What does it really take to turn a mental health policy into a living, breathing reality in people’s lives?

In this episode of Global Health Transplant, we speak with Daniela Cossio Martinez, an Implementation Lead based in Ireland, who is working on one of the country’s most ambitious efforts to transform mental health services—Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s national mental health policy.

Born in Mexico and now living and working in Europe, Daniela brings a powerful cross-cultural lens to her work. As a migrant woman navigating systems far from home, her lived experience has sharpened her understanding of belonging, access, and inclusion—core themes that shape the equity challenges she addresses on the ground.

Daniela’s background in Anthropology also brings a unique vantage point: one that sees people not as passive recipients of care, but as meaning-makers living within complex social systems. From her role at the intersection of government, NGOs, and service users, she shares how she navigates tensions, builds trust, and supports policy implementation that is context-aware, inclusive, and sustainable.

We explore:

• What meaningful implementation actually looks like

• The challenges of translating policy vision into frontline practice

• How her anthropological training helps her listen differently

• And why migrants—and implementers with lived experience—bring essential value to global health work

Daniela’s story is a reminder that implementation is where the real work begins—and that the people closest to the work often hold the deepest insight.

In this episode of Global Health Transplant, Chadel speaks with Dr. Fifa Rahman, a global health advocate and legal expert whose work centers on access to medicines, pandemic preparedness, equity, and civil society engagement in global health governance.

With a background in law and health policy, Dr. Rahman has established a Consultancy Practice and collaborated with major health actors such as the WHO, the UN, and international coalitions to ensure the voices of marginalized communities are represented in critical decision-making spaces.

In today's conversation we explore:

• Her "transition" into the global health law space

• Some of the projects and policies she's been able to contribute to

• Her insights from her role as Manager of a Consultancy firm

• Lessons on navigating power and politics in the space.

This episode offers inspiration and insight for anyone interested in forging an impactful, non-clinical path in global health.

In this episode of Global Health Transplant, I sit down with Mansuk Daniel Han, a statistician working in the Global Health Space.

. Dan has collaborated with leading organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), contributing to critical initiatives in child health, humanitarian response, and outbreak data analysis.

During our conversation, Dan shares insights into his career journey, from his start cold-calling organisations to his stints with various UN agencies. We also discuss the role statistics have played in his most recent assignment in Ukraine.

With experience spanning pandemic response, humanitarian emergencies, and public health data visualization, Dan offers a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of using statistics to drive policy and improve health outcomes. Join us for this deep dive into the role of statisticians in global health!

In this episode, I chat with my past lecturer, Dr. Fawzia Gibson-Fall. Our discussion spans her work, joys, highs and lows as a global health academic, as well as the research she has been engaged in throughout her career.

​Dr. Fawzia Gibson-Fall is a distinguished global health academic with extensive experience in research, teaching, and media. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, focusing on the role of security actors in global health. ​LinkedIn+2York University+2Queen Mary University of London+2

Dr. Gibson-Fall earned her Ph.D. from Queen Mary University of London, where her research explored the involvement of African militaries in global health. Her doctoral work is the foundation for her forthcoming book. Prior to her Ph.D., she completed an MSc in Global Health with Conflict and Security at King's College London (KCL) and a BA in Political Science and History from McGill University. ​

With over a decade of teaching experience in the UK, Dr. Gibson-Fall has held positions as a Lecturer in Global Health at University College London (UCL) and as a Teaching Fellow at King's College London. She has developed and led courses on Conflict & Health, Global Burden of Disease, Health Systems, Health Policy, and Child Health. ​Q

In addition to her academic roles, Dr. Gibson-Fall has a background in media and public broadcasting, including work with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada. This experience underpins her commitment to disseminating research beyond academia. She has curated global health conferences at the Royal Society of Medicine and contributed to research capacity-building programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Resources referenced :

1. " Military responses to COVID-19, emerging trends in global-civil military engagements."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-international-studies/article/military-responses-to-covid19-emerging-trends-in-global-civilmilitary-engagements/1A68DD0D2F22C5081507FD15743FF2AD

2. Mountain Beyond Mountain

https://amzn.to/4iKd60F

3. Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid

In this debut episode of the Global Health Transplant Pod, host Chadel introduces herself, and shares her academic and professional journey, as well as the inspiration behind launching this podcast.

She dives into the meaning behind the name and what listeners can expect in future episodes. Tune in to learn more about the vision for this space and join the conversation on global health, impact, and transformation.

Resources referenced that may interest you:

1. The global health workforce stock and distribution in 2020 and 2030: a threat to equity and ‘universal’ health coverage?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9237893/

2. https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1