Public Health Insight
Episodes
Practicums Are Here, Now What: A Thriver’s Guide
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
By the end of your practicum, you'll land in one of three boxes — and you don't get to pick which one.. or do you? to show why the stude...
Debate the Policy, Not the Science
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You can disagree on policy. You can't disagree on facts. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Brian Castucci unpacks what it...
Turning Data To Action With Community Needs Assessments
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How often do public health organizations decide what a community needs — without actually asking them? This episode of the Public Health Insight Pod...
Jumping From Health Systems Transformation to Public Health Consulting
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to hit the ground running after grad school? For Alexandra Piatkowski, the answer started long before graduation — by deliberately...
Building A Better Future With 'Just' One Health
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
The Cost of Putting Humans First
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Animal abuse is a predictor child abuse. Slaughterhouse locations correlate with violent crime. Over three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases tr...
It Started With A Sheep Named Crystal
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Healing people requires healing animals and the systems we share. Dr. Hope Ferdowsian traces that conviction from a sheep named Crystal on an Oklahoma...
Rx Kids: A Cash Prescription for Pregnant Moms & Babies
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 GiveD...
Flint Is (Re)Writing Its Own Story & You Should Pay Attention
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Flint, Michigan was once known as one of America's most prosperous industrial cities. Decades of deindustrialization and a water crisis changed t...
What Do Telenovelas, Staircases, & Supply Chains Have In Common?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 bui...
What Would It Take For Global Health To Strike Out Snakebite?
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine surviving a snake bite only to battle depression for years. Half of hospitals can't properly treat snake bites and almost all healthcare ...
Why Snakebite Envenoming Is (Still) A Public Health Issue
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Split-Second Decision That Led to Papua New Guinea
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 arr...
Public Health Communications Needs A Makeover: Power of AI & Influencers
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Public health says "don't drink and drive." Bud Light says "don't let the party stop—have a designated driver". One fe...
Why America Isn't As Divided On Public Health As You Think
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
79% of Americans support childhood vaccine requirements—including the majority of Republicans. So why does it feel like everyone in the U.S. is agai...
The Beautiful & Most Scary Thing About Public Health
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Trailer: Welcome to the Public Health Insight Podcast
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Public Health Insight Podcast, where we go beyond the headlines to explore the ideas, challenges, and people shaping health in communit...
Failing Before The Job Interview Starts: A Hiring Manager’s Perspective
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 cand...
The Power of Collective Action In Public Health
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Collective action is the engine of public health transformation. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Vinu Ilakkuvan shares the t...
The Commercial Determinants of Health: The Real Root Causes Behind the Causes?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-o...
Accidentally Stumbling Into Public Health & A Big Idea
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Fair Doses, the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 G...
The Best Kept Secret in Public Health
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Person Behind Some of the World’s Most Successful Vaccine Initiatives
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Building Public Health Workforce Capacity To Advance Health Equity
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we move from talking about health equity to making it a reality in public health practice? In this episode, we dive into the findings of the re...
Behind A National Survey of 44,000+ Public Health Professionals
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a lot that we can learn from a nationally representative sample of public health workers from local and state health departments. In this ep...
Finding Public Health & Story Behind de Beaumont Foundation
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to turn health equity from a talking point into real, lasting change? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Jami...
Before The Next Crisis Hits
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the chaos of a global pandemic, clarity and trust became as vital as any vaccine. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Tista G...
One Pandemic, Different Experiences of Everyday People
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We treated the world as if everyone was living the same pandemic. But what if that was our biggest mistake? Dr. Tista Ghosh takes us inside her new bo...
The Messy Truth Behind Public Health Leadership
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From family stories of freedom fighters to the chaos of COVID-19, Dr. Tista Ghosh’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode of the Public ...
Why Catching The Traffickers Isn’t The Same As Supporting Survivors
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Child trafficking isn’t just a distant headline—it’s a reality in many communities. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we bre...
A Public Health Approach to Child Trafficking & Exploitation
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if we did a rethink of child trafficking—beyond criminology—and started seeing it as a public health issue, shaped by poverty, trauma, and th...
The Social Work Behind A 30% Jump In Educational Attainment
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you help vulnerable kids not just survive, but thrive? Erin Williamson’s journey in social work and anti-trafficking reveals what it takes to...
Are Vaccines Still Up For Debate?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccines have saved millions of lives, but questions and doubts persist. We dig into the roots of vaccine hesitancy, the history of immunization, and ...
The Viruses Walking Among Us: Re-Emergence of Measles & Return of Polio?
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s lurking inside in the environment, inside of us, and what’s waiting to emerge? Virologist Dr. Christopher Stobart joins the Public Health I...
Studying The Invisible World & Teaching About It
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Step into the invisible world of viruses, academia, and health research with Dr. Christopher Stobart, Associate Professor and virologist at Butler Uni...
Vaccination Against Misinformation
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if we could vaccinate minds against misinformation before people encounter it? Dr. Stephen Barnard reveals the breakthrough science of "preb...
The Anatomy of Misinformation: Who Wins When Truth Loses
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference between an honest mistake and a deliberate lie? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Stephen Barnard b...
How Twitter Transformed Media, Journalism, and Our Information Diets
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While Twitter was still seen as a platform for users to provide seemingly trivial updates, sociology graduate student Stephen Barnard began a decade-l...
Disease Detective Stories: Anthrax Attacks, Thallium Poisonings, & An Invisible Killer
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the thrilling conclusion to our mini‑series with Dr. Don Weiss, we crack open three of New York City’s most chilling public health case files. ...
How To Think Like A Top Epidemiologist: Inside NYC’s Outbreak Response
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to track down an outbreak in one of the world’s busiest cities? Dr. Don Weiss reveals his step-by-step playbook for disease survei...
The Chemistry Behind a Unique Public Health Career & the Whistleblowing That Risked It All
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A curious 8-year-old with a love for chemistry grows up to investigate some of America's most dangerous disease outbreaks—then risks his entire...
Why Science Is In Grave Danger & What You Can Do About It
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The 11-Mile Drive That Revolutionized Science
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ca...
The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: A Forgotten Public Health Blueprint
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Aftermath of USAID Funding Cuts & a $150 Million Blow to Global Health’s Future
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One morning in February 2025, EngenderHealth received the kind of email every global health leader dreads—three major USAID grants were gone. No war...
Redefining Quality of Care in Sexual and Reproductive Health
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 epi...
The Many Lives of the 13th Surgeon General
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General’s office was a shadow of its former self—no ships, no quarantine stations, barely a dozen staff, and one statuto...
The Birth of Pediatric Surgery
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pediatric surgery as a specialty hasn’t been around for as long as you might think. Before 1946, it wasn’t even a line item in most hospitals—ch...
The Writing of a Biography on a Historical Figure in U.S. Public Health
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. C. Everett Koop was one of the most iconic figures in U.S. public health—instantly recognizable by his beard and bow tie, but much less known fo...
A Public Health Mentorship Program Shaking Things Up in Canada
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It started with an eye condition, a laptop, and a growing sense that public health professionals deserved more support. What came next? A mentorship m...
When One of the World's Pickiest Eaters Becomes A Senior Policy Analyst
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carly La Berge never planned to work in public health. After years of pursuing a career in medicine, rejection letters, and frustrations in healthcare...
Telling Patient Stories The Right Way To Drive Change
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When public health stories are told right, they don’t just inform—they move people.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast with Alexs...
How Marketing, Communications, & PR Can Boost Public Health Impact
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does public health have to gain from public relations? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we speak with Alexson Calahan—Foun...
How A Pandemic Treaty Protects Global Health Security
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the world’s vulnerabilities—and reignited global conversations about how to prepare for the next one.In this episode...
Inside the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: A Landmark WHO Treaty
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) might not make headlines today, but it was the first treaty negotiated under the World Health Organ...
The World Health Organization Explained & Why Global Health Matters
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve heard of the World Health Organization (WHO), but do you know how it actually works and why it matters in your everyday life? In this episod...
Deconstructing Community Violence With Big Data & Machine Learning
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gun violence is now a leading cause of death in many demographics but how do you intervene when many of the underlying causes don’t have anything to...
A Meticulous Career In Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does a meticulous career in criminal justice and violence prevention look like? Look no further than Lori Toscano. In this episode of the Public...
Is Burnout The Price To Pay When Working In Public Health?
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s understandable why many might think that burnout is inevitable when working in the field of public health? In this episode of the Public Healt...
Doing Your Bachelor's and Master’s In Public Health, & Making Career Pivots When Life Happens
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A career in public health can twist and turn in almost limitless directions. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Marissa McKool sha...
Revolutionizing Patient Engagement In Healthcare with AI & Blockchain Technology
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The potential of blockchain and AI in revolutionizing healthcare is immense. In this episode of the Public Health Podcast, social change futurist Shei...
Financial Economics, Healthcare Administration, & Public Health
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who is a social change futurist? Whether you’re aspiring to make an impact in public health or curious about the intersection of finance, healthcar...
Can A Sick Care System Address Inequities & The Social Determinants of Health?
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why are hospitals closing and what is their role in addressing health disparities?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Sheila Phici...
Is It OK To Make Money In Public Health? A Story of Purpose & Profit
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“There are consultants for healthcare and public health making more than $1,200 an hour...""Why does Quisha make more than some of the on-...
Discovering The Social Determinants of Health & Leaving Nursing For Public Health
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Career paths in public health are rarely linear, and today’s guest proves it. From discovering the unexpected challenges of clinical nursing to earn...
Harvard's New Media, Medicine, & Health Grad Program w/ TV Writer & Producer, Dr. Neal Baer
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard has launched a Master's program that empowers students to use creative mediums to tackle critical healthcare issues, moving from raw data...
Health and Hollywood: Tackling HIV, LGBTQIA+ Rights, Diabetes, and Inequities on Screen w/ TV Writer & Producer, Dr. Neal Baer
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The stories that resonate often do more than entertain, they can inspire change and save lives.Tune in to hear how this physician and TV writer/prod...
Your Favourite Episodes Of 2024 & A Big Thank You
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special end of year wrap-up episode, the Public Health Insight Podcast expresses gratitude to everyone who listened to and supported the show ...
Telling Stories About Health, Political, & Social Issues That Make A Difference w/ TV Writer & Producer, Dr. Neal Baer
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How accurate are the social, health, and political issues you see on TV shows and what kind of impact do they actually have in the real world?Tune in ...
How To Write Stories For Hit TV Shows w/ Writer & Producer, Dr. Neal Baer
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a pen in one hand and a stethoscope in the other, this multi-hyphenate physician, author, award-winning show runner, and television writer and ...
Best Certifications You Never Heard Of In Data Management & Consulting
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know there’s a certification for data management as well as for consulting?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we break do...
Finding Public Health Opportunities & Upskilling In Undergrad
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t miss out on your chance to network, seek internships, and participate in extracurricular activities while in your undergraduate program. In t...
What Undergrad Students Should Know About Public Health
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding your way to a rewarding public health career can be tricky if you don’t know someone to help you navigate the field.In this episode of the P...
Has Public Health Already Lost The Battle Against Gambling?
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The betting and gambling industry have been around for a while but in some ways, it feels like they are just getting started.In this episode of the Pu...
Pay It Forward - Lesson 9 of 9
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We can all think of at least one person who has helped us move through key professional milestones.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcas...
Seeing Public Health As A Business - Lesson 8 of 9
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to spot business opportunities or pursue entrepreneurship in public health?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we ...
Working In The Real World Is Tough - Lesson 7 of 9
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the realities of building a career while balancing life’s unexpected challenges. We unpack the impact of external factor...
Building Your Dream Career - Lesson 6 of 9
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the difference between a career and a job?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we explore topics like what distinguishes a j...
Know Your Worth - Lesson 5 of 9
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is your value to your team, department, division, company, or industry?In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we talk about the ...
Learning & Professional Development Doesn’t Stop - Lesson 4 of 9 After Completing An MPH
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t feel like you’re sufficiently prepared after going through a rigorous academic program at school? Well, learning and professional developmen...
Standing Out Where It Matters At Work: Lesson 3 of 9 After Completing An MPH
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it's going above and beyond or doing the bare minimum at work, everyone has their reasons.In this episode of the Public Health Insight Po...
Getting Your First Job Is A Big Step: Lesson 2 of 9 After Completing An MPH
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t sleep on the significance of getting your first job post MPH! In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we talk about just how bi...
Disease Spread Explained Through Novel Data Sources
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if public health had more access to data than was previously thought imaginable?Dr. Serina Chang joins this episode of the Public Health Insight ...
Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing - Part 2 - AI & Public Health
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Machine learning, natural language processing, rule-based systems, neural networks, deep learning…these are all terms used in the artificial intelli...
Intersection of Computer Science & Sociology - Part 1 - AI & Public Health
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does a career look like exploring the intersection of AI, public health, and social science?Look no further than Dr. Serina Chang, who is an inco...
Improving Quality Of Life In Pregnancy & Postpartum With Physiotherapy w/ Surabhi Veitch
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Physiotherapy is an integral part of pregnancy care, helping to prevent and manage postpartum conditions. In reality, it remains underutilized as ther...
Getting Real About Women’s Health in Physiotherapy w/ Surabhi Veitch
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Misconceptions, cultural and religious norms, and insufficient training for healthcare professionals are a few of many reasons why women don’t alway...
I Took The Certified In Public Health (CPH) Exam
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many certifications out there for health professionals but is there one specific for public health? We discuss the Certified in Public Healt...
Should There Be A Standard Credential For Public Health Professionals?
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Like for other disciplines, should there be a standard credential to certify public health professionals working in the field? We discuss standardized...
Are Core Components In Public Health Useful?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada were first published in 2008 and recent efforts are underway to modernize and update them to align w...
Making The Most Of Your MPH: Lesson 1
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are you getting the most out of your MPH degree? After completing their MPH in 2019, the hosts of the Public Health Insight Podcast share 1 of their ...
Guaranteed Ways To NOT Get A Job
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many reasons why candidates mess up job opportunities. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we cover a few of them, includi...
Find More Job Titles & Postings With This Search Strategy
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Public health job titles and postings are not as standardized as they are in many other fields. Another issue is that many public health organizations...
Places To Work In Public Health - Public Health Units
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many places to work in public health. It turns out that Public Health Units (PHUs) are home to a variety of public health professionals, inc...
Places To Work In Public Health - Community Health Centres
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Community Health Centres (CHCs) are an important part of the larger system as they focus primarily on improving the health and well-being of underserv...
Overdose Prevention & Proliferation of Nicotine Products - Part 3 - Public Health Policy Issues to Watch in 2024
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, ASTHO publishes their anticipated top 10 public health policy issues. It is perhaps no surprise that opioids and nicotine products make thi...
Workforce Shortages - Part 2 - Public Health Policy Issues to Watch in 2024
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
State and local government public health agencies lost nearly half of their employees between 2017 and 2021. This and many other factors have contribu...
Leadership in Public Health and Medicine - Part 1 - Public Health Policy Issues to Watch in 2024
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After initially considering a career in architecture before high-school, Dr. Marcus Plescia went on to pursue a career in medicine and is now the Chie...
Getting More Money With Salary Negotiations
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Salary negotiations are a normal part of the hiring process. Don’t let it stress you out.This conversation on the Public Health Insight Podcast cove...