Ratio Talks

In this episode, Michael talks to Tony Iton, a Senior Vice President of the California Endowment, the foundation that has placed people power at the heart of its strategy for health equity. Tony describes how, as the former Health Officer of Alameda County Public Health Department, he came to appreciate the importance of resources and opportunities to health, and the role that structures play within that. And he gives examples of how organised communities across California have changed their conditions.

As mentioned in the episode, Tony and Pritpal have been working together for the last few years. They have produced a review of the health research linking community power and health and a Policy Insight article in Health Affairs, entitled Building Community Power To Dismantle Policy-Based Structural Inequity In Population Health. Their work is ongoing.

The epilogue between Michael and Pritpal reflects their views, not necessarily Tony’s.

Subscribe to Ratio’s Newsletter here and find out more about Pritpal S Tamber’s work here.

Get in touch with us any time by sending an email to [email protected].

Ratio Talks is produced with the help of sound designer Nik Paget-Tomlinson and creative director Richard De Angelis. The show’s theme song is by Luca Picardi.

In this series, Michael is exploring community power — what it is, how it’s linked to better outcomes, such as health, and what its limitations are. The series is in collaboration with Pritpal S Tamber, a researcher and consultant on the link between community power and health, and a Non-Executive Director of Ratio.