The Legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen: Tu...
The Legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen: Turning Medical Tragedy into a National Movement (feat. Dr. Stefanie Simmons)
The JAFERD Cast by Mark Pappadakis
E19
Jun 17, 2026
52:24
Episode notes

Episode 19: The Legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen: Turning Medical Tragedy into a National Movement (feat. Dr. Stefanie Simmons)

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Stefanie Simmons, Emergency Medicine physician and Chief Medical Officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. Dr. Simmons shares her raw, personal journey navigating trauma, peripartum depression, and the early-career fear of seeking mental health care due to punitive credentialing questions. We dive deep into the tragic legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen, the breaking point the pandemic created for frontline workers, and how a family’s grief sparked a national movement. From securing historic federal legislation to systematically changing state medical board applications, this conversation is an essenti ... 

Keywords
Physician Wellness
Healthcare Advocacy
Dr. Lorna Breen
Physician Suicide