S2 E5: Inara Valliani — Public Health: the conditions in which you live, play, work

This week we have the pleasure of speaking with Inara Valliani, a Public Health Candidate in Health Behavior at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She talks about her background and journey into the field. Inara “geeks out” and blesses us all with her knowledge on health as a social model of how we live, play, and work, not just a medical model of illness or wellness. We get into the social determinants of health, the various factors that make up our individual and societal health. Plus, Inara introduces us to the concept of “positionality”. Hien and Zahra wrap up with their thoughts on the episode and a heated conversation about the relationship to the coaching industry and neoliberalism.

Inara's email: Inara.Valliana@gmail.com

Inara (she/her) is a 1st year Master of Public Health candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Inara became passionate about public health after witnessing and experiencing the chronic effects that health disparities pose on the well-being of communities, specifically on people with marginalized identities. She has spent a significant portion of her academic career studying health equity, substance use prevention, and adverse childhood experiences. She currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center supporting junior faculty and BIPOC staff on grant writing mechanisms. Additionally, she works with Planned Parenthood’s Muslim Organizing Program in the South Atlantic Region, where she supports community mobilization efforts through coalition building, facilitates meaningful conversations about sexual and reproductive health, and empowers fellow Muslim Americans in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area.

In her free time, you can usually find Inara listening to music or going to concerts. A typical conversation with her will likely include anecdotes about her hometown Atlanta, her love of Dunkin Donuts, and her extensive sneaker collection.

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Theme song: Katy Pearson