In this first instalment of our two-part finale on gender justice, we explore the foundations needed to understand gender as a social system, one that shapes power, roles, resources and everyday experiences across different contexts.

Together with our guests, we look at how gender is embedded within social, economic and institutional structures. The episode examines what gets lost when gender is treated as a separate category, and why complexity, context and lived experience matter for anyone working across health, development or rights.

This conversation lays the groundwork for Part 2, where we look at how these insights translate into practice

In this episode:

Ishrat Jahan - Research Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health at BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Ishrat’s research focuses on the intersection of gender, health, and environmental issues. She is involved in national and international projects exploring the impact of climate change on women’s health, adaptive practices in marginalised communities, and Global South-led curricula in higher education.

Dr Rosemary Morgan - Associate Professor, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dr. Morgan is recognised as a specialist in gender analysis in health and health systems research, interventions, and programmes and has published 90 peer-reviewed journal articles. With a focus on women’s health and wellbeing, her research explores methods for gender analysis and examines how gender inequities influence health outcomes and health systems, using qualitative approaches to centre lived experiences and challenge structural inequalities. Dr. Morgan co-directs the Gender and Health Summer Institute and coordinates the Gender and Health Certificate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Selima Sara Kabir - Senior Research Associate, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health

Selima is a transdisciplinary, mixed-methods researcher and educator. She holds an MPH from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and her research lies at the intersections of gender, health systems and policy, digital cultures, and social justice. Since 2019, she has led and contributed to interdisciplinary projects exploring relationships, care, and health equity in low- and middle-income country contexts to Global South-led scholarship on gender and transformation.

Useful links:

• Gender and Equity ensuring women, and children survive.
• Tackling Gender Backlash During Crises
• Gender Backlash and the Erosion of Everyday Rights
• Allyship in Gender Justice
• Disability and Gender Justice
• Art and Activism for Gender Justice
• Countering Backlash - Reclaiming Gender Justice

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health and development.

The podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental health and wellbeing, vector-borne diseases, climate change and co-production approaches.

If you would like your project or programme to feature in an episode or miniseries, get in touch with the producers of Connecting Citizens to Science,

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s biggest killer among infectious diseases — and yet it’s curable. While global efforts continue to eliminate TB, the UK’s low incidence rate brings its own set of challenges: delayed diagnoses, persistent stigma, and low public awareness. This episode of Connecting Citizens to Science explores how these factors shape TB care and prevention in the UK, and what it will take to ensure no one is left behind in the global push to end TB.

In this episode:

Kate Bradfield - Community TB Nursing Team Leader, North Merseyside, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group

Kate has been a TB specialist nurse since 2020 and now leads the North Merseyside service, driving quality improvement and community-based support for patients. Her work focuses on ensuring people can complete treatment successfully while managing both clinical and social challenges.

Amina Farah - Programme Manager, Latent Tuberculosis Infection Screening Programme, Liverpool

Amina has worked in TB since 2016 and brings both professional insight and personal experience, having supported a family member through TB treatment. She leads efforts to identify and treat latent TB infections in at-risk groups, addressing stigma and promoting early diagnosis and awareness.

Useful links:

• LSTM Centre for Tuberculosis Research
• Tuberculosis Community Team :: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
• The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2025

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health and development.

The podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental health and wellbeing, vector-borne diseases, climate change and co-production approaches.

If you would like your project or programme to feature in an episode or miniseries, get in touch with the producers of Connecting Citizens to Science, the SCL Agency.

In this fifth episode of Backlash, Resistance and the Path to Gender Justice, we explore how art and creativity can act as powerful tools for resistance, solidarity, and joy in activism. Moving beyond health into global development, this conversation looks at how artivism resists repression, engages young people, and connects struggles across borders — showing that gender justice is also imagined and sustained through culture and creativity.

In this episode:

Ishrat Jahan - Research Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health at BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Ishrat’s research focuses on the intersection of gender, health, and environmental issues. She is involved in national and international projects exploring the impact of climate change on women’s health, adaptive practices in marginalised communities, and Global South-led curricula in higher education.

Trishia Nashtaran - President, OGNIE Foundation, Bangladesh

Trishia is a Human-centred Design Specialist and feminist organiser with over a decade of experience in grassroots activism, community building, and futures practice. She is the founder of Meye Network, President of OGNIE Foundation Bangladesh, and coordinates the Feminist Alliance of Bangladesh, amplifying progressive and decolonial feminist voices across local and global spaces.

Nusaiba Sultana - Team Leader, Oroddho Foundation, Bangladesh

Oroddho Foundation is a youth feminist organisation in Bangladesh that uses art, education, and advocacy to challenge social injustice. Nusaiba oversees initiatives addressing gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and religious and ethnic discrimination, working to tackle these issues at their roots through education and cultural awareness.

Useful links

• CREA - Feminist Human Rights - Our Voices Our Futures
• Countering Backlash - Reclaiming Gender Justice
• Disability and Gender Justice
• Allyship in Gender Justice
• Gender Backlash and the Erosion of Everyday Rights
• Tackling Gender Backlash During Crises

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health and development.

This podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental health and wellbeing, vector-borne diseases, climate change and co-production approaches.

If you would like your project or programme to feature in an episode or miniseries, get in touch with the producers of Connecting Citizens to Science, the SCL Agency.