Episode #454 One Question, Many Voices Live From the Field
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
On This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Something New Is Happening on This Podcast
What happens when you set up a microphone at a public health conference and invite whoever walks by to answer one question on the spot? You get something that has never happened on this podcast before, and the results were remarkable. Episode 454 of the PHEC Podcast is unlike anything Dr. Huntley has produced in over 400 episodes, and it starts with a simple but surprisingly challenging question: What is public health?
Dr. Huntley, Charlotte Huntley, PhD, MPH, brought a full mini recording studio to a local South Carolina public health conference where she was serving as a moderator. With a microphone, a camera, a light, and a whole lot of energy, she set up shop at her booth and issued an open invitation to conference attendees. She asked them to introduce themselves, share where they work, and answer the question in plain language, ideally through story. She hoped for two or three responses. She got over a dozen.
A Line Formed at the Booth
What unfolded at this conference was something the entire PHEC team did not fully anticipate. People lined up. Attendees put on headphones. Students, government employees, researchers, and consultants all stepped up to the mic and took their turn. The booth became one of the most active spaces at the event, and the energy was high throughout.
The participants came from a range of organizations and institutions, including the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Lander University, the South Carolina Department of Public Health, the Center for Rural and Primary Health Care, the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, the Courage Center, and independent consultants working across the state. Participants included a psychologist from the Courage Center, alongside undergraduate and graduate public health students, seasoned department directors, and professionals from across academia, state government, and the private sector. It was a genuine cross-section of the public health community in South Carolina. (Note: The Courage Center was inadvertently omitted during Dr. Huntley's on-air introductions of participating organizations, but their contributor's message is included in the episode lineup.)
Why Plain Language Matters More Than Ever
Dr. Huntley has long championed the idea that communicating public health in plain language is one of the most important skills public health professionals can develop. This episode brings that conviction to life in a vivid way. The voices in this episode represent a spectrum of how professionals at different levels and in different roles describe the field to people outside of it.
Some of the responses will resonate most with colleagues who may not have a deep public health background. Others are beautifully suited for conversations with neighbors, family members, or anyone in the community who has never heard the term before. Listeners are invited to listen through and take inspiration, then put their own spin on how they explain the work they do.
As Dr. Huntley has said before, when public health is working at its best, it often goes unnoticed. The field needs advocates who can tell that story in a way that builds understanding and community investment. This episode is a celebration of that effort and a call to keep practicing.
An Experiment That Proved Itself
This episode also represents a milestone for the PHEC Podcast team. Recording on-site at a conference was a new logistical challenge, and the team handled it with creativity and adaptability. There was background conference noise, a brief technical hiccup that required a quick swap to a backup microphone, and the unpredictability of a live environment. None of it slowed things down. The raw, on-the-ground energy of the recording is intentional, and Dr. Huntley has kept it in to honor the moment.
This is now a proven format for the show. Future conferences attended by the PHEC team may bring a similar setup, creating more opportunities to collect voices from the field in real time.
Listen To This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Conversation Highlights
Plain language communication is a practice, not a given.Â
Even experienced public health professionals find it genuinely difficult to explain their work without slipping into technical language. This episode shows what it looks and sounds like when people give it a real try.
Storytelling is the bridge between public health and the public.Â
Dr. Huntley encouraged participants to share their answers through story, and several did. Narrative is one of the most effective tools for making public health relatable and memorable to people outside the field.
Community buy-in starts with shared understanding.Â
When people outside of public health understand what the field does and why it matters, it becomes harder to dismantle. Communicating the value of public health clearly and consistently is an act of advocacy.
Diverse voices strengthen the message.Â
This episode features students, government employees, academics, and consultants, all from the same state, all with different ways of answering the same question. The variety is instructive and energizing.
Innovation in podcasting does not require perfection.Â
The PHEC team embraced a new format in a live, unpredictable environment, and it worked. This episode is a reminder that experimentation and adaptability are assets in any field, including public health communication.
South Carolina's public health community is vibrant and collaborative.Â
Organizations across academia, state government, and the private sector came together at this conference, and the energy at the PHEC booth reflected that spirit of connection and shared purpose.
"If people who are outside of public health, who are not public health trained, if our broader community genuinely understands the work that we do, there's increased value and we're not so easily erased and dismantled." — Dr. Huntley
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DrCHHuntley LLC is a public health consulting firm that specializes in epidemiology consulting, supporting large nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida that serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We also provide nationwide public health consulting and epidemiology consulting support to BIPOC organizations across the United States.