
What If Climate Change Was An Approaching Comet?
02/08/22 • 50 min
What happens when scientists try to advise policymakers and decision-makers about a significant threat to public health and they fail to act? What if you then found out that not only did these decision-makers fail to act, but instead chose to exploit the situation for economic gain?
While this sounds like an all too familiar present-day scenario, this story is captured in the fictional Netflix film titled, “Don’t Look Up”, where two astronomers identify a catastrophic comet heading towards earth and the fate of humanity is left in the hands of politicians and some of the world’s richest people.
In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we explore some key questions:
- Do scientists and public health professionals need communication or media training as part of their education?
- How important is the credibility of the messenger in science communication for the general public?
- Should astronomers, physicists, and other disciplines have a more prominent role in public health?
- Will the fate of the planet be determined by corporate/political greed or a failure of science?
Spoiler Alert: This episode contains spoilers and will almost certainly ruin the movie for you, so come back to this after you’ve had a chance to watch it. If you’ve heard of the movie and haven’t yet been convinced to watch, keep listening. It will be worth your while. For those who’ve already watched it, enjoy the ride.
Podcast Hosts
- Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®
- Leshawn Benedict, MPH, MSc, PMP®
- Purva Mehta, BMSc, MSc
- Hassan Shaban, HBAS
- Bindra Shah, BMSc, MPH
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What if there was an easy way to receive timely information about public health and global health right to your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the loop about the latest news, live events, jobs, and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss out: https://thepublichealthinsight.com/subscribe/.
Leave Us a Rating
If you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people.
What happens when scientists try to advise policymakers and decision-makers about a significant threat to public health and they fail to act? What if you then found out that not only did these decision-makers fail to act, but instead chose to exploit the situation for economic gain?
While this sounds like an all too familiar present-day scenario, this story is captured in the fictional Netflix film titled, “Don’t Look Up”, where two astronomers identify a catastrophic comet heading towards earth and the fate of humanity is left in the hands of politicians and some of the world’s richest people.
In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we explore some key questions:
- Do scientists and public health professionals need communication or media training as part of their education?
- How important is the credibility of the messenger in science communication for the general public?
- Should astronomers, physicists, and other disciplines have a more prominent role in public health?
- Will the fate of the planet be determined by corporate/political greed or a failure of science?
Spoiler Alert: This episode contains spoilers and will almost certainly ruin the movie for you, so come back to this after you’ve had a chance to watch it. If you’ve heard of the movie and haven’t yet been convinced to watch, keep listening. It will be worth your while. For those who’ve already watched it, enjoy the ride.
Podcast Hosts
- Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®
- Leshawn Benedict, MPH, MSc, PMP®
- Purva Mehta, BMSc, MSc
- Hassan Shaban, HBAS
- Bindra Shah, BMSc, MPH
Subscribe to the Newsletter
What if there was an easy way to receive timely information about public health and global health right to your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the loop about the latest news, live events, jobs, and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss out: https://thepublichealthinsight.com/subscribe/.
Leave Us a Rating
If you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people.
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7 Core Competencies You Need to Excel in Public Health
Whether you’re an aspiring public health professional who is unsure about how to get noticed by a potential employer or you’ve already been working in the public health field for a period of time, there are skills we must continually work to develop to allow us to excel in an evolving public health landscape. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we will be talking about seven core competencies that are crucial for the effective practice of public health.
Podcast Hosts
Subscribe to the Newsletter
What if there was an easy way to receive timely information about public health and global health right to your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the loop about the latest news, live events, jobs, and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss out: https://thepublichealthinsight.com/subscribe/.
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Next Episode

Smoking Cessation & the Promise of a ‘New’ Old Drug
Tobacco use is currently the leading cause of preventable death, responsible for more than eight million deaths worldwide each year. Given this reality, healthcare companies still committed to smoking cessation can play a pivotal role in addressing this escalating smoking and nicotine addiction epidemic. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we speak with Dr. Cindy Jacobs, President and Chief Medical Officer of Achieve Life Sciences, about new therapeutic modalities designed to make it easier for individuals trying to quit smoking.
Podcast Hosts
Podcast Hosts
References for Our Discussion
- Achieve Life Sciences
- World Health Organization: Tobacco
- Yahoo News: Achieve Life Sciences Appointment Announcements
Subscribe to the Newsletter
What if there was an easy way to receive timely information about public health and global health right to your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the loop about the latest news, live events, jobs, and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss out: https://thepublichealthinsight.com/subscribe/.
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If you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people.
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