Research project
Global Health Histories podcast series
- Start date: 1 December 2025
- End date: 31 December 2025
- Funder: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures Impact Acceleration Account
- Primary investigator: Shane Doyle
- Co-investigators: Professor Sanjoy Bhattacharya
Description
The Global Health Histories podcast series seeks to enhance understanding of the historical context of health challenges facing the word today.
The podcasts bring historians of international and global health into conversation with medical researchers and policymakers, examining the cultural, economic, political, and social contexts which shaped past health interventions. Each podcast examines a specific case study of contemporary relevance, addressing not only medical research and the prevention or amelioration of disease and debility, but also health-related policy and diplomacy.
The series’ aim is to highlight the potential of historical research to aid national and global medical communities in responding to, and communicating about, the challenges of the present in order to shape a healthier future.
Episodes
Episode 1: Framework Convention for Tobacco Control: Global Perspectives from the WHO
The first episode of The Global Health Histories Podcast, hosted by Sanjoy Bhattacharya (Head of the School of History and Professor of Medical and Global Heath Histories at the University of Leeds) features a discussion on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty negotiated under the WHO's Article 19 powers. Speakers include:
- Kate Lannan, senior lawyer at the WHO FCTC Secretariat
- Doug Bettcher, senior advisor to the WHO Director-General
- Hebe Gouda, epidemiologist leading the WHO global tobacco epidemic report
- Alison Commar, demographer monitoring global tobacco prevalence
They highlight the FCTC's role in reducing global tobacco use, with adult prevalence dropping from 33% in 2000 to 21% in 2022, and discuss the MPOWER technical package, which outlines effective tobacco control measures. The conversation also addresses ongoing challenges, such as tobacco industry interference, and emphasizes the need for continued global collaboration, enforcement of tobacco control policies, and civil society support to combat the tobacco epidemic, which still claims 8 million lives annually.
In 2025, its 20th year, the FCTC is celebrated as a vital tool for public health, environmental protection, and economic sustainability.
Episode 2: Framework Convention for Tobacco Control: A National Perspective from Sri Lanka
This episode of the Global Health Histories Podcast features a conversation between Sanjoy Bhattacharya (Head of the School of History and Professor of Medical and Global Heath Histories at the University of Leeds) and Dr. Suranga Dolamulla, focusing on the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) and how it is being implemented in Sri Lanka. Dr. Dolamulla, Director of Laboratory Services and the Medical Research Institute at the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka, discusses the country's efforts and challenges in reducing tobacco use. The podcast highlights Sri Lanka's proactive stance in tobacco control and its significant contributions to global health initiatives.