Podcast

Reach Out and Read is On the Air

Engaging conversations with experts in childhood health and literacy.

An award-winning podcast centered on the belief that children’s books build better brains, better family relationships, and happier, healthier children and societies. Join us as host Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a pediatrician with a children’s librarianship degree dives into a wealth of varied early childhood health and literacy topics with expert guests examining the many facets of supporting the parent-child relationship as key to early success.

Latest Episode

“The Last Human Job: Part 2” March 6, 2025

In part 2 of our interview with Allison Pugh, Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and author of “The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World,” we talk about how the concept of “connective labor” frames Early Relational Health and how clinicians and caregivers can apply these ideas to their everyday interactions with children and families. View the transcript here.

  • Allison Pugh

    Allison Pugh is a research professor at Johns Hopkins University. Her writing has appeared in leading publications such as The New Yorker, the New York Times, and the New Republic. Her most recent book is “The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World.” (A. Pugh)

    Close window 'close

Subscribe Today

Listen on iTunesspotify subscribestitcher subscribeGoogle play subscribe

Research shows reading physical books together brings the strongest benefits to children. That’s why we’re happy to have Boise Paper – a responsible paper manufacturer – as founding sponsor of this podcast. Through their Paper with Purpose promise, Boise Paper looks for ways to make a difference in local communities. Thank you to Boise Paper for investing in our Reach Out and Read community.

Award Winning
Two-time winner of an Anthem Award in the Health category.
Share Your Story
We are continually inspired by stories that encourage language, literacy, and positive moments and we would love to hear yours.
All Episodes
To catch up on back episodes click on the link below.


Meet the Host

To the best of our knowledge, there is only one pediatrician anywhere who got a master’s in library science in the middle of his medical training, all to learn more about children’s literature. That is our host, Dr. Dipesh Navsaria. A practicing pediatrician in Wisconsin, Dr. Navsaria is the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin, Chair of the Early Literacy Subcommittee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Early Childhood, and many other initiatives involving the psychosocial world of children, their families, and society, from policy to parenting support. A professor of pediatrics and of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, he lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, two children, two cats, a dog, and backyard chickens. He has a deep-seated dependence on wearing bowties, of which he owns far too many…but all of which he can tie without a mirror, in under a minute!

Meet the host of the ROR Podcast