Global Health Matters

In this episode of Dialogues, we learn how courage can turn a hospital basement into a symbol of defiance. Host Garry Aslanyan is joined by Dr Amani Ballour, a Syrian paediatrician and the first female doctor of a hospital in a Syrian war zone. For six years, she worked in an underground hospital, treating the wounded, the starving and the survivors of chemical attacks. She tells her story in her memoir, The Cave. Her story has also been told in an Academy Award-nominated documentary. She currently serves as Programme Advocacy Officer at the Syrian American Medical Society and as an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. She has also briefed the UN Security Council on the humanitarian crisis in Syria. In this conversation, we hear about her first-hand experiences, explore what it means to keep a hospital functional under siege, and ask what accountability must look like for those who target health workers.
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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.

How can scientists and diplomats work together to advance the global health agenda?

 Ilona Kickbusch, who founded the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, reflects on her experiences working within science diplomacy and the importance of having strong evidence to be able to reach a diplomatic consensus. She also urges scientists to initiate dialogue with policy-makers and diplomats. 

Aída Mencía Ripley, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic, shares an insightful case study of how diplomacy enabled researchers at her university to contribute to the national COVID-19 response.
Guests:
Ilona Kickbusch: Founder and Chair of the International Advisory Board, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute 
Aída Mencía Ripley: Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Universidad Iberoamericana
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.

Host Garry Aslanyan poses the question at the heart of the latest Inside Track conversation: in 2026, after everything COVID-19 taught us, are we genuinely better prepared for the next pandemic-like event? It's the question that sets the tone for a frank conversation with Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite  — covering vaccine manufacturing in Africa, the politics of preparedness, and why the gap between intent and action remains stubbornly wide. The guests also discuss a recent publication on the carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes.
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.

For decades, international NGOs have been central pillars of global health and humanitarian response efforts. But with aid budgets shrinking, trust eroding and local civil society organizations demonstrating the power of proximity every day, the model is under scrutiny. Who gets to lead? Who gets to decide? And what would more equitable, locally grounded  international cooperation actually look like? In this episode, host Garry Aslanyan explores these questions with two guests who bring deeply complementary perspectives. Deborah Doane is a Partner at Rights CoLab and the convener of The Ringo Project, an initiative dedicated to reimagining international NGOs so that civil society everywhere can be more equitable. She is the author of The INGO Problem: Power, Privilege and Renewal. The second half of the episode features Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi, a Nairobi-based nonprofit technology organization and open-source advocate with over a decade of experience advancing inclusive technology for historically marginalized communities.
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.

The Inside Track is a new series from Global Health Matters offering context, clarity and foresight that you won’t find in traditional news shows. Each episode brings host Garry Aslanyan together with two recurring voices: Catherine Kyobutungi, who brings insight from the frontlines of health research and policy in Africa, and Ricardo Baptista Leite, a physician and global thinker on health, politics and AI. Together, they unpack the headlines with candid conversations grounded in lived experience. If you work in global health and want a better understanding of what’s happening, why it matters and what to watch out for, this series is for you.
What do the pope, the Force and a dose of hope have in common? In this episode of The Inside Track, we discuss planetary health—the idea that human health is inseparable from the health of the planet. The discussion underscores how factors like climate, food and living conditions drive most health outcomes, far beyond clinical care. Host Garry Aslanyan and recurring expert-pundits Catherine Kyobutungi and Ricardo Baptista Leite call for a shift from reactive health systems to prevention, and for rethinking “development” to prioritise sustainability alongside human wellbeing.
Clipping: “Global health governance in transition” — a brief discussion on reimagining global health through new partnerships and stronger local ownership.
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.

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 Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions