A Shot in the Arm Podcast

Some good news to report from Geneva - albeit from an independent cinema in downtown Geneva. The Medicines Patent Pool premiered a short documentary highlighting 10 years of 10 billion doses, and 24 million people on a new, transformational treatment regimen it helped coordinate with generics manufacturers and the originator pharmaceutical company. We tell the story, speaking with ViiV Healthcare...

Ben is joined by Katri Bertram, Berlin-based global health policy strategist, to reflect on yesterday’s WHA developments on international health regulations & the pandemics accord. She also challenges the global health community to accept that we don’t live in an era of never ending progress, but must address the stagnation, even regression in our impact on health outcomes. It’s a powerful and dir...

While the WHA grapples with pandemics preparation today, we go behind the headlines to chat with World Health Organization’s Dr. Teo Wi about a report on the dramatic rise of sexually transmitted diseases presented to the World Health Assembly later this week - and her refreshing, direct views on how to address the surprising causes driving these increases.  https://www.who.int/about/accountabilit...

Our first episode from the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva Switzerland, sees us introducing a new host, Jeff Sturchio, who walks Ben through the key issues to watch this week - top of the list are the precarious future of the pandemics treaty and the WHO’s first investment round. https://www.who.int/about/accountability/governance/world-health-assembly https://www.who.int/news/item/28-03-2024...

ViiV Healthcare is the world’s  only pharmaceutical company dedicated exclusively to HIV, and in this episode, Ben meets its CEO, Deborah Waterhouse, to explore the company’s approach to HIV R&D and commercial success - as well as the controversies its global access strategy has attracted for its new long acting injectables. Deborah and Ben find they have much in common beyond both being Brits gro...

This International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the mic with Frontline AIDS. Yvette Raphael reflects on the challenges and setbacks girls and women face around the world in 2024, in a hard hitting conversation with Frontline AIDS’ Yumnah Hattas, Toyin Chukwudozie Executive Director of Nigeria’s Education As A Vaccine, and Beirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Director of the Preclusion Project.  https://front...

In the next of our podcasts dedicated to the USA’s multibillion investment in the fight against AIDS, Ben and Yvette catch up with Emily Bass, author of To End A Plague - the definitive history of PEPFAR, to discuss how PEPFAR, the pride of US bipartisanship, has become yet another victim of congressional mischief-making. PEPFAR saves lives: it also reinforces US soft power abroad. So why would po...

Recorded in June 2023, Yvette Raphael and Ben Plumley catch up with Dr. Frank Mugisha, a leading Ugandan advocate at the forefront of the fight against the country’s persecution of the LGBTQ+ community. After the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill became law in Uganda, Frank explains the direct threats to the safety of the LGBTQ+ Ugandans and their supporters. He points to the outsize funding and infl...

The Global Listening Project has teamed up with the Global Health Diplomats and A Shot In The Arm Podcast, to bring you the release of the Project’s new 70 country 70,000 people study into how public trust in governments and health policies have been affected by COVID-19. It’s the first data set of this size to capture comprehensive information about people’s sense of preparedness for future crise...

In the first of an informal series of episodes looking at the PEPFAR & US global AIDS funding, Ben chats with Dr Anu Kumar, President & CEO of IPAS, on how the US Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe vs Wade has mobilized extremist neo-colonial efforts to reverse HIV, safe abortion services and global health programs particularly in sub Saharan Africa.  https://www.ipas.org https://www.state.gov/pepfar h...

Upcoming episodes of A Shot In The Arm and Global Health Diplomats podcasts are focusing on PEPFAR - the US multi-billion investment in helping countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, and saving tens of millions of lives. Its future funding is precarious, stalled in Congress - and we will explore the massive impact it has had, how it became the poster child for bipartisanship in Washington DC...

Japan’s collectivistic approach to society enabled its citizens to “pull together” through the COVID pandemic - but has it become complacent in the face of future crises? Ben caught up with Heidi Larson, the co-founder of the Global Listening Project in Tokyo, as she shared initial learnings from the Project’s 70 country opinion research study into societal preparedness with experts, as well as le...

Y-Isha Raphael asks three young Nigerian content creators from Lagos (who recently participated in a joint MTV Staying Alive Foundation and Global Listening Project digital media bootcamp) on how gender social norms are changing in a rapidly-evolving world of instagram and TikTok after COVID lockdowns.  Joining Y-Isha Raphael (@shesinprogress.sa) are Umura Nana, Richard Precious and Emmanuel Uche....

In a rare moment of navel-gazing, Ben catches up with friend of the pod Anto Neosoul - host of the Unlock Your Soul Podcast, and Nya Mona Muchemi - host of the hit podcast AfriWetu on how podcasting is democratizing content-creation, challenging harmful social attitudes and practices, and fighting back against misinformation that clutters too much of our digital feeds these days. Unlock Your Soul...

Y-Isha Raphael asks two young Kenyan content creators how gender social norms are changing in a rapidly-evolving world of instagram and TikTok after COVID lockdowns. And they ask the tough question: are men really still the providers in 21st century Kenya? Y-Isha Raphael @shesinprogress.sa Claudia naisabwa @Claudia_naisabwa Narayan mbugua @_na.rayan _ This podcast was recorded at Shujaaz as part o...

To coincide with World AIDS Day 2023, we’re sharing the mic with Frontline AIDS, and Ben is joined by Leora Pillay, Head of HIV Prevention Advocacy and two of its national partners, Dr Lilian Mwakyosi, co-founder of Dare For Progress in Tanzania and Simon Sikwese, Executive Director of Pakachere IHDC in Malawi to discuss newly published accountability reports demonstrating both how communities kee...

Southern African women are leading the digital media revolution for social change across the continent - from a celebrity, to an activist and a non profit leader. Stef Ndolvu (host of the Ndolvus Uncut), Yvette Raphael (podcast regular and Executive Director of Advocacy for Prevention of HIV and AIDS (APHA)) and Wame Jallow, the new head of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, share their stories wit...

In a feature-length episode, Y-Isha Raphael meets three young women from Lagos, Nigeria who reflect on their hopes and dreams - and how society’s social norms help - and hinder - them in achieving their goals. They explore everything from HIV to family planning, careers - and whether, when they have teenage kids of their own, they will be allowed to have cell phones and use social media! Joining Y...

New Yorkers experienced one of the earliest & most deadly urban outbreaks of COVID-19. How did the city cope and what learnings can we take to help societies prepare for future crises? Ben explores these, the Mpox outbreak and other questions with Professor Heidi Larson, Co-founder of the Global Listening Project, and Dr Ashwin Vasan, Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Health. https://g...

Recently-appointed new Executive Director of Frontline AIDS, Robin Gorna, and Cindy Kelemi, Executive Director of Bonela (Botswana Network on Ethics, Law & HIV/AIDS) meet up with Ben in New York to discuss the future of the global AIDS response, and the pressure on community based organizations to do more on the frontlines - with less resources. https://frontlineaids.org https://bonela.org https:/...

Ben got together recently at the UN with the representatives of Frontline AIDS’ community-based organization partners from Cambodia, Ukraine and Namibia to get a grip on why civil society groups are increasingly being excluded from international negotiations and high- level meetings, what we all need to do to rectify this situation - and how Frontline AIDS partners continue to be at the sharp end...

Have you had your seasonal flu vaccine? What about your updated COVID vaccine, or the new RSV vaccine? Ben chats with James Mansi from Moderna and Podcast regular, Yvette Raphael about the opportunities - and challenges - of protecting people with seasonal vaccines and building trust in the science behind those vaccines. Guests: James Mansi, Vice President, Medical Affairs USA, Moderna Yvette Raph...

On the road in Singapore with the Global Listening Project, Ben checks in with Heidi Larson and Leesa Lin as they share the first top-line results from the Project’s 70-country societal preparedness index with the Center For Trusted Internet & Community at the National University of Singapore. No subject is out of bounds - from perceptions on mRNA platforms, to differences between generations and...

Ben has a fascinating conversation with Dr. Kirk Scirto, author of the modestly titled “Doing Global Health Work” published by Hesperian on his lessons learned from a career of over 20 years sharing medical skills in service of local health services in 11 countries across 4 continents. Its a cracking read - and essential for those interested in meaningful careers in global health, checking our nor...

Jirair Ratevosian, a respected & well known figure in the field of global health, is running to succeed the Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff in California’s District 30. We explore his decision, the issues facing this Los Angeles community where Jirair grew up, the importance of his Armenian roots - and his thoughts on the funding cliff facing the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. If...