Join host Dr. Charlotte Huntley for a compelling conversation with Edward Johnson, Assistant Health Commissioner at Columbus Public Health, who proves that public health pathways are rarely linear. With a background in philosophy, politics, and economics, Edward brings a unique lens to the field, discussing how data modernization must go beyond cold numbers to harness the power of storytelling—evidenced by the transformative "Life Expectancy in Columbus Story Map" that secured cross-sector community buy-in. The discussion dives into real-world applications of public health leadership, from enacting a comprehensive flavored tobacco ban to repurposing emergency preparedness "pods" for food distribution during a massive SNAP benefits crisis. This episode explores the vital need for interdisciplinary collaboration, playing well in the "sandbox" with police, fire, and parks departments, and offers a resonant definition of the field: "How long do you live, and how well do you live those years?"

Resources

▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community

▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes

▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting

In this solo episode, Dr. Charlotte Huntley shares a deeply personal and practical conversation about navigating public health discussions with family, friends, coworkers, and communities without burning out. Grounded in her own complex grief journey and her work leading an epidemiology consulting firm, she offers a clear five-question framework to help listeners decide when a conversation is worth having, when to proceed with caution, and when to walk away.​

She connects the timing of this episode to the holiday season, when public health topics tend to surface more often amid gatherings and heightened emotions, and emphasizes that public health professionals are not responsible for correcting all misinformation or defending the entire field. Instead, she defines success as helping people within one's own sphere of influence better understand public health, while preserving personal mental health, capacity, and long-term sustainability in the work.

Resources

▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community

▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes

▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting

In this conversation, Dr. Charlotte Huntley welcomes back Dr. Vinu Ilakkuvan, founder and principal consultant at Pop Health and creator of Gaslit by Corporations, to explore what it really means to go "further upstream" in public health. Vinu shares how years of working with coalitions and systems-change efforts led her to focus on power—who has it, how it's used, and why communities must reclaim it to advance health. She explains why she chose the bold framing "Gaslit by Corporations, Ignited by Community" to translate the academic idea of the commercial determinants of health into language that everyday people can connect with and act on.

Throughout the episode, Charlotte and Vinu dig into plain-language communication, narrative power, and community organizing as essential strategies for countering corporate harm and shifting policy, while also highlighting the importance of community spaces (including the PHEC Podcast Community App) to strengthen collective "civic muscle."

Resources

▶️ Join the PHEC Podcast Community

▶️ Visit the PHEC Podcast Show Notes

▶️ DrCHHuntley, Public Health & Epidemiology Consulting