the Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) at McClatchy High School in Sacramento, California — the very same high school program I graduated from in the Class of 2000. Stepping back into that space brought back so many memories of the time when I was first exposed to world cultures, economics, speech and debate, and the kind of highly personalized education that I now appreciate even more as an adult. I never imagined that over two decades later, I’d return not only as a doctor but as a podcaster — and that I’d be talking about both.
I was invited to speak to the students about the power of podcasting, especially as a tool for storytelling, preserving oral histories, and advocating for change. I wanted to show them how podcasting can be more than just entertainment — it can be a platform to capture meaningful stories that even they can revisit long after high school graduation, once they’ve moved into their future careers.
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But what really surprised me — and inspired me — was how engaged these students were! As we moved from discussing the technical “how-to’s” of starting a podcast to opening up the room for questions, the depth of their curiosity blew me away. They didn’t just want to know about podcasting; they wanted to know about me — my profession, my practice, and my approach to medicine.
They asked about my work as a family medicine doctor who doesn’t take insurance. They wanted to know:
- Is Direct Primary Care (DPC) just for rich people?
- If someone has DPC, do they still need insurance as a backup?
- What types of services can you provide in a primary care clinic?
- Why is healthcare so inaccessible for so many people?
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I was floored. These were 16- and 17-year-olds who were already asking the very same questions that so many adults — including physicians — still wrestle with. Their curiosity and insight showed me that this generation is watching. They see the gaps in our healthcare system. They understand that accessibility is a pain point. And even though they may not have the words to articulate exactly what is broken, they know something is wrong.
I also realized something else: they were asking these questions not only because they were interested in my career but because some of them had experienced those gaps in the system firsthand. Maybe they had watched their family members struggle to access care. Maybe they themselves had encountered roadblocks. Maybe they knew someone who couldn’t afford the help they needed. Whatever the case, these students were attuned to the realities of our broken healthcare system in a way that I did not expect.
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Hearing the questions that were asked, I could see these students already had the tools to create meaningful content and capture stories from their communities. They smiled when I mentioned they could interview family members, neighbors, or friends and build a body of work that could become a future resource, a historical touchstone, or even a call to action.
Answering their questions also reminded me of why I’m so passionate about Direct Primary Care (DPC). When one student asked, “If you’re not a hospital doctor anymore, why do people still need insurance if they have DPC?” it opened the door to a conversation about how broken our healthcare system really is. I explained that DPC is not a replacement for catastrophic coverage but rather a way to rebuild the patient-doctor relationship by eliminating the red tape. I explained how my patients have my cell phone number, can text me directly, and get same-day or next-day visits without copays or surprise bills. They were stunned.
I was floored. These were 16- and 17-year-olds who were already asking the very same questions that so many adults — including physicians — still wrestle with.
This is why these conversations matter — and why we need to have them earlier. These students — not even out of high school yet — were already thinking about equity, accessibility, and how care should look different. And maybe, just maybe, some of them left that room not only inspired to start a podcast but also inspired to think differently about what healthcare could look like.
I left that day inspired, too. I realized that as physicians — whether we practice Direct Primary Care or traditional fee-for-service medicine — we have an enormous opportunity to shape the way the next generation thinks about healthcare. We often think about influencing healthcare from the top down — lobbying, policy change, shifting payor models — but what if part of the solution is also starting from the ground up?
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What if we spent more time talking to students about healthcare? What if we helped them understand the importance of the doctor-patient relationship before they ever became patients themselves? What if we sparked curiosity now, so that by the time they’re the ones making healthcare decisions — for themselves or for their families — they demand something better?
It was a gift to stand in that room at McClatchy High School and realize that even in the midst of our deeply fractured healthcare system, there’s hope. Hope in the form of students who are asking the right questions. Hope in the form of future podcasters, storytellers, and change-makers. Hope in the form of a generation that might very well be the one to demand a new kind of healthcare system — one that prioritizes even more strongly relationship-based care, accessibility, and equity.
And if my talk that day sparked even one student to think differently about healthcare — or to start a podcast that captures the stories that matter — then it was absolutely worth it.
To my fellow physicians: If you ever get the chance to speak to high school students — take it. You never know how many future doctors, advocates, or change-makers might be in the room. And you never know how much it might inspire you, too.
What if we helped students understand the importance of the doctor-patient relationship before they ever became patients themselves?
