In the latest installment of our podcast, we delve into a critical discussion surrounding health equity and community outreach with two distinguished public health leaders. Dr. John Licorish, a Public Health Consultant in Brent, joins forces with Dr. Adeola Agbebiyi, the Assistant Director of Public Health in Newham, to unpack the complexities of identifying and engaging communities often labeled as ‘hard to reach’ who are more accurately described as 'underserved'.

The Newham Health Equity Programme (NHEP) Health Equity Toolkit has been built to support service commissioners, designers and providers to analyse how equitable a service is.

At the launch, the team from Newham introduced their ‘four steps to improving equity’ model, which helps individuals, teams, and organisations through the processes needed to understand health inequalities and implement effective service improvements. 

This model combines the activity and thinking from other change frameworks, including quality improvement methods used by the NHS, but makes this even easier to understand and follow. 

If you’d like to learn more about the Does It Look Like Newham (DILLN) and ART Framework tools, more details can be found on their website at https://www.wellnewham.org.uk/advice/newham-health-equity-toolkit

In this episode, Dr. Sandra Husbands, Director of Public Health for the City of London and Hackney, hosts Dr. Adeola Agbebiyi, Assistant Director of Public Health in Newham, as they discuss Dr. Adeola's diverse career journey from film censorship to public health. 

They delve into her work on Newham Health Equity Programme, tackling structural racism, and implementing the ART framework to reduce healthcare disparities. 

Dr. Adeola emphasizes the importance of culturally competent public health services, community engagement, and innovative approaches to improve health outcomes for marginalized populations. 

The conversation also explores behavior change frameworks and how implementation science can bridge the gap between national health policies and local health needs, ultimately leading to more equitable and effective health interventions.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:18 Career Journey and Public Health

04:34 Public Health and Behavioral Science

10:12 Newham Health Equity Programme

16:17 Challenges in Public Health Services

20:28 ART Framework and Service Design

25:58 Diabetes Remission and Public Health Messaging

39:42 ADPH London Public Health Network

46:46 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode Dr Sandra Husbands, Director of Public Health of City and Hackney, interviews Dr. Will Maimaris, Director of Public Health in Haringey. The discussion covers Dr. Maimaris' journey into public health, his experiences and challenges in leadership, Public Health's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts in anti-racism and tackling inequality, and the specifics of his cardiovascular disease prevention work in North Central London.

In this episode, host Lee Pinkerton welcomes three distinguished guests from the public health sector to discuss the unique health inequalities faced by Eastern European communities in the UK. 

Tetiana Teslenko, a paediatrician and neonatologist from Ukraine shares her work on childhood health and vaccination awareness among Ukrainian refugees. 

Galina Nguekam , a public health advanced practitioner working in Barking & Dagenham, outlines the efforts of the NHS and local councils to engage Eastern European communities through culturally sensitive outreach and vaccination steering groups. 

Diana Divajeva, a Lithuanian-born Public Health Intelligence Lead based in Hackney, explains the importance of data-driven decision-making and the challenges of overcoming misinformation and distrust in health services.

An interview with Professor Winston Morgan, Professor of Toxicology, Equity and Inclusive Practice at the University of East London.

Confronting Racism: Health Inequities, Sickle Cell Challenges, and Academic Gatekeeping

In this compelling episode of the Public Health Tackling Racism and Inequality Program podcast, host Lee Pinkerton engages with Professor Winston Morgan from the University of East London. They delve into the impacts of racism on public health and academic careers, discussing the ADPH London position statement and exploring strategies to combat systemic barriers.

The conversation touches on the psychological and physiological effects of racism, such as chronic stress contributing to premature aging and disease vulnerability. Highlighting new advancements, the episode also covers promising gene therapy for sickle cell disease and addresses the biases and training gaps in healthcare that affect treatment quality. Throughout, the importance of increasing diversity among healthcare professionals and understanding the broader societal factors influencing health disparities are emphasized.

00:00 Introduction to the Public Health Tackling Racism and Inequality Program

00:33 Themes for Action Development

01:01 Podcast Series Overview

01:43 Guest Introduction: Professor Winston Morgan

02:32 Professor Morgan's Academic Journey

03:06 Challenges in Academia

08:47 Supporting Students and Overcoming Barriers

11:47 Research on Racism and Public Health

15:44 The Impact of Discrimination on Health

17:12 Understanding the John Henryism Effect

18:34 Exploring Sickle Cell Research

20:43 Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell

24:04 Challenges in Sickle Cell Treatment

28:51 Genetic Diversity and Health Inequalities

31:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts