Everybody Hates Me: Let's Talk About Stigma

Dr.  Susan Sherman is a Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Her work focuses on improving the health of marginalized populations, particularly that of people who use drugs and sex workers. Dr. Sherman is interested in the structural drivers of health and risk. You can learn more about the Sparc Center that she co-founded, and find out more about her research here.

Susan discusses stigma toward drug use, sex work, and homelessness. She talks about the connectedness between us, the work it takes to stay alive while living in poverty, and the power of empathy.  Susan describes the importance of looking people in the eye and acknowledging one another's humanity. We discuss how people can pay it forward to be part of the solution.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Dr. Dani Barrington is a Lecturer in the School of Population and Global Health at The University of Western Australia and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is also a Visiting Lecturer in Water, Sanitation and Health within the School of Civil Engineering at The University of Leeds and an Honorary Fellow within the School of Public Health at The University of Queensland. You can follow her on Twitter and learn more about her research.

In this podcast Dr. Barrington shares the importance of recognizing the harms that stigma regarding toileting, incontinence and menstruation have on wellbeing and social participation. She also discusses the ways that these forms of stigma are shaped by access to water and soap, gender norms, and social expectations regulating what are considered 'normal' body functions. Dr. Barrington urges people to start conversations about menstruation, incontinence, and inequitable access to water and sanitation in order to start breaking down the stigma.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Dr. Andrea Gruneir is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta. She is an epidemiologist and her research focuses on the health care needs of older adults, in particular as related to the use of home and long-term care services. Find more about her research here and you can follow her on Twitter here. Jim Mann was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in February 2007 at the age of 58. Since that time, he has been active in the community breaking down stereotypes and assumptions about people living with a diagnosis of dementia by volunteering in the community, collaborating with research projects and through his writing as a published author. In recognition of his advocacy efforts toward the rights of people with lived experience of dementia, UBC  announced Jim is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He also received the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award.

We talk about the stigma surrounding aging, and toward dementia and Alzheimer's more specifically. Andrea and Jim describe how stigma harms people experiencing dementia, as well  as their families, and prevents people from accessing healthcare and social support. We discuss the importance of people making the time to learn more about dementia and Alzheimers, and to listen to more stories and narratives to recognize and support people's full humanity.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Trevor Stratton is a 55-year old, two-spirit citizen of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation near Toronto, Canada with mixed English and Ojibwe heritage. Diagnosed with HIV in 1990, he is now the Coordinator for the International Indigenous Working Group on HIV & AIDS (IIWGHA) for its host organization, the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN). Trevor is the President of the Board of 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations in Toronto. He is also the Interim CEO of the International Indigenous HIV & AIDS Community (IIHAC).

In this podcast Trevor talks about racism, classism, drug-related and HIV-related stigma and discrimination that present barriers to healthcare. Trevor talks about stigma as the biggest barrier to the global HIV pandemic, including criminalization of people with HIV, sex work, drug use, and LGBT persons. We also discuss stereotypes and overt racism experienced by Indigenous peoples and the intersection with other forms of stigma. Trevor also explains the importance of understanding Indigenous worldviews, including equity and kinship, where solutions to stigma lie. He also urges listeners to learn about and implement the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada Recommendations.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Dr. Yohann White is a Family Physician and Workplace Wellness Consultant. Born in St. Ann and raised on Jamaica’s North Coast town of Ocho Rios, Yohann’s career has spanned academia, industry and public service. Yohann is Medical Director and Chief Innovation Officer at Para Caribe Consulting. He received his medical training at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in disorders of the immune system from Kagoshima University, Japan. He studied vaccines research at Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, and holds the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene from the Royal College of Physicians of London. Dr. White worked on developing new vaccines at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Maryland, USA. Find more of his research here and you can follow him on Twitter.

We discuss Dr. White's experience working in the field of HIV, and the intersection of HIV stigma with LGBT stigma in Jamaica. He also talks about shadeism, and the importance of recognizing and challenging not only stigma when it happens, but also privilege.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Matthew Bonn is the program coordinator of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, national board member with the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and is a knowledge translator for the Dr. Peters Centre. Matt was one of the cofounders of HaliFIX Overdose Prevention Society which implemented Atlantic Canada’s first Overdose Prevention Site. Matt is also a freelance writer with By Lines in Filter-Magazine, CATIE, The Coast and The Conversation. He contributes to our understanding of the opioid epidemic, overdose prevention, and  decriminalizing drugs.  Follow him on Twitter here. Find more of his work and art here:
Slowly Dying Part 1
Already Feel Dead
RDS VS A Story of Justice and Race
and What's for Lunch can be found here

We talk about the harms of stigmatizing people who use drugs, and how widespread and blatant stigma is, from co-workers, families and the healthcare system. We talk about the intersection of stigma toward drug use and other health issues, such as Hepatitis C and HIV, and social identities. Matthew shares the problems created by criminalizing drug use, and the possibilities that are created when people who use drugs are treated with respect, support, and humanity.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Dr. Kyle Ganson is an Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. His research focuses primarily on eating disorders and muscle-enhancing behaviors among the under-served and under-researched male population. You can learn more about Kyle's research here and find him on Twitter here.

We talk about stigma and how it both contributes to the development of eating disorders, and works as a barrier to accessing eating disorder treatment. We also discuss how this stigma is exacerbated for boys and men, as eating disorders are seen as a women's issue, as are mental health issues more broadly. Kyle also discusses his research on muscle enhancing practices and how social ideals of body types are tied with stigma. 

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

Dr. Julia Marcus, PhD, MPH is an infectious disease epidemiologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and Adjunct Faculty at The Fenway Institute. Her research focuses on improving the implementation of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent new HIV infections and promote sexual health. In addition to her research, Dr. Marcus has contributed timely op-eds on current events, including a series of articles in The Atlantic on public health communication during the coronavirus pandemic. You can follow her on Twitter and learn more about her research.

We talk about the blame, shame and judgment underlying COVID-19 stigma, and how it harms prevention initiatives. We also discuss the danger in focusing on individual risk practices rather than the responsibilities of larger social and institutional structures. Dr. Marcus encourages us take action (and create heat) for positive social change.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

On this episode, Dr. Travis and I co-host to interview Dr. Lori Ross. Dr. Lori Ross is an Associate Professor in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences Division of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and Affiliate Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. She is the leader of the Re:searching for LGBTQ Health Team. Dr. Travis Salway is an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, and works in collaboration with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, the Community Based Research Centre and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity. You can find Lori and Travis on Twitter.

We talk about stigma targeting bisexual and non-monosexual people that results in lack of support from both heterosexual as well as gay and lesbian communities. We also discuss the ways that stigma can render bisexuality invisible-even though bisexual persons make up the largest sexual minority group.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.

We have two podcast guests on this episode of stigma and im/migration. Dr. Shira Goldenberg is an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and Director of Research Education at the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity. Her research focuses on sexual and reproductive health among im/migrant and refugee women, and the impact of laws and policies on sex workers’ health, safety and human rights. You can find her research here, Shira's twitter here and the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity here. Stefanie Machado is a Research Associate at the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity and a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Stefanie’s doctoral research focuses on intersectional determinants of im/migrant women’s sexual and reproductive health access during COVID-19 and beyond.

On this podcast we discuss the intersection of xenophobia, racism, COVID-19 stigma, and sex work stigma with stigma targeting im/migrants. Structural change, societal change, and individual change are needed to recognize dignity, rights and shared humanity to challenge im/migration stigma. We talk about learning from Black Lives Matter, migrant justice and rights work, defunding the police, sex worker rights movement, and standing up against harassment.

Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.