Public Health Insight

• Why Science Is In Grave Danger & What You Can Do About It

  The research that gave us COVID vaccines in record time, that's working on cancer cures, and that's preparing us for climate change is under unprecedented threat. Massive budget cuts are shutting down labs, halting breakthrough research, and dismantling America's scientific infrastructure. But scientists aren't sitting idle.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Gordon Thane speaks to one of such scientists, Dr. James Alwine, about how researchers are mobilizing to defend public health through grassroots organizing, strategic communication, and citizen advocacy. From the rapid formation of Defend Public Health to early victories in protecting critical agencies, we uncover the tactics that are working and why your voice as a citizen carries more weight than you might think.References for Our Discussion◼️ Trump Is Killing Life-Saving Health ResearchGuest◼️James Alwine, PhD | Emeritus Professor of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania; Visiting Professor, University of Arizona; Coordinating Committee Member, Defend Public HealthHost(s) & Producer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

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• The 11-Mile Drive That Revolutionized Science

  In 1970, a young man, from a paper mill town in Pennsylvania, borrowed his roommate's car and drove 11 miles to see a new medical school. That casual drive would lead to one of the most widely used techniques in molecular biology and biomedical research.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. James (Jim) Alwine reflects on the fortuitous moments behind his career, how science builds on centuries of knowledge, the power of NIH funding, why "silly science" saves lives, and the threats now dismantling the foundations of health research.References for Our Discussion◼️ Trump Is Killing Life-Saving Health ResearchGuest◼️James Alwine, PhD | Emeritus Professor of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania; Visiting Professor, University of Arizona; Coordinating Committee Member, Defend Public HealthHost(s) & Producer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

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• The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: A Forgotten Public Health Blueprint

  The Ottawa Charter offered a bold idea: that health isn't just shaped in hospitals or clinics, but in the everyday decisions we make about policy, environments, education, and empowerment. Nearly four decades later, that idea feels more urgent than ever.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Gordon Thane unpacks the story of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. From its origins in Ottawa, Ontario, to the movement it tried to spark, we’ll explore why the Charter felt revolutionary in 1986, how it slipped from practice, and why its vision still matters today.Hosts & Producers◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®References for the Discussion◼️ Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: An International Conference on Health Promotion◼️ The 1st International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, 1986◼️ Milestones in health promotion : statements from global conferences◼️ Health promotion emblemPodcast Production Notes◼️ 1st news clip adapted from  ‘UN: Chronic, Non-Communicable Disease Is World's Leading Killer’ [Voice of America]◼️ 2nd audio clip adapted from ‘Health Report - WHO Campaign to Beat Cardiovascular Disease’ [Voice of Africa]◼️ 3rd audio clip adapted from ‘Global Cancer Crisis: WHO's Urgent Call to Action’ [News Central TV]◼️ 4th audio clip adapted from ‘Why is diabetes spreading around the world? | Inside Story’ [Al Jazeera English]Credits◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

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• The Aftermath of USAID Funding Cuts & a $150 Million Blow to Global Health’s Future

  One morning in February 2025, EngenderHealth received the kind of email every global health leader dreads—three major USAID grants were gone. No warning. No appeal. Just: “not in the national interest.”In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we unpack the real-world consequences: canceled surgeries, programs being stretched to their limit, and the ripple effects that reach far beyond borders. EngenderHealth’s CEO, Traci Baird, returns to share how her team acted fast—redirecting emergency funds, forming unlikely partnerships, and putting resilience to the test. Because when lives are on the line, waiting for policy to catch up isn’t always an option.References for Our Discussion◼️EngenderHealth◼️DOGE Makes Its Latest Errors Harder to FindGuest◼️Traci BairdHost(s) Purva Mehta, BMSc, MScProducer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

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• Redefining Quality of Care in Sexual and Reproductive Health

  The path to global reproductive rights often begins in the most local of places—a single clinic, a single conversation, a single patient.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Purva Mehta explores how Traci Baird’s career unfolded from counselling women in a North Carolina clinic to scaling abortion access across five continents. Along the way, she redefined what quality care looks like, led bold expansions into medication abortion, and championed inclusive sexual health education for youth. Now as President and CEO of EngenderHealth, she reflects on the moments that shaped her leadership and the lessons that still guide her through uncertainty.References for Our Discussion◼️EngenderHealth◼️DOGE Makes Its Latest Errors Harder to FindGuest◼️Traci BairdHost(s) Purva Mehta, BMSc, MScProducer(s)◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomSubscribe to the NewsletterSubscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.Leave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

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