"Trailblazers with Garry" is a new series from Global Health Matters, where host Dr 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.

In this Trailblazers episode, Garry sits down with Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, to talk about the future of public health education, learning health systems and the core competencies tomorrow’s leaders will need to make an impact on public health.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.

In 2021, the World Health Organization made a historic recommendation: to widely use the first ever malaria vaccine, RTS,S. This recommendation was based on evidence generated from a pilot vaccine implementation programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019. This is an excellent example of how evidence based on implementation research tells us whether health interventions, such as vaccines, will be effective in real life, after clinical trials show its efficacy and safety. In this episode, Margaret Gyapong of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana shares her first-hand experiences and learnings from the malaria vaccine pilot. Lee Hampton of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also tells us how implementation research has played a key role in the success of health programmes for diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid and more.

Host Garry Aslanyan speaks with the following guests:

Margaret Gyapong: Director, Institute for Health Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana 

Lee Hampton: Vaccine preventable disease surveillance and vaccine safety focal point at
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Switzerland

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

The CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO creative commons licence allows users to freely copy, reproduce, reprint, distribute, translate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided TDR is acknowledged as the source and adapted material is issued under the same licensing terms using the following suggested citation: Global Health Matters. Geneva: TDR; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters. 

What are the colonial legacies in global health? And what impact have they had on how some health and health research programmes are run in Africa? In this episode, we speak to two visionary women leaders who tell us what’s wrong in global health and give concrete steps toward more equitable and inclusive partnerships. 

Host Garry Aslanyan speaks with the following guests:

• Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Center in Kenya
• Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

The CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO creative commons licence allows users to freely copy, reproduce, reprint, distribute, translate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided TDR is acknowledged as the source and adapted material is issued under the same licensing terms using the following suggested citation: Global Health Matters. Geneva: TDR; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters. 

Substance use is a global public health challenge, affecting Northern and Southern countries alike. Yet strategies for managing it have varied widely. In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan speaks with Kwame McKenzie, a practicing psychiatrist and CEO of the Wellesley Institute. He's also Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada. Together they unpack how language shapes policy, explore the impact of the pandemic on substance use and discuss lessons from different national approaches to addressing this complex issue.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.  

This episode features three renowned communicators of science who work to inform, educate and inspire the public about health issues. Microbiologist Natalia Pasternak has become one of the leading communicators of science in Brazil and internationally. As founder of Instituto Questão de Ciência, she offers advice on how others can set up science communication institutes in their countries.  Imogen Foulkes reflects upon how scientists can better communicate their research to the public, given her experience as a journalist with the BBC News and SWI swissinfo.ch based in Geneva. And Sonia Lowman of International Medical Corps highlights the power of film to connect audiences to global health issues and create a vision for the way forward.

Host Garry Aslanyan speaks with the following guests:

• Natalia Pasternak – Founder, Instituto Questão de Ciência in Brazil
• Imogen Foulkes - Geneva correspondent, BBC News and SWI swissinfo.ch
• Sonia Lowman -  Filmmaker and Senior Communications Specialist, International Medial Corps

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

The CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO creative commons licence allows users to freely copy, reproduce, reprint, distribute, translate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided TDR is acknowledged as the source and adapted material is issued under the same licensing terms using the following suggested citation: Global Health Matters. Geneva: TDR; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.

In this episode of Dialogues, host Garry Aslanyan speaks with Joanne Liu, a Canadian pediatric emergency doctor and former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). She is currently a professor at McGill University School of Population and Global Health, where she leads research on pandemic preparedness and emergency response. In this conversation, she speaks about her new book, "Ebola, Bombs, and Migrants." It's a powerful reflection on her leadership journey, and what it really means to demonstrate global solidarity for those most vulnerable. 

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.

"Trailblazers with Garry" is a new series from Global Health Matters, where host Dr 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.

Step inside the Wellcome Trust in London with our next trailblazer, the newly appointed CEO John-Arne Røttingen — former head of CEPI and Norway’s Ambassador for Global Health — traces his leadership journey and vision for the foundation. He explains why bolder citizen-scientist partnerships are crucial to navigating the global-health funding crunch ahead.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.

Whether you watched "2001: A Space Odyssey" movie or have recently experimented with ChatGPT, it's impossible to ignore the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in our daily lives. AI is often praised for its potential to transform healthcare. Yet how it will truly revolutionize the field remains unclear. In this episode, host Dr Garry Aslanyan speaks with two experts at the forefront of AI's integration into national health systems. Alexandre Chiavegatto Filho, Professor of machine learning in health at the University of São Paolo, has been leading efforts to develop AI models tailored to Brazil's unique healthcare landscape. Jiho Cha, member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and Chairperson of the AI Future Strategy Special Committee, brings insights into the policy and strategy shaping AI's role in healthcare.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.  

In this episode of Dialogues, host Garry Aslanyan speaks with Chikwe Ihekweazu, Assistant Director General at the World Health Organization (WHO) and acting Regional Director for the WHO Regional Office for Africa, and his wife, Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch. The conversation centers on their latest book, An Imperfect Storm: A Pandemic and the Coming of Age of a Nigerian Institution.  Chikwe discusses his personal journey in establishing the Nigerian Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria as well as how they as a couple balance personal life with demanding work during challenging times.

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.  

From a global challenge to the Maasai steppe of Tanzania
Most climate change predictions show an upward trend in temperature for at least the next nine decades. Rural communities whose health and livelihoods depend on the environment are more vulnerable to climate change. In recent years, persistent droughts have made Maasai communities in northern Tanzania vulnerable to sleeping sickness, a disease spread by the tsetse fly. Paul Gwakisa of Sokoine University has dedicated his research to helping the Maasai people better understand and prevent outbreaks of sleeping sickness in their communities. Pierre Quiblier of the UN Environment Programme also speaks about global efforts to better tackle climate change through an integrated “One Health” approach that brings together sectors such as agriculture, health and the environment.

Host Garry Aslanyan is joined by the following guests:

Paul Gwakisa,
Professor of Immunology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania

Pierre Quiblier
Programme Officer, Chemicals and Health Branch, United Nations Environment Programme

Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:

• @TDRnews on X
• TDR on LinkedIn
• @ghm_podcast on Instagram
• @ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky

 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.