Surgeon, Journalist & Oscar Producer Fighting Gun Violence With Storytelling | Dr. Chethan Sathya

In this episode, host Aaron Strout sits down with a longtime friend, Dr. Chethan Sathya — pediatric trauma surgeon, public health leader, trained journalist, and Oscar-winning consulting producer. From a SXSW speaker dinner years ago to this long-overdue deep dive, the two unpack Chethan’s improbable career and the through-line that connects all of it: the belief that storytelling, backed by data, is what actually changes hearts, minds, and policy. It’s a conversation about firearm injury prevention, finding common ground across deep divides, AI’s role in expanding access to care, and staying genuinely optimistic in a fractured moment.

Links and Resources

• Dr. Sathya’s Northwell profile — https://www.northwell.edu/chethan-sathya-md
• Northwell Center for Gun Violence Prevention — https://preventgunviolence.com
• All the Empty Rooms on Netflix — https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/all-the-empty-rooms-joshua-seftel
• “NIH and MAHA had a public health roundtable. I decided to lean in.” (Washington Post op-ed) — https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/11/nih-maha-health-policy-trump-administration/
• 20-Minute Health Talk (Chethan’s podcast) — search “20-Minute Health Talk” on Northwell.edu, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify

Connect with Dr. Chethan Sathya

LinkedIn and Instagram: @DrChethanSathya — he’s always open to cross-sector collaborations and new ideas for tackling public health challenges.