A Shot in the Arm Podcast

Global Health Diplomats | Two weeks of Trump: Our Reaction Welcome to Global Health Diplomats, a special project of A Shot in the Arm Podcast, brought to you with the support of the John Martin Foundation. Host Ben Plumley joins Ambassador Eric Goosby to discuss the shocking recent announcements from the U.S. administration regarding foreign aid, global health funding, and the withdrawal from the...

Co-hosts Ben Plumley and Ambassador Eric Goosby press the case for continued major investments in biomedical innovation to treat, diagnose, prevent and ultimately cure HIV disease.  While excited by the potential of new medicines, there’s still no short term end to one of the most deadly epidemics of the modern era. A renewed strategic focus on balancing basic science with delivery and implementat...

In this first episode of 2025, A Shot in the Arm Podcast host Ben Plumley explores the major global health challenges and opportunities for the year ahead. He covers topics like politics in global health, innovations in HIV treatment, pandemic preparedness, and strategies for building trust in healthcare systems. Discussion Highlights: [00:00:00] Introduction Ben welcomes listeners to the new year...

A Shot in the Arm Podcast is proud to bring you another installment of Global Health Diplomats! In this compelling episode, co-hosts Ben Plumley and Eric Goosby dive deep into the future trajectory of the global HIV response. Following World AIDS Day, the discussion spans a 38,000-foot view of where the HIV epidemic stands, its critical challenges, and the evolving strategies needed for a sustaina...

Episode Title: World AIDS Day 2024: Human Rights In Action Against HIV Guests: Hon. Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, Deputy Minister Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, South Africa Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of the HIV and Health Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Description: In this powerful episode of A Shot in the Arm Podcast, host Ben Plumley dives deep into the intersec...

Episode Title: 2024 UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report: The Rights Way to End the Epidemic? Host: Ben Plumley, Global Health Strategist Guest: Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS Episode Summary: Welcome to A Shot in the Arm Podcast! In this first of a set of special World AIDS Day 2024 episodes, host Ben Plumley chats with Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS. They...

Title: Ebola, Bombs, and Migrants: A conversation with Dr. Joanne Liu Host: Ben Plumley Guest: Dr. Joanne Liu, Pediatric Emergency Physician and Former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Episode Summary: In this episode, Ben Plumley interviews Dr. Joanne Liu, a pediatric emergency physician from Montreal, Quebec, and former international president of Méde...

Ben Plumley sits down with Dr. Benjamin LaBrot to discuss innovation and equity in global health diagnostics, focusing on diagnostics' pivotal role in addressing HIV Disease. The conversation covers key themes in diagnostic integration, barriers in middle-income countries, and the critical role of diagnostics in disease prevention and management for other conditions as well, like hepatitis, and tu...

In this episode, Ben reflects on the recent US Presidential Election and its implications for democracy and global health. Key points discussed include: Democracy in Action: The election showcased the importance of daily democratic engagement in a divided country. Transition Team Priorities: The new administration must focus on health, including rebuilding trust in medical science, pandemic prepar...

In this special episode of the Global Health Diplomats, hosted by Ben Plumley and Professor Eric Goosby, the focus is on the upcoming US presidential election and its implications for global health diplomacy. The discussion covers the lack of attention to global health in the current election campaigns, the potential future of global health diplomacy under different administrations, and the critic...

We are Sharing The Mic again with Frontline AIDS to highlight the latest mpox outbreaks that have started in the Democratic Republic of Congo, spread to Burundi and beyond. From lack of access to accurate, updated information, diagnostics - and of course - vaccines, communities - particularly partners of Frontline AIDS - are calling out for urgent, concerted action from governments, and internatio...

At the end of September’s UN events fest at the UN in NY, Ben and friend of the pod, Wame Jallow, catch up and ask, was it worth it? Lots of talking, lots of walking, declarations on the future, on anti-microbial resistance, and a dizzying number of receptions sprinkled across Manhattan, did we really learn anything more than we’re facing trouble ahead? And don’t forget the MTV Shuga Prep Fairy! h...

Ben recently sat down with Dr. Petro Terblanche, the head of Afrigen, Africa’s first mRNA vaccine researcher and manufacturer. From the calamities of COVID-19 vaccine populism, the African public health community & its allies swore that never again would Africa be last in the line when it came to life saving pandemic vaccines, and Petro sets out how this can - and is - being achieved, notwithstand...

Jeff Sturchio catches up with friend of the pod, Dr. Meg Doherty, WHO’s Director of HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. It has been a busy week at the Munich AIDS Conference for the World Health Organization, and Jeff gets Meg to unpack their conference program, particularly the release global data on HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. 

With the #PUTPEOPLEFIRST being the call to action here at the International Aids Society Conference 2024, youth advocate Sinentlantla Gogela catches up with Y-isha Raphael about the work she has been doing at the conference, her views on the current state of youth activism and advocacy.  Sinentlantla Gogela is one of the current APHA CHAMPIONS based in South Africa, passionate about uplifting her...

Ben talks with Hatice Beton and Alan Donnelly about why the G20 established a new partnership on Health & Development in 2018, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the era of pandemics is radically transforming high-level political fora like this. Guests: Alan Donnelly - Executive Chairman Sovereign Sustainability And Development & Convenor of The G20 Health And Development Partnership Hat...

Jeff and Ben sit down with Heidi Larson from the Global Listening Project, reflecting on how the HIV movement influenced pandemic preparedness.

Yvette and Ben meet Gilead’s Dr. Moupali Das to discuss the latest clinical trial results for a new prevention technology that reduces HIV transmission by 100 percent in women. How did the research go and what plans does the company have to provide for the 100s of thousands of girls and women in need across Africa?

The first full day of #aids2024, sees Ben and Jeff reflecting on the some powerful presentations from the opening plenary - all while Yvette is off chairing sessions of her own. Then friend of the pod, Emily Bass joins Ben and Jeff to discuss the perilous state of the largest funder of HIV services - the US tax payer, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.  https://www.iasociety.o...

In the first episode from #aids2024, Yvette Raphael and Jeff Sturchio join Ben to highlight the scientific data they are excited about that will be presented this week, and take stock of the panoply of pre-conferences, satellite symposia and press conferences they’ve already been to - and the conference hasn’t even started! https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2024 https://www.unaids.org/en h...

We’ll be at AIDS2024 podcasting daily, and to give us a primer on what to expect, Ben is joined by infectious disease specialist, Ben LaBrot - on everything from the difference between epidemic control and elimination to how to get prevention and care services to communities hardly reached by conventional clinical services. This podcast is supported by Roche Molecular Diagnostics. https://www.iaso...

Since its ‘birth’ in 1994, Frontline AIDS has worked local communities best placed to carry the shared mission to end AIDS for everyone, everywhere. In this episode, we explore how this unique approach to localization has delivered effective community-led results from Kenya to Ukraine - and ask what the future holds for the partnership.  Panelists: David Clark, Head: Programmes, Frontline AIDS And...

Ben is joined by two friends of the pod, Christine Stegling, Deputy Director of UNAIDS, and Vuyiseka Dubula, Department Head, Community Rights & Gender at the Global Fund, to reflect on what this week’s developments at the WHA, mean for the global AIDS response, and why the lessons of HIV do not seem to have been learned in access to medicines and pandemics preparation. And that's a wrap from the...

Vanina Laurent-Ledru, the Director General of Foundation S, the philanthropic organization of Sanofi, joins Ben live on the podcast to chat about the impact of climate change on global health.

Ben sits down with Elisha Dunn-Georgiou from the Global Health Council to reflect on decisions made, agreements missed, and funding committed to at the 77th WHA in Geneva, Switzerland.