The Global Health Histories Podcast
The Global Health Histories Podcast
Podcast Description
The Global Health Histories podcast series seeks to enhance understanding of the historical context of health challenges facing the word today. The podcasts bring historians of international and global health into conversation with medical researchers and policymakers, examining the cultural, economic, political, and social contexts which shaped past health interventions. Each podcast examines a specific case study of contemporary relevance, addressing not only medical research and the prevention or amelioration of disease and debility, but also health-related policy and diplomacy. The series’ aim is to highlight the potential of historical research to aid national and global medical communities in responding to, and communicating about, the challenges of the present in order to shape a healthier future.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The series emphasizes themes such as global health policy, historical case studies of disease control, and cultural influences on health interventions, with episodes like the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control examining tobacco regulation's historical impact and contemporary relevance.
The Global Health Histories podcast series seeks to enhance understanding of the historical context of health challenges facing the word today. The podcasts bring historians of international and global health into conversation with medical researchers and policymakers, examining the cultural, economic, political, and social contexts which shaped past health interventions. Each podcast examines a specific case study of contemporary relevance, addressing not only medical research and the prevention or amelioration of disease and debility, but also health-related policy and diplomacy. The series’ aim is to highlight the potential of historical research to aid national and global medical communities in responding to, and communicating about, the challenges of the present in order to shape a healthier future.
The seventh episode of The Global Health Histories Podcast, hosted by Shane Doyle (Professor of African History and Co-Director of the Centre for Global Heath Histories at the University of Leeds), focuses on faith-based organisations’ response to pandemics. The podcast features interviews with four individuals who were nominated by the WHO Faith Network:
Professor Emma Tomalin, Professor of Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds, currently researching on Faith-Based Organisations and pandemic preparedness;
Monsignor Robert Vitillo, Caritas Internationalis special advisor on HIV/AIDS, and Senior Advisor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development;
Reverend Christiana Sutton-Koroma, a key figure in interfaith efforts to control Sierra Leone’s 2014-16 Ebola epidemic;
and Rehanah Sadiq, Senior Muslim Chaplain within the UK’s National Health Service, former advisor to the World Health Organisation on the adaptation of Islamic burial practices in pandemic contexts.
While these interviews demonstrate that the roles played by faith communities during health emergencies have been diverse, a number of topics recur. Some defining characteristics of faith-based interventions have been constant over the centuries: a focus on dying with dignity, on supporting the families of the very sick, and on addressing societal trauma during periods of crisis. Other themes have developed in significance during recent pandemics: a recognition that faith leaders are ideally placed to counter medical misinformation and loss of trust; a willingness to direct moral advocacy towards issues of health inequity; and the development of close collaborative partnerships with Ministries of Health and United Nations Organisations.
Additional links
Centre for Global Health Histories
WHO Faith Network
https://cdcmuseum.org/exhibits/show/ebola/communicationandparticipation/faith-culture-tradition/faith-leaders
Sarah Hess, Sally Smith, and Shanmugapriya Umachandran, ‘Faith as a complex system: engaging with the faith sector for strengthened health emergency preparedness and response’, The Lancet Global Health, 2024; 12 (11): e1750-e1751
P. Lyons et al., ‘Engaging religious leaders to promote safe burial practices during the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak, Sierra Leone’, Bulletin of the World Health Organisation. 2021 Apr 1; 99 (4): 271-279.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.