The Power of Thankfulness

Dr. Isabel Scarinci, Vice Chair for Global and Rural Health in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAB, psychologist, and polio survivor, discusses The Power of Thankfulness. How powerful is a genuine sense of thankfulness in our daily lives with co-workers, friends, and family? How does expressing thankfulness change our relationships with others? How can we make authentic thankfulness habitual? What is the science behind gratitude? And how does daily meditation on thankfulness impact our sleep?

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Isabel Scarinci who survived polio as a child in Brazil. That experience led her into a life of service to others. As a child, between surgeries she went door-to-door with her mother encouraging complete strangers to vaccinate their children against polio. Her efforts prevented untold other children from suffering. Now she works as an administrator and psychologist in cancer prevention with one of the world's leading cancer centers and medical schools. She is a leader in three major efforts to eradicate cervical cancer:
1- Operation Wipeout, an effort to eradicate cervical cancer in an entire US State (Alabama).
2- An effort between the Rotary Club of Birmingham, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rotary International, Rotary Clubs in Guatemala, and the national government of Guatemala to eradicate any type of cancer (in this case cervical cancer) from an entire country for the first time in human history.
3- She has been appointed by the US White House to lead a workgroup to determine how to create a nationwide cervical cancer prevention strategy across the entire United States.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Isabel and her work in Rotary International Magazine (Nov 2024)
• Isabel's Appointment by US White House
• Isabel's Bio
• Connect with Isabel on LinkedIn
• Rotary International's END POLIO NOW Campaign
• Sri Lanka Cervical Cancer Eradication Effort
• Maya Angelou Quote referenced by Isabel (Forbes article)
• Honorary Consul of Brazil for Alabama article
• "How to Cultivate Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride on Your Team" Harvard Business Review article
• O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.