Public Health Insight

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 career to speak truth to power.

Dr. Don Weiss spent more than two decades as an epidemiologist, investigating everything from post-9/11 anthrax letters to lead poisoning outbreaks. But one of his biggest challenges would come later in his career, when he decided to become a whistleblowe...

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 ...

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 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 th...

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, Tra...

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...

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 statutory duty: publish the annual smoking report. Yet the Reagan White House still saw an opportunity. They tapped Dr. C. Everett Koop, a pediatric surgery legend whose outspoken pro-life views looked perfect for them in shoring up the administration’s social-conservative base.

In the final chap...

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—children simply waited for whichever general surgeon happened to be on call.

In the second chapter of this three-part mini-series on the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Gordon Thane continues his conversation with biographer Nigel M. de S. Cameron to trace the journey of a young Dr. C. Eve...

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 for the deeper convictions that guided his work. Despite his groundbreaking contributions to pediatric surgery, tobacco control, and AIDS education, his full story has remained largely untold—until now.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we speak with Dr. Nigel M. de S. ...

It started with an eye condition, a laptop, and a growing sense that public health professionals deserved more support. What came next? A mentorship model shaking things up across Canada.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Carly La Berge shares the story behind the Canadian Public Health Hub, including its triad mentorship model, how she’s keeping it inclusive and burnout-free, and why she believes mentorship shou...

Carly La Berge never planned to work in public health. After years of pursuing a career in medicine, rejection letters, and frustrations in healthcare clinics sent her down an unexpected path — one fueled by advocacy, system change, and a lot of detours.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Carly shares how working as a medical office assistant opened her eyes to deeper health inequities, why she pursued an MPH in S...

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 Alexson Calahan, Founder of Small Adventures Communications, we dive deep into the ‘how’ of public relations in public health and explore tangible takeaways to do it better.

From building trust with patients to crafting campaigns that change behavior, Alexson shares the tools, strategies, and l...

What does public health have to gain from public relations? In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we speak with Alexson Calahan—Founder of Small Adventures Communications and a seasoned public relations expert with nearly 20 years of experience about her unconventional journey from selling classified ads to how she turned a data inquiry from the Today Show into a $100K gift for congenital heart defect research.

Wheth...

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the world’s vulnerabilities—and reignited global conversations about how to prepare for the next one.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Garry Aslanyan returns to unpack the proposed WHO Pandemic Treaty and how it builds on existing tools like the International Health Regulations. We explore what makes this treaty different, the debates shaping its negotiation, and what it co...

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) might not make headlines today, but it was the first treaty negotiated under the World Health Organization—and it changed the global public health landscape forever.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Garry Aslanyan returns to unpack the story behind this groundbreaking treaty. We explore how the FCTC was negotiated in an era before Zoom calls and WhatsApp, th...

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 episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Garry Aslanyan, Manager of Partnerships and Global Engagement at the WHO’s TDR programme in Geneva, Switzerland. We dive into the fascinating origins of the WHO, explore how it's structured and funded, and unpack how its gl...

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 do with guns in the first place?

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Lori Toscano, Director of Justice Technical Assistance at WestEd, discusses using data analytics and machine learning to identify and address risk and protective factors for community violence. 

The co...

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 Health Insight Podcast, Lori joins to share her initial ambition to become a grade 5 teacher to now a devoted career in community violence intervention. The conversation dives into the importance of data, community involvement, and the challenges Lori faced while trying to balance enf...

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 Health Insight Podcast, Marissa McCool, The Public Health Burnout Coach, joins to shatter those misconceptions. She discusses the signs, causes, and impacts of burnout, particularly within the public health field. 

The conversation explores how burnout can manifest in various aspects of l...