Global health security: COVID-19 and beyond

Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

"Global health security: COVID-19 and beyond" is the final episode in this podcast series where Dr Paul Vallet interviews Dr Johanna Ralston, CEO; World Obesity Foundation. Welcome to the Geneva Centre for Security Policy weekly podcast. I'm your host, Dr Paul Vallet, Associate Fellow in the Global Fellowship Initiative. For the past weeks this spring, I've been talking with subject matter experts to discuss issues of peace, security and international cooperation. Thanks for tuning in. In recent days, since this spring and the beginning of our weekly podcast, the rollout of vaccinations, however unequal in different parts of the world, has given us hope about the COVID 19 pandemic. It is also the time to reckon with other major public health questions that were side-lined by our preoccupations with the pandemic. As some of these concerns our everyday lives and can easily affect each of us and to remind us there are other ways to take care of ourselves, my guest today is Johanna Ralston, Johanna Ralston, who is currently the CEO of the World Obesity Foundation since 2017, has over 25 years’ experience in global health and development. She is a global leader in advocating for non-communicable diseases and a dual Swedish and US citizen. After training at the Harvard Business School and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her career took her to the American Cancer Society, they were set up global programs on cancer and tobacco control projects in more than 30 countries. she proceeded on to the World Heart Foundation based in Geneva, which was appointed CEO in 2011. Working closely with the World Health Organization and other UN agencies tackling cardiovascular diseases. She was instrumental in implementing the Non-Communicable Diseases Declaration adopted that year and worked to place strong targets on cardiovascular disease mortality reduction in the WHO Global Action Plan, and the Sustainable Development Goals. She has worked and published with many institutions devoted to medicine and public health. And at least she's been a member of the GCSP Global Fellowship Initiative, for a few years now. So, it's nice to welcome you, Johanna, to the podcast. And thank you for speaking with us today.