Global Health Matters

Across more than four decades, HIV has driven some of the most remarkable scientific progress — and most powerful activism — that global health has ever seen. Today, ending AIDS is within reach. Yet funding is being cut and political priorities are shifting. As the response shifts from emergency footing toward long-term, chronic care, what risks are being left behind? In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan explores this question and more with two guests who bring deeply complementary perspectives. Magda Robalo is a public health physician and President and co-founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development, who has served as Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Health and as WHO Director of Communicable Diseases. And joining her is Marina Vergueiro, a Brazilian activist, filmmaker, poet and co-founder of LUSO+, the Lusophone Network of People Living with HIV, who has lived with HIV since 2012 and is one of Brazil's most outspoken voices for dignity and mental health in the HIV response.

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Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2026 Global Health Matters.

In this episode we explore the multifaceted history of global health and how the narratives borne out of colonization, geopolitical events, and national ownership of public health inform policy and practices today. Among the narratives is that of the World Health Organization, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. 
Host Garry Aslanyan navigates global health history with two guests. Sanjoy Bhattacharya considers the decolonization of global health and the democratic founding of WHO, which holds great promise for WHO’s future. Anne-Emanuelle Birn speaks about the evolution of global health and the rise of other key players that are shaping the health agenda. 
This is the first of our history matters episodes that we will bring to you during this season of Global Health Matters.
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

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Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2026 Global Health Matters.

Neste episódio, Garry se sentou para uma segunda conversa em português com Marcus Lacerda na sede da OMS, em Genebra. Marcus assumiu a direção do TDR em março de 2026, vindo da Fiocruz Amazônia e da Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, no Brasil. Médico infectologista e pesquisador em medicina tropical, ele tem uma trajetória que influenciou profundamente as estratégias de eliminação da malária e, de forma mais ampla, o campo da saúde global.
Nascido em Taguatinga, no entorno de Brasília, Marcus relembra os missionários católicos que o levaram pela primeira vez ao interior da Amazônia, compartilha suas percepções sobre a malária vivax como um “assassino social silencioso”, uma doença que não apenas tira vidas, mas também compromete o desenvolvimento cognitivo de crianças e reflete sobre o que será necessário para reduzir a distância entre inovação científica e impacto real na vida das pessoas.
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

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Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2026 Global Health Matters.

Can global health serve an increasingly fragmented world? That’s the question Garry Aslanyan asks co-hosts  Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite in the latest installment of “The Inside Track.” And this time, the trio is joined by special guest Tenu Avafia, Deputy Executive Director of Unitaid. Their conversation spans AI governance, geopolitics, and access to health. From the mismatch between how AI is built and who it's built for, to the normalization of hate eroding global solidarity, to the rise of regional institutions like Africa CDC and the African Medicines Agency — this episode maps a global health landscape genuinely at a crossroads. 
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

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 Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  
 
 All content © 2026 Global Health Matters.

"Trailblazers with Garry" is a series from Global Health Matters, where host Garry Aslanyan sits down with trailblazers — thinkers, leaders, and influencers shaping the future of global health — for short face-to-face conversations, available in both audio and video formats. It’s a chance to get to know the people behind the work and hear their perspectives on the current global health landscape.
 For this episode, Garry sat down with Marcus Lacerda at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Marcus joined TDR as Director in March 2026 from Fiocruz Amazônia and Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado in Brazil. He is a Brazilian infectious diseases physician and tropical medicine researcher whose work has profoundly influenced malaria elimination strategies and the broader field of global health. Born in Taguatinga, near Brasília, Brazil, Marcus reflects on the Catholic missionaries who first took him deep into the Amazon, his insights on vivax malaria as a silent social killer — a disease that not only takes lives but also robs children of learning abilities — and what it will take to close the gap between research innovation and real-world impact.
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter. 
 
Follow us for updates:
@TDRnews on X
TDR on LinkedIn
@ghm_podcast on Instagram
@ghm-podcast.bsky.social on Bluesky
 
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.  

All content © 2026 Global Health Matters.