Public health leaders share their 2026 hopes and fears

Jonathan Van-Tam on his career, vaccines and pandemics

This month on Spread the Health, William sits down with Jonathan Van-Tam, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer and one of the most respected names in British public health. JVT talks about his career from academia through to his prominent role in the COVID-19 pandemic response, as well as all things vaccines and the importance of communicating health topics clearly with the public. This podcast discusses The Royal Society for Public Health’s new Commission on Access to Vaccines. This is a collaborative working project between the RSPH and Pfizer Ltd, which is funded by Pfizer and is non promotional. Pfizer will review associated materials for medical accuracy and to ensure regulatory compliance. If you would like to share your experience with access to vaccinations, answer our call for evidence [https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=QPwk3oRajE6VEJZJL6yckydyQLJhR15Luz0Mni4Jz9xUOVk5NVNFQ0NDRVpFQlo2RFYxOTU4RDk1Vi4u] to have your voice heard. Got a question for the podcast? Email podcast@rsph.org.uk [podcast@rsph.org.uk] and share your thoughts! Credits: Hosted by William Roberts Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma Music by Ceton via Pixabay. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Moving women's health up the agenda

This month on Spread the Health, William speaks to presenter and health expert Shakira Akabusi about women's health. They cover the challenges women face around maternity and menopause, the online health misinformation that targets women and how to spot it, as well as the new women's health strategy. Shakira is a presenter, speaker, writer, entrepreneur and leading voice in women’s health in the UK. She is currently a fitness expert for ITV’s Lorraine, and has worked across major broadcasters including BBC 5 Live, Channel 4 and Good Morning Britain. Hear more from Shakira on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shakira.akabusi] and her StrongLikeMum [https://www.stronglikemum.com/] platform. Got a question for the podcast? Email podcast@rsph.org.uk [podcast@rsph.org.uk] and share your thoughts! Credits: Hosted by William Roberts Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma Music by Ceton via Pixabay. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How Movember built a global men's health movement

Content warning: This episode features strong language throughout and references to suicide. On his recent trip to Australia, William took the opportunity to sit down with Travis Garone, founder of the men's health charity and annual event Movember, as well as Dr Jaelea Skehan, Movember's Men's Health Advisory Committee Global Chair and Director of the mental health charity Everymind. Over the course of the episode, we hear about Movember's history and brand, its contribution to global men's health strategies, as well as governmental and community-based approaches to suicide prevention. Got a question for the podcast? Email podcast@rsph.org.uk [podcast@rsph.org.uk] and share your thoughts! Credits: Hosted by William Roberts Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Kosma Music by Ceton via Pixabay. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Is AI a friend or foe to public health?

This week, we are tackling a subject which has developed so rapidly over the last few years that almost every sector has had to reckon with it in form or another. That subject is AI and large language models. To help shed light on what it means for public health, William is joined by Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London, and Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They cover the risks and rewards of the technology, the effects it will likely have on the workforce, and whether governments are prepared to manage and regulate a technology that has the potential to be so transformative – for better or worse. Find more information about our guests: Martin McKee's work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine [https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/mckee.martin] Follow Martin on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/martinmckee.bsky.social] Christina Pagel's Work at University College London [https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/4185-christina-pagel] Follow Christina on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/chrischirp.bsky.social] Got a question for the podcast? Email podcast@rsph.org.uk [podcast@rsph.org.uk] and share your thoughts! Credits: Hosted by William Roberts Produced by David Utley-Williams and Ben Kosma Recorded and edited by Ben Kosma Music by Ceton via Pixabay. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Public health leaders share their 2026 hopes and fears

With 2025 in the books and 2026 underway, William catches up with two leading figures in public health – Tracy Daszkiewicz, Faculty of Public Health President, and Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health – to discuss the wins of the previous 12 months and what to expect in the year to come. Got a question for the podcast? Email podcast@rsph.org.uk [podcast@rsph.org.uk] and share your thoughts! Credits: Hosted by William Roberts Produced by David Utley-Williams and Ben Kosma Recorded and edited by Ben Kosma Music by Ceton via Pixabay. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.