Breaking the Code Havas Medical Anthropology

In honor of Parkinson's awareness month, we're joined by Howard Lenn, EVP, Executive Creative Director at Havas Health Plus, to discuss his team's approach to the work on the "The Kama Sutra of Parkinson's", ParkinSex. Couples that include someone with Parkinson's are more likely to separate than couples that don't. Howard talks about the massive strain Parkinson's puts on intimacy, prior to any touching, where one is feeling performance-related shame and/or struggling to communicate wants and needs. The love is there, and ParkinSex puts the focus on practicing intimacy.
ParkinSex is not only great award-winning work, but it puts into practice a lot of the themes that have been previously discussed on this podcast, conducting primary research, co-creating with communities, the shame-stigma-taboo trichotomy, and implementing inclusive design. It is one of the finalists in the Webby Awards People's Voice Award for Health, Wellness & Pharmaceutical Advertising place your vote for ParkinSex here:
https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2024/advertising-media-pr/branded-content/health-wellness-pharmaceutical


Read the case study here: https://parkinsexcasestudy.com/

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

Something that has fascinated us recently is the role culture plays in the emotional aspects of storytelling. The emotional response, its justification and the words used to describe it all are heavily influenced by an individual's identity and how they've learned to express themselves. In this episode, we discuss some of the culture differences when it comes to talking about pain and the importance of being a good listener. In our roles, we are listeners that support other listeners, whether its an HCP hearing their patients needs or members of a disease community propping each other up. Listening to someone's pain, however they express it, is how we learn and design successful outcomes for them..

Like you'll hear us say many times in the episode, pain is a broad topic with many interesting facets to discuss and discover - and we intend to do more episodes on other aspects of pain in the future. While listening, if you hear something interesting that you would like to hear more about, feel free to reach out to Brad, Sonika and Gabriel using the email below. 

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

Too often in our industry, when we say "healthcare professional" what we really mean is ONE healthcare profession, the prescribing Medical Doctor. However, nursing is and always has been a part of the healthcare professional team, and today more than ever the roles nurses play in providing care are exactly those we cannot do without. Nursing is impossible to do remotely; they are the hands-on heartbeat of any hospital, clinic, or practice. It is important that we recognize them as a unique profession, with their own preferences, culture and role within healthcare. Nurses are not "lesser doctors", and our efforts should reflect their practices, culture, history, and roles in medicine. Like everyone else, nurses benefit from our work most when we design for them specifically, and what helps nurses helps patients, doctors, and everyone else in the healthcare environment. 
In this special episode celebrating Women's History Month, we are joined by Lisa Chobanian, RN, MS, and also Associate Managing Director of Unification Services at H4B Chelsea, to break down the important distinctions within the culture of nurses and how we can reach them, specifically, as we communicate to HCPs at large.

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

Recently, a number of prestigious U.S. universities have talked about reinstating The Scholastic Aptitude Test, more infamously known as The SAT, for applicants to their undergraduate programs. The SAT was once mandatory for college applications, but has become optional and then not used at all in progressive stages over the past two decades. However, debate rages as to whether schools' test optional policies have hurt students (low-income students in particular) who have not been submitting their scores. The president of Dartmouth justified the institutions reinstatement of the exam by claiming that SAT scores, sometimes below average ones, help identify students who "excel in their environment".
In this episode, we look at the SATs as a case study in the challenges of creating an equitable system. The SAT is a part of a flawed U.S. education system in need of a standardized approach to evaluate and effectively put students in a position to succeed, academically. Score distributions reveal less about the months of prep leading up to the test as they do about the years of general educational neglect before hand - the cracks are foundational. While it is an undeniable opportunity for underserved students to become undeniable applicants, it's a poor reflection of character, work ethic, and ability to endure in adverse circumstances. So what should we do with the SAT? 

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

Do you know anyone who just watches the Superbowl for the love of the game anymore? As TV viewers decline across the board, the Big Game on the second Sunday of February remains a must watch event in sports, entertainment, and advertising, hooking the attention from everyone from die-hard sports fans to Swifties.
In this special episode, the full team, Brad, Sonika, and Gabriel play 'Monday Morning Quarterback' and take a social scientist's lens to some notable ads from the night (Pfizer's 'Here's to Science', Dove's 'It's a hard knock life', Google Pixel's 'Javier in Frame'). We also discuss what makes Superbowl ads so distinct from their much less desirable counterparts - everything from the strategy behind them to the viewers who are watching.

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast

 A rare disease diagnosis is the beginning of a journey of unknowns. From an HCPs ability to treat, to a caregivers' emotional burden, to a patient's sense of identity, there are a variety of factors that remain uncertain or unclear which makeup the unique challenge of having a rare disease.  

Despite the challenge, people living with rare disease persevere and form communities - real communities - they share advice and relatable experiences while staying emotionally invested in each other's success. They've laid the groundwork. Advancements in the treatment of rare disease are both transformative today and tomorrow. Now, we must figure out how we fit in to creating that success.  

Join us for this special edition as we begin preparing for Rare Disease Day (February 29) with Afshan Rizvi Hussain, Havas' own Global Rare Disease Lead.

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, email us at medicalanthropology@havas.com

Check out Breaking the Code on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-code-havas-health-and-you-podcast