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At the AIDS 2026 Global AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Ben interviews Dr. mike Reed about how global health technology succeeds or fails depending less on the tools than on governance, ownership, community co-design, and alignment with ministries of health and other relevant government authorities. Reed contrasts Rwanda’s scaled Zipline drone deliveries and a government-led “sovereign” AI large language model and real-time health dashboards with the many HIV AI pilots that never scale due to weak partnerships, poor interoperability, and lack of sustainable financing. They discuss AI’s potential to support marginalized communities with stigma-free access to information and care navigation, alongside risks around privacy, market capture by big tech, and the need for fair value exchange when community data trains models. Reed highlights a “force multiplier checklist,” Botswana’s youth-designed prevention campaign, and the need to speed up rigorous implementation science and data-to-action timelines. 00:00 Intro 00:32 Drones and donor tech 03:45 Why pilots fail 06:56 Rooting tech locally 10:59 Sovereign AI example 12:43 AI for key populations 18:28 Governance and commons 25:06 Force multiplier checklist 29:36 Data sovereignty rules 31:24 Faster science with AI 36:19 Optimistic closing 41:12 Thanks and wrap 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! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. 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://bit.ly/rgh-book A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel) https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

Recorded at AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro at the Roche Diagnostics booth, host Ben Plumley speaks with Professor Pedro Cahn (Fundación Huésped, Argentina) and Dr. Rupa Patel (Whitman-Walker Health, Washington, DC) about why diagnostics—often overlooked in the HIV continuum—are the essential entry point to prevention and care, especially amid reduced funding. They discuss late diagnosis and loss to follow-up, structural barriers like clinic access and hours, and the need for community-led, person-centered delivery models including outreach brigades, mobile and home-based services, and task shifting to peers and other health workers. The conversation covers integrating point-of-care and lab testing, the promise and risks of self-testing with real-time linkage to support, and linking HIV diagnostics with broader health needs such as TB, STIs, diabetes, and cancer screening to advance equity and progress toward 95-95-95. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:22 Live Booth Kickoff 02:20 Why Diagnostics Matter 07:11 Late Diagnosis and Equity 12:15 Reimagining Care Delivery 19:28 Outreach Testing in Practice 22:53 Point of Care vs Lab 27:28 Self Testing Debate 34:35 Building Integrated Platforms 38:30 Policy and Provider Barriers 43:43 Closing Calls to Action Guests: Professor Pedro Cahn Scientific Director Fundación Huésped, Argentina Dr. Rupa R. Patel Biomedical HIV Prevention Clinical and Research Lead Whitman Walker Institute and Health, Washington D.C. Roche Diagnostics https://diagnostics.roche.com AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026 #RocheDiagnostics

Recorded at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Ben and Dr. mike Reid discuss how climate disruption will exacerbate existing infectious diseases, enable emerging threats, and worsen non-infectious conditions, arguing global health must anticipate and mitigate climate-health impacts. They note health was sidelined at COP Egypt 2025 and that few national climate plans include health adaptation budgets. Case studies contrast Pakistan’s 2022 floods—2.6 million new malaria cases, fivefold dengue increase, and 20% of primary care facilities underwater—with Mozambique’s Cyclone Idai response, where PEPFAR-supported HIV infrastructure enabled faster recovery through reliable supply chains, information systems, energy backups, and workforce support. They emphasize integrated, resilient primary care and scaled community health workforces (e.g., Ethiopia), including community-delivered mental health care, amid shrinking donor support. mike explains applying Kate Raworth’s “donut economics” to climate-health financing, referencing the Bridgetown Initiative and proposing climate-health bonds, while also highlighting greener delivery, regional manufacturing, and lower-emission prevention tools like lenacapavir and cabotegravir. 00:00 Live from Rio 00:52 Climate-Driven Disease 03:26 Health Plans Missing 05:31 Resilient Systems 06:10 Pakistan Flood Case 08:00 Mozambique Cyclone Ida 11:35 Primary Care Backbone 12:27 Community Health Workforce 14:22 Conference Funding Shift 17:09 Donut Economics Explained 20:55 Cameroon Donut Priorities 22:25 Why Leaders Ignore Health 23:32 Financing Climate Health 29:57 Sustainable Global Health 32:09 One Key Investment 33:34 Rio Networking Surprise 35:02 Wrap-Up and Credits 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! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. 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://bit.ly/rgh-book A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel) https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

In this episode of Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century, Ben chats with authors mike Reid and Eric Goosby about how funding shocks become life-and-death realities, starting with a case from Zambia after the January 2025 U.S. pause and cuts to PEPFAR that left many without antiretrovirals and destabilized HIV services in a system heavily dependent on U.S. support. They describe behind-the-scenes efforts to warn political leaders, on-the-ground resilience and improvisation, and the emotional toll of what they view as an abandonment of dialogue. The discussion explores whether donor dependency was a design choice, the roles donors should play (equity gaps, global public goods, and underwriting transitions), and options such as co-investment requirements, government-to-government funding, debt-to-health swaps, public financial management support, domestic resource mobilization (including sin taxes), and potential roles for development finance and sovereign wealth funds, while stressing the need to define a clear destination for health financing and country ownership. 00:00 Welcome and Book Intro 00:29 Zambia Funding Shock 02:26 Why Zambia Matters 05:58 Scrambling After PEPFAR Pause 07:58 Resilience and System Fragility 09:58 Eric Goosby Reaction 15:37 Dependency by Design 18:44 Colonial Debt Reality 22:25 What Solidarity Looks Like 26:10 Donor Funding Roles 30:21 Accountability and Oversight 32:50 Co Investment and Direct Funding 35:37 Debt Relief as Co Investment 36:46 Debt for Health Swaps 37:46 Modernizing Gavi and Global Fund 41:26 Local Accountability and Trust 45:26 Post Aid Era Roadmap 48:19 Building Country Ownership 53:46 Sovereign Wealth Fund Ideas 58:04 New Finance Tools and Taxes 01:00:04 Defining the Destination 01:04:03 Call to Action and Thanks 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! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. 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://bit.ly/rgh-book A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel) https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

This episode was made in partnership with the International AIDS Society (IAS), Young Leaders Programme. ---- Host Ben Plumley wraps up the A Shot in the Arm Podcast from AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro with Zarawu Adams, a medical scientist from Salama Clinic in Accra, Ghana, reflecting on an exhausting but valuable week balancing conference sessions with the IAS’ Young Leaders Programme. Adams highlights research linking antiretroviral treatment to metabolic crises such as type 2 diabetes, including work focused on pregnant women, and confirms through conversations with scientific leaders that this issue is still under-emphasized. She describes the Young Leaders program as a diverse international advocacy network across HIV and other infectious diseases that builds connections, fills gaps, and broadens engagement beyond science to policy, innovation, and activism. Adams emphasizes resilience, the funding crisis, and the urgent need to tackle stigma and discrimination – particularly as a driver of suicide, while noting increased visibility for LGBT communities within the IAS space. 00:00 Welcome to Rio 00:53 Metabolic Risks Spotlight 03:15 Young Leaders Program 04:53 Networking and Advice 07:26 Stigma and Discrimination 08:32 Activism and Funding Crisis 10:36 Resilience and New Ideas 14:27 Priority on Stigma 15:41 LGBTQ and Closing Reflections 17:54 Final Thanks and Sign Off Guests: Zarawu Adams Medical Scientist, Salama Clinic, Accra, Ghana AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026 #IAS

Host Ben Plumley speaks with Solange Baptiste Simon and Othoman Mellouk of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) about their packed treatment pre-conference and concerns that treatment is being sidelined amid heavy focus on PrEP and prevention. They argue the prevention-versus-treatment framing is false, emphasizing a continuum from testing to prevention to treatment, and describe on-the-ground chaos as HIV services are integrated into broader chronic care with overstretched health workers and communities. They discuss a “strange” AIDS 2026 marked by funding cuts and reduced PEPFAR influence, uneven country leadership, and a shift from scientific innovation to challenges of financing, manufacturing, regulation, and equitable delivery of long-acting technologies. They caution against product-driven responses, stress human rights and stigma realities, and conclude that community power, involvement, and resourcing remain central to sustainable solutions. 00:00 Welcome and Guests 01:08 Treatment Preconference Highlights 03:13 Prevention vs Treatment Debate 05:00 Continuum of Care Reality 07:34 Clinic Integration Chaos 10:07 Conference Avoiding Hard Truths 14:58 Post PEPFAR Future 18:39 Product Hype vs Access 22:58 Fiscal Space and Priorities 25:13 Beyond Biomedical Fixes 30:19 2030 Targets Reality Check 32:29 Crossroads and Policy Choices 36:15 Community Hope and Closing 38:23 Final Thanks and Signoff Guests: Solange Baptiste Simon Executive Director, ITPC Othoman Mellouk Access to Medicines & Diagnostic Lead, ITPC ITPC Global https://itpcglobal.org AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026 #ITPC

At AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, host Ben Plumley speaks with Wame Jallow, Jerop Limo, and JulieBrenda Waweru about Shuga Global’s evolution from the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and why entertainment-education remains relevant for HIV prevention and youth health. They discuss how Shuga’s storytelling reflects young people’s lived realities, helps break taboos, builds agency, and connects audiences to services through a broader ecosystem that includes peer education, screenings, and chatbots. The guests describe how Gen Z’s autonomy, digital media habits, and demand for solutions require new ways of communicating health, while addressing backlash, misinformation, and harmful online influences. They also share reflections from the conference on shifting resources, community leadership, new prevention and treatment options, and the need to fund and empower youth-led solutions through stronger government and civil society collaboration. 00:00 Welcome and Guests 01:14 What Is Shuga Now 01:22 From MTV to Global Movement 02:38 Proof Entertainment Works 04:54 Why Shuga Still Matters 07:28 Fan Stories and Impact 09:16 Gen Z Needs New Approach 14:23 Solutions Not Lectures 16:14 Youth Activism and Health Demands 17:45 Media Shift And Backlash 18:32 Short Clips For Health 19:02 Shuga As Holistic Support 21:18 Competing With Misinformation 22:45 Trust And Community Dialogue 24:43 Conference Takeaways 26:34 Science And Choice Agenda 27:30 Youth Power And Funding 30:56 Partnership With Government 32:21 Watch Shuga And Wrap Up Guests Wame Jallow Executive Director, Shuga Global Jerop Limo Executive Director, Ambassador For Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (AYARHEP) JulieBrenda Waweru Actress, Shuga Mashariki , Shuga Global Shuga Global https://shuga.global AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026 #Shuga #ShugaGlobal

This episode was made in partnership with the International AIDS Society (IAS), Young Leaders Programme. ---- Host Ben Plumley records from a windy Rio de Janeiro at AIDS 2026 with IAS Young Leaders guests Zarawu Adams (Ghana), Xandro Xu (USA), and returning guest Mengfei Li (Hong Kong). Adams discusses research on antiretroviral therapy–related metabolic complications and an app concept to monitor metabolic panels to prevent type 2 diabetes among patients on treatment. Xu presents research on how civic engagement and political empowerment relate to more frequent HIV testing among LGBTQ+ people in the United States, with findings highlighting benefits for transgender communities. Li shares success from a hand-dance campaign and a poster on why U=U messaging struggles to gain traction across Asia Pacific, noting ongoing knowledge gaps. They reflect on conference networking, stigma, funding uncertainty, integration with broader health priorities, optimism, collaboration, communication, and self-care as they commit to long-term HIV work. 00:00 Welcome and Guests 00:49 Metabolic Crisis Research 02:39 Civic Engagement and Testing 05:19 Hand Dance Campaign Wins 06:38 U Equals U Awareness Gap 08:43 Conference Takeaways 13:09 Why We Chose HIV Work 16:58 Can We End HIV 22:42 What Fuels Optimism 25:13 Family and Health Advocacy 28:31 HIV Fatigue and Funding Cuts 31:10 Lessons and Final Advice 37:37 Closing Thanks Guests: Zarawu Adams IAS Young Leader Medical Scientist, Salama Clinic Accra, Ghana Xandro Xu IAS Young Leader Researcher & Advocate, University of Pennsylvania alum Mengfei Li IAS Young Leader PhD Candidate, The University of Hong Kong AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026

On the first full day of AIDS 2026 in Rio, the A Shot in the Arm podcast (with the International AIDS Societies Young Leaders Program) captures excitement about new HIV science alongside anxiety over PEPFAR-related funding cuts and debate about reliance on a single donor. Guests include Florence, a Botswana-Harvard lab research scientist studying HIV/HBV coinfection and occult hepatitis B, reporting mutation findings (notably in the HBx region) and urging more inclusive OBI screening and greater HBV visibility at AIDS conferences; Bernard, a Nigerian doctor practicing emergency medicine in Russia, proposing integrating HIV awareness into existing emergency/ambulance systems to reduce stigma and cost; and returning guest Maggie Duncan, who presents work improving the Intact Proviral DNA Assay for measuring HIV reservoirs across subtypes. They discuss partnerships, private sector roles, long-term post-2030 HIV response, stigma, and unequal access to technologies and reagents. 00:00 Welcome From Rio 00:30 Conference Mood Check 01:08 PEPFAR Tensions 02:13 Meet The Guests 02:30 Florence HBV HIV Research 06:04 Clinical Coinfection Basics 07:08 Bernard Emergency Integration 10:18 Stigma Sparked A Pivot 11:45 Maggie Reservoir Assay 13:53 Florence Poster Deep Dive 19:18 Partnerships And Funding 22:58 Private Sector Debate 27:18 Beyond 2030 Future Outlook 31:27 Access Equity And Stigma 34:47 Closing Thanks Guests: Florence Gaone, IAS Young Leader: Research Scientist, Botswana Harvard Health Partnership Bernard Adorbe, IAS Young Leader: Medical doctor- Hospital of Emergency Medical Services, Rostov on don, Russia Maggie Duncan, IAS Young Leader: PhD Student at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Vancouver Canada AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026

From AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, host Ben Plumley talks with International AIDS Society Young Leaders Edmond Soko (Zambia, Grassroots Soccer) and Noah Mancuso (Atlanta, Emory/RTI) about where the HIV epidemic is heading. Edmond describes using soccer-based, play-focused curricula to deliver HIV prevention education and reach rural adolescents who struggle to access services. Noah outlines three posters: a systematic review on barriers and facilitators to injectable PrEP for adolescent girls and young women, an analysis of how US federal funding cuts affect geographic access to PrEP in Atlanta, and a review of 20 years of mobile health interventions showing limited translation into real-world apps. They discuss new prevention innovations like a monthly pill and a weekly prevention pill with earlier access planning, the promise and risks of AI and telehealth for reducing stigma and improving access, shifting funding realities, and ongoing activism and optimism for epidemic control. 00:00 Welcome to AIDS 2026 00:50 Meet the Young Leaders 01:24 Edmond’s Grassroots Soccer Work 03:00 Noah’s Path into HIV Research 04:09 Posters and New Findings 07:12 Soccer as Prevention Strategy 08:30 Conference Vibe and Tensions 10:24 New Prevention Innovations 12:11 Careers and Funding Cut Reality 13:34 Optimism and Activism 17:03 AI and Digital Health Trends 21:46 Telehealth Access and Stigma 25:16 Next Generation Takeaways 27:10 Closing Thanks and Sign Off AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth

Ben launches the first of six daily A Shot in the Arm Podcast episodes from AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, produced with the International AIDS Society and its Young Leaders program. He interviews two young leaders: Mengfei, a Hong Kong–based PhD researcher in health communication who studies how to translate HIV science on social media and promotes U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), and Maggie Duncan from Vancouver, a PhD researcher focused on characterizing and improving quantification of the HIV reservoir to better measure cure strategies. They discuss why HIV is uniquely complex scientifically and socially, persistent stigma and lack of U=U awareness among young people in Asia Pacific, and Mengfei‘s U=U hand-dance campaign expanding from social media to offline events. Both present on Tuesday, with a U=U pop-up Wednesday in the Global Village. 00:00 Welcome to AIDS 2026 00:44 Meet the Young Leaders 01:07 Mengfei on Health Communication 03:26 U Equals U Explained 03:49 Maggie on HIV Reservoirs 06:41 What Makes HIV Unique 09:39 Stigma Across Generations 11:32 Talking HIV With Peers 15:50 Hand Dance U Equals U Campaign 21:30 Conference Plans and Wrap Up 23:16 Credits and Goodbye AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth

From AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, A Shot in the Arm Podcast hosts, Ben and Yvette, discuss why convening the global AIDS community still matters amid major financial challenges and shifts in U.S. aid. They emphasize “humanity first,” the need for African leadership, sovereignty in HIV financing, and learning how programs survived when aid decreased because “the community stayed.” They discuss remembering people lost due to changes in American aid and reject “America First” approaches in favor of multilateral collaboration. They also highlight scientific innovation and access issues, including once-monthly PrEP, once-weekly treatment, new combinations, and the importance of real choice to address treatment fatigue, along with growing interest in African manufacturing and policies like South Africa’s BEE requirements. 00:00 Welcome to Rio 00:53 Why This Conference Matters 01:42 Funding Sovereignty Debate 03:57 Resilience After Aid Cuts 05:43 New HIV Science Pipeline 07:31 Choice and Local Manufacturing 11:24 Rejecting America First 13:29 Community Power and Wrap Up AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 APHA - Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa https://www.apha.org.za Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth

In this episode of AIDS 2060, Ben explores how the climate crisis may disrupt the global HIV response with diplomat, author, and podcaster Arthur Snell, marking the U.S. launch of Snell’s book Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change and How We Survive It. They discuss climate-driven population movements globally (from the Sahel to Central America and even within the U.S.), the political rise of hard-line migration policies, and how populism and disinformation can undermine science-based health and climate action. Snell outlines Africa’s potential as an energy superpower through critical minerals, agriculture, and renewable electricity exports enabled by new transmission technology, while Ben notes HIV risks linked to large male workforces and urban migration. The conversation also covers wildfire-related health impacts, pandemic risks from warming and thawing regions, and the need to rebuild trust and plan for food security and mobility beyond 2030. 00:00 Climate Crisis Meets HIV 01:29 Introducing Arthur Snell 02:10 Snell’s Diplomatic Journey 06:20 Surviving a Hotter World 09:02 Climate Migration Goes Global 13:37 Heat and Relocation in the West 17:35 Africa’s Energy Opportunity 20:44 Renewables and Global Power Grids 25:02 HIV Risks in New Economies 27:31 Populism and Misinformation 29:29 Populism Meets Denial 30:32 Net Zero Under Attack 32:09 Disaster Spin Machine 34:17 HIV Echoes Populism 37:01 Brexit Lessons on Emotion 39:13 Wildfires Health Toll 42:35 Firefighting and Solidarity 44:21 Thawing Ice Pandemic Risk 47:47 Trust Over Technocracy 50:46 Mobility Food and Futures 02:18 Closing Thanks and Next Steps Check out Arthur’s Book: Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change and How We Survive it https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/elemental-the-new-geography-of-climate-change-and-how-we-survive-it-the-first-comprehensive-account-of-the-geopolitics-of-climate-change-arthu Check out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health.

In this episode of “Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century,” Ben speaks with authors Dr. mike Reed and Professor Eric Goosby about how COVID exposed the geopolitical ramifications of Global Health, using Serbia’s vaccine deals with China, Russia, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca as a case study. They argue the era of a single global health superpower is fading and discuss a multipolar future shaped by “middle powers,” alongside the consequences of the US stepping back from traditional global health commitments, including leaving the WHO. The conversation critiques bureaucratic, duplicative governance and vaccine inequity, examines China’s largely transactional health role and the limited donor potential of the BRICS nations, and warns that the US defunding of South Africa’s HIV program harms HIV research more broadly. They call for stronger WHO implementation and decentralized rapid-response capacity, greater accountability, and less credit-seeking, while condemning tying lifesaving aid to transactional commercial arrangements, for example access to minerals and other commodities. 00:00 Serbia Vaccine Surprise 01:45 Multipolar Health Governance 05:04 US Retreat and Local Ownership 08:33 Why WHO Faces Critique 11:08 China Steps Into the Gap 17:04 BRICS Limits and Leverage 22:15 South Africa Research Stakes 24:54 WHO Reform and Decentralization 34:36 WHO Beyond Guidelines 36:29 Pandemic Governance Gaps 38:36 Climate Zoonoses Preparedness 39:45 Trust And Fragmentation 42:01 Rapid Response Blueprint 45:38 Inclusive Accountable Governance 49:36 Post Aid Future Financing 52:53 Hard Power Moral Costs 58:54 New Compact Conclusion 59:48 Humble Leadership Lessons 01:03:01 Thanks And Where To Listen 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! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. 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://bit.ly/rgh-podcast A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel) https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

HIV prevention advocate Siviwe Gaika urges policymakers, governments, and donors to expand the HIV prevention “choice basket,” emphasizing long-acting injectable PrEP (cabotegravir) as WHO-recommended, safe, and highly effective, and calling for funding, youth-friendly delivery, streamlined national guidelines, and transparent accountability; she also acknowledges Glggobal Fund investment and South Africa’s commitment to long-acting innovation and local manufacturing. In the AIDS 2060 episode, host Ben interviews APHA executive director Yvette Raphael about why the world is not on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, the impact of shifting U.S. funding, and the need for country-led responses, health sovereignty, and dignity for key populations. Raphael centers feminist prevention advocacy, the Choice Manifesto, intergenerational leadership, better trial inclusion and post-trial access, and warns about misinformation on social media. 00:00 Youth Prevention Reality 00:55 Meet Yvette Raphael 02:21 Are We On Track 06:02 Funding Shockwaves 08:39 Self Reliance Now 12:04 Southern Led Response 15:55 Why Prevention Matters 20:41 Choice Manifesto Fight 23:15 Africa As A Market 25:51 Youth Boom Stakes 30:12 Let Youth Lead 31:49 Mentoring Future Leaders 33:01 Message to Our Future Selves 34:27 Pregnancy in Clinical Trials 38:25 Post Trial Access Rights 40:53 Why Youth Still Fear HIV 42:27 Social Media Misinformation 45:58 Health Sovereignty and Aid 50:31 Documenting Community Lessons 52:47 Pan African Collaboration 55:22 Let Young People Thrive 57:00 Closing Thanks and Next Steps Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa https://www.apha.org.za Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health.