Public Health Insight

It has been one year since Public Health Insight launched a podcast in March of 2020. We are excited to celebrate the milestone with our followers in 1500 cities in more than 100 countries who have supported us along the way. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we take a walk down memory lane and recap some standout moments from our most popular guests in 2020.  Who was your favo...

The Socioecological Model has been widely adopted in public health, and an understanding of this framework is essential for becoming an effective public health advocate and practitioner. This model can also provide insight into the reasons why public health issues such as COVID-19 disproportionately affect some populations. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we bring the convers...

The socio-ecological model (SEM) is a theory-based framework derived from the ecological systems theory initially developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner in the 1970’s in an attempt to understand human development in the fields of sociology and psychology. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we shift our discussion to highlight how this model can be applied to public health practice, us...

It is often believed that people are in control of their own actions, behaviours, and ultimately their health status, but what if it’s not that simple. What if someone wants to eat healthier but the nearest grocery store is 30 minutes away, they don’t have a car, their area does not have reliable public transportation, and if buying fast food is cheaper to feed their family. The Ottawa Charter def...

Public Health and Preventative Medicine (PHPM) is the branch of medicine concerned with the health of populations, rather than focusing on individual people as patients. In this episode (part 2 of 2) of the Public Health Insight Podcast, Dr. Yipeng Ge, a PHPM resident, talks about why he decided to pursue this specialty amongst the many others. He also shares his thoughts about the role of this pa...

Typically when people think of medical doctors, they often picture family physicians, pediatricians, or surgeons. However, there is one specialty that is often overlooked - public health and preventative medicine (PHPM). The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of this specialty and has brought them to the forefront of public discussion. In this episode (part 1 of 2) of the Public H...

Recent news about emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has left many concerned about the social consequences, global impacts, and whether vaccines will be rendered ineffective against COVID-19. In this episode of the Public Health Insight, we examine the potential impacts on vaccine development, distribution, administration, and the understated implications of low-income countries being...

Ever since COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30th, 2020 and subsequently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11th, 2020, a topic that quickly followed was the speed at which the virus was mutating. The reality is that mutations are a normal part of the life cycle in microorganisms and infectious agents such a...

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) impact almost 2 billion people worldwide, with a disproportionate burden in impoverished communities. While these diseases are considered “neglected” for a variety of reasons, there are some passionate and knowledgeable professionals working to eliminate these diseases which drastically impact the quality of life of many individuals. Dr. Alison Krentel and Manees...

If you found out that there was a set of diseases that affected one in five people around the world and disproportionately affected those living in extreme poverty - maybe you would guess it was due to the big three communicable diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, or maybe you would think of noncommunicable diseases like cancer. The reality is you may not have even heard of them becaus...

Imagine walking down to your local convenience store on an average day. You want to buy your favourite ice-cold can of Coca Cola but you notice that it costs 20% more. Do you still buy it? Maybe you do or maybe you don’t. You later find out that these taxes were imposed by the government to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks. How would you feel about that? Join us on the Public Health Insight...

Stroke Thrombectomy, also known as Mechanical Thrombectomy, is a new highly effective time-sensitive medical intervention that has demonstrated the potential to reverse paralysis from a stroke in over 60% of patients. Dr. Dileep Yavagal, a world-leading interventional stroke neurologist and Chair of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN), joins the Public Health Insight Podcas...

More than 13.5 million people around the world experience a stroke each year, resulting in over 5 million deaths.  As the fourth leading cause of death, it is important that public health continue focusing on health promotion, while healthcare focuses on medical interventions. Dr. Dileep Yavagal, a world renowned Interventional Stroke Neurologist, joins the Public Health Insight Podcast to discuss...

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, fellow Western University Master of Public Health (MPH) Alumni, Samantha Yang and Janel Dhooma join the Public Health Insight Podcast for a friendly light-hearted conversation about our evolving understanding of public health. In this episode, we reflect on our journeys into public health from different backgrounds, lessons learned from our early careers, disco...

Structural racism in education, the socioeconomic system, the justice system, and the healthcare system has been shown to widen health disparities, often disproportionately impacting Black communities. Dami, Danielle, and Lwam remain with the Public Health Insight Podcast for part 2 of our discussion highlighting key findings from a collaborative Anti-Black Racism report. In this episode, we apply...

Recent events of high profile cases of unarmed black men and women dying at the hands of police has reopened wounds of historical traumas experienced by many black communities. This frequent and ongoing occurrence highlights the need to move beyond selective outrage to create more sustained action. With this in mind, Public Health Insight is committed to collaborating with other organizations and...

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that usually occurs at the same time every year in a seasonal pattern. Though the most common and familiar type of SAD occurs in the fall/winter months, a less common form of SAD affects people during the spring and summer months. The Public Health Insight Podcast delves deeper into the signs and symptoms, potential causes, public health si...

Tim Davis is an educator, mental health advocate, coach, and author of the book titled ‘ TRIPOLAR: The Story of A Bipolar Triathlete ’. In the previous episode featuring part one of two in our two-part mini-series on lived experience, Tim shared his story of childhood trauma and grief, substance use, and the mental health challenges he faced following the tragic passing of his father. He remains w...

In previous Public Health Insight Podcast episodes, you may have learned about opioids, harm reduction, safe consumption sites, and the broader social determinants of health that have population-level impacts. In part 1 of this mini-series, Tim Davis, author of TRIPOLAR: The Story of A Bipolar Triathlete , joins the podcast to share his lived experience with childhood trauma, substance use and add...

According to LivingWorks , a global suicide prevention organization, we are more likely to come in contact with someone in need of suicide intervention than we are to come in contact with someone needing CPR. Why do you think there is less emphasis on suicide prevention and intervention skills compared to other negative health outcomes, from a societal perspective? The Public Health Insight Podcas...

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, claiming the lives of more than 800,000 people each year. September is designated as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in many jurisdictions across the world, however, it often does not receive the attention and urgency it deserves. The Public Health Insight Podcast discusses the importance of raising awareness of suicide and intentional se...

November is Fall Prevention Month in Canada. In Canada, almost 150,000 people, aged 65 and older, were hospitalized for injuries between 2017 and 2018. The majority of injuries were caused by falls, and every year, it is estimated 1 in 3 seniors aged 65 years and older are likely to fall at least once. Falls are a result of a combination of multiple risk factors and therefore requires a multi-pron...

The World Health Organization defines a fall as “an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground,  floor or other lower level.” Fall-related injuries may be fatal or non-fatal, however, most are non-fatal, but may still result in significant injury or disability. Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, second only to road traffic i...

In the United States, older adults over the age of 65 currently represent 16% of the population, and this is expected to increase to 25% by the year 2060. Globally, there were 703 million people over the age of 65 years in 2019 and the total number of older persons is projected to more than double to 1.5 billion in 2050. This reality highlights the need for an ‘Age-Friendly’ society that meets the...

3.5 million Canadians are considered primary caregivers for someone living with dementia. These caregivers are often unpaid and rarely receive formal support, leading to high rates of burnout and other negative health outcomes. Rishawn Dindial and Praja Vaikuntharajan share their knowledge with the Public Health Insight Podcast about the burden experienced by dementia caregivers and how healthcare...