New podcast, 'Public Health Behind the Scenes,' launched this fall

I am pleased to share our new podcast Public Health Behind the Scenes –a collaboration of the Gillings Global Gateway? and the N.C. Institute for Public Health (NCIPH), both housed in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Public Health Behind the Scenes offers a front-row seat into the exciting field of public health. So often, public health stories go untold, but this podcast offers listeners the opportunity to meet public health heroes and learn how they are making a difference in the world.

The Colllaboration

The podcast was the inspiration of Naya Villarreal, MPH, program coordinator for the Gillings Global Gateway, and Jessica Southwell, MPH, research associate at NCIPH. Their units are collaborating on the production of the series.

“People don’t always understand what public health is and how much a part of everyone’s daily life it is. The podcast is a way of introducing the discipline through storytelling.” ~Naya Villarreal

 “We don’t tend to really notice the importance and impact of public health until something big occurs – like an outbreak or other public health emergency. We’re hoping this podcast can take listeners into the work of our students, faculty staff and partners by telling the untold stories of how public health affects us all, in ways both big and small.”  ~Jessica Southwell

Our Stories

The first installment, called “The Moment,” features interviews with students and members of the Gillings School faculty and staff who describe how they came to be interested in public health careers. From Gillings School Dean Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, to alumni and students currently enrolled in degree programs, interviewees talk about sometimes circuitous routes that brought them to public health and about the ways they want to make a difference, locally and globally, in people’s health and well-being.

 “Hearing is indeed seeing with the mind’s eye. These stories help us ‘see’ the impact being made on important issues not only by our colleagues at the Gillings School, but also by partners across disciplines as we work together to make a difference in this field. I look forward to ‘seeing’ upcoming podcasts!” ~Jim Herrington, PhD, executive director of the Gillings Global Gateway. 

We envision a regular 10- to 12-minute monthly podcast for now, with shorter interviews available as time and content allow. The next two planned episodes will examine the European refugee crisis, describing the plight of the migrants and the work of public health professionals working behind the scenes.

Get Involved!

We invite you to submit your ideas for future productions at publichealthpodcast.com (“Feedback” tab).