11 March 2026

Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH: Leading at Scale Through Complexity and Crisis

Leadership Rounds with Dr. Reena Pande

About

Mandy Cohen and Oxeon’s Dr. Reena Pande unpack crisis leadership, trust-building, and why change management (not technology) will determine healthcare’s future.

In this episode of Leadership Rounds, Dr. Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH—physician, operator, and former CDC Director—dives into exploring what it takes to lead through complexity and build systems that improve health at scale.

Mandy traces her path from early exposure to healthcare’s “broken parts” through her mother’s work in emergency rooms to shaping policy and execution across major institutions. She shares a pivotal patient story that reshaped how she thinks about whole-person health and why leaders must build infrastructure that prevents critical needs from being invisible inside even the most advanced systems.

Together, Reena and Mandy unpack:

Why trust isn’t a vibe, it’s an operational discipline you can measure

How to navigate bureaucracy and still execute at speed

What crisis teaches leaders about teams, decision-making, and accountability

Why AI won’t be healthcare’s limiter, but change management and trust might be

How clinician leaders can help set guardrails so innovation earns (and keeps) public confidence

If you’re building, leading, or investing in healthcare transformation, this conversation offers a clear-eyed playbook for mission, margin, and measurable public trust.

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More on Mandy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-cohen-03aa343/