Our Stories, Our World: A community-driven podcast series

S1:E6 Public Health in Chicago with Shyam Prabhakaran

Episode Summary

In our sixth and final episode, we once again focus on Public Health. This episode features Dr. Shyam Prabhakaran in conversation with interviewer Daniel Animashaun. The neurologist and health researcher shared a screenshot of a virtual meeting of the Chicago Community, Media & Research Partnership (CCMRP) that took place during the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the partnership of community leaders, community media journalists, and community-engaged health researchers was just a few months into a two-year project dedicated to making health research more accessible through community media. Looking at this photo, Prabhakaran sees a group of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences who came together with a common goal: improving health equity. That diversity, he said, is essential to his work in public health—and to finding creative and impactful solutions to the problems we face throughout our society.

Episode Notes

In our sixth and final episode, we once again focus on Public Health, from the perspective of Dr. Shyam Prabhakaran, an internationally recognized leader in vascular neurology and stroke research and treatment. Prabhakaran, who grew up in New Jersey and moved to Chicago in 2006, currently serves as principal investigator of the Chicago regional coordinating center in the National Institutes of Health’s stroke trials network (NIH StrokeNet). He is also an active community-engaged health researcher who partners with neighbors and community leaders to translate and share research findings to those most impacted by them.

In this episode, Prabhakaran shared a screenshot of a virtual meeting of the Chicago Community, Media & Research Partnership (CCMRP) that took place during the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the partnership of community leaders, community media journalists, and community-engaged health researchers was just a few months into a two-year project dedicated to making health research more accessible through community media. Looking at this photo, Prabhakaran sees a group of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences who came together with a common goal: improving health equity. That diversity, he said, is essential to his work in public health—and to finding creative and impactful solutions to the problems we face throughout our society.

Daniel Animashaun is a rising junior at Lindblom Math & Science Academy in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood. In addition to expertly interviewing community members, he enjoys participating in track and Real Men Talk, a leadership development program run by his school’s Dean of Students, Shohn Williams, who was featured in Our Stories, Our World’s first episode.

Music: Malci

Artwork: Dan MacDonald Studios

Audio Producer: Samantha Gattsek

Executive Producers: Mareva Lindo & Elissa Yancey

This podcast is brought to you by Public Narrative and A Picture’s Worth.

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