Building a Workforce That Heals: Van Ton-Quinlivan’s Vision for America’s Care Future

How do we solve one of healthcare’s biggest crises—the workforce shortage—while making opportunity more equitable?

In this enlightening episode, Dr. Andrea Austin interviews Van Ton-Quinlivan, founder and CEO of Futuro Health and a key voice in reimagining workforce development. Van shares her powerful personal story—from refugee beginnings to shaping California’s healthcare education strategy—and the values that fuel her changemaking leadership: courage, equity, and collaboration.

Together, Andrea and Van explore:

• The urgent shortage of allied healthcare professionals and the demographic time bomb accelerating demand.
• How Futuro Health is helping thousands of adults from underserved communities earn healthcare credentials debt-free.
• Why employers must stop competing for talent puddles and start collaborating to build talent pools.
• The role of AI in upskilling and the promise of flexible, fast, accessible training.
• How mindset shifts—from scarcity to abundance—can reshape healthcare’s future.

 

Through vivid examples and real stories—like Tamika, a hospital security guard turned phlebotomist—Van illustrates how unlocking human potential can rebuild the workforce from the ground up.

If you’re a healthcare leader, educator, or clinician wondering how to strengthen the system while expanding opportunity, this episode will leave you inspired to think bigger and act bolder.

About the Guest:

“When it comes to workforce development, it’s a team sport, not an individual sport.” – Van Ton-Quinlivan

Van Ton-Quinlivan is a nationally recognized workforce development innovator and the founder and CEO of Futuro Health, a nonprofit creating the nation’s largest network of allied healthcare workers. Appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, she chairs the state’s Healthcare Workforce Education and Training Council and has been named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Healthcare (2024) and Top 100 Influential Higher Education Leaders (2025).

A refugee from Vietnam, Van’s journey from the daughter of a brain surgeon and teacher to an influential changemaker embodies resilience and purpose. She holds dual graduate degrees in Education Policy and Business from Stanford University and is the author and podcast host of Workforce RX, where she highlights agile, multicultural solutions for the future of work and health.

📍 Connect with Van:

•
Website: futurohealth.org (http://futurohealth.org)
• LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/vtquinlivan
• Podcast: Workforce RX (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/workforcerx/id1529984676)
  Book: Workforce RX: Agile and Inclusive Strategies for the Future of Work (https://www.amazon.com/WorkforceRx-Inclusive-Strategies-Employers-Educators/dp/1737627515)

Resources + Mentions

• Futuro Health (https://futurohealth.org)

 
• California Healthcare Workforce Education and Training Council (https://hcai.ca.gov/workforce/health-workforce/council/)

 
• World Health Organization & G7 Brain Economy Summit (https://www.braincouncil.eu/event/g7-canada-brain-economy-summit-in-person-brain-economy-global-briefing/)

 
• Built to Last by Jim Collins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_to_Last:_Successful_Habits_of_Visionary_Companies)

 
• Caring With Courage (BBC Nursing Series) (https://www.bbc.com/storyworks/specials/caring-with-courage/)

🔑 Top 3 Key Takeaways
• Collaboration Over Competition: Healthcare workforce shortages can’t be solved in silos. Hospitals, schools, and communities must collaborate to create talent pools—not compete for limited candidates. Rethink who your “competitors” really are.
•  Unlock Opportunity, Don’t Just Fill Jobs: Education debt, rigid schedules, and unclear navigation block entry into healthcare. Provide flexible learning, clear pathways, and support networks so workers can thrive and persist.
• Anchor in Values, Not Fear: Whether you’re leading an organization or your own career shift, rediscover your core values. Courageous, value-driven decisions—like stepping off the 27th floor to start anew—open doors to impact and fulfillment.

🩺 About the Host:

Dr. Andrea Austin is a board-certified emergency physician, educator, and passionate advocate for system-level change in healthcare. As the creator and host of Heartline: Changemaking in Healthcare, Dr. Austin brings curiosity, compassion, and bold honesty to conversations with leaders who are challenging the norms and reshaping medicine from the inside out.

With decades of experience in high-pressure clinical environments, Andrea has seen firsthand the cracks in the system—and the people working to repair them. Whether she’s mentoring residents, speaking on national stages, or recording with a fellow disruptor, she centers one theme: change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens heart to heart.

💫 About the Show

Heartline: Changemaking in Healt…