Take as Directed
by CSIS Global Health Policy Center | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Latest episode
Judd Devermont & Jirair Ratevosian on U.S.-South Africa: "A pretty…
Judd Devermont & Jirair Ratevosian on U.S.-South Africa: "A pretty…
About this podcast
Take as Directed is a series of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center. It highlights important news, events, issues, and perspectives in global health policy, particularly in infectious disease, health security, and maternal, newborn, and child health. This series brings you commentary and perspectives from some of the leading voices in global health.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 367 episodes
- Judd Devermont & Jirair Ratevosian on U.S.-South Africa: "A pretty pathological relationship." · 37 minJirair Ratevosian, CSIS non-resident fellow and Judd Devermont, Kupanda Capital, unpack how and why the Trump administration has turned upside down the relationship with South…
- Sheryl Gay Stolberg, NYT: Contagion of Mistrust · 31 minSheryl Gay Stolberg, NYT's much acclaimed Washington correspondent on health, speaks to recent work. A visit to the Wisconsin House race between incumbent (now defeated) Derrick…
- Book Event: Lifeline by John Donnelly · 55 minThis episode of The CommonHealth features a live discussion of the recently published book, Lifeline: The Story of PEPFAR, the Greatest Humanitarian Initiative of Our Time, by…
- Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, Sudan Health Minister: progress possible in addressing Sudan's war-induced staggering health and humanitarian needs. · 33 minDr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, Sudan Minister of Health, speaks to the astronomic scale of health and humanitarian demands in Sudan, the largest globally, three and a half years…
- 25 Years Since the Anthrax Attacks: Where Are We Now? · 1 h 9 minIt has been 25 years since a series of letters containing anthrax powder were distributed through the U.S. postal system in an act of bioterrorism. The 25th anniversary provides…
- Drs. Armand Sprecher and Adi Nadimpalli, MSF: on-the-ground in the eastern DRC Ebola crisis · 46 minDrs. Armand Sprecher and Adi Nadimpalli, MSF, directed on-the-ground operations in Ituri and North Kivu provinces in recent months. They unpack why no one should feel comfortable…
- Dr. Megan Ranney, Dean, Yale School of Public Health: On 9/11: "That time set the foundation for where we are today." · 27 minMegan Ranney, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health for the past three years plus, reflects on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. And what she has learned and the innovations she…
- Using Drones to Expand Healthcare Delivery · 56 minZipline has drawn attention for its record of success delivering life-saving medical products by drone through its expanding network across key African partner countries…
- Monisha Ashok, Director of Health Investments, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC): DFC's "strategy refresh" elevates health as a priority. · 31 minMonisha Ashok, Director of Health Investments, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) lays out how health now figures in DFC's strategy following the late 2025…
- Hayley Severance, NTI: The newly released Africa Health Security Index · 36 minHayley Severance, Deputy Vice President, Global Biological Policy and Programs, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), walks us through the newly launched Africa Health Security Index…
- Aurélia Nguyen, CEPI: "Vaccines will be part of the solution" to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak · 42 minAurélia Nguyen, Dep. CEO of CEPI (Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) shares her unusual personal and career story, including working with Andrew Witty at GSK, and…
- Ken Isaacs, Samaritan’s Purse: "What they need are Ebola fighters." · 28 minSamaritan’s Purse (SP) has a well-established hospital and deep community ties in DRC's Ituri province. Vice President Ken Isaacs describes how SP pivoted during the unfolding…
- Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme: Ebola outbreak in Ituri, Congo "a perfect storm." · 40 minDr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, spent several weeks in the hot zone in eastern Congo, mobilizing the international response to the…
- CommonHealth Live! with Rep. Ami Bera · 45 minIn this episode of the CommonHealth Live! series, J. Stephen Morrison sits down with Representative Ami Bera (CA-06) to discuss the future of U.S. global health security strategy…
- Dr. Gerald Parker: New World Screwworm arrives —"sometimes there is bureaucratic inertia." · 37 minDr. Gerald Parker, an acclaimed biodefense/One Health expert and high-ranking official across several administrations, experienced New World screwworm (NWS) as a boy in Texas…
- Jamie Bay Nishi, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH): “We can’t have the same three CDC epidemiologists managing the world’s crises.” · 39 minJamie Bay Nishi, the dynamic CEO of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), is absorbed with the question: how do we navigate all the changes in government…
- Declan Walsh, NYT Africa Correspondent: "It all boils down to two factors, conflict and gold." · 29 minDeclan Walsh, the acclaimed New York Times Africa correspondent, visited the hot zone of the Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from…
- Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, Chair, Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group: "Congolese doctors know how to treat Ebola patients." · 31 minDr. Salim Abdool Karim, the renowned South African epidemiologist, chairs the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group. In that role, he just completed a visit to Bunia, capital…
- Strengthening Vaccine Production and Access to Routine Immunizations in Sub-Saharan Africa | The CommonHealth Live! · 56 minTwo years since the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a financial mechanism that invests in commercially viable manufacturing efforts on the…
- Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President of the University of Nebraska: “Containing outbreaks is always in our national interest.” · 39 minDr. Jeffrey Gold, President of the University of Nebraska, details the evolving experience of caring for the 16 Americans evacuated from the Dutch ship, the HV Hondius, following…
- Professor Rebecca Katz, Georgetown University: the Health Security Operations Center during the FIFA World Cup · 31 minProfessor Rebecca Katz, Georgetown University, explains the Health Security Operations Center, the remarkable initiative she has spearheaded with others to enhance protection…
- Professor Paul Spiegel, Johns Hopkins University: the release of the Lancet Commission report on health, conflict and forced displacement · 45 minOn May 20, Professor Paul Spiegel presents in Geneva the report of the Lancet Commission on health, conflict and forced displacement, conducted in partnership with the Johns…
- Priya Basu, the Pandemic Fund: "Countries are not sitting on the fence. They are lining up." · 36 minPriya Basu, head of the Pandemic Fund (est. 2022, based at the World Bank), reflects on the Fund's origin and evolution. "It exists to solve problems no one else was solving."…
- A Conversation with Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | The Futures Summit · 48 minGavi CEO Sania Nishtar sat down with Katherine E. Bliss, Director and Senior Fellow, Immunizations and Health Systems Resilience, to discuss the Alliance’s ambitious plan of work…
- The Lenacapavir Partnership and the Evolution of U.S. Foreign Assistance | The Futures Summit · 1 h 12 minIn September 2025, the U.S. Department of State, Gilead Sciences, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced a novel partnership to procure and deliver…
- Dr. Eli Cahan: “Human beings are wired for stories.” · 40 minDr. Eli Cahan explains how he evolved into both a neonatologist and an accomplished, intrepid journalist, inspired by the likes of Atul Gawande and shaped by experiences during…
- Dr. Benjamin Park, CDC: speed is of utmost importance · 34 minDr. Benjamin Park is Director of the CDC Division of Global Health Protection that protects Americans against dangerous outbreaks by strengthening partner countries’ capabilities…
- Expanding Access to Immunizations in the Americas | The CommonHealth Live! · 53 minDuring this year’s Vaccination Week in the Americas, which runs from April 25 to May 2, countries across the hemisphere will celebrate the lives saved through immunization…
- Dan Diamond, Washington Post: “A big hole that no one knows how to fill.” · 35 minDan Diamond, Washington Post reporter on the White House and health care, shares his reflections on President Trump’s swirling passions to reshape Washington’s built environment…
- Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times: Reflections on HHS Secretary RFK Jr’s tenure · 38 minSheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, offers her reflections on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s tenure over the past fifteen months. His vaccine agenda has always been an…
- The Resurgence of Measles in the United States | CommonHealth Live! · 53 minSince January 2025, the United States has confirmed more than 3,000 cases of measles across multiple states - with South Carolina reporting nearly 1000 cases in just the first…
- Emily Gibbons, Gilead Sciences: the lenacapavir partnership · 28 minGilead Sciences, the Trump administration, and the Global Fund have joined in partnership to bring lenacapavir, the new twice-yearly injectable prevention tool against HIV/AIDS…
- Book Event: Deployed by Kevin De Cock · 57 minThis episode of The CommonHealth features a discussion of the recently published book, Deployed: A Physician on the Front Lines of Global Health, by Kevin M. De Cock. In…
- Andi L. Fristedt, Parkinson’s Foundation: “The data (on paraquat) is clear.” · 33 minAndi L. Fristedt, former senior official at CDC, FDA and the Senate HELP Committee, heads up a newly established Washington, D.C. office of the Parkinson’s Foundation. The…
- Keith Poulsen, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory: “Emergency response is hard.” · 44 minKeith Poulsen, professor at the University of Wisconsin and director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, provides an update on the status of highly pathogenic…
- Measles Outbreaks and Elimination in North America | The CommonHealth Live! · 54 minOver the past year, outbreaks of measles, a highly transmissible virus, have affected thousands of unvaccinated people across Canada, Mexico and the United States. With more than…
- Jane Halton: the launch of CEPI 3.0 · 24 minJane Halton, chair of CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, walks us through CEPI's evolution since its founding in early 2017, and the launch on February…
- John-Arne Røttingen, CEO, Wellcome Trust: “The system has changed—and changed forever.” · 35 minJohn-Arne Røttingen, CEO of Wellcome Trust, is a Norwegian leader whose expertise has a remarkable span, encompassing medicine, science, research, clinical trials, negotiations…
- Keith Humphreys, Stanford University: China’s supply shock of fentanyl and chemical precursors · 34 minKeith Humphreys, a leading expert on addiction psychiatry, based at Stanford University, unpacks his January article in Science examining the steep reduction in overdoses…
- Amb. (ret) Karl Hofmann, Health X Partners: “Not everyone curtails their job in Paris.” · 52 minAmb. (ret) Karl Hofmann is CEO of the recently launched Health X Partners (HXP), a parent company under which Population Services International (PSI) and the Elizabeth Glazer…
- Dr. Chris Murray, IHME: The “Commission of Commissions.” · 33 minDr. Chris Murray, IHME, co-chairs the Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health, which will launch its report in February at the Munich Security Conference. It…
- Prevention Intention: Wafaa El-Sadr on People and Persistence in HIV Research · 38 minIn the second episode of the Prevention Intention mini-series, Katherine speaks with Wafaa El-Sadr, University Professor in Epidemiology at Columbia University and the director…
- Prevention Intention: Linda-Gail Bekker on HIV Prevention with Purpose · 39 minIn the first episode of the Prevention Intention mini-series, a series featuring conversations with leading female HIV clinical researchers, Katherine speaks with Linda-Gail…
- Erika Elvander, former U.S. Health Attache in Beijing: “It behooves us to find the common ground.” · 40 minErika Elvander served her country as a federal career health diplomat for 27 years, including as the U.S. Health Attache in Beijing from the spring 2021 until the end of 2024…
- Marian Wentworth, MSH: "I have been working since I was 13." · 38 minMarian Wentworth, President & CEO, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), at age 13 started working in a local factory. Attended the famous Latin School in Chicago. Studied math…
- Rep. Adam Smith on Engaging China · 41 minListen to the recent CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Health Security discussion with Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, on his…
- Dr. Rick Brennan: “This is not good for the American soul.” · 36 minDr. Rick Brennan, an acclaimed Australian humanitarian leader who led WHO and NGO crisis response in multiple conflicts over several decades, walks us through his personal story…
- Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity · 43 minListen to the recent CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security book launch of Fair Doses: An Insider’s Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity by…
- Keizo Takemi, recent Japan Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare: "I am quite lucky." · 41 minKeizo Takemi, recent Japan Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (September 2023-October 2024), shares his personal story that took him to Taiwan, CNN/Japan, the Diet, Harvard…
- Dr. Debra Houry, former Chief Medical Officer and Dep. Director, CDC: “He’s becoming dangerous to the health of our nation.” · 39 minDr. Debra Houry joined the podcast, following her resignation from CDC on August 25, upon the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, and shortly after her September 17 testimony…
