#91 Decolonizing Healthcare

Dr. Rupa Marya discusses her work at the intersection of medicine, health, land, and justice. She explains the concept of deep medicine, which looks at the health impacts of colonialism and colonial capitalism and emphasizes the need to address the root causes of illness.

Dr. Rupa Marya is a physician, activist, writer, and composer at UC, San Francisco. Her work intersects climate, health, and racial justice. As founder of the Deep Medicine Circle and co-founder of the Do No Harm Coalition, she’s committed to healing colonialism’s wounds and addressing disease through structural change. Recognized with the Women Leaders in Medicine Award, Dr. Marya was a reviewer for the AMA’s plan to embed racial justice. Governor Newsom appointed her to the Healthy California for All Commission to advance universal healthcare. Also a musician, she’s toured 29 countries with her band, creating what Gil Scott-Heron called “Liberation Music”. Together with Raj Patel, she co-authored the international bestseller, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice.

Links and Resources from Today’s Episode:

• RupaMarya.org
• Deep Medicine Circle
• Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by Raj Patel & Rupa Marya
• “Discourse on Colonialism” by Aimé Césaire
• “The Deep Medicine of Rehumanizing Palestinians” by Dr. Rupa Marya & Ghassan Abu-Sitta 
• Where Olive Trees Weep (film)
• Where Olive Trees Weep – Conversations on Palestine
• “Work for Peace” by GIl Scott Heron

Topics:

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 02:01 – Meeting Dr. Marya
• 06:31 – Shallow vs Deep Medicine
• 11:58 – Balancing Deep Medicine and Immediate Health Crises
• 15:28 – Essential & Integrative of Medicine
• 19:48 – Media Narratives Around Health
• 25:32 – Colonialism & Healthcare
• 30:51 – Dehumanization
• 36:16 – The Power Mind Virus
• 40:19 – Imagining What’s Possible
• 44:16 – Narratives Supporting Genocide
• 50:46 – Heaviness, Hopefulness & Listening
• 53:37 – Protest Music in the Era of Big Media
• 56:01 – Closing

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