2025 was the year the comfortable illusions of global health shattered. The U.S. withdrawal from WHO, the dismantling of USAID, and controversial bilateral agreements exposed uncomfortable truths about power, dependency, and who really benefits from "global health partnerships."

In this special year-end episode, we hear from global health leaders across the world reflecting on what 2025 revealed and where we're heading in 2026.

Featuring perspectives from:

Dr. Luchuo Bain on why this is "the end of global health as we knew it—and the opening we needed."
Dr. Seye Abimbola on being "surprised by how surprised people have been" about global health as foreign policy
Dr. Boghuma Titanji on reimagining sustainable health financing after devastating aid cuts
Dr. Madhu Pai on why we can't save global health without saving democracy
Dr. Mohamed Aburawi on moving from intention to infrastructure
Sitawa Wafula on AI's unregulated role in mental health care

We examine the human toll of USAID cuts, the sovereignty concerns around bilateral agreements, and the glimmers of agency emerging as countries like Nigeria and South Africa step up with domestic funding.

This isn't just a year in review; it's a reckoning with what global health has been and what it must become.

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