Health in Action Episode one

Alexander and Jessica introduce their podcast, "Health in Action," focusing on public health education, their backgrounds as students at Florida International University, and their passion for public health. They discuss their inspirations for studying public health, including detective work and connecting animal, human, and environmental health. They share fun facts, play an icebreaker game, and express their excitement for upcoming podcast episodes exploring various health topics. Their goal is to create a community feel and engage listeners while sharing their passion for public health. The episode concludes with a call to subscribe and share the podcast. Hey everyone, welcome to the first episode of our podcast. I am Alexander Elias. And I'm Jessica Blackbear. We're so excited to kick off with you guys and you're here with us today. Welcome to Health in Action podcast where we're making public health personal. Honestly, we've been talking about this for a while and the fact that this is happening is very exciting. Yeah, it feels like it's right to start out with just introducing ourselves, sharing our story, and giving you an idea of what this is all about. So Health in Action offers reliable, accessible, and bilingual education in public, environmental, and preventing health designed to foster understanding, creativity, and action. So let's start with the basics. Jessica and I were both students from Florida International University. We were studying public health, which is actually how we met. Yep, we crossed paths in class. And over time, we realized we had a lot to say about public health. And it's something we're truly passionate about. So we're very excited to do this. Exactly. And it wasn't just about classes. We'd be hanging out, chatting, and somehow our conversations would go in all these random but interesting directions. And one day we were like, hey, why don't we just record this and put it out there? Or maybe it's more like if we keep on talking about this much, maybe we'll let others hear it too. Okay, let's make this fun, Alex. How about you tell everyone what pulled you into public health in the first place? All right. Here's the thing. I've always been fascinated about puzzles. You know, the ones that you've got all these little pieces that don't make sense at first, but when you start connecting them, you get a bigger picture. And that's exactly how I see public health. And then when I first learned about Jon Snow, not the Game of Thrones guy, but the actual historical figure, the physician from the 1800s, I thought, that guy is basically a detective. He tracked down the source of cholera outbreak in London by looking at patterns and almost like finding clues in a mystery. That really hooked me. Public health to me is like being part detective, part problem solver. Whoa, that's awesome. So basically you're saying epidemiologists are Sherlock Holmes, but with graphs and data instead of magnifying glasses? Yes, exactly. Sherlock Holmes, but Excel and cheats. Okay, your turn. What is your why? Okay, so as a vet, I started noticing that a lot of health problems I was seeing in the animals weren't just random. They were connected to bigger patterns. And in many cases, they were also affecting people. Since so many diseases can spread between animals and humans, I wanted to move beyond just treating one patient at a time and started thinking about prevention and population health. That's really what pushed me to study public health. It gives me the chance to connect animal health, human health, and even environmental health, and to work on a solution that makes a difference for the entire community. See, that's fascinating. You started with animals. Now you're looking at entire populations. Basically, you upgraded from treating puppies to preventing pandemics. I like that. Yeah, it definitely broadened my view of health. All right, to lighten up a little, let's play a quick icebreaker so people can get to know us a little better. Oh, boy, here we go. This is if I embarrass myself, isn't it? Maybe. It's simple. I'll ask three questions, and you answer as fast as you can. Then you do the same for me. All right. Okay, so first question, favorite study snack. Coffee cancels the snack, right? Honestly, I think that most college students will consider coffee as a food group. Okay, dream travel destination. Oh, good one. Actually, fun fact. There's a pub in London called the Jones Mill after the epidemiologies. With other epidemiologies, it's a tourist attraction. Only in public health would people take a field trip to a pub in honor of a COVID outbreak. Wow, that's awesome. Forget Disney. We're going to the Jon Snow. I'm definitely putting it on my bucket list. Okay, so last one. What's a song that instantly puts you in a good mood? Wow, that's a great question. Anything by Pink Floyd. It's music that transfers time and space. Okay, so now it's my turn. All right, favorite late night snack. Definitely ramen. Quick, easy, and always hits the spot. Classic. The unofficial master of college cuisine. Okay, favorite place on campus? Nothing like the library. It's just peaceful. I love going there. Oh, that's a good one. And last question, something that you cannot live without. Definitely water. Oh, that's a healthy choice. And actually, fun fact, clean drinking water and sewage systems in cities are estimated to have added 30 years of life expectancy in the U.S. during the 20th century. Whoa, seriously? So basically water is the real MVP for public health? Yes. Forget Superfood. It's just H2O. All right, so now that you know us a little better, let's talk about what we've been doing in this podcast. Honestly, because we're passionate about public health. And maybe because our friends were probably tired of us turning every conversation into a TED talk. Yeah, exactly. Personally, I am passionate about public health because it's all about impact. You're not just helping one person. You're helping entire communities, sometimes even generations. That's what keeps me motivated. And for me, it's about curiosity. Public health connects everything. People, animals, communities. And it's a giant puzzle I can't stop wanting to solve. There you go. There goes the puzzle again. Hey, it's true. And we don't want this podcast to be heavy or boring. We want it to feel like hanging out with two friends who just happen to be gals. Exactly. Okay, so here's a little sneak peek. In upcoming episodes, we'll explore a wide range of health topics that affects us all. And we'll bring in guests with different perspectives. Yes, because as much as we love talking, we know we're not the only ones with stories worth sharing. Exactly. We want this to feel like a community, not just us talking to you. So that's it for our first episode. Hopefully you feel like you know us a little better now. And hopefully you're excited to stick around for what's next. If you like what you heard, hit follow, subscribe, or whatever button your app has. And share it with your friends who would enjoy it as well. Preferably someone who also drinks way too much coffee like we do. Or someone who thinks water is underrated. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you, and keep in touch. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.