Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century, Chapter 1: The End of the Old Order – and What Comes Next
Episode Description
A Shot in the Arm Media in partnership with UCSF Institute for Global Health launched a nine-part series to explore the future of global health built around the book Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century, co-authored by Dr. mike Reid (UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences) and Ambassador Eric Goosby (former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and former PEPFAR Chief Medical Officer). In this episode, what if the greatest threat to global health isn't a new virus — it's us? Our funding fatigue, our outdated playbook, our addiction to replication over adaptation. We've saved millions of lives. But are we sleepwalking inexorably into decline, into the enshittocene.
Eric and mike don’t think so. And they’ve written a book, “Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century, that sets out an alternative, optimistic future.
In this episode, they reflect on the end of the old order, and the implications for innovation and scale up into a new era in global health. mike and Eric are hosted by Ben Plumley from A Shot In The Arm Media.
00:00 Series Kickoff Recap
01:25 Early Wins Foundations
02:07 Global Fund and PEPFAR Tensions
04:40 What Worked Best
06:29 Malawi Dependency Shock
08:48 Why Systems Collapsed
12:50 Donor Ecosystem Incentives
18:30 Designing Better Partnerships
23:25 New Players Multipolar Era
27:21 Philanthropy Promise and Peril
31:44 Limits of Philanthropy
32:24 Gates Foundation Lessons
33:41 Sustainability Commitments
35:56 Country Led Coordination
37:45 Innovation Beyond Tech Fixes
39:28 Private Sector as Resource Motor
42:02 Equity Risks and Guardrails
44:24 Indigenous Knowledge in Trials
48:08 From Pilots to Scale
52:19 Access and Global Rollout Rules
54:34 Paradigm Shift Takeaways
55:25 Episode Wrap and Next Steps
Learn more about the book:
https://bit.ly/redefining-global-health
More from UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences:
https://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu
Check Out mike Reid’s Substack:
https://substack.com/@reimaginingglobalhealth
Check Out Ben’s Substack:
https://substack.com/@benplumley1
Join the Conversation!
What would it take for global health to avoid decline? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health — and look out for a dedicated sub channel for Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century under A Shot in the Arm’s YouTube home.
Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century: The Podcast (Playlist on Youtube)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW7yagTEtywqvW9_bs6heRikREgwS9sE9&si=Tu-NEdwcA9Z-VKLH
A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel)
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