Explore Global Health Podcast
with Dr. Rob Murphy, MD
Examine the world of global health through the voices of the experts.
From remote clinics in Africa to laboratories at Northwestern University, there is a community of people around the world who are passionate about understanding and improving global health. On the Explore Global Health podcast you will meet these people, hear their stories and gain a deeper understanding of what is needed to achieve equitable and sustainable healthcare and lower the risk of disease around the world.
Hosted by Dr. Rob Murphy, Executive Director of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Havey Institute for Global Health, episodes will spotlight the inspiring narratives and ideas of individuals who are dedicated to making a positive impact on global health.
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Featured Episodes
Transforming Global Health Through Wireless Technology with John A. Rogers
In this episode, John A. Rogers, PhD, a pioneering material scientist and founder of stretchable bioelectronics, discusses his career and groundbreaking work on wireless health monitoring systems, which are now being used in low-and-middle income countries to improve maternal and fetal health and surgical recovery.
Aging with HIV: Challenges, Research, and Future Directions in Global Health with Theresia Ambrose Ottaru, MD, PhD
In this episode, Theresia Ambrose Ottaru, MD, PhD, a rising star in global health research and a physician and epidemiologist at Muhimbili University in Tanzania, explains the complexities of managing HIV alongside other comorbidities, especially in aging populations, and highlights the successes and ongoing challenges of HIV programs in Tanzania. She also explains how a Global Health Research Catalyzer Award from the Havey Institute helped her create a cohort in Tanzania to study the intersection of aging, HIV and comorbidities.
Improving Global Adolescent HIV Care with Robert Garofalo, MD
Robert Garofalo, MD, is well-known for his expertise on pediatric HIV prevention and care and sexual and gender minority health, but global health research was not on his radar until about a decade ago when a series of events sparked a passion for global health that is thriving today. In this episode, Garofalo shares his journey into the field and how his current global health projects in Nigeria are helping to engage young sexual and gender minority populations in HIV care and prevention.
Global Health Leadership and Communicable and Emerging Infectious Diseases with Claudia Hawkins, MD
In this episode Dr. Murphy talks with Claudia Hawkins, MD, Director of the Center for Global Communicable and Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health. She shares her career path from a medical student in the UK to her impactful work in infectious diseases and global health at Northwestern University which includes groundbreaking HIV and Hepatitis co-infection research.
Building Bidirectional Global Health Partnerships in South Africa with Hester Klopper, PhD
In this episode, Dr. Rob Murphy welcomes Dr. Hester Klopper, Deputy-Vice Chancellor of Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The two discuss the new Stellenbosch University/Northwestern University Global Health Knowledge Hub (SUNU Hub) which has been designed to unite the universities, broaden their scope of expertise and discovery and offer more opportunities for international collaborations between students, trainees, staff and faculty. They discuss this innovative project and talk about Dr. Klopper’s career in global health and facilitating major international collaborations such as the SUNU Hub.
Implementation Science in Global Health with Patti Gravitt, PhD
Patti Gravitt, PhD, began her life-long career dedicated to global human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer research and prevention from a young age. Most recently, she has shifted her research focus to advocating for implementation science and systems approaches to tackle global cervical cancer health disparities. Gravitt is trained as a molecular epidemiologist, implementation scientist, and currently is the Senior Advisor of Populations and System Sciences at the National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health. In this episode, Gravitt discusses her career path in global health, her cervical cancer research, and how implementation science research can help achieve global health equity in cancer.
Humanitarian and Global Surgery with Kathryn Chu, MD
As a first-generation Chinese-American, whose parents left China during the communist revolution, Kathryn Chu, MD knew early on in life that being raised in an upper middle class family in the Midwestern United States was “an accident of birth.” This knowledge propelled her into a career in global health, specifically humanitarian and global surgery. Now, as the Director of the Centre for Global Surgery at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Chu is dedicated to shaping a world with equitable access to quality surgical care for all. In this episode, Chu details her career path to global health and her goals for the future.
Balancing a Career in Global Health with Shannon Galvin, MD
In this episode of Explore Global Health, Dr. Rob Murphy talks with Dr. Shannon Galvin, an infectious disease specialist and HIV researcher who was recently named the Director of Global Clinical Outreach at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health. She shares valuable insight into how to balance personal and professional happiness and how she uses her experience to better understand the needs of Northwestern’s clinical partners around the world and harness human capital within the university to help solve problems in global health.
Leading Sustainable Global Health with Robert J. Havey, MD
Northwestern Medicine primary care physician Robert J. Havey, MD, has always been motivated by patient relationships. As he advanced in his career, these relationships shaped his approach to the future of global health. As both the namesake of the recently endowed Havey Institute for Global Health and deputy director for the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care, Havey shares insight on ensuring the longevity of global health efforts for generations to come.
Diversifying the Field of Global Surgery with Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH
Forging a career in global surgery was not on the radar for Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH while growing up in a poor area of Lagos, Nigeria. But after immigrating to Chicago in childhood, she was drawn to biology and political science in school and decided to pursue a career in the field. In this episode, Lumati, now an assistant professor of Surgical Oncology, talks about the progress she's made bridging the gap between clinical medicine and healthcare policy in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, where she works to improve access to cancer care.
Trailblazing a Path in Global Health with Lisa R. Hirschhorn, MD, MPH
In this episode, Lisa Hirschhorn, MD, MPH, talks about her trailblazing career filled with challenges and opportunities that led her to become Director of the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care at the Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Shaping Ethical Global Health Education with Ashti Doobay-Persaud, MD
Ashti Doobay-Persaud, MD, dreamed of a career in global health before she knew what to call it. Although she knew the general career path she wanted to follow, she struggled to find training opportunities specific to global health. Now an international leader in global health education, Doobay-Persaud has been building the global health training she wishes she could have had. At Northwestern, she founded the Master’s in Global Health and McGaw Global Health Clinical Scholars programs.
Lessons Learned from Pandemics with Carlos del Rio, MD
Carlos del Rio, MD, didn’t set out to launch a career in global health, but while training to be a cardiologist in the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic took hold and forever changed the way he approached medicine and his career. In this episode, Dr. del Rio talks with Dr. Murphy about his path from medical school in his home country of Mexico, to his many leadership positions in global health and at Emory University School of Medicine. He also explains how the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics offer many lessons for the next generation of people interested in global health.
Combating Global Cancer Burden Attributed to Infections with Robert Breiman, MD
Robert Breiman, MD, FIDSA, FASTMH, is an internationally known researcher whose career in global health, infectious diseases, and epidemiology has taken him around the world and into many leadership roles within the Centers for Disease Control. Today, he is combining his many skills and interests to address the growing cancer burden in Africa, by establishing the Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Implementation Science in Global Health with Nadia Sam-Agudu, MD
In this episode, Nadia Sam-Agudu, MD, Director of the Global Pediatrics Program at the University of Minnesota Medical School, talks about her career as a physician-scientist in global health. From a childhood in Ghana that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine to becoming a driving force in the field of implementation science in global health, Sam-Agudu talks about her unique journey and what inspires her work.
The Path to Global Neurosurgery with Sandi Lam, MD, MBA
Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, is a Lurie Children’s world renowned specialist in the areas of epilepsy surgery and neurovascular surgery and a leader in building capacity for a sustainable program to elevate pediatric epilepsy care in Uganda. But her path into medicine and global health wasn’t linear. In this episode, Lam talks about how a career in sales with a technology startup led her down the path she is on today and how she is working to change global pediatric epilepsy care through collaboration and innovation.
Transforming Healthcare in Rwanda with Agnes Binagwaho, MD, PhD
Agnes Binagwaho, MD, PhD, is a Rwandan pediatrician and former Minister of Health of Rwanda. She was recently recognized and celebrated with an Honorary Doctor of Science from Northwestern University for her work in building an equitable health system in the years after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In this episode, she talks about her path in medicine and as a leader in global health and what led her to this moment in her career.
An Anthropologist's Career in Global Health with Sera Young, PhD
During a research experience in Mali, West Africa her junior year of college, Sera Young, PhD, then a budding anthropologist, realized the importance of biomedical global health research. In this episode, Young shares her career journey and explains why it's important to be able to shift gears when needed, to ensure your research is asking the right questions and having the greatest impact.
Proximity Matters in Global Health with Hema Magge, MD
From a young age, Hema Magge, MD, knew she wanted to make an impact on the lives of children and families. Today, Magge is a Senior Program Officer, Maternal, Newborn, & Child Health for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this episode, she describes her career journey thus far and why she says proximity to the people you serve matters in global health pursuits.
Investigating Long Covid in Africa and South America with Gina Perez-Giraldo, MD
With expertise in treating and studying people with Long COVID syndrome, Gina Perez-Giraldo, MD, joins Dr. Murphy to talk about how she is extending this work into low- and-middle income countries in Africa and South America, where there has been very little investigation into Long COVID.
Carving a Niche in Global Health with Satish Gopal, MD, MPH
Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute, joins Dr. Murphy to discuss his path into global health, the impactful niche of cancer care and research in Malawi, embarking on this career path with his family, and offers career advice for students and trainees interested in making a difference in global health.
Improving Global Health Across Disciplines
Dr. Keith Martin, founding executive director of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), talks with Dr. Murphy about his career in medicine and politics and why he thinks reforming academia can help solve some of the great challenges facing our world today.
How to Make Global Health News
Brian Simpson and Dayna Kerecman Myers of Global Health Now join Dr. Murphy to share practical advice for global health students, faculty, and researchers on how to work with journalists to bring their research and global health insights to a wider audience.
Global Health Work in Tanzania with Precious Akanyirige
Precious Akanyirige, MD, MPH, is interested in using implementation science and capacity-building to provide more accessible, high-quality care, both in the U.S. and internationally. In this episode, she talks about her very recent experience in Africa and why she chooses to pursue global health experiences.
Improving Global Access to Neurosurgery
Roxanna Garcia, MD, MPH, talks about the state of global neurosurgery, her time as a Fogarty Global Health Training Program fellow, working on projects related to neurosurgery and her goals for advancing not only neurosurgical care, but neurointensive care, internationally.
How New COVID Testing Technology Can Improve Global Health
Sally McFall, PhD, co-developer of DASH, joins Rob Murphy, MD, to discuss the details of this homegrown technology. McFall is a research professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern Engineering and director of the Research Center for Innovation and Global Health Technologies at Northwestern.
Infectious Disease Control in Nigeria
Sade Ogunsola, FAS, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos in Nigeria and Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos, joins Dr. Murphy to discuss innovative programs and systems in Nigeria that have proven to be effective in preventing and controlling infectious diseases such as HIV, Ebola and COVID-19.
Population Aging and Global Health
June McKoy, MD, MPH a Northwestern Medicine Geriatric Medicine Specialist, joins Dr. Rob Murphy on this episode to talk about this phenomenon and what students and trainees need to know to address the needs of older people here in the U.S. and around the world.
Getting to Know Our Host
Robert Murphy, MD is a physician, professor, mentor and host of this podcast, but how did he find his way to medicine, becoming an expert in global health along the way? In this episode, we turn the tables on Dr. Murphy to find out more about his background and career.
Global Health Research During Medical School
Maya Jackson-Gibson, a Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine medical student, reflects on her travels to Africa as a Fogarty Global Health fellow and what it takes to balance medical school and global health research.
A Career in Global Cardiovascular Health
Mark Huffman, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Global Health Center at Washington University, shares highlights from his career in working in global health and details projects he has led to bring affordable cardiovascular disease prevention to low to medium-income countries.