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The Public Health Insight Podcast is a weekly podcast ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally. The podcast covers all things public health and global health, from the sustainable development goals to the social determinants of health, as well as interesting dialogues about the diverse career opportunities that exist in the fields. Since its launch in March 2020, the podcast has featured more than 40 high-profile guests and has built an audience in more than 5,000 cities in over 190 countries.
321 Episodes
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Prevention is the most powerful public health tool we have and yet the hardest to fund. Dr. Hope Ferdowsian of Phoenix Zones Initiative explains how her organization is changing that: informing global health strategies, training cross-sector professionals, and advancing a justice-centered framework called Just One Health that targets root causes, not symptoms. She also shares a bold 10-year vision — where well-being replaces GDP, animals gain rights recognition, and prevention is the default....
Animal abuse is a predictor child abuse. Slaughterhouse locations correlate with violent crime. Over three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases trace back to how we treat animals and ecosystems. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Hope Ferdowsian connects these patterns to a single root cause: systems built on hierarchies that reduce living beings to their financial worth. She challenges public health to stop treating symptoms, expand its moral circle beyond humans, ...
Healing people requires healing animals and the systems we share. Dr. Hope Ferdowsian traces that conviction from a sheep named Crystal on an Oklahoma farm to sanctuary chimpanzees with PTSD, to asylum seekers she's evaluated across borders. The through-line isn't a coincidence — it's a career built on understanding humanity through animals, following suffering wherever it leads, and finding resilience on the other side. References for Our Discussion ◼️Phoenix Zones Website Guest ◼️Ho...
What if the prescription wasn't a pill, but cash? Rx Kids gives expecting and new mothers up to $7,500, no questions asked. Laura Keen from GiveDirectly explains why giving money to everyone — not just the poorest — actually works better, why nearly every eligible mom in Flint signed up, and what happened to preterm births, evictions, and depression when communities invested in families from day one. Plus, how a program centered on babies united both sides of the political aisle. Reference...
Flint, Michigan was once known as one of America's most prosperous industrial cities. Decades of deindustrialization and a water crisis changed that, but crisis isn't the whole story. Laura Keen of GiveDirectly joins the podcast to explore the resilience behind the popular headlines, the gaps in America's safety net, and what the expanded Child Tax Credit revealed about child poverty. All of it set the stage for Rx Kids — one of the most ambitious social programs in the country. References ...
She studied philosophy at UPenn, sharpened her Spanish watching telenovelas with a host mom in silk robes and kitten heels, then moved to Peru and built staircases so families wouldn't fall carrying water. Laura Keen's path wound through cocoa farms in West Africa, anti-trafficking work in the Amazon, and the inner workings of fair trade — each stop ultimately leading her to GiveDirectly and a radically simple idea that's reshaping how we think about poverty. References for Our Discu...
Imagine surviving a snake bite only to battle depression for years. Half of hospitals can't properly treat snake bites and almost all healthcare workers struggle to administer life-saving anti-venom in many ways. Dr. David Lalloo illuminates a crisis killing more people than many familiar diseases, yet receiving a fraction of the funding. From recent strides in quality control to universal antivenom approaches and simple prevention measures, this conversation reveals the challenges of...
Right now, someone is being bitten by a venomous snake. Over the course of a year, 138,000 deaths and 400,000 disabilities. Yet snake bite remains one of the world's most neglected health crises. Professor David Lalloo explains why this preventable tragedy persists—from the science of venom to the economics of anti-venom, and why the right treatment might not exist where people need it most. References for Our Discussion ◼️Snakebites kill 130,000 people a year. This UK lab may have the ans...
A young doctor faces a choice: wait in line after a lecture or go to the pub. He waits. Fast forward, he's on a plane to Papua New Guinea. He arrives expecting malaria research—but finds 25% of ICU beds filled with snakebite victims. Professor David Lalloo didn't plan to dedicate his life to one of the world's most neglected health crises. He stumbled into it. And it took until 2017 for the WHO to even recognize snakebite as a disease worth fighting. This is the story of how one split-s...
Public health says "don't drink and drive." Bud Light says "don't let the party stop—have a designated driver". One feels like a lecture, the other made millions take notice. That communication gap is why public health messaging still misses the mark despite saving millions of lives. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Brian Castrucci explains how AI platforms and influencer partnerships could go a long way in helping public health step out of the shadows. From the De Be...
79% of Americans support childhood vaccine requirements—including the majority of Republicans. So why does it feel like everyone in the U.S. is against public health? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Brian Castrucci reveals what public opinion polling actually shows: Americans are far more united on health issues than we think. The problem isn't what people believe—it's the messages we're sending and who's delivering them. References for Our Discussion ◼️Poll: 100 ...
If you just look at his resume, it sounds almost made up: Political Science at NC State, a Master’s at Columbia, a DRPH at UNC, and a decade in the trenches as an epidemiologist across three states. Then, employee number three at a “tiny foundation”—now president and CEO, shaping how America thinks about public health. This episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast dives into the forks in the road, the mentors, and the scars that turned Dr. Brian Castrucci into the leader he is today. Re...
Welcome to the Public Health Insight Podcast, where we go beyond the headlines to explore the ideas, challenges, and people shaping health in communities around the world. Every Tuesday, host Gordon Thane brings you conversations with researchers, practitioners, and changemakers tackling the most urgent questions in public health. From the former CEO of Gavi to the attorney who exposed DuPont's forever chemicals—these are the stories that matter. 🎧 Start with any episode that sparks your c...
Find out why brilliant candidates still miss out on job opportunities and why Gordon thinks we’re in the midst of a job interview crisis, where candidates often show up underprepared. Host & Producer ◼️Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP® Production Notes ◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music Room Subscribe to the Newsletter Subscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and ...
Collective action is the engine of public health transformation. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Vinu Ilakkuvan shares the tactics that turn community frustration into real-world victories, like Pittsburgh’s fight for public water. The conversation also explores how building coalitions, fostering local connections, and embracing joy can challenge entrenched power and spark lasting change. References for Our Discussion ◼️An overview of the commercial determin...
What if the real force shaping our health isn’t our doctor, our diet, or even our zip code - but the invisible hand of corporate power? In this eye-opening episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we go beyond the usual talk of social determinants to expose the deeper, upstream forces that shape our health: the commercial and political power wielded by corporations. Tune in as we sit down with public health disruptor Vinu Ilakkuvan, who unpacks how corporate interests manipulate narrativ...
What drives someone to leave a traditional career path and take on the hidden forces shaping our health? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Vinu Ilakkuvan traces her journey from an early interest in journalism to biomedical engineering and economics, and ultimately to public health. She reflects on the pivotal moments, values, and experiences that inspired her to found Pop Health and Gaslit, and explains why empowering communities is at the heart of her mission. Refe...
What does it take to get vaccines to everyone who needs them? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Seth Berkley, former CEO of Gavi, joins us to break down the global fight for vaccine access, from the spread of misinformation to the race against new pandemics. We explore why vaccine equity matters, what’s at stake when funding and trust falter, and the lessons we need to learn to protect everyone, everywhere, in the present and future. References for Our Discuss...
A billion children. Millions of lives saved. And you’ve probably never heard the full story—until now. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Gordon sits down with Dr. Seth Berkley, the mastermind behind Gavi and author of "Fair Doses," to pull back the curtain on the alliance that quietly changed global health forever. From high-stakes decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic to the relentless pursuit of vaccine equity, this episode is packed with the real stories, hard les...
When the world was in a health crisis, Dr. Seth Berkley didn’t just watch—he was at the centre of the storm. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we rewind to his early days and trace his path through global health’s toughest challenges. References for Our Discussion ◼️Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity ◼️How children will be impacted by U.S. cuts to global vaccine alliance ◼️The diseases that could return as vaccination ...
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