Belonging in Public Health

Episodes

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  Robyn Stephenson 20.10.2026 42m

  To book a conversation with Robyn please visit: https://www.fph.org.uk/belonging-in-public-health/#anchor-fb9ffbc3-004e-4460-970b-56f1c165b585  In this episode, Robyn (she/they) shares: Her career transition from clinical medicine in Jamaica to public health – she recalls seeing patients with preventable conditions presenting in crisis, leading her to ask deeper questions about health and its determinants. She also talks about leading the decentralisation of a rural HIV treatment site in Jamaica as one of her first public health jobs.  The community initiatives she is passionate about – she co-founded Margin to Centre, an organisation helping health systems to better serve marginalised women and populations. She also serves as a director for Touch Grass, an outdoor community for queer women and trans people of color. Her perspectives on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – she considers EDI a vital component of public health and describes inclusion as a continuous process. Her advice to new practitioners and challenges to the field – she encourages new practitioners to seek out spaces that align with their core values; and challenges leaders to improve recruitment practices to foster true representation. How her identity has shaped her practice – as a queer, Black woman and post-colonial subject, she adopts a critical approach to the status quo. Key moments 03:29: Journey into Public Health 16:20: What Equality, diversity and inclusion means to me 21:26: Creating space for different voices 24:50: Moving from doing for to doing with: community participation 29:00: Who gets to decide who belongs 34:14: Belonging starts with representation 38:36: Identity, values and challenging the status quo Download the full transcript here: https://www.fph.org.uk/media/1a3bhvjn/robyn-stephenson-transcript-with-time-stamp-docx.pdf  Find out more about some of the topics discussed in this episode:  Margin 2 Centre Touch Grass From Margin to Center, Bell Hooks Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review) The Lancet series on racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and health If you would like to find out more about careers in public health, here are some useful websites: https://www.fph.org.uk/what-is-public-health/the-public-health-workforce/  What careers are there in public health?  https://champspublichealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FINAL-CHAMPS_Connect-Learn-Thrive-Pathway…  If you have any problems accessing this content or would like to send us feedback, please email news@fph.org.uk.  The views expressed in this podcast represent the views of the guest and not those of the host organisations.