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Complicating The Narrative

Complicating The Narrative

By: Salma Abdalla
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 In this podcast, hosted by Dr. Salma Abdalla—Assistant Professor and Director of the Healthier Futures Lab at Washington University in St. Louis—we provide rigorous, evidence-based analysis of complex population health challenges. In a time of social, economic, and political upheaval—marked by eroding public trust, polarized narratives, and growing uncertainty—this podcast aims to challenge oversimplified narratives about the forces that shape the health of populations. Salma engages guests from across disciplines in rigorous, evidence-based conversations that challenge conventional wisdom. The conversations sometimes pose uncomfortable questions, seek nuanced perspectives, and question not just what we think, but how we arrive at our conclusions in public health. We explore the inherent complexities, real-world tradeoffs, and unintended consequences of public health interventions. Our goal is to empower listeners with nuanced understanding, helping them navigate these multifaceted issues in an informed and balanced way. The podcast is supported by the Washington University School of Public Health — https://schoolofpublichealth.washu.edu — and the Frick Initiative. Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras and Zachary Linhares Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/ Contact us at: s.abdalla@wustl.eduCopyright 2025 All rights reserved. Science
Episodes
  • Re-release: Curiosity and careful thinking about research can help change the world with Dr. Maria Glymour

    Re-release: Curiosity and careful thinking about research can help change the world with Dr. Maria Glymour
    Mar 3 2026
    This is a revisit of an episode originally published in September 2025. How can we capture complex social phenomena impacting health in research? Dr. Maria Glymour, Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, has focused her research on the social factors influencing dementia and cognitive function in old age. Salma and Maria analyze the dementia research landscape and discuss the key elements of the research process to capture complex social phenomena affecting health outcomes. From asking the right questions, to identifying appropriate methods and data, thinking about who the evidence will be useful for, and understanding the potential influences of funders, the conversation explores how research can help change policies. Maria breaks down the differences between causal inference, descriptive research, and associational research, using examples from her own work. She illustrates how these methodological distinctions depend on the questions that want to be answered and the intended audience. Maria also reflects on some of the main questions for PhD applicants to ask themselves and emphasizes the need for applicants to highlight the specific passions that make their applications unique. As she puts it: “How much of your essay do you think anyone else could write?” Listen to discover how you can apply these principles to your own work and make a meaningful impact in health scholarship, regardless of the step you are at in your career. Useful resources: Berkman, Lisa F., Ichiro Kawachi, and M. Maria Glymour (eds), Social Epidemiology, 2 edn (New York, 2014; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 Mar. 2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/med/978019537.... Glymour, M. What to look for in an epidemiology PhD program: 1. top priorities. LinkedIn. Published October 12, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-l...Glymour, M. What to look for in an epidemiology PhD program: 2. Epi in a Medical School or a School of Public Health? LinkedIn. Published October 20, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-l...Glymour, M. What to look for in a PhD program: 3. Will an interdisciplinary program make you an intellectual leader or an isolated dilettante? LinkedIn. Published November 11, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-l...Glymour, M. Epidemiology and why I love it: some advice for people considering graduate school. LinkedIn. Published August 5, 2018. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/epidem...Glymour, M. Public Health Graduate Programs: What To Look For. Published October 9, 2023. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/public... Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras and Zachary Linhares Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2... The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of their institution, the funders, or the podcast team.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Aging safely and independently at home with Dr. Susy Stark

    Aging safely and independently at home with Dr. Susy Stark
    Feb 17 2026

    How can we support people age safely and with dignity in their own homes?

    Dr. Susy Stark, is a Professor at the Washington University in St Louis School of Public Health. As an occupational therapist and community-based researcher, her work focuses on helping adults with chronic conditions and functional decline age successfully in place by using tailored environmental support and self-management strategies to prevent falls.

    In this episode, Dr. Stark joins Salma to speak about the overlooked role of the home environment in shaping health outcomes for older adults. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and research, Susy explains why falls are not inevitable consequences of aging, but largely preventable events shaped by the interaction between bodies, environments, and behavior. The conversation unpacks the demographic shift from an aging “pyramid” to an aging “column,” the misalignment between how homes are built and how people age, and why nearly half of all falls occur inside the home.

    At the center of the discussion is the Home Hazard Removal Program (HARP), an evidence-based intervention that pairs individualized home assessments with shared decision-making and hands-on implementation. Susy describes how modest environmental changes like improved lighting, handrails, and non-slip surfaces, can reduce fall rates by 38% while generating a positive return on investment for the health system.

    Beyond intervention design, the episode explores why community-based care remains underfunded in the U.S., what it takes to translate evidence into policy, and why aging should be understood not as a niche issue, but as a collective future we are all moving toward and must all help address comprehensively.

    A conversation about prevention, autonomy, and why supporting older adults is not just compassionate, it is essential for the sustainability of our health systems.

    Useful resources:

    1. Stark S, Keglovits M, Somerville E, et al. Home Hazard Removal to Reduce Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2122044. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22044

    Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

    The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of their institution, the funders, or the podcast team.

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    44 mins
  • How much evidence is enough? Australia's digital protections with Dr. Kathryn Backholer

    How much evidence is enough? Australia's digital protections with Dr. Kathryn Backholer
    Feb 3 2026

    How does research actually shape policy and when is evidence "good enough" to act on?

    In this episode, Salma Abdalla is joined by Dr Kathryn Backholer, Professor of Public Health Policy and co-director of the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) at Deakin University in Australia. Kathryn’s work focuses on building evidence that decision-makers can use, starting with policy problems that need solving and working backward to generate the right kind of data.

    The conversation explores what it takes for research to move from journals into real policy action. Drawing on Kathryn’s work monitoring how gambling, alcohol, and junk food companies target young people online, they examine the tension between rigor and timeliness, the role of well-timed pilot studies, and why waiting for “perfect” evidence can sometimes mean missing critical policy windows.

    The episode is anchored in a live policy moment: Australia’s recent decision to delay social media access for people under 16. Kathryn discusses how evidence informed this world-first policy, what it can — and cannot — address, and how her team is now evaluating its effectiveness and unintended consequences.

    This episode is a candid look at the research-to-policy pipeline, the trade-offs involved in population-level decision-making, and what public health researchers can learn about designing work that is both rigorous and consequential.

    Useful resources:

    • Livingstone H. Australia has banned social media for kids under 16. How does it work? BBC News. January 22, 2026. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyp9d3ddqyo
    • Backholer K, Pathirana NL. #DigitalYouth. Deakin University; 2024. https://iht.deakin.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/153/2024/06/Digital-Youth-brief-Final-2.pdf

    Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

    The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of their institution, the funders, or the podcast team.

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    46 mins
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