Tracing a trajectory from her medical education in China through a masters degree and PhD in Japan and a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, Lifang Hou, MD, PhD, has cultivated an international career which now includes spearheading global cancer prevention initiatives that span from Africa to South America. In this episode, she discusses her career journey and how her work in genetics, epigenetics, and early cancer detection is helping bring affordable screening and prevention strategies to underserved communities around the world.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special bonus episode of Explore Global Health features Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., MD, MPH, Ph, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in conversation with Rob Murphy, MD. The discussion explores what it takes to build resilient health systems in an increasingly complex global landscape, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolving role of primary health care, and the importance of regional collaboration, governance, and trust. Barbosa also shares insights on the future of global health, including the growing role of artificial intelligence and advice for the next generation entering the field.

Recorded at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this special bonus episode of Explore Global Health features physicist and former NOAA satellite director Stephen Volz, PhD, whose career spans NASA, Earth observation, and global environmental science. He explains how satellite data and Earth system science are transforming our understanding of planetary health—and why that matters for human health outcomes worldwide. From the "triple planetary crisis" to the critical role of finance, Volz explores how environmental data, global collaboration, and local action must come together to build a sustainable and healthier future.