Explore Global Health with Rob Murphy, MD

What if the people best positioned to save lives aren't always healthcare professionals? Dr. Wagaki Gicheru shares how she helped Kenya train more than 11,000 motorcycle taxi drivers as first responders, her journey from anesthesiology to medical education, and her work advancing simulation and digital learning. She also discusses her partnership with Northwestern University and why global health often begins by addressing needs in your own community.

Neurological disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the world, yet many people in low and middle income countries have never had access to a neurologist. In this episode, Farrah Mateen, MD, PhD, the director of the new Center for Global Neurology at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health, talks about her career path to medicine and her passion for expanding access to neurological care worldwide.

Tracing a trajectory from her medical education in China through a masters degree and PhD in Japan and a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, Lifang Hou, MD, PhD, has cultivated an international career which now includes spearheading global cancer prevention initiatives that span from Africa to South America. In this episode, she discusses her career journey and how her work in genetics, epigenetics, and early cancer detection is helping bring affordable screening and prevention strategies to underserved communities around the world.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special bonus episode of Explore Global Health features Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., MD, MPH, Ph, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in conversation with Rob Murphy, MD. The discussion explores what it takes to build resilient health systems in an increasingly complex global landscape, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolving role of primary health care, and the importance of regional collaboration, governance, and trust. Barbosa also shares insights on the future of global health, including the growing role of artificial intelligence and advice for the next generation entering the field.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special bonus episode of Explore Global Health features physicist and former NOAA satellite director Stephen Volz, PhD, whose career spans NASA, Earth observation, and global environmental science. He explains how satellite data and Earth system science are transforming our understanding of planetary health—and why that matters for human health outcomes worldwide. From the "triple planetary crisis" to the critical role of finance, Volz explores how environmental data, global collaboration, and local action must come together to build a sustainable and healthier future.

The new Center for Global Pediatric Health, an initiative between the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, is building a global community committed to improving the health of children worldwide. In this episode, Drs. Colleen Fant and Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, co-directors of the new center, discuss their goals for the center, their own journeys in global pediatric health as well as emerging trends and challenges in pediatric care worldwide.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special episode of Explore Global Health features Tracy Rabin, MD (Yale University) and James Hudspeth, MD (Boston University) about the future of global health education. They explore the importance of truly bidirectional partnerships, the policy barriers that limit international clinicians from training in the U.S., and what institutions can do now to create more equitable, impactful collaborations.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special episode of Explore Global Health features Joaquin Barnoya, Md, PhD, Guatemala's Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance. They explore the future of global health, the critical role of primary care. Barnoya also shares insights from his journey from academia to leadership—and advice for the next generation of global health professionals.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special episode of Explore Global Health features Solange Baptiste, Executive Director, ITPC Global and explores how AI can either advance equity or deepen existing disparities and why community leadership must remain at the center.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special episode of Explore Global Health explores what lies ahead for the future of global health at a critical moment in time. Dr. Rob Murphy sits down with CUGH Executive Director Keith Martin, MD, to discuss the challenges shaping the field—from funding cuts and geopolitical conflict to climate-driven health threats—and the reasons for optimism, including a new generation of leaders committed to collaboration and impact. This episode offers a front-row seat to the conversations defining the future of global health—and a call to action for those ready to shape it.