In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Dr. Farah Mawani reflects on what it means to do public health work that is deeply personal—where lived experience, research, and advocacy cannot be separated.
From navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as both a social epidemiologist and a member of a community disproportionately impacted by the virus, to confronting systemic racism within academia and public health systems, Dr. Mawani shares what it means to keep speaking truth to power, even when the consequences are real.
This conversation explores courage, solidarity, and the power of lived experience—and why dismantling systemic racism is not abstract work, but a matter of life and death.
Meet Dr. Farah Mawani ✨
Dr. Mawani is a critical social and psychiatric epidemiologist applying anti-racist implementation science approaches to redress structural and systemic racism and discrimination as drivers of social and mental health inequities globally. She is a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar (2025-2030), and faculty member in the School of Public Health and Social Policy, Faculty of Health, University of Victoria.
Dr. Mawami’s community-led research and teaching are shaped by insight from her lived experience of migration and systemic racism, combined with years of professional experience conducting research in academic, policy, health system, and community environments. She applies her expertise to designing, implementing, evaluating and scaling social inclusion interventions in Canada and East Africa. She co-leads the CIHR Health System Impact Training Platform, and National Networks of Schools and Programs of Population and Public Health.
Conversation Highlights 🎙️
- When the Work Is Personal — Dr. Mawani reflects on navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as both a social epidemiologist and a member of a South Asian community disproportionately impacted by the virus.
- Speaking Through Grief — She shares the experience of continuing a national media interview just after learning that her great aunt had died of COVID-19 in a long-term care center affected by systemic inequities.
- Lived Experience as Expertise — Dr. Mawani explains how lived experience scholarship challenges harmful assumptions and why communities most impacted by inequities must help shape the research and solutions intended for them.
- Speaking Truth to Power — She reflects on confronting systemic racism within academia and public health systems—and why truth-telling is essential for creating meaningful change.
- Building Roads Together — Through her peer-led walking and rolling program, Dr. Mawani describes how collective movement, visibility, and solidarity can create belonging, healing, and community power.
“This is a matter of life and death for us.” — Dr. Farah Mawani
Stay in Touch 🔗
With Dr. Farah Mawani
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farahmawani/
With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch
Website ↗: https://www.CourageousPublicHealth.com
Follow for weekly reflections on courage and leadership ↗: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6
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We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design and facilitate interactive workshops for women leaders in public health — turning courage into a leadership skill so it becomes an organizational strength.
If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we’d love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn ↗ or through our website ↗.
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