Best Havas Medical Anthropology Podcasts (2024)

1
Women, Sports, and Leadership: The Evolution of Female Success ft. Claire Knapp and Denise Melone 44:32

28d ago44:32

44:32

Women's professional sports are "having a moment", but this did not happen in a vacuum nor did it happen overnight. In a highly anticipated episode (for us), we finally got a chance to sit down with Claire Knapp (CEO of Havas Lynx) and Denise Melone (Managing Director of Havas Life San Francisco) to discuss the implications of the growth of women's…

1
Do GLP-1s Change the Meaning of "Obesity"? 43:34

29d ago43:34

43:34

With the advent of GLP-1 drugs, it was only a matter of time before Brad and Gabriel dove into a discussion about this controversial drug class and the equally contentious disease, obesity. In this episode, they explore a range of topics—from the history of obesity and its recognition as a disease to how GLP-1s like Ozempic are influencing the conv…

1
Gifted, Neurodivergent, or Nerd: The Highs and Lows of Growing up Tagged as 'Gifted' 49:57

1M ago49:57

49:57

Our fascination with neurodivergence continues as we are joined by PsyD, Dr. Matt Zakreski to breakdown the semantics of giftedness, and inclusive design for neurodivergent people in a variety of public spaces. The term "gifted" was of particular interest of us and our guest because at one point in each of our lives we had been called out of the cl…

1
Unpacking the Rituals of Barbecues and Health: How we Give Structure and Meaning to an Unstructured World 22:47

2M ago22:47

22:47

In this episode, recorded right before the Labor Day weekend, Brad and Gabe have one thing on their minds... barbecuing! More specifically, they're thinking about barbecuing as a ritual, a set of behaviors with rules, inversions of norms, specific settings and a meaning that goes beyond its function. In health, rituals are overlooked, but they're a…

1
Bridging Minds: Autism, Neurodivergence, and Inclusive Communication in Advertising 35:35

3M ago35:35

35:35

The term "neurodiversity," introduced 25 years ago by autistic Australian sociologist Judy Singer, marked a milestone in our understanding of autism and the appreciation of "difference, not deficit" in how brains work. More than a buzzword, neurodiversity describes a growing population whose brains work differently from the "neurotypical," and whos…

1
Defeating Cancer’s Hero Trope: Cancer Doesn’t Make Humans Super - It Makes Them More of Who They Already Are 25:54

3M ago25:54

25:54

A cancer diagnosis is a "moment of truth" that brings an undeniable shift to someone's identity. Faced with one's own mortality, a concerted effort may be required to overcome the dissonance between "who I was" and "who I am now". When communicating to patients diagnosed with cancer, we often attempt to address this new-found perspective by creatin…

1
Making Sense Of "Trigger Warnings": Stigma, Taboo, and Trauma 32:35

3M ago32:35

32:35

Correction: In this episode, we mention that Anna Calix had a miscarriage. Anna actually had a 40 week stillbirth. Miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is a fetal demise in utero at less than 20 weeks of pregnancy, and stillbirth (fetal death) is a spontaneous fetal demise in utero at 20 weeks or more of pregnancy. The two have very different experie…

1
Uncomfortable Conversations Save Lives: The Surgeon General Weighs In On The Risks of Social Media 33:51

5M ago33:51

33:51

In this episode, Brad and Gabe delve into the US Surgeon General's proposal to introduce warning labels on social media platforms, aimed at highlighting their impact on young people's mental health. In the US, the surgeon general is seen as a moral authority who looks at social issues through a health-first lens from the dangers of social media to …

1
This is not a Drill: Cervical Cancer is Curable, but Treatment is Often Too Painful to Survive 48:20

5M ago48:20

48:20

In this episode, we’re joined by Eve McDavid and Dr. Onyinye Balogun, founders of Mission Driven Tech, a Cervical Cancer innovation company. Their story is an inspirational application of Breaking the Code's themes of inclusive design, varied expressions of pain, and uncomfortable conversations that save lives. Our discussion delves into women's he…

1
If Everything is 'Healthy', Nothing is 23:53

5M ago23:53

23:53

In a world of ubiquitous marketing, figuring out what supports a "healthy lifestyle" can be challenging. Marketers have picked up on the cultural trend towards wellness branding, and are enthusiastically, if somewhat disingenuously, leaning into claims that are technically true but not very helpful--"no added sugar", for example, is true, but irrel…

1
Ensuring the Customer is Always Right: A Brand's Role in Consumer Health Decisions 35:34

6M ago35:34

35:34

As people become more conscious and more knowledgeable about their health, it's on brands and health institutions to become more intimately aware of their consumer's (or patient's) health needs and goals. Someone who "does their own research" isn't operating in a silo - they still rely on the opinions of others, friends, influencers, health profess…

1
Skip the Chocolates, Bring out the Blindfold: ParkinSex & Putting Intimacy At the Forefront 34:06

7M ago34:06

34:06

In honor of Parkinson's awareness month, we're joined by Howard Lenn, EVP, Executive Creative Director at Havas Health Plus, to discuss his team's approach to the work on the "The Kama Sutra of Parkinson's", ParkinSex. Couples that include someone with Parkinson's are more likely to separate than couples that don't. Howard talks about the massive s…

1
The Pain We Feel: Culture in Storytelling and The Learned Expression of Emotions 33:45

7M ago33:45

33:45

Something that has fascinated us recently is the role culture plays in the emotional aspects of storytelling. The emotional response, its justification and the words used to describe it all are heavily influenced by an individual's identity and how they've learned to express themselves. In this episode, we discuss some of the culture differences wh…

1
Nurses are HCPs too: Honoring the Beating Heart of the Healthcare System 36:34

7M ago36:34

36:34

Too often in our industry, when we say "healthcare professional" what we really mean is ONE healthcare profession, the prescribing Medical Doctor. However, nursing is and always has been a part of the healthcare professional team, and today more than ever the roles nurses play in providing care are exactly those we cannot do without. Nursing is imp…

1
A Chance to Stand Out: Does The SAT Do More Good Than Harm? 37:55

8M ago37:55

37:55

Recently, a number of prestigious U.S. universities have talked about reinstating The Scholastic Aptitude Test, more infamously known as The SAT, for applicants to their undergraduate programs. The SAT was once mandatory for college applications, but has become optional and then not used at all in progressive stages over the past two decades. Howev…

1
Do Superbowl Ads Do the Job?: Singing Busts, Resilient Athletes, & Family Photos with the Visually Impaired 54:25

8M ago54:25

54:25

Do you know anyone who just watches the Superbowl for the love of the game anymore? As TV viewers decline across the board, the Big Game on the second Sunday of February remains a must watch event in sports, entertainment, and advertising, hooking the attention from everyone from die-hard sports fans to Swifties. In this special episode, the full t…

1
Let's Think Zebras: Understanding Rare Disease Through the Lives of Those it Affects 38:48

9M ago38:48

38:48

A rare disease diagnosis is the beginning of a journey of unknowns. From an HCPs ability to treat, to a caregivers' emotional burden, to a patient's sense of identity, there are a variety of factors that remain uncertain or unclear which makeup the unique challenge of having a rare disease. Despite the challenge, people living with rare disease per…

1
Uncomfortable Conversations Save Lives: Gardasil, "The Sex Vaccine" 30:56

9M ago30:56

30:56

With January being Cervical Health Awareness month, we felt that this was a great time to breakdown the discussion around Gardasil, an HPV vaccine that can play a major role in curbing the incidence rates of cervical and a variety of other cancers. With that fact alone, Gardasil seems like a no-brainer, but as we explained in a previous episode, it…

1
Medicine at a Crossroads: Doctor Distress, Medical Culture, And "Healing The Healers" 29:33

10M ago29:33

29:33

Doctors are in distress, and pandemic is not the only cause. For decades, the role of the healer has been evolving (or devolving, depending on whom you ask), both in our imaginations and in the literal conditions of labor for doctors. For the first episode of the new year, Sonika and I sit down with Vernon Bainton MD, Chief Medical Officer of Havas…

1
"I Think I'm Turning into my Parents": A Celebration of Life Stage Similarities and Generational Differences 46:43

11M ago46:43

46:43

Use this link to view the video form of this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/havashealthandyou_onehavas-meaningfuldifference-breakingthecode-activity-7140365496129875968-ZpsM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Have you ever thought about how we describe young people as "finding their way" and older people as "stuck in their ways"? G…

1
Uncomfortable Conversations Save Lives: Shame, Stigma, and Taboos 36:24

12M ago36:24

36:24

There isn't an official list of everything that's considered taboo, but somehow we all have an instinctual sense of words and topics that are off limits. We even try not to invoke the word of some taboos, like death, so we say things like "passing away", "biting the dust", "pushing up daisies", and more). However, healthcare environments are one of…

1
"Your Hair Makes Me Look Like a Bad Mom": A Brief Review of the Semiotics of Hair 35:09

1y ago35:09

35:09

Hair is defined as the "threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans and other mammals", but that does not begin to describe the social significance of your hair. Color, cut, and style are all part of a shared but often tacit set of rules and expectations, and the social evaluation of your hair (or your children's hair) is perceived as speaki…

1
Task Overload in Healthcare: When the Provider is Overwhelmed, The Patient Can't Be In Focus 33:54

1y ago33:54

33:54

"Task overload", or the related concepts of "information overload" and "task saturation", is a term developed to describe what happens when there is simply too much for our brains to do--a common occurrence in airline emergencies, spacecraft emergencies, and, unfortunately, everyday work loads in our modern medical systems. The consequences of task…

1
How Can We Sell the Idea of "Less" When We Are Wired to Want "More"? 27:12

1y ago27:12

27:12

Wanting "more" of anything we like seems to be a default human setting, even to the point of problematic excess. A packed closet means we have clothes to wear, an overstuffed fridge means we can eat, and a full wallet means we can buy even more of whatever we please. When Mae West famously said "too much of a good thing is wonderful", she probably …

1
Speaking Around Death: Communicating About The End of Life 26:19

1y ago26:19

26:19

Death is an inevitable part of the human experience--OUR experience. But speaking about death, specifically how we want to spend our last months and days on earth when illness makes the end both visible and inevitable, is challenging. We find ourselves struggling to overcome taboos and other cultural and personal barriers to communication, and that…

1
Between Doctors and Patients:The Cultural Dynamics of the Medical Interview 32:26

1y ago32:26

32:26

When designing interventions to improve the doctor-patient visit, we often forget that, in some sense, all doctor-patient conversations are cross-cultural. Doctors literally embody the clinic itself, as both its representatives and agents, whereas the patients simply represent themselves and their needs. When designing communication strategies for …

1
The Truth, The Half Truth, and Flat-out Lies: Dishonesty is About Intention, Not Being Factual 17:27

1y ago17:27

17:27

Trust in relationships, business, personal or otherwise, is built in large part on perceptions of honesty, which we gauge based on the perceived intent of the person in that relationship. It's more difficult for some to be seen as honest because of their perception as liars, someone who makes untrue claims, or worse, a palterer, someone who uses th…

1
Uncomfortable Conversations Save Lives: The Future of Inclusive Design 39:46

1+ y ago39:46

39:46

Including your audience into the development process, with intentionality, is key in designing effective initiatives, campaigns, and products that do justice for them. Bringing the right people to the table is only the start - the hard part is incorporating their truths into an end result that properly represents them. The term inclusive design is …

1
Gaslighting: Do We Really Think Doctors Are Trying To Make Patients Crazy? 23:40

1+ y ago23:40

23:40

A doctor's dismissal of symptoms can be devastating for a patient. We know it's a problem, but what do we call it? There's a variety issues that's could be at the root of this dismissal. The answer may be Medical gaslighting - or it may not. Listen as we discuss the rapidly increasing prevalence of the term "Medical gaslighting", and how use of the…

1
Incoherent Behavior Makes Us Human 20:11

1+ y ago20:11

20:11

We've all been in situations where our actions don't perfectly align with who we purport to be - to ourselves or others. These inconsistencies are much easier to spot in other people, like a nurse who treats with one philosophy and teaches at-home treatment with another or a patient in pain who doesn't fill the prescription given to them for that p…

1
Let's Be Real About What Doctors Feel Ft. Andrew Gardner 24:29

1+ y ago24:29

24:29

Everyone in advertising is aware that our job is to "create emotional connections" with our audiences. While emotion is unarguably a strong driver of behavior change, emotion based interventions only work when we are able to correctly identify true emotions --this is something that our industry struggles with when it comes to doctors. Doctor's emot…

1
Just Because You Built a Website Doesn't Mean It's Actually A "Community" 26:29

1+ y ago26:29

26:29

You are not part of a community just because someone tells you so, but when understood correctly, insight into communities is a great way to connect with people. To accurately group people into communities, we need to understand, from them, where they see a connection between themselves and others. Community influence and one's sense of belonging i…

1
Social Prescribing As A Reaction To Social Disruption 29:35

1+ y ago29:35

29:35

While the US surgeon general’s recent Advisory on the US “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” came, for many, out of the blue, the exact phrase “epidemic of loneliness” has been in use for a while now to describe the growing alienation felt by many during this period of technology-driven disruption. Modern industrial life is centered on a mobile …

1
Oh, I LOOOOOVE That: Why Conversational Transcripts Can Be Misleading, And Worse 21:34

1+ y ago21:34

21:34

It is common practice at marketing agencies to use transcripts as a means of understanding research that has taken place. However, if you want to really understand what happened in an interview, don't rely on transcripts. They are excellent at giving you a sense of vocabulary, and not much else. Join us as we discuss how we should, and shouldn't, b…

1
Music as a Vector for Behavior Change Ft. Damien Escobar 28:40

1+ y ago28:40

28:40

In this episode we sit down with Damien Escobar, Emmy Award winning violist and Director of Music and Culture at Havas, to talk about the role of music in healthcare communications, his role in transforming the music we choose for our work, and the unique ways music can connect with people about difficult topics. If you have any questions, feedback…

1
Drug Resistance Training That Ends Up Increasing Drug Experimentation, And Other Behavior Change Fails: Consequences of Bad Social Science 18:49

1+ y ago18:49

18:49

Not every behavior change intervention goes to plan, and in this podcast we talk about what happens when poorly thought out social-science or behavior change interventions are launched into the wild. It's one thing to have no measurable effect, but it's entirely another to have the opposite of your intended effect on behavior at large. Join us as w…

1
How to Nudge Without Being a Nag 19:39

1+ y ago19:39

19:39

When behavior change is on the table, the concept of "nudges" has become a go-to discussion point for every planning session. What IS a nudge, and how is it different from other forms of behavioral change support? And... is it just plain old nagging? If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.…

1
Doctors Treat Disease, Patients Suffer Illness: The Disconnect In How We View What Ails Us 31:24

1+ y ago31:24

31:24

Modern medical practice has focused on the identification and treatment of biological processes, to great success but at the cost of human engagement. We focus on "disease" as a biological process, but often fail to address the human suffering from that disease. In social sciences, we call this the difference between "disease", the biological proce…

1
Your Segmentation Makes Us Sad 17:06

1+ y ago17:06

17:06

Segmentation studies, those famously dense reports that outline the differences between 'target audiences', are part and parcel of daily life in advertising. In theory, they help us understand what drives our audiences and connect with them on a meaningful level. In practice, many of these studies create a picture of an alternate universe people by…

1
Why Not Fear 19:54

2y ago19:54

19:54

When put in charge of 'making someone do something', it is always tempting to resort to fear tactics--scaring people is a direct way of motivating them, the effects are clear and immediate, and we all know the kinds of things that scare people. This is why 'let's scare them' tactics and strategies are so popular, and why we are often asked as marke…

1
Why Are There So Many Parks in Pharma Ads? 20:02

2y ago20:02

20:02

Pharmaceutical advertising is nothing if not, well, repetitive. If you see a commercial that starts with someone walking on a beach, with a dog, dressed in best “coastal grandma” fashion, odds are you’ll assume (correctly) someone is going to talk about a healthcare brand or condition. Diabetes, lung cancer, depression, birth control—you name it, s…

1
Heuristics Are Useful But Not If You Think They Apply To Absolutely Everything Under The Sun 12:07

2y ago12:07

12:07

If you work in communications, you probably have noticed that the word "heuristics" has been popping up a lot lately, mostly in discussions of "drivers of behavior". While the concept of heuristics is very helpful in understanding human decision making (or habitual non-decision making, like ordering the same coffee every day), it isn't the only way…

1
Your Discussion Guide Stinks 21:46

2y ago21:46

21:46

Discussion guides, those documents packed with detailed questions and sub-questions that can go on forever, are at the heart of many research crimes. As marketers we rely on research-derived insights to build our strategic and creative outputs, but our ideas are only as good as the research behind them. Bad discussion guides, the bad processes that…

1
Taking the BS out of Behavioral Science 13:28

2y ago13:28

13:28

Behavioral science is a cornerstone of modern marketing practice, but much of what passes itself off as behavioral science is just bs. Good social science gives us the insights and roadmap we need to change behavior, but bad social science just muddies the water and tarnishes the social sciences. As behavior change is a core objective of marketing,…

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Havas Medical Anthropology Podcasts

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