Higher Education with Dr. B Fran

Are you ready for a brand-new episode of Higher Education with Dr. BFran, this one will be a little long but absolutely worth it. Dr. BFran is joined by Dr. Tiffany Joseph, Associate Professor of Sociology and expert on health care in the U.S., to discuss the history, complexity, current cuts, and future of health care in the U.S. Significant portions of the population was able to gain access to health care after the Affordable Care Act and subsidies for the marketplace, but the One Big Beautiful Act has challenged it all. Imagine deciding between increasing gas prices and increasing premiums due to major cuts from the federal government. This episode begins with how the U.S healthcare system came to be after World War 2 and takes us all the way to what to expect in 2027. Together we talked about whether the ACA did what is was supposed to do, how anti-immigrant sentiment expedited the dismantling of healthcare infrastructure, the inevitable disparities gap that will widen due to lack of coverage, and how states will suffer due to a lost in federal funding. We further the conversation about how money is being taken directly from social safety nets to put more ICE agents on the street. We can no longer afford to stay quiet. What happens when the public health infrastructure is dismantled and health insurance is unavailable. Join the conversation because our health literally depends on it. Book: Not All In: Race, Immigration, and Health Care Exclusion in the Age of Obamacare, also at AmazonOp-ed: We Are All Immigrants Now: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Decimates Healthcare Access for All but a Privileged FewFor more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

Are you ready for a brand-new episode of Higher Education with Dr. BFran? As pregnancy and birth have become central conversations for many governments globally, are we talking about reproductive justice?In this episode, Dr. B Fran shares her thoughts on reproductive injustice. Framing the conversation in the three tenets of the reproductive justice framework, this episode explores the policies that are driving adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, the inability to create targeted health interventions for Black women in the U.S, further restrictions to abortion access, and increased surveillance for pregnant people. This is a conversation we cannot afford to not have. Is there room for reproductive autonomy? Should governments ask people to become pregnant without creating the conditions for them to thrive? Will the policies that seemingly have nothing to do with health, compromise the health of families? These are all questions that need answers. Listen in for Dr. B Fran’s thoughts on the topic. For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

Are you ready for a brand-new episode of Higher Education with Dr. BFran, where today’s conversation will tug on both your heart and mind. Dr. BFran is joined by Koiwah Koi-Larbi, the executive director of Action on Pre-eclampsia Ghana and 4x Preeclampsia survivor, to discuss the development, diagnosis and management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) across the world. HDPS is not just another pregnancy complication, it is among the leading causes of maternal mortality, increases risk for cesearean section, infant mortality, stroke, and cardiovascular disease later in life. The episode begins by grounding us in her survivorship story of experiencing an HDP from still birth to eclampsia. Together we talked about how limited healthcare infrastructure, cost to families, women not being listened to or informed, social and cultural determinants, and the normalization of preeclampsia symptoms shape the outcomes we see globally. We further the conversation with insights from the first Global Preeclampsia Summit sponsored by the World Health Organization and the launch of the African Preeclampsia Network and their advocacy, clinical, and research efforts. From pain to passion, this episode pushes listeners to learn the signs of HDPs, speak to pregnant people that they know and think about ways to advocate for change. Join the conversation because it’s not just about what we learn its how we use it.Donate to Apec Ghana For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

What did RiRi say? Lock in for a brand-new episode of Higher Education with Dr. BFran where today’s conversation turns bold ideas into necessary dialogue.Dr. BFran is joined by Drs. Mary Bassett and Jourdyn Lawrence for a powerful discussion on reparations for the Transatlantic Slave Trade and why public health must be part of the conversation. While reparations are often framed around wealth gaps and infrastructure, this episode explores another urgent question: What would reparations mean for Black health and survival?Together, they break down groundbreaking research showing how reparations payments could reduce premature mortality rates among Black Americans, unpack what a reparations package could actually look like, who would qualify, and who would be responsible for paying the debt owed.Through a transnational lens, they also examine what collective global action toward reparations could look like following the UN resolution declaring the Transatlantic Slave Trade one of the gravest crimes against humanity — and what it means that the United States was one of only three countries to vote against it. The conversation also explores how public health research is shaping the growing movement for reparative justice.From fiction to policy, from history to possibility, this episode pushes listeners to think deeper, question systems harder, and imagine a future grounded in racial health equity.Tap in, stay informed, and join the conversation because it’s not just about what we learn, it’s about what we’re willing to confront.For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

Are you tuned in? Lock in to this new episode of Higher Education with Dr. BFranDr. BFran sits down with Shahem McLaurin, licensed therapist, founder of an independent mental health agency, and public mental health educator for a powerful, eye-opening conversation about the realities of sexual violence and the systems that allow it to persist. Together, they unpack the mental and physical impacts of sexual violence, the power imbalances woven into our culture, and why community-based solutions are essential for healing and redistributing resources where they’re needed most.Through an intersectional lens, they dive into how race, gender, class, politics, and religion shape the way society understands and often misunderstands sexual violence. They also tackle the growing visibility of the manosphere alongside cuts to programs addressing child trafficking and sexual violence, making this discussion more timely and urgent than ever.From history and policy to power and reproductive justice, this episode challenges listeners to think deeper, ask harder questions, and imagine what real change could look like.Tap in, stay informed, and join the conversation because it isn’t just about what we learn, it’s about what we’re willing to confront.For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

In this episode of Higher Education with Dr. B Fran, Dr. B Fran is joined by Zil Audi-Poquillon, a Kenyan health economist studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Join us for a timely conversation unpacking the new America First Global Health Strategy. Together, they break down how this deal came to be in the face of WHO and USAID funding cuts, what is at risk if countries do not agree to the terms, how this fits into America’s goals of security and prosperity, and the power of collective bargaining. But this conversation goes deeper. Through a global lens, they explore how these bi-lateral agreements could significantly impact overall economic development for many African countries and be replicated across Latin America and the Caribbean. Shifting health outcomes, data, innovation and technologies globally. Given the swift dismantling of public health infrastructure globally, deals like this prime a shift from public health to private health. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that connects health, policy, and power revealing what’s at stake in the ongoing fight for global health equity.America First Global Health StrategyRubio ClipLSE Global HealthFor more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

In this episode of Higher Ed with Dr. B Fran, Dr. B Fran talks about the state of public health in the United States for National Public Health Week. She breaks down the changes that have been happening domestically in terms of environmental rollbacks, health insurance, TrumpRx, rollout of rural healthcare programs, and more. The US is currently experiencing a major defunding and dismantling that started back in the early days of the Trump administration and just when you think it cant get any worse it does. Public health used to be a public good that was funded and supported by federal tax dollars but we are seeing a greater push towards individual states having to exclusively take on the burden of public health while sumilatenouhsely seeing a rise in privatized corporations taking on health and turning in into a commodity that will soon be out of reach for many Americans. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that talks about where we are right now and where we might be headed. For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media

In Episode 2 of Higher Ed with Dr. B Fran, Dr. B Fran is joined by Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens for a powerful and timely conversation unpacking Project 2026, also known as the Saving America by Saving the Family report. Together, they break down the report’s push around family structure, marriage, and reproductive policies aimed at increasing birth rates under the banner of “American values.”But this conversation goes deeper. Through an intersectional lens, they explore how race, gender, class, and political and religious ideologies shape policies like these and draw striking parallels to reproductive control during the era of enslavement. As similar frameworks gain traction in shaping legislation in the U.S. and beyond, understanding their origins and implications has never been more urgent.Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that connects history, policy, and power revealing what’s at stake in the ongoing fight for reproductive justice.For more from Dr. Brittney Francis:Tik Tok Instagram PublicationsProduced by Peoples Media