In this episode we chat with Nang’andu, a health promotion specialist from Zambia about her 11 year career in public health.
We discussed:
How Nana started her career in public health and what motivated her to focus on health in development
Secondary prevention in Cervical cancer
All things Cervical cancer
What work she currently does and what that looks like on a typical day/week
Monitoring and Evaluation in public health programs
It's not just M&E
Nana’s multi year experience and the different amazing work and areas she has worked in
Digitalization of M&E and how Nana has taken it in stride
What digital applications and platforms Nana uses in her work
How her role requires her to be flexible, adaptable and translate between different kinds of experts
How she has continued to learn new skills and dedicated time to that to keep up to date with the work
The importance of prioritizing the population as a receiver of information and evidence generated in public health work
Data for decision making - Decisions in health begin at the individual’s health
Beyond data collection and M&E in public health work
Data as an empowerment tool for people
Nana’s definition of public health and what it means and looks like for her
There is so much work to do!
Frustrations and challenges working in public health
What is Nana’s favourite thing about working in public health
What keeps Nana working in public health?
Public Health saves lives
Skills that Nana has found useful in public health
Top things that Nana recommends investing in while working in public health
The value of relationships in public health work
What she does when she feels demotivated in her work or in a slump
The value of humanities and social sciences in public health with examples from a reproductive health program that Nana worked in
The value of innovation in public health
Who are we doing public health work for?
Public health interventions need to be inclusive and not discriminatory
Tips and words of wisdom to young people
Challenges in career guidance and learning how to explore
Visible women Zambia and mentorship for young women and girls
