In this episode we talked to Rachael Goba, a Global health leader with 15+ years of experience driving gender-transformative health systems across Africa and globally in both development and humanitarian contexts.

Rachael is a Senior Technical Advisor for Adolescent Health, she provides strategic leadership in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) Comprehensive sexuality education, Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health, Adolescent HIV progrmming, gender equity & Social Inclusion,climate-resilient health systems, and inclusive health governance. She works at the intersection of technical excellence, systems strengthening, and power-shifting approaches that elevate women- and youth-led organisations.

Rachael is a graduate of the WomenLift Health Southern Africa Leadership Journey 2025, where she is a global fellow, and her approach blends feminist leadership, localisation, and systems thinking to design scalable, evidence-driven solutions that strengthen health governance and improve health equity.

In this episode we learnt about Rachael's career journey and what ignited her interest in public health. We discussed what her work looks like at this stage in her career and the things she enjoys most about the working in adolescent, sexual and reproductive health and rights. We ended with words of wisdom and motivating words for all those who might be interested in joining the field of public health!

Rachael offers expert-led sexuality education for adolescents (10-19 years old) through her project Bridges Beyond which aims to and equip parents & caregivers with the tools to foster open, healthy conversations with their children.

Conversations are age-appropriate, accurate, engaging and culturally appropriate covering topics such as puberty, responsibility, consent, relationships, and personal safety amongst many others.

Bridges Beyond is also available to conduct workshops to schools, organisations, churches in relation to sexuality education. For more information they can get in touch on bridgesbeyond1@gmail.com

In this episode we hear from Dr. Nicole Curti, a Medical Doctor and Public Health Specialist with over 25 years of experience in global health and international cooperation.

Dr Nicole is currently based in Rwanda, where she leads a major health program aligned with the country’s Health Sector Strategic Plan V (2024–2029), focusing on maternal, newborn, and child health, sexual and reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and health system strengthening.

Her career spans Africa, Europe, South Asia, and North America, with expertise in humanitarian work, epidemic response, health security, and primary healthcare. Born in Ebolowa, Cameroon, Dr. Curti’s journey has been defined by resilience; after losing her father at 16, she financed her studies independently, earning degrees in medicine, tropical medicine and public health. She recently completed a three-year degree in Chinese Medicine and Moxibustion at the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Geneva, Switzerland. Her work integrates coordination, research, policy, and capacity-building, collaborating with governments, local authorities, development partners, and healthcare providers to ensure equitable access to quality care. Passionate about mentoring the next generation of public health leaders, she emphasizes community engagement, continuous learning, innovation, adaptability, and evidence-based interventions to drive systemic change globally.

In this episode we discussed:Her background and pathway to clinical medicineand then public health Key elements that make up a public health system The different countries she has worked and the various roles and responsibilities she had Pivotal points in her career and experiences that informed her decision Her favourite projects and what she likes about working in public health Her advice to people starting out in public health or those earlier in her career Key skills and traits she finds useful in the field

In this episode we hear from Kristine Yakhama, a certified health and development professional with expertise in public health, particularly in areas such as maternal and child health, infectious disease control, and health systems strengthening.

Kristine Yakhama is the Zonal leader for Kakamega MNCH Alliance and a Volunteer Regional director at Give them a hand Foundation Kenya. She works with Good health community programs as a budget facilitator. She has managed and optimized financial resources for various public health programs, ensuring effective implementation. Her experience as a researcher has allowed her to contribute to impactful studies on community health outcomes and interventions. Additionally, she serves as an external reviewer, providing valuable feedback on public health projects to improve their design and execution.

In this we hear from Dr. Achieng' Aling' from Kenya.

Dr. Achieng' Aling' is an OB-GYN, global health expert, and health systems strategist focused on strengthening Africa’s health workforce and sexual and reproductive health. A passionate advocate for menstrual and menopause health, she’s driving policy and innovation to ensure women’s well-being at every stage of life.

In this episode we talked about:

• Who is Dr. Achieng' Aling' and what does she do?
• What kind of training she did and for how long?
• Why she chose medicine and obstetrics and gynecology as a specialty
• Why and how she chose to pursue a career in global health after her clinical training
• Career influences growing up, and sometimes career de-influencers?
• Key factors and decision points in careers- who to listen to and how much?Clinical training or not before going into public health?
• What kind of work she does now , what she enjoys about the work and this period in her career
• What a day in her work life look like
• Work travel and what it comes with
• What is her favorite thing about working in Public Health and what keeps her motivated
• Challenges working in public health
• Mindset required when working in public health
• Benefits of working in public health
• Key skills and competencies she feels are important as you embark in your public health career
• What does public health mean to Dr. Achieng' Aling'

You can follow Dr. Achieng' Aling' on Instagram and tik tok

https://www.instagram.com/the_menstrual_doctor