Public Health Epidemiology Conversations

Episodes

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  PHEC 470: Naming What We Mean, With Jacquelyn Dalton, MPH 18.08.2026 38m

  When organizations begin quietly moving away from the words "health equity," what happens to the work itself? Jacquelyn Dalton, MPH, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Projects at Health Leads, joins Dr. Huntley to talk about why naming the work matters. They explore community-based work, workforce challenges, housing instability, relationship-centered leadership, and what it takes to sustain health equity efforts when the language around them is changing. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 469: Preparing For The Worst Day, With Gabby Hadly, MPH 11.08.2026 38m

  A white powder incident tied to a local election. A measles outbreak unfolding at the same time. For Gabby Hadly, MPH, that was one week on the job, not an outlier. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Gabby, who leads public health emergency preparedness and response for Snohomish County, Washington, just north of Seattle. Their conversation moves from Gabby's personal path into public health to the daily realities of protecting nearly 860,000 residents from the emergencies no one wants to imagine.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 468: South Carolina's Hidden Pharmacy, With Kahlia Aposhian And Jessica Gaine 04.08.2026 29m

  Across South Carolina, thousands of uninsured residents are managing chronic conditions and recovering from hospital stays without the safety net most people take for granted. For many, the gap between needing medication and being able to afford it can mean the difference between stability and crisis. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Kahlia Aposhian and Jessica Gaines of Welvista. They talk about a resource that has been quietly serving this exact gap for years, a free statewide mail-order pharmacy most people have never heard of, even though it might be saving lives in their own community. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 467: Three Fields, One Mission 28.07.2026 36m

  Public health rarely looks the way people expect. It shows up in a hospital pharmacy trying to help a patient afford insulin. It shows up on a highway where a transportation safety lead is tracking who gets left out of the data. It shows up in a Nigerian medical school, where a young physician starts asking bigger questions about mental health policy. In this episode, Dr. Huntley brings together three professionals with three very different lenses for one conversation about a shared mission.       Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 466: Measles, Coalitions, And The Southeast, With Scott Thorpe 21.07.2026 28m

  South Carolina recently experienced the largest measles outbreak in modern American history, and for Dr. Huntley, who lives and works in the state, this wasn't a distant headline. It was a story unfolding in her own backyard. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Scott Thorpe, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership, to unpack what actually happened in Spartanburg and what helped bring the outbreak under control. They also talk about why the real work is only beginning now that the crisis has passed. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 465: A Different Kind Of Advocate, With Kasie Whitener, PhD 14.07.2026 40m

  What does the national debt have to do with your health? More than most people think. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Kasie Whitener, a radio host, business professor, entrepreneur, and the current Libertarian Party nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. Dr. Whitener brings a perspective that is rarely heard in public health spaces, and this conversation is all the better for it. Dr. Whitener is not a career politician. She is a researcher, an educator, and a community builder who sees public health as deeply connected to the fiscal decisions made at the federal level. Her motivation is straightforward: every policy issue, at its core, is a funding issue. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 464: Winning the War on HIV, With Marco Benjamin 07.07.2026 40m

  What does it look like when lived experience becomes a public health career? In this episode of the PHEC Podcast, Dr. Huntley sits down with Marco Benjamin, Director of Public Health at the Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative in South Carolina, for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring and urgent. Marco has been living with HIV for more than 20 years, and rather than letting that diagnosis define him in a limiting way, he channeled it into decades of advocacy, innovation, and community-centered work. This conversation explores what it actually takes to reach communities that have been overlooked, undereducated, and underserved on issues of sexual health and HIV. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 463: Let Me Reintroduce Myself 30.06.2026 28m

  After several weeks of travel, reflection, and intentional rest, Dr. Charlotte Huntley returns with a deeply personal episode to reconnect with listeners and share what's ahead. If you've recently discovered the podcast or you've been listening since the beginning, this episode is an opportunity to get to know the person behind the microphone. Dr. Huntley shares how her work as an epidemiologist, entrepreneur, consultant, podcast host, and soon-to-be author all connect around one purpose: helping public health professionals create meaningful impact. She also opens up about navigating grief, the importance of slowing down, the joy her grandchildren bring into her life, and why building community has become one of the most meaningful parts of her work. You'll also hear exciting updates about her upcoming book, a memorable conversation with Kamala Harris, the continued growth of the Public Health Epidemiology Conversations Community, and how each of these experiences reinforces her commitment to advancing public health leadership. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 462: Public Health Is Leadership 23.06.2026 37m

  Ask ten public health professionals to explain their work without using jargon, and you will get ten completely different answers. That is exactly the kind of honest, grounding conversation Dr. Huntley set out to have in this panel episode. What emerged was something more than a communication exercise. It was a compelling case for why explaining public health in plain language is itself an act of leadership. In this episode, Dr. Huntley brings together three rising voices in the field to explore one of the most practical questions in public health: how do we make people care about something they do not fully understand yet?    Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 461: Created For Right Now, With Nandi Marshall, DrPH, MPH 16.06.2026 42m

  What does it look like to lead the nation's oldest and largest public health organization during one of the most turbulent moments the field has ever faced? Dr. Nandi A. Marshall, current president of the American Public Health Association (APHA), has a clear answer, and she delivers it everywhere she goes: you are here for a reason, and this moment needs you. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Marshall for a wide-ranging conversation that covers personal origin stories, public health advocacy, maternal and child health, workforce encouragement, and the future of the field. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 460: From Newsroom to Policy, With Zack Stoycoff, MPA 09.06.2026 31m

  What does a journalist watching a mother scream for her child outside a burning building have to do with mental health policy? For Zack Stoycoff, MPA, everything. That early morning moment on a street corner in Oklahoma planted a seed that eventually grew into one of the state's most impactful mental health advocacy organizations. In this episode of the PHEC podcast, Dr. Huntley sits down with Zack Stoycoff, founder and executive director of the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, a mental health policy think tank based in Oklahoma. Their conversation covers his journey from breaking news reporter to healthcare lobbyist to policy entrepreneur, and what it actually takes to move the needle on mental health outcomes at the state and community level.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 459: How to Tell Better Stories, With Sally Perkins, PhD 02.06.2026 36m

  What if the most powerful tool in your public health toolkit isn't a dataset or a policy brief? What if it's a story? In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Sally Perkins, PhD, a storytelling expert who has spent years teaching healthcare and public health professionals how to communicate in ways that actually move people to act. From persuading vaccine-hesitant patients to presenting population-level data to legislators, Dr. Perkins brings practical, field-tested frameworks to a challenge that nearly every public health professional faces: bridging the gap between what we know and what our audiences understand.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 458: Plain Language, Real Power 26.05.2026 35m

  It is one of the most important questions in the field right now, and one of the hardest to answer. Public health professionals know the work inside and out, but translating it for friends, neighbors, and policymakers? That is where many of us get stuck. In this episode, Dr. Huntley is joined by two leaders from Sisters in Public Health, a national organization advancing women in the public health field. Together, they explore one of the most pressing challenges of this moment: how do we explain public health in plain language, and why does it matter so much right now? The conversation is grounded, practical, and genuinely energizing. Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 457: The Work Doesn't Wait, With Claude A. Jacob, DrPH, MPH 19.05.2026 31m

  What does it take to lead one of the largest local health departments in the country when funding is disappearing, misinformation is spreading, and measles outbreaks are making headlines? In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Claude A. Jacob, Public Health Director of the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, for a candid, energizing conversation about resilience, cross-sector collaboration, and what it truly means to protect 2.1 million residents in the middle of a storm. Dr. Jacob and Dr. Huntley both share a deep commitment to communicating the value of public health in ways that resonate with everyday people. From understanding how zip codes shape life expectancy to explaining why kids need to be vaccinated, both agree that telling the public health story more effectively is one of the field's most urgent priorities right now.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting    
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  PHEC 456: Health Is The Village, With Vanessa Guzman, MS 12.05.2026 31m

  What happens when you stop chasing the terminology and commit fully to the work itself? In this episode of the PHEC Podcast, Dr. Huntley welcomes back Vanessa Guzman, biomedical engineer, CEO and president of SmartRise Health, and co-founder of Ella Es Health, for a candid catch-up conversation nearly two and a half years in the making. This is not a surface-level update. It is a rich, honest conversation about what it takes to build health-centered organizations that can withstand political shifts, funding uncertainty, and a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 455: No Longer Silent, With Elizabeth Soda, MD 05.05.2026 34m

  What does it take to break your silence in the middle of a public health crisis? For Dr. Elizabeth Soda, the answer came on an ordinary August afternoon when a gunman opened fire on CDC headquarters. She had left the campus just 30 minutes before the shooting began. That moment, she says, changed everything. In this episode, Dr. Huntley sits down with Elizabeth Soda, MD, an infectious disease physician and former CDC epidemiologist who resigned from the agency in September 2025 after more than a decade of landmark public health work. Elizabeth speaks openly about what life inside CDC felt like and how dramatically that changed, the personal and professional reckoning that led to her resignation, and how she is channeling grief, anger, and passion into advocacy on a global stage.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 454: One Question, Many Voices Live From the Field 28.04.2026 32m

  Episode 454 is unlike anything we've done before and you won't want to miss it. For the first time in PHEC Podcast history, Dr. Huntley took the mic on the road, setting up a live recording booth at a South Carolina public health conference and asking one powerful question: What is public health? What happened next was unexpected. People lined up to answer. From students and researchers to government leaders and community advocates, professionals from across South Carolina stepped up to share their stories, perspectives, and real-world examples of what public health truly means. The result is an inspiring, high-energy episode filled with authentic voices from the field. This episode is more than a conversation, it's a reminder of why public health matters and why learning to explain it in plain language is one of the most powerful tools we have. If you've ever struggled to answer the question, "So… what exactly do you do?"—this episode is for you.     Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes    ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting  
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  PHEC 453: Public Health Is Political, With Susan Polan, PhD 21.04.2026 35m

  In this episode of Public Health Epidemiology Conversations, Dr. Huntley sits down with Susan Polan, PhD, Associate Executive Director for Public Affairs and Advocacy at the American Public Health Association, for an inside look at what it means to fight for public health in today's political climate. From managing six simultaneous lawsuits, a historic moment for APHA, to navigating federal policy battles and protecting critical public health funding, Dr. Polan shares the realities of advocacy at the national level. She also discusses the growing need for public health professionals to step beyond research and into policy conversations that shape real-world outcomes. The conversation highlights APHA's Policy Action Institute, a training experience designed to help public health professionals translate science into messages that resonate with lawmakers and communities alike. Most importantly, Dr. Polan offers a powerful reminder: your voice matters more than you think. Every call, email, and conversation with policymakers counts and public health professionals have the expertise needed to influence the decisions that impact communities every day. If you've ever wondered how policy change really happens, and where you fit into the process, this episode offers both clarity and a call to action.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 452: Closing the Gap in Chicago, With Dr. Olusimbo "Simbo" Ige 14.04.2026 39m

  In this powerful episode of Public Health Epidemiology Conversations, Dr. Huntley speaks with Chicago's first Black woman health commissioner, Dr. Olusimbo "Simbo" Ige, about tackling one of the nation's most alarming health disparities. When Black residents in Chicago were dying 15 years earlier than their neighbors, Dr. Ige stepped into leadership determined to change the trajectory. Drawing on decades of experience across Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and New York City, she shares how global public health lessons are shaping bold, community-centered strategies in Chicago today. From a 38% reduction in opioid deaths to early signs that the city's life expectancy gap is finally narrowing, Dr. Ige offers a candid look at what it takes to drive meaningful change in complex systems. She also speaks openly about the deeper barrier to progress. Not a lack of data, but a divide in values around who deserves public investment. Along the way, she and Dr. Huntley explore the importance of plain language, trusted community messengers, and storytelling as essential tools for effective public health leadership. This conversation is both inspiring and grounding for anyone committed to improving health equity.   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting
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  PHEC 451: Simplifying AI for Public Health, With Kumba Sennaar, PhD 07.04.2026 32m

  What happens when a lifelong storyteller turns her focus to artificial intelligence and public health communication? In this episode of Public Health Epidemiology Conversations, Dr. Huntley sits down with Dr. Kumba Sennaar, a health researcher, AI ethicist, and communication strategist whose work has been recognized by institutions like the National Academy of Medicine and the World Economic Forum. From early interests in health advocacy to leading HIV/AIDS policy work with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Kumba shares how her journey through science, policy, and communication shaped her unique perspective on today's biggest challenges. The conversation explores why public health often struggles to tell its own story, how audience-centered communication can transform impact, and what it will take for the field to engage thoughtfully with artificial intelligence. If you've been unsure whether AI is a threat, a tool, or something in between, this episode offers a grounded and practical framework for thinking about privacy, trust, and the future of data in public health. Kumba also leaves listeners with a timely reminder for anyone feeling discouraged in the field: reconnect with your "why."   Resources ▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community ▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes ▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting