Patterns & Meaning Podcast

In the final episode of this season of Patterns & Meaning, we spoke with Bongi Sibanda about how current funding models affect the provision of health services in communities served; addressing the persistent challenges of brain drain and health worker retention; and what it will take to foster true collaboration in global health.Bongi Sibanda is an international advanced practice leader and registered nurse in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. She currently leads Advanced Clinical Practic...

Research is critical in global health. It generates knowledge, grounds health interventions, and guides program design and policy development. We talked to Dr. Prisca Adejumo about how we can decolonize research in global health and ensure that researchers who are doing the work in their own communities are engaged in solving health challenges as experts. Dr. Prisca Adejumo, is the Head of the Department of Nursing at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and the Coordinator of the Pilot Can...

COVID-19 has underscored the importance of strengthening health systems globally. We talked to Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi about what it takes to build resilient health systems and the power of centering community experiences and knowledge systems to achieve health for all. Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Centre for Health Development and Research (CEHDAR) in Ghana. She is a midwife and nurse with over 31 years of experience in the country and aro...

In global health, communities served are often underrepresented or excluded from policy development and decision making processes. We talked to Margaret Phiri about what we must do to change this; how we can ensure that policies are people-centered, responsive, and supported; and lessons she has learned that can aid in our collective efforts to decolonize global health.Margaret Phiri is currently the Nursing and Midwifery Advisor for Seed Global Health, Malawi and a member of the World Health...

Global health programs are often designed far away from the communities where they are actually implemented. We talked to Irene Atuhairwe about the changes needed in program design, monitoring, and evaluation; building resilient health systems; and tangible steps that we can take to ensure that African health experts are actively involved in solving their communities’ challenges.Irene Atuhairwe holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in public health from Makerere Universit...

For decades, global health funding and partnership models have been shaped by unequal power dynamics that disenfranchise communities served. We talked to Angela Nguku about decolonizing global health funding, investing in and measuring what matters, creating equitable partnerships, and fostering a culture of accountability. Angela Nguku is the Founder and Executive Director of White Ribbon Alliance, Kenya. She is a passionate maternal, newborn, and adolescent health champion. Angela’s ca...

Women make up 70% of the health workforce and yet, only 25% hold senior roles. Further, global health leadership does not reflect the diversity of the communities being served. We talked to Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga about the visible and invisible systems that have created these imbalances, the impact of lack of diversity on health outcomes, how we can challenge these norms, and the transformational leadership needed to eliminate inequities in global health. Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga is th...

Global health is delivered by women and led by men. We talked to Anuli Isichei about how we can change this status quo, advance gender equity, foster accountability among partners, and cultivate change agents in global health.Anuli Isichei is currently the Program Manager at the Healthcare Leadership Academy where she also serves as a faculty member, mentor, and Partnership and Fundraising Lead. She is a registered nurse, who has won several awards, including being recognized in 2020 by WHO, ...

Inequitable power dynamics and colonial legacies continue to shape education and training of health professionals across Africa. We talked to Tembi Mugore about the urgent need to redesign nursing and midwifery curricula and training programs to be responsive to local health needs; adapt international competency standards to countries’ context; and equip nurses and midwives to lead within the health system.Stembile “Tembi” Mugore is currently the Senior Advisor for Health Sector Performance a...

In global health, the priority setting systems that have been created, the funding structures, and power dynamics have perpetuated inequities and left so many behind for so long. We sit down with Judy Khanyola to talk about the specific ways racism, colonialism, and neocolonialism influence global health; what we must do to dismantle the system; and how we can foster partnerships that are community-led, responsive, and truly deliver durable change. (This episode was recorded in November 2020 ...