Global Health Matters

The Accra Reset comes at a pivotal moment for global development, as external financing declines and countries are being urged to take greater ownership of their development priorities and financing decisions. But does less aid necessarily lead to greater sovereignty—or simply leave countries with fewer resources? Recorded live at the World Health Summit in Berlin, this episode looked beyond health to explore what the Reset means for education, food systems, climate, debt, trade, technology and local manufacturing and how these interconnected areas shape countries’ ability to build resilient, self-determined systems. Host Garry Aslanyan and recurring pundits  Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite are joined by special guest Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. 
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.

Climate change is placing growing pressure on health systems around the world, but its impacts do not happen in isolation. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, climate risks intersect with water scarcity, conflict, instability and existing pressures on health services. How can health systems prepare for these challenges while continuing to meet the needs of communities today? And what will it take to move from identifying vulnerabilities to building systems that can adapt, respond and recover?
In this episode of Guiding Research, Amanda Quintana, climate and health technical specialist and researcher and co-chair of the Health Systems Global Thematic Working Group on Climate Resilient Sustainable Health Systems, speaks with Professor Mey Jurdi, Professor of Environmental Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut.
Together, they explore what climate resilience means for health systems across the MENA region and why climate change must be understood alongside the wider environmental, social and political context. The discussion highlights the importance of strengthening primary healthcare, managing resources effectively, engaging communities and ensuring that research is translated into policy and action. Professor Jurdi also reflects on why preparing for the future must begin today, stressing that sustainable change requires more than individual projects or short-term responses — it requires resilient institutions, coordinated action and long-term vision.
In this episode
Climate change and health systems in the MENA region
Climate-resilient and sustainable primary healthcare
Water scarcity, instability and interconnected health risks
Community engagement and effective resource management
Turning research and evidence into policy and action
This episode forms part of the Guiding Research podcast series, produced by Global Health Matters in collaboration with Health Systems Global (HSG). The series explores the themes of the Health Systems Research (HSR) 2026 Symposium and brings together leading voices in health policy and systems research.
* HSG’s involvement in the production of these podcast episodes was supported by IDRC.
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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.

Childhood cancer is one of the most treatable cancers — in wealthy countries, more than 80% of children survive. Yet in much of the world, a child's chances depend not on the disease but on where they are born. In parts of Nigeria, a child with cancer may have only a 30% chance of survival. So what stands between children and the survival we know is possible? What does it take to deliver quality cancer care in a fragile setting? And how can access be widened beyond the medicines themselves? In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan explores these questions with two guests who bring deeply complementary perspectives. Dr Khaled Ghanem is a pediatric oncologist and medical director of the largest pediatric oncology unit in Syria, run in partnership with the NGO BASMA, which has sustained care and achieved a 76% survival rate, through years of war, earthquakes, and a pandemic. And joining him is Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, a pediatrician, founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation in Nigeria, and president-elect of the Union for International Cancer Control, who works to bring earlier diagnosis and affordable care to children and families across northern Nigeria.
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.

Who gets to read the science, and who pays for it? Fresh back from summer (tans included),  Garry Aslanyan and co-hosts  Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite return for the fifth installment of The Inside Track. This time they're joined by special guest Ashley Farley, Senior Officer for Knowledge and Research Services in Global Health at the Gates Foundation, to dig into open access and the paywalls that keep research away from the people who need it most. They talk about why the Gates Foundation stopped paying article processing charges and the growth of Diamond Open Access. The pundits then pick apart Lithuania's controversial plan to send newly trained doctors to rural areas. They close with kudos for El Salvador eliminating trachoma, promising mRNA cancer vaccine results and the public health thinking behind Addis Ababa's makeover.
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 Priti Patnaik, an independent investigative journalist and the founding editor of Geneva Health Files — a reader-funded newsletter that tracks the power and politics of global health. Founded in 2020, Geneva Health Files reaches 7,000 readers in 150 countries and has multiple contributors. In this conversation, Priti explains why global health cannot be understood disease by disease, and how her trade and finance lens reveals the money and power behind health decisions.  There GHF newsletter can be found here. 
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

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Follow us for updates:
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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.