A Shot in the Arm Podcast

Emily Bass and Ben discuss a hectic week in global health, including Ben’s federal site visit at the San Francisco Community Health Center and a Wired report raising questions about DOGE/USAID operator Jeremy Lewin’s credentials and his resignation. They unpack major UNAIDS developments: the Program Coordinating Board recommending transformation rather than sunsetting, and Executive Director Winnie Byanyima stepping down at year’s end, with attention to ECOSOC and interim leadership politics, co-sponsors’ roles, and the value of HIV indicators as a proxy for health-system trust and security. They also cover Mark Dybul’s return as Global Fund executive director, debating concerns about “Americanism,” adapting to new trends, and securing U.S. support, while emphasizing supply chain stability, Wambo, and country ownership. The conversation turns to U.S. midterms, potential congressional investigations into USAID/PEPFAR, the loss of MER data rigor, and deteriorating CDC global capacity, alongside concerns about RFK Jr. and FDA approvals without evidence… All while dressed as Jets from the musical, West Side Story.

00:00 Welcome and Week Check

00:38 Clinic Site Visit Stress

03:07 UNAIDS Future and Leadership

06:28 Why UNAIDS Still Matters

11:57 Cosponsors and HIV Metrics

17:15 Global Fund New Director

23:56 Country Ownership and Supply Chains

31:15 Substack Updates and Missing Plans

33:09 Midterms and USAID Reckoning

37:00 Data Loss and CDC Cuts

44:24 HHS Shakeups and FDA Trust

47:41 Wrap Up and Thanks

Read Emily Bass’ Substack:

https://substack.com/@emilysbass

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!

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Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health.

Ben Plumley and Emily Bass are back, as if huddled together in a virtual conference hotel espresso bar, drinking a cocktail, snacking on peanuts, and making sense of the latest global health news that’s broken, breaking or nobody’s bothering with but they should.

This week’s topics:

• Why is Emily Substacking about the post DOGE US President’s Plan for AIDS Relief and why the truth not the spin matters

• The recent Substack from Angela Rasmussen on what the forgotten week-old pneumonia-like infection (that killed a lab technician in Siberia) tells us about how predictable Russia’s reticence with global health authorities continues to be. As worrying, how the disruption caused by the evisceration of the US’ CDC makes pandemic preparedness significantly harder

• The UNAIDS board meeting happening in Geneva about its future; and

• An outstanding piece of journalism in the New York Times by Stephanie Nolen on possible funding opportunities for global health from the new generation of tech billionaires (and not THAT trillionaire)

Things we talk about:

https://substack.com/@emilysbass?r=5kw5og&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=light

https://substack.com/@rasmussenretorts?r=5kw5og&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=blur

https://benplumley.substack.com/p/a-sunrise-for-unaids?r=5kw5og&utm_medium=ios

People we talk about:

https://www.ninaschwalbe.info/

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:09 Why This Substack Exists

05:04 America First Strategy Reality Check

07:13 Where The Money Really Goes

09:11 What’s The Payback

12:19 Transactional Aid Debate

16:56 Reckoning With USAID Damage

20:46 Russia Outbreak Transparency Fears

24:52 Broken Pandemic Surveillance System

32:15 Specimen Sharing Parallel Track

36:31 AI Billionaires and Metrics

39:59 Performance Payments Pitfalls

43:52 UNAIDS Future on the Line

48:17 Wrap Up and What’s Next

Read Emily Bass’ Substack:

https://substack.com/@emilysbass

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!

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Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health.

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!

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#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

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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

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Host Ben Plumley welcomes Professor Heidi Larson (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and Dr. Mark Anderson (Pattern Computer/Strategic News Service) to discuss innovation and equity in global health through the lens of “entropy” as chaos in human and data systems. Larson reflects on vaccine confidence as a window into societal trust in government, science, technology, and information, and announces a new Lancet Commission on rethinking misinformation, health, and human security. Anderson explains pattern-based, hypothesis-free discovery, critiques large language models as probabilistic and untrustworthy for life‑critical medical decisions and emphasizes explainable AI. They explore how rapid technological and social change, emotional determinants of health, and social media contribute to fragmentation, and outline plans to collaborate on macro-level patterns driving trust and misinformation while expanding access to Pattern’s discovery tools through international programs.

00:00 Welcome and Theme

01:01 Meet Heidi Larson

03:52 Meet Mark Anderson

05:42 How They Connected

09:48 Defining Entropy

12:18 Why AI Is Untrustworthy

14:53 Heidi on Life Imbalance

19:19 Mark Pattern Thinking

23:05 Pattern Discovery Example

23:41 Gene Pattern Breakthrough

24:39 Least Action Across History

26:21 Rethinking Misinformation Systems

31:53 Macro Patterns vs Specialization

34:22 Explainable AI for Humans

35:43 Vaccine Confidence Signals

42:23 Predictions and Broken Patterns

43:49 Collaboration Plans Ahead

45:49 Global Discovery Program Rollout

48:06 Trust and Communication Wrap

49:33 Closing Credits and Thanks

Pattern Computer

https://www.patterncomputer.com

Strategic News Service

https://www.stratnews.com

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!

Ben Plumley speaks with Dr. mike Reid and Eric Goosby about their new book Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century, focusing on epistemology—how global health defines knowledge, evidence, and success. They argue global health has overprioritized biomedical metrics and donor-driven targets, often sidelining local knowledge, community co-design, and broader measures like sustainability, equity, and trust. Using examples from HIV/TB programming, maternal health, differentiated service delivery, and integration vs vertical programs, they discuss how humility and partnership shape effective, resilient responses and how “measurement is rarely neutral.” The conversation addresses threats to key populations under current political decisions, the need for epistemic justice and a preferential option for the poor, failures in academic authorship equity, and how shifts in US leadership and the climate crisis may reshape global health governance. They also stress better explaining global health’s value to taxpayers.

00:00 Local Wisdom vs Evidence

00:55 Meet the Authors

01:45 Epistemology and Priorities

05:09 Epistemic Humility

08:51 PEPFAR Lessons on Partnership

10:39 Measurement Is Not Neutral

13:18 Motivation and Co-Design

21:09 Integration vs Vertical Programs

25:05 Equity and Key Populations

32:06 Politics and Funding Dilemmas

34:31 Moral Case for Care

36:09 Domestic Front Lines

36:56 Beyond Us Versus Them

40:10 Epistemology and Donor Power

44:15 Inclusive Leadership Priorities

47:37 Vacuum After US Retreat

51:09 Climate as Next Crisis

55:34 Decolonizing Academic Incentives

57:55 Preferential Option for Poor

01:00:27 Selling Global Health at Home

01:04:36 Three Arguments for Taxpayers

01:06:56 Closing Reflections and Next Episode

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://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW7yagTEtywqvW9_bs6heRikREgwS9sE9&si=TuNEdwcA9Z-VKLH

A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel)

https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

Why does an undetectable HIV viral load sometimes flip to “detectable” — and what does that actually mean for the patient? Host Ben Plumley talks with Ben LaBrot (Professor of Global Medicine, USC; Medical Affairs Lead, Roche Molecular Diagnostics) and Daniel Griffin, MD (Chief of Infectious Disease, Island Infectious Disease Medical, Instructor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University, Host, This Week in Virology) about the “viral blip” — a brief, low-level detectable result that occurs even in patients on fully effective antiretroviral therapy.

The conversation covers the science behind ultra-sensitive viral load assays, the real meaning of U=U (undetectable = untransmittable), why lab handling and patient illness can cause a temporary blip, and why so many patients are blindsided by results in their MyChart before their doctor has a chance to explain. Ben and Daniel also discuss “prebunking” — preparing patients in advance — and the underused role of community health workers in HIV education.

Topics: HIV, viral load, U=U, undetectable, antiretroviral therapy, infectious disease, diagnostics, patient communication, global health.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:13 The Viral Blip Riddle

01:20 Meet the Guests

04:02 Why Blips Matter Now

05:54 Assay Sensitivity and LOD

06:22 What Undetectable Means

08:36 U Equals U Confusion

12:50 MyChart Panic and Context

17:09 Prebunking Patient Fear

18:21 Why Blips Happen

20:59 Tech Problem Analog Fix

22:26 Testing Noise Sources

23:28 RNA Fragments Explained

25:16 Sample Handling Pitfalls

26:46 Reporting Low Copy Results

29:02 Managing Patient Anxiety

33:14 When a Blip Matters

36:12 Changing the Landscape

40:48 Community Outreach Ideas

43:12 Key Takeaways

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.