Can We End Epidemics?

The Power of Prevention

Health promotion and disease prevention are critical tools needed to eliminate epidemics, yet prevention remains under-resourced and insufficiently prioritized. How can we push prevention up the policy and political agenda so it is a more critical part of primary health care? In this episode, host Henry Bonsu joins Shereen El Feki, a renowned sexpert and the former regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at UNAIDS [https://www.unaids.org/en], and Randevyn Piérre, a regional director in external affairs for ViiV Healthcare [https://viivhealthcare.com/], to explore what targeted prevention looks like for those leading the charge to avert HIV transmission, including partnering with community-led responses. Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/

Reaching New Heights

What does it take to deliver health impact at scale? For the world to reach its ambitious U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, innovation must be accelerated. In this episode, host Henry Bonsu joins Mercy Mwangangi, the director of health systems strengthening at Amref Health Africa, and Fiona Smith-Laittan, the vice president of strategy and operations at GSK [https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/]’s global health division. They discuss how we can build, strengthen, and future-proof resilient health systems for the 21st century to improve public health and eliminate infectious disease by 2030 and beyond. Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/

Banking on Progress

The global economy is in a state of uncertainty as governments around the world cut budgets and introduce belt-tightening austerity measures. Progress is more urgent now than ever for people living with and affected by infectious diseases. Fully funding innovative options to test, prevent, and treat infectious diseases, as well as research and development exploring cures, is critical. In this episode, host Henry Bonsu brings together Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund [https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/], Ricardo Baptista Leite, a former member of Portugal’s parliament and CEO for HealthAI — The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health [https://www.healthai.agency/], and Helen McDowell, the head of government affairs and global public health at ViiV Healthcare [https://viivhealthcare.com/], to ask how national health systems and the international community might provide dependable, long-term funding to end infectious disease epidemics. Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/

The Promising Science?

To deliver the choice in quality care that people deserve, expanding the pipeline of options required to diagnose, test, prevent, treat, and eventually cure HIV and end the AIDS epidemic is critical. Host Henry Bonsu is joined by AVAC [https://avac.org/]’s Executive Director Mitchell Warren and Dr. Kimberly Smith, Senior VP and Head of Research and Development ViiV Healthcare [https://viivhealthcare.com/] to discuss advances in HIV and infectious disease science including for sexual and reproductive health more broadly, we learn more about what promises the future might offer and what are some of the pitfalls we need to overcome? Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/

Dismantling Disparities

It’s not just infectious diseases that drive epidemics and pandemics; health inequalities can seriously stymie any progress. In this episode of Can We End Epidemics? host Henry Bonsu joins Oni Blackstock, a primary care and HIV physician and founder of the group Health Justice [https://www.healthjustice.co/], Amanita Calderón-Cifuentes, an HIV research and advocacy officer for Transgender Europe [https://tgeu.org/], and Annemiek de Ruiter, ViiV Healthcare’s [https://viivhealthcare.com/] vice president and head of global medical sciences, to ask how poverty, racism, homophobia, transphobia, stigma, and all forms of discrimination, including criminalization, drive inadequate access to testing, prevention, treatment, and care, fueling epidemics. They discuss how policymakers, innovators, and community pioneers could address disparities by improving access to information, education, services, innovation, and health technologies for people and communities. Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/