Hi,
Today we bring you a conversation with Garry Aslanyan, who is the executive producer of the Global Health Matters podcast. In this conversation, we talk about his journey of producing podcasts in global health over the last four years, and how he sees this medium as a way to break the silos in this field. Join us!
I have worked with Dr Aslanyan to research on these podcast series. He is also on the editorial board of the Geneva Health Files.
We are experimenting with an audio format where we share interviews, a new way to share content with our readers and listeners! You can listen to the audio file above, and can also refer to the edited transcript below.
Cheers!
Priti
Feel free to write to us: patnaik.reporting@gmail.com. Follow us on X: @filesgeneva
AUDIO STORY:
On Podcasting Global Health: A Conversation with Garry Aslanyan
This edition was produced by Parth Chandna and Bhadra Gopakumar.
Priti Patnaik [PP] Thank you so much for joining us today, Garry. I look forward to talking to you about the Global Health Matters podcast, how you came to work on it, and also for you to share some of your learnings in the last couple of years.
Garry Aslanyan [GA]:
Hi, Priti. And thanks for having me. And looking forward to this exchange.
[PP] So maybe you can tell our listeners and our readers about how the idea for Global Health Matters began? What led you to consider it as an experiment? And what were your expectations in the beginning?
[GA]
Well, simply put, really, I looked for global health kind of broad based podcasts that I could add to my own playlist or to my own listening while… I don't know, walking or doing other chores, or going to the store, or driving, and I really didn't find one. I found some at the time I, I'm going back to 2020…. Really, I thought, Well, why couldn't we look into having one. And really, that's how it started. And it is also partly my frustration that a lot of the Global Health debates were still siloed.
You will find situations, you'll have a discussion about different kind of approaches in the same building, going in opposite directions, or at the same meeting, and sometimes contradicting each other or not being aware of the other’s work, right. So this is another thing. And I also felt that the information is really only accessible to very few, not all have access to different global health discussions, for various reasons. And they have no access to that.
So the other kind of reason for beginning the podcast, and learning from the experience was that many of us go to a lot of conferences, and we have presentations, people present their work, or people go to negotiations, but they don't really get to know the people or not in terms of where they come from or their own background.
And podcasts probably give you this opportunity to go beyond just high level kind of key messages, but better understanding the guests, and what kind of environment they're in and taking us to those places to our ears really. And in a way I think podcasts are one of the most democratic ways to access information. And same should be for global health. Why should that be any different?
[PP] Interesting, so we are talking about two different fields here in some sense, and this is where it is meeting, namely, you know, audio as a medium and podcasting as a craft, and also, the technical issues in global health. Your mission [has been] to make these topics more accessible not only for those outside of global health, but also those within .That's great. So, in the journey of the last four years, ever since you started this, what has been striking? Do you think that to an extent, you have been able to demystify some of the complex topics in global health or have you been actually, you know, contributed to breaking up some of the silos in this rather complex field. Maybe you can also share some examples.
[GA]
Right. So far in three seasons, we had 35 episodes. Early on, we realized that we do want to have wide ranging topics and not to be a sort of very niche or specific area that goes into only focusing in that area. So each episode, to me the test, in fact, when it comes to demystifying.
My own personal test is, every time I have a recording, or I speak to guests prior or after, I need to have an “aha moment”. And if there is an “aha moment” that I have not really got from any other source of my own personal experience, or heard from colleagues, then I feel I have learned something or I enrich my understanding. So if, if that's for me, as someone who worked in global health for 20 years, I'm sure, and I know for a fact, it is very true for our listeners.
We have them from 180 countries, and there isn't a day or a week, when I wouldn't hear from a listener, or an email will not come or on social media, somebody will make a comment or send a message where they really shared an understanding of a topic from an angle of the guest or group of guests.
For example, one of the episodes, recent episodes [was on] people working on healthy cities in Guadalajara, in Mexico, and in Bangkok, Thailand. Really, [the guests] almost took over the episode, and they were discussing between themselves. And I just loved that interaction of the guests. And I'm sure someone who is listening to it, who is neither in Mexico or in Thailand, I have mentally or through my ears been moved to those locations, I could visualize what they are talking about.
So I feel that is really what the podcast allowed for. Some of our listeners go beyond that and send us audio recordings of what they think. And we do share that with our listeners. And we do tell them that this is what you can also do and, and share in an attempt to not have it as a one way kind of conversation, that we're having an episode and talking to the audience. But we also want our audience to feel that they can come back to us in one way or another.
[PP] Okay, that's interesting. And at this point, of course, I'd like to share that you and I have had the opportunity , to discuss, what goes into some of the production and the way you choose episodes, maybe you can share, the process of actually, you know, the editorial strategy. On what issues to feature and how you go about it. I believe this will be useful, for others, who could be looking at podcasting in the global health space or otherwise.
[GA]:
Indeed, and thanks for reminding me of that, and for helping with looking for those hot topics or topics of interest or places where others haven't gone in a way we did in the first season. To look at really low hanging fruits, things that were out that there very easily identifiable, and we should do this or we should do that. And there wasn't a shortage.
And it was during the period of COVID-19. So that colored some of the choices. But then we have tried to be a little bit more systematic in terms of looking at what's being debated out there and have a long list of options. And of course, you and Geneva Health Files, having your ears here in Geneva, that also helps.
But we also have our listeners writing to us. And then as a part of that process, then we look at what would be a podcast episode type of topic. And it is one of those things when you know when you see it. It's a bit hard to describe, because it's a medium where you have relatively limited access to the listener, because they don't see any video or they don't see any visuals. So not every topic is an easy podcasting topic.
And they do that in the news , news items and then become a podcast. They throw in some audio here and there to give you a sense, but that's clearly not enough. But those are not podcasts that is news that is using podcast platforms to disseminate.
So for us, it is more complicated. That's why when we look at the topics, and the fact that we want to really speak to a broad range of audience, I feel that each potential topic should be of interest to almost everyone working in global health. It shouldn't be, you know, I know everything about this topic, I shouldn't listen to it. But it should be more like, that's an interesting angle. Let me listen to it.
And then I will learn that it's about disease X or disease Y or about the topic? So we try to do that. Guests play a huge role in shaping the episode, and it's not an interview, kind of here's my question, and I want you to answer, tell me what you know about it. And then we'll try and match you with another guest to compliment. And that's really a useful approach. And also the guest's experience is extremely important. And I want to bring it up during those 30-40 minutes is one of the ways that a podcast really does.
Also obviously TDR produces the podcast, we are all about research and evidence. So as long as there is an evidence, or someone involved in that process, it's really in line with our overall goal in sort of making the Global Health discourse based on evidence learning and improvement that then will get us to the goals that we set for ourselves.
[PP] That's interesting. Yes, I do acknowledge that it, it is not always easy to find the right lens, to look at a particular topic for podcast….what is podcast material, because these are technical subjects, and also to find the right kind of people as guests to make it engaging - a conversation that listeners can remember. Okay, great. So, I also wanted to ask you, your favorite episodes, you said 35 episodes in about three years, or more. Maybe you can mention a couple, two or three episodes that you thought were interesting. And, why?
[GA]
Well, it is a little bit like picking a favorite child, because each one of them, as I said, brings something that really stays with me. And I really love that part of this doing the podcast. What comes to mind, maybe there was one episode on decolonization of global health, where basically, by the end of the episode, we agreed, or it really was clear that we should avoid using that term. So that was really important. And I know, the same happened to some of the listeners who sent feedback by saying, “Oh, well, you have that in the title. But by the end of it, I don't think you should have had it in the title”. And I said, no, that's exactly what we wanted to do. Because we wanted you to be enticed by the topic because it's all over around us. But it's not really dissected in a way. What does that mean to those who we are talking about?
One on history of global health as well. I think it does put things into perspective. and specially with many of the challenges we're facing now. I mean, geopolitics is a big topic these days. And all of that we feel it's just happening now. But clearly, the episode told us that in the last 75 years of what we call global health, this is not anything special. It's different. So it does put things into perspective. I mean, obviously, it's not for the sake of it. But I felt that probably gave a lot of our listeners a time to pause and think.
And maybe finally, a dialogue I had with a writer who wrote a book about Chagas Disease, and she's really, a professor of literature. And she wrote it through a story of her aunt, and family dealing with this devastating, but mostly preventable, neglected disease. And how, in fact, that book unpacked a lot of public health issues, but from a non-public health perspective, and a person who is looking into it as a, writer, and storyteller.
I think these will be some [episodes], but as I said, there are many others, I can speak to them and talk nonstop. But these are some of those that come to mind right away.
[PP] Great. I think that a lot of the ground that you have covered in the last three years also includes technical issues. And as a user, and as a consumer of information in global health, I really find it useful to access complex information through the audio format. So that's interesting that, you know, your favorites you have chosen are also sort of critical issues. Which leads me to the other question, or maybe you can share a little bit with us who's listening to you? Do you have a fair understanding of who are, are they mostly people from Global Health only? Or have you sort of broken out to new audiences?
[GA]:
So in terms of audiences, it is people that we hear from. So that's a little bit difficult to generalize to all thousands and thousands of people in 180 countries, but the majority of people who we hear from, in one way or another, are linked to health or global health. So that's, that's clear.
And we also know that the consumption of podcasts is an extremely cultural phenomena and comes from where they are, how people consume information. So there are also places where podcasts are quite popular.
Almost the same thing happened to me when I was looking for a global health podcasts. Because I was listening to other podcasts. So I felt that why wouldn't I listen to things related to my day job? So we know, there are areas in the world that might have a bit less traction. And we also know that that has to do with perhaps podcasts not being the way of consumption of that information. So I mean, to sum up, I mean, it mainly is people who are in health or global health, at least from what we know. But we probably have other listeners, we just didn't hear from them, or we may not know the actual extent of it.
[PP]: I do think, though, that, you know, Global Health has turned a corner and, and it is a moment in time where people are interested in health issues. So I'm sure you are reaching, you know, beyond people who work in global health. Alright. At this point, I would want to sort of talk a little bit about the practical aspects of producing a podcast more as advice to fellow podcasters and others looking at this space. What are some of the challenges and learnings actually from your own experience that you could share?
[GA]
The pandemic actually helped, to be honest, it made it a lot easier to produce, to produce something that really is global in nature. I think if we didn't have a pandemic and how people switched to use of technology I will probably have to galvanize around the world. And what will actually be produced will not be with the same speed and with the same insights, and bringing different speakers together. So because that's not easy, of course, the challenges of time zones for guests if we're recording ..that still exists.
But we also have some challenges, like some places have very bandwidth issues. So it takes some more time to record, or to record few times before we get there. We also have a language barrier, right. So this is hard to overcome. The podcast is in English, obviously, English is a global language, but it's not necessarily the language that everybody speaks. So in terms of reaching, yes, and having an authentic interaction, if the language is a barrier, it becomes an issue. The same with listeners. So I acknowledge that but I don't really have a solution except for what we've tried to do so far, with transcripts being translated to four or five languages and made available.
So those who are relatively, maybe have basic kind of English knowledge, but don't know, to the degree that they can listen to it. They can read the transcript in their own language. But hey, again, technology, you can actually put your listening to a much lower speed. I do that when I listen to things in other languages, which I know but they are not my first language. I just put it on 0.75. And then I go like, oh, my God, this is so great. I understood everything you just said. If you were speaking with your normal speed, I will probably never know what is going on. So those technological tricks…Hence, I acknowledge that while we have challenges, but we also have great opportunities with these tools that we didn't have before.
[PP] Do you recall any funny incident? In the course of, you know, coming up with this podcast, something that strikes you, or sticks in your memory in the last four years?
[GA]
Funny episodes? Well, except for situations where we thought that we recorded but we didn't record that happened because of technology or something.
I think every time we get to know our guests, it's maybe not a funny episode. But it is really an opportunity to take us to that environment where they are right. And they come with different stories. We had an episode where we wanted to record as one episode, but then we could never get the guests together. And then we decided to do them separately. And I think, not a funny episode, but just to learn that doing them separately, in fact, was much better. I'm not 100% sure that would have worked. So some of these challenges also can be opportunities.
[PP] Okay. Great to know. Also, finally, I think it is an opportunity for the listeners of the Global Health Matters podcast to know their host a little bit better. Can you sort of share a little bit about your journey into global health briefly. And, and, you know, also how you see that link with podcasting. Did you ever imagine, let's say 20 years ago that you would be podcasting?
[GA]
Yeah, so, no, the answer is very clear. No, because I'm not trained in communication. I have no training in that. However, what I think perhaps, and I worked for the TDR for the program I am in for more than a decade, obviously here in Geneva. But then previously with different departments back in Canada, and in a variety of settings and countries.
But one thing I always knew is that how we communicate or what we say, or what we write, or eventually what we do in terms of podcast matters. So that really stuck with me in a way that I've tried to learn the ways that will make understanding of topics or understanding of issues much clearer that will then help us find solutions.
Not for the sake of communication, but for sake of getting to where we need to get right. And podcasts in a way is one way to break barriers of communication in global health, through setting these different kinds of conversations.
So I feel that while I have not thought of doing this ever, I feel quite comfortable doing it and not for anything else, but for the fact that I know, because I learn, our listeners learn.
[PP] Thanks so much for your time, Garry.
[GA]
Thank you
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