Contrary to popular opinion, what you don’t know can indeed hurt you.

Spreading awareness of such unconventional wisdom is one of the reasons why Dr. Marianne Ritchie — one of the first women to practice gastroenterology in the Philadelphia region and a pioneer in the field for more than 30 years — started her own radio program.

Now in its fourth season, “Your Radio Doctor” is a weekly, hour-long program that airs every Saturday night at 5 PM on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT. Also available as a podcast, “Your Radio Doctor” takes challenging medical topics and helps listeners digest them in small, understandable pieces.

Dr. Ritchie brings a unique flair to the airwaves. Her show, which she ends with the tagline “Your Health Is Your Wealth,” is about more than just disseminating information. It’s about engaging with the audience.

“What you don’t know can hurt you,” said Dr. Ritchie, a Haverford resident who has practiced at Lankenau Medical Center, Temple University Hospital, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. “The problem is that you don’t know what you don’t know. I look at the show as a public service to provide education and advice to the lay community.”

Through interviews with nationally renowned physicians from all specialties, researchers, and other leaders in the medical community, Dr. Ritchie is indulging in her passion for educating the public about their health and wellness.

“I’m a doctor, but I’m also a patient,” she said. “I’m asking the questions that people should be asking their doctors to make more informed decisions about healthcare for themselves and their loved ones.”

At 179 episodes and counting, and as the only medical radio program in the Philadelphia region, “Your Radio Doctor” never lacks topics to discuss. Whether it’s COPD, colorectal cancer, eating disorders, or even pickleball injuries, Dr. Ritchie and her guests take complicated medical information and turn it into conversations that help listeners understand the nuances of healthcare.

“I try to address issues that patients read or hear about in the news or on the Internet and often misinterpret because the information doesn’t come with a nuanced explanation,” she said. “Explanations should be ‘nuanced’ and address the issues commonly overlooked or missed by the average patient.”

Dr. Ritchie estimates that 30 hours of weekly prep work is needed for her one hour on the air. She funds the show with support from sponsors Independence Blue Cross and Recovery Centers of America.

Furthermore, she has spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives to promote preventive care and developed PINK PLUS, an innovative program at Jefferson that bundles women’s cancer screenings, inviting them to have a mammogram, a gynecologic exam, and a pre-colonoscopy consult in one visit.

Dr. Ritchie is also the founder and director of the BLUE LIGHTS CAMPAIGN for colon cancer awareness.

“The campaign organizes the lighting of more than 30 buildings in the Greater Philadelphia region and includes every state capitol building in the U.S.,” she said. “The buildings shine in blue during March, urging people to get screened for colorectal cancer.”

Learn more about Dr. Marianne Ritchie or listen to past episodes of “Your Radio Doctor.”