Risk Never Sleeps Podcast

Episode #177: What A Misdiagnosis Story Reveals About Trust In Healthcare
Guest: Dr. Jodyn Platt (Associate Professor, University of Michigan Medical School)
Host: Ed Gaudet
Release Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores patient trust in healthcare systems, especially in the context of AI adoption and medical misdiagnosis. Host Ed Gaudet and co-host Soul engage in a lively, candid conversation with Dr. Jodyn Platt about her research on patient perspectives on AI in medicine, the nuances of trust and skepticism, and how personal experiences shape our relationship with healthcare technology. The discussion also weaves in lighter moments, touching on Dr. Platt's personal interests, risk-taking, and meaningful takeaways from the AI Med 2025 conference.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Jodyn Platt’s Work and Focus

• Background: Dr. Platt is a social scientist in the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her expertise spans public health and sociology, focusing on system-level population health rather than individual profiling.

  • “I look at people in big number. I don't care. Individuals are—” (C, 01:08)
  • “You matter. We all matter.” (C, 01:15)

• Area of Study: She examines how patients and the public feel about AI in their care, data collection, and their role in decision-making about health technology.

  • “What patients and the public think about how AI is used in their care and how we collect data about them and use that data. And what's their role in making decisions about AI technology.” (C, 03:42)

2. Patient Attitudes Toward AI in Healthcare

• Transparency is Key:

  • Patients overwhelmingly want to be informed if AI is being used in their care—driven both by skepticism and a desire to be involved in their own health decisions.
    • “We know patients really want to know that AI is being used in their care.” (C, 04:00)
    • “I think they don't trust it particularly. And I also think they like to be a part of their care.” (C, 04:10)

• Three Types of Patient Reactions:

  1. Indifferent: Find it “interesting” but move on.
  2. Engaged: Want ongoing updates and involvement.
  3. Concerned/Angry: Oppose their data being used in this way.
     • “There's another group of people that are like, ‘Oh, that's really interesting. I want to keep knowing more.’ …And then there's a third group of people that are just mad.” (C, 04:46)

3. Trust, Skepticism, and the Impact of Misdiagnosis

• Personal Story: Host Ed Gaudet shares a powerful story about being misdiagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease as a young adult, leading to deep skepticism about the medical system.

  • “I was misdiagnosed as a kid, and it's really affected me.” (A, 05:40)
  • “That's scary.” (C, 05:59)
  • The correct diagnosis: a sports medicine doctor traced his symptoms to crossing his legs and affecting a nerve, not a neurological disease.
    • “I was crossing my legs, cutting off a nerve. That's correct. That's what was causing the issue. I didn't have Charcot Marie Tooth. Am I in a wheelchair? No. True story.” (A, 06:24–6:40)

• Lasting Effects of Misdiagnosis:

  • “Once you hear that, like, you go, wait. Everything else. Skeptical. Right.” (A, 06:44)
  • “Makes you skeptical.” (B, 06:44)
  • “Yeah. It makes you really cynical.” (A, 06:47)

• Language Matters: The hosts and guest note the importance of distinguishing between skepticism and cynicism.

  • “Words matter.” (A, 07:03)

4. AI Accountability and Governance in Healthcare

• Need for a Registry:

  • Dr. Platt advocates for a dynamic, census-like registry to track AI use, impact, and operational details across organizations—helping innovation while maintaining oversight.

    • “We need basically a registry kind of system for AI where we can understand what's being used in the real world, what its impact is…” (C, 15:10)

  • Comparing to the Census:

    • “The mental model I have for it is a little bit like the census, where you have a certain amount of data that you’re constantly trying to collect on a periodic basis, you can build on top of that…” (C, 16:09)

• Challenges of Dynamism in AI:

  • The registry must be more dynamic than static systems like the census to reflect rapid AI evolution.
    • “Everything in AI needs to be a dynamic kind of process.” (C, 16:08)
    • “By the time it’s filled out, it’s changed already.” (A, 17:37)

• Automation as a Solution:

  • “It needs to be automated. You have to figure out ways to automate the process.” (C, 17:28)

• Discussion of Immutability:

  • The group considers what attributes in AI (like ontology, disease domains) are stable enough to serve as key registry features.
    • “Is there anything about AI that's immutable?” (A, 18:33)
    • “There are certain, like, disease domains. Right. What is this being used?” (C, 18:41)

5. Lighter Moments: Personal and Professional Side of Dr. Platt

• Personal Interests and Travel:

  • Enjoys running, hiking, travel (Iceland, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, Spain—prefers Madrid to Barcelona).
    • “Well, so I enjoy running and being outdoors.” (C, 09:59)
    • “I like to travel a lot.” (C, 20:30)
    • “I was in Kenya... research trip. They're building... a data science network...” (C, 21:58)

• Music and Books:

  • Struggles to remember album names but enjoys various music and fiction/fantasy books.
    • “I hear music and I like it, but then I can’t put that, like, a name and an album.” (C, 07:47)
    • “I like fiction. A little fantasy here and there.” (C, 08:39)

• Risk-Taking (and Surfing):

  • Not a thrill-seeker—has surfed in Hawaii, with the memorable lesson: “Never go for the first wave. You always go for the second wave because everybody’s going to go after that first one… But there’s always a second wave right afterwards.” (C, 19:41)

• Conferencing & Inclusion:

  • Reflects on the inclusive spirit of AI Med 2025, emphasizing diverse perspectives.
    • “I think I'll take back the sort of inclusive nature of the conference. We need all of us.” (C, 25:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Patient Attitudes Toward AI:

  • “Patients really want to know that AI is being used in their care.” — Dr. Platt (04:00)

• On Healthcare Trust:

  • “I was misdiagnosed as a kid, and it's really affected me.” — Ed Gaudet (05:40)

• On AI Accountability:

  • “We need basically a registry kind of system for AI where we can understand what's being used in the real world, what its impact is and how it's operating...” — Dr. Platt (15:10)

• On Personal Growth:

  • “Go for it. I was shy. I am a shy, extroverted person.” — Dr. Platt, advice to her younger self (10:32)

• On Conference Takeaways:

  • “We need all of us.” — Dr. Platt, on inclusion in AI and healthcare innovation (25:26)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:39–03:42 – Dr. Platt introduces her research focus
• 04:00–04:39 – Patient attitudes toward AI and desire for transparency
• 05:40–06:44 – Ed Gaudet shares his misdiagnosis and resultant skepticism
• 15:01–17:37 – Dr. Platt’s proposal for an AI registry and discussion about governance
• 19:28–20:07 – Surfing lessons and risk-taking
• 20:30–24:02 – Dr. Platt’s favorite travel experiences
• 25:26–25:36 – Final takeaway: inclusivity as an imperative for healthcare innovation

Tone and Style

The conversation is energetic, personable, and candid—marked by friendly teasing, humor, and reflective moments. The hosts oscillate between serious inquiries into AI, healthcare trust, and empathetic patient care, and lighter, more personal exchanges about music, travel, and life outside of academia.

Takeaway Message

Dr. Platt’s central message: creating a culture of participation, inclusivity, and transparency is essential as AI permeates healthcare. Trust is built through awareness, accountability, and a willingness to invite all stakeholders into the conversation.

“We need all of us.” — Dr. Jodyn Platt (25:26)

Connect with Dr. Jodyn Platt

• Email: jeplat@umich.edu
• LinkedIn: Jodyn Platt

[This summary excludes advertisements, intros/outros, and non-content banter. For additional resources, visit www.censinet.com.]