Episode #458 Plain Language, Real Power
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
On This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
What Does Public Health Actually Mean?
It is one of the most important questions in the field right now, and one of the hardest to answer. Public health professionals know the work inside and out, but translating it for friends, neighbors, and policymakers? That is where many of us get stuck.
In this episode, Dr. Huntley is joined by two leaders from Sisters in Public Health, a national organization advancing women in the public health field.
Together, they explore one of the most pressing challenges of this moment: how do we explain public health in plain language, and why does it matter so much right now?
The conversation is grounded, practical, and genuinely energizing.
A National Community Built on Sisterhood
Angela Frazier is the founder and CEO of Sisters in Public Health, an organization that has grown to 33 chapters across the United States. With a mission centered on advancing women in public health, the organization offers mentorship programs, professional development, and a wellness retreat designed to help public health professionals recharge as they give so much to their communities.
Jennifer Kuo serves as the Los Angeles chapter chair of Sisters in Public Health and brings a fascinating additional lens to the work. She works at the intersection of arts and public health, using theater, music, movement, and dance to communicate public health concepts in ways that feel natural and engaging, rather than academic.
Both guests bring real warmth and hard-won perspective to this conversation.
Using Everyday Examples to Make the Case
One of the most useful threads in this episode is how both guests describe explaining public health to the people around them. Angela shares her go-to example involving a problematic intersection near her home, where changing stop signs to a traffic light illustrates exactly what public health professionals do: identify root causes and intervene before more people are harmed.
Jennifer takes a different approach, one rooted in her work with the arts. She describes wrapping public health education in experiences people already enjoy, so that learning happens almost naturally. The gua sha wellness workshop her LA chapter hosted is a perfect example. Members brought friends and family, learned something hands-on together, and left with a new healthy habit and a deeper sense of community.
Advocacy Is Bigger Than You Think
This episode broadens the definition of advocacy in a way that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like they were not doing enough. The conversation covers the full spectrum, from quiet but powerful presence at a city council meeting, to grassroots organizing, to bringing family and friends into community events where public health is being practiced in real time.
Jennifer shares that she was in Sacramento during the recording, preparing for an advocacy summit and a musical march to legislators' offices. Her insight that lawmakers need to hear from constituents repeatedly, and personally, before they act is both clarifying and motivating.
Dr. Huntley reflects on her mother's civil rights advocacy and the power of simply showing up, notebook in hand, even when everything is not fully understood yet. It is a reminder that presence itself is a form of advocacy.
Mentorship, Collaboration, and What the Field Needs Now
Sisters in Public Health is currently recruiting for its fourth mentorship cohort, pairing mentees at all career stages with experienced professionals. One of the most encouraging findings Angela and Jennifer share is that seasoned professionals are lining up to be mentees, too. The learning never stops, and the best professionals in any field know that.
The conversation closes with a clear-eyed look at the current public health landscape and a call to lock arms, smash silos, and support the next generation of leaders who are still excited to enter this field despite the challenges.
About Our Guests
Angela Frazier
Angela Frazier is the founder and CEO of Sisters in Public Health, a national nonprofit organization with 33 chapters dedicated to advancing women in the public health field. Under her leadership, the organization offers mentorship programs, professional development, certifications and trainings, and an annual wellness retreat that gives public health professionals the opportunity to recharge and reconnect. Angela is passionate about building community, cultivating the next generation of public health leaders, and creating spaces where women in the field can thrive.
Jennifer Kuo
Jennifer Kuo serves as the Los Angeles chapter chair of Sisters in Public Health and works at the intersection of arts and public health. She provides consultation and develops pilot programs that use art forms such as theater, music, movement, and dance as tools for public health communication and community education. Jennifer is also an advocate for grassroots civic engagement and was in Sacramento at the time of this recording, participating in an advocacy summit and leading a musical march to legislators' offices.
Listen To This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Conversation Highlights
Plain language advocacy starts at home.
Explaining public health to friends, family, and neighbors is one of the most powerful things professionals can do right now. When communities understand what public health is and why it matters, they become a force for protecting it.
Everyday examples make complex ideas click.
A neighborhood intersection that kept causing accidents until it was redesigned with a traffic light is a simple, relatable illustration of what public health professionals actually do. Find your version of that example and use it often.
The arts are a powerful vehicle for public health communication.
Using theater, music, and movement to deliver public health messages meets people where they already are and makes learning feel less like education and more like connection.
Advocacy exists on a spectrum, and all of it counts.
From showing up quietly at a city council meeting to leading a grassroots march, every form of engagement matters. The key is finding the level that resonates with you and doing it consistently.
Mentorship is a two-way relationship at every career stage.
Sisters in Public Health's mentorship program has shown that experienced professionals want mentors just as much as students do. The field grows stronger when everyone is always learning.
Collaboration is not optional right now.
The current public health landscape requires professionals to break down silos and work together more intentionally than ever. Partnering with someone whose skills complement yours multiplies your impact.
Community is what sustains the work.
Events that blend wellness, networking, professional development, and volunteer service create the kind of belonging that keeps people in the field and committed to the mission even when things are hard.
"We are forever learning. There's not... I think if you get to a point where you feel like you have nothing else to learn from anybody, that's a dangerous place to be." - Angela Frazier
"Advocacy is about raising awareness. Just talking to your friends and family about X, Y, and Z, that's advocacy." - Jennifer Kuo
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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.
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