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| Jon Hallberg, MD |
Jon Hallberg, MD, is an associate professor at the
University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and a regular medical analyst with
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). He recently celebrated his tenth anniversary with MPR’s “
All Things Considered.”
What follows is a Q&A with Hallberg reflecting on his time with MPR.
Q. How long have you been serving as a medical analyst with MPR?
A. Just over ten years. My first appearance was on September 30, 2003.
Q. Do you remember your first topic?
A. Yes, it was on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. I just
returned from testifying before the FDA in Washington, DC, on the topic.
Q. To-date, you have done more than 350 spots. That’s a lot of minutes on air. Any memorable moments or experiences?
A. I remember a lot about the people I’ve worked with—much more than the topics themselves. I remember the first host I worked with, David Molpus. He left after a year, so it was quite an experience to work with a number of potential hosts as they were auditioning for the position.
Q. What’s it like working with MPR's Tom Crann?
A. Tom’s terrific! He has given me a lot of great advice. He once told me that I should never worry about what I could have said; listeners only hear what was actually said. He’s also a great storyteller. He always breaks the ice and gets me relaxed before we record.
Jon has done an amazing job for us. I always say that my conversations with him are one of the highlights of my week. I hear from listeners all the time who agree and love hearing Jon talk about medical topics. He has a rare quality—being able to make complex topics approachable in a smart, listenable way. –Tom Crann
Q. How do you prepare for tapings? Do you know the topics ahead of time?
A. We always record Tuesday mornings in the studio. Ideally, we pick a topic the previous week, usually by Friday. That gives me plenty of time to mull it over and think about how I might approach it. However, we often choose a topic Monday afternoon or evening, and I’m scrambling a bit to think about how to frame it. Tuesday mornings, Tom and I call each other to talk through potential questions. As I’m driving to the station, Tom’s typing questions up and running them by the producers.
Q. What has been your greatest take away from your involvement with “All Things Considered?”
A. I love practicing medicine. In the clinic, I consider that “micro-medicine,” that is, one-on-one care. With my MPR work, I consider that “macro-medicine,” working with up to 36,000 people at a time. It’s an enormous responsibility for all kinds of reasons. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right—knowing how many of my colleagues are potentially listening.
Q. How long do you plan to continue serving as a medical analyst for MPR?
A. Good question! I consider it an honor to be able to work with what is, arguably, the best public radio network in the country. I suspect I’ll keep doing it until I’m asked to stop or Tom Crann moves away.
Q. When should we tune in to hear you?
A. My spot usually airs Tuesday afternoons, between 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm. (
Read Hallberg's feature archive on MPR's website.)
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