The Scholars Table with Dr. Banda

The Scholars Table with Dr Banda brings scholars, leaders, practitioners, and emerging voices to the table for thoughtful conversations about health, science, academia, leadership, and public life. Hosted by Dr Banda Khalifa, each episode explores the journeys, ideas, and decisions shaping meaningful careers, public health, and global impact.

The Scholars Table with Dr. Banda is a education podcast hosted by Dr Banda Khalifa, with 28 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Dr Banda Khalifa hosts The Scholars Table with Dr. Banda, a education show with 28 episodes published.

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  Episode #29

  Inside the Johns Hopkins MPH: Admissions, Careers & One Health | Dr. Meghan Davis

  Oct 1, 202654 minS1

  An MPH is a major investment of time and money. What should you weigh before applying, and where can the degree take you? Dr. Banda welcomes Dr. Meghan Frost Davis, chair of the Master of Public Health program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, for a conversation about public health training, leadership, and career choices. From her path through veterinary medicine to her work in One Health, Dr. Davis explores the connections between human, animal, and environmental health. The conversation also covers MPH program formats, applications, financial support, and the questions facing students entering public health during funding cuts and job uncertainty. For Dr. Banda, a Hopkins MPH graduate, this conversation is also a return to the program that helped shape his own career.

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  Episode #28

  Dean Monica Swahn: From the CDC to Leading a School of Public Health

  Sep 14, 202641 minS1

  Dr. Monica Swahn is Dean of the VCU School of Public Health, director of Global Women's Health for the VCU Institute for Women's Health, and holder of the Charles W. and Evelyn F. Thomas Endowed Professorship of Epidemiology. She came to the role in July 2025 after serving as dean of the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University, and before academia she spent nearly a decade at the CDC as a health scientist and epidemiologist. In this conversation with Dr Banda Khalifa, she traces the route from a psychology degree to a PhD in epidemiology, through a decade inside government science, a Fulbright year building an alcohol research center at Makerere University in Uganda, and into academic leadership. We cover: What a decade at the CDC taught her about how evidence moves into decisions, and when it does not Why she left government science for the university Building research capacity in a partner institution so it survives after the funding ends Presenting research to the WHO, UNDP, and PAHO What a dean does all day, and what surprised her most Her strategic vision for the VCU School of Public Health What strong graduate applicants get right, and the mistake she sees most often Advice for early-career professionals choosing between government, academia, and global work The Scholars Table with Dr Banda brings scholars, leaders, practitioners, and emerging voices to the table for thoughtful conversations about health, science, academia, leadership, and public life.

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  Episode #27

  AI, Misinformation, and Global Health Security

  Jul 23, 202646 minS1

  Can AI and stronger readiness systems help us respond faster to the next pandemic, or just expose how fragile our systems are? Dr. Prativa Baral, Deputy Director of the Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL) and Assistant Professor at McGill University, joins The Scholars Table with Dr Banda on AI, misinformation, and global health security. The conversation covers where AI genuinely helps in emergencies, preparing for misinformation before a crisis, and what recent outbreaks reveal about global readiness. Hosted by Dr Banda Khalifa.

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  Episode #26

  A purpose-driven career in public health | Prof. Tiffany Gary-Webb

  Jul 16, 202629 minS1

  In this episode of The Scholars Table , Dr. Banda Khalifa sits down with Prof. Tiffany Gary-Webb to discuss what it means to build a career in public health with purpose, clarity, and service. Prof. Gary-Webb reflects on her journey through epidemiology, health equity, mentorship, leadership, and community-centered research. The conversation explores how public health careers are shaped by more than titles or publications. They are shaped by the problems we choose to work on, the communities we remain accountable to, and the people we help bring along the way. Together, they discuss the importance of staying grounded, building meaningful collaborations, mentoring the next generation, and using research to address inequities that affect real lives. This episode is for students, early-career researchers, public health professionals, and anyone thinking deeply about how to build a career that is both excellent and useful.

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  Episode #25

  Who Gets to Lead African Health? | Dr Catherine Kyobutungi, APHRC

  Jul 9, 202627 minS1

  Who gets to lead in African health? Dr Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director of APHRC, joins The Scholars Table with Dr Banda on African voices and African leadership in global health: who sets the agenda, where credibility comes from, and what changes when African institutions lead. A Ugandan physician and epidemiologist, she co-directs CARTA and has spent her career arguing for African leadership in health and research. Hosted by Dr Banda Khalifa.

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