For Episode 6, I sat down with public health expert Jesse Casanova. Jesse is the Assistant Director for International Programs at the University of South Florida Health International. While the focus of this episode is to discuss the health risks associated with international surf travel, we also wanted to provide all of our listeners with some tangible ways to mitigate illness during their travels.

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Jesse Casanova has worked in the field of public health for over 15 years and was a Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response volunteer in Togo, Cameroon, and Senegal. In addition, Jesse has worked in global health, helping to manage the malaria health portfolio for Cameroon from the U.S. Embassy, he WAS also the liaison between Malaria No More and Global Fund in Cameroon, and has helped to train Peace Corps counterparts from over 10 sub-Saharan African countries.

His research at USF includes hearing health projects in Malawi and South Africa, river blindness elimination projects in Nigeria with the Gates Foundation, G4 Surveillance System restructuring proposals with Pasteur Institute of Dakar in Senegal, and Intimate Partner violence training of trainers in Egypt. Jesse is finishing his DrPH degree in Public Health Leadership and holds a master’s degree in international Humanitarian Action from the University of Deusto in Spain.

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Artwork by Nacer Ahmadi: IG @nacerfilez

Production by TwistedLogix and Morrisound Studios

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