Global Health Matters

Encore - Decolonization, localization, and WHO: History Matters Part 1 07.07.2026 39min

In this episode we explore the multifaceted history of global health and how the narratives borne out of colonization, geopolitical events, and national ownership of public health inform policy and practices today. Among the narratives is that of the World Health Organization, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Host Garry Aslanyan navigates global health history with two guests. Sanjoy Bhattacharya considers the decolonization of global health and the democratic foundi...

Trailblazers with Garry: uma conversa com Marcus Lacerda 24.06.2026 25min

Neste episódio, Garry se sentou para uma segunda conversa em português com Marcus Lacerda na sede da OMS, em Genebra. Marcus assumiu a direção do TDR em março de 2026, vindo da Fiocruz Amazônia e da Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, no Brasil. Médico infectologista e pesquisador em medicina tropical, ele tem uma trajetória que influenciou profundamente as estratégias de eliminação da malária e, de forma mais ampla, o campo da saúde global. Nascido em Taguatinga, no e...

The Inside Track: Lemons, 3G and Dreams 16.06.2026 53min

Can global health serve an increasingly fragmented world? That’s the question Garry Aslanyan asks co-hosts Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite in the latest installment of “The Inside Track.” And this time, the trio is joined by special guest Tenu Avafia, Deputy Executive Director of Unitaid. Their conversation spans AI governance, geopolitics, and access to health. From the mismatch between how AI is built and who it's built for, to the normalization of hate eroding global ...

Trailblazers with Garry: a conversation with Marcus Lacerda 09.06.2026 29min

"Trailblazers with Garry" is a series from Global Health Matters, where host Garry Aslanyan sits down with trailblazers — thinkers, leaders, and influencers shaping the future of global health — for short face-to-face conversations, available in both audio and video formats. It’s a chance to get to know the people behind the work and hear their perspectives on the current global health landscape. For this episode, Garry sat down with Marcus Lacerda at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Marcus ...

Dialogues: a conversation with Amani Ballour on conflict, courage and accountability 26.05.2026 37min

In this episode of Dialogues, we learn how courage can turn a hospital basement into a symbol of defiance. Host Garry Aslanyan is joined by Dr Amani Ballour, a Syrian paediatrician and the first female doctor of a hospital in a Syrian war zone. For six years, she worked in an underground hospital, treating the wounded, the starving and the survivors of chemical attacks. She tells her story in her memoir, The Cave. Her story has also been told in an Academy Award-nominated documentary. She cur...

Encore - Science and diplomacy for global health 19.05.2026 34min

How can scientists and diplomats work together to advance the global health agenda? Ilona Kickbusch, who founded the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, reflects on her experiences working within science diplomacy and the importance of having strong evidence to be able to reach a diplomatic consensus. She also urges scientists to initiate dialogue with policy-makers and diplomats. Aída Mencía Ripley, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Universidad I...

The Inside Track: Oxygen, a mixed bag and the woods 12.05.2026 55min

Host Garry Aslanyan poses the question at the heart of the latest Inside Track conversation: in 2026, after everything COVID-19 taught us, are we genuinely better prepared for the next pandemic-like event? It's the question that sets the tone for a frank conversation with Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite — covering vaccine manufacturing in Africa, the politics of preparedness, and why the gap between intent and action remains stubbornly wide. The guests also discuss a rec...

Is it the end of the NGO as we know it? 21.04.2026 52min

For decades, international NGOs have been central pillars of global health and humanitarian response efforts. But with aid budgets shrinking, trust eroding and local civil society organizations demonstrating the power of proximity every day, the model is under scrutiny. Who gets to lead? Who gets to decide? And what would more equitable, locally grounded international cooperation actually look like? In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan explores these questions with two guests who bring ...

The Inside Track: the pope, the Force and the hope 07.04.2026 49min

The Inside Track is a new series from Global Health Matters offering context, clarity and foresight that you won’t find in traditional news shows. Each episode brings host Garry Aslanyan together with two recurring voices: Catherine Kyobutungi, who brings insight from the frontlines of health research and policy in Africa, and Ricardo Baptista Leite, a physician and global thinker on health, politics and AI. Together, they unpack the headlines with candid conversations grounded in lived exper...

Encore - The health journey of refugees and migrants is global health 02.04.2026 38min

Global Health Matters is the monthly podcast from TDR, if you like our content then please subscribe. We embrace the fact that public health and global health are intertwined and through our podcast we hope to engage with broader topics bringing together experts from across the globe providing a platform for wider engagement. For this episode we bring you a topic that rarely reaches the top of the global health agenda, that is the subject of the health of refugees and mi...

Dialogues: a conversation with Laura Spinney on disease, linguistics and humanity 24.03.2026 40min

Dialogues is a series from the Global Health Matters podcast where we bring you interviews featuring fresh perspectives on global health issues. The goal of each Dialogues episode is to break through the echo chambers that exist in global health through in-depth, thoughtful conversations. For this episode, we turn to language, memory and the threads that connect pandemics and people across time. Host Garry Aslanyan is joined by Laura Spinney, a science journalist, novelist and author of two ...

The Inside Track: Broken chairs, horses and audiences 10.03.2026 51min

In our first episode of The Inside Track, we examine the fragile state of information integrity in global health. Host Garry Aslanyan and recurring expert-pundits Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite unpack how misinformation spreads, why trust erodes and what responsibility health leaders carry in this environment. We explore how perception, belief and narrative shape public understanding — especially in the wake of COVID-19. We also react to a recent Guardian article linking...

Trailblazers with Garry: a conversation with Ntobeko Ntusi 05.03.2026 34min

“Trailblazers with Garry" is a series from Global Health Matters, where host Garry Aslanyan sits down with trailblazers — thinkers, leaders and influencers shaping the future of global health — for short face-to-face conversations, available in both audio and video formats. It’s a chance to get to know the people behind the work and hear their perspectives on the current global health landscape. For this Trailblazer episode, Garry met up with Ntobeko Ntusi in Cape Town, South Africa. Ntobeko ...

Rethinking how we fund health 24.02.2026 50min

Across the global health landscape, governments are facing mounting debt, development assistance is under pressure and the gap between ambition and available resources continues to widen. So how do we mobilize resources differently? What does innovative finance look like? And which approaches are truly scalable, equitable and fit for today's realities? To explore these questions, host Garry Aslanyan speaks with two leaders who have spent decades working at the intersection of health, finance ...

Trailblazers with Garry: a conversation with Axel Pries 10.02.2026 24min

"Trailblazers with Garry" is a series from Global Health Matters, where host Garry Aslanyan sits down with trailblazers — thinkers, leaders and influencers shaping the future of global health — for short face-to-face conversations, available in both audio and video formats. It’s a chance to get to know the people behind the work and hear their perspectives on the current global health landscape. For this episode, Garry sat down with Axel Pries during the World Health Summit in Berlin in Octob...

Building the brain economy 27.01.2026 44min

Brain health influences whether people can live productive and meaningful lives and whether the economies of countries can thrive. In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan is joined by two pioneers who advocate not only for brain health, but also for brain capital and the brain economy. George Vredenburg is the founding chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, a global public-private initiative focusing on linking and scaling Alzheimer's and brain health research and delivery systems worl...

Trailblazers with Garry: a conversation with John Gyapong 13.01.2026 40min

“Trailblazers with Garry" is a series from Global Health Matters, where host Garry Aslanyan sits down with trailblazers — thinkers, leaders, and influencers shaping the future of global health — for short face-to-face conversations, available in both audio and video formats. It’s a chance to get to know the people behind the work and hear their perspectives on the current global health landscape. For this episode, Garry visited Professor John Gyapong at the African Research Universities...

Dialogues: a conversation with Alex Brewis on stigma, empathy and equity 09.12.2025 43min

Dialogues is a series from the Global Health Matters podcast where we bring you interviews featuring fresh perspectives on global health issues. The goal of each Dialogues episode is to break through the echo chambers that exist in global health through in-depth, thoughtful conversations. In this episode of Dialogues, we take a deeper look at stigma and how often unconsciously we as global health professionals may be perpetuating it. Host Garry Aslanyan is joined by Alex Brewis, R...

Encore - Global health career paths: learn, mentor, practice, repeat 25.11.2025 35min

Global Health Matters is the monthly podcast from TDR, please subscribe. GHMs brings you topical subjects and insightful discussions with health experts from across the globe, including a focus on low-to middle-income countries. Are you a professional looking to progress further or perhaps a global health student at the early stage of your career? There are so many routes to get into a career in global health, so this podcast episode discussion is with two career professionals sharin...

Bridging the Knowledge Divide 11.11.2025 46min

In partnership with the World Health Summit for an episode recorded live at this year’s meeting in Berlin, host Garry Aslanyan sat down with Monica Bharel, Clinical Lead of Public Sector at Google, and Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of the Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance. Global health knowledge sharing is rapidly evolving due to advances in technologies, increased data availability, stronger community engagement and the rise of voices beyond traditional institutions. Joy and Monica shared...