Posted by Elena del Valle on August 26, 2019
Rana Adib, executive secretary, Ren21
Photo: Ren21
A podcast interview with Rana Adib, executive secretary, Ren21 is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses sustainable energy with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Previously, Rana was Ren21’s research coordinator developing the international expert community and leading the Ren21 Renewables Global Status Report series to become an international reference. Prior to Ren21 Rana worked in private industry and applied research in the areas of renewable energy, energy access, and waste management. She has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Rana Adib” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home from the RSS feed. Some software will not allow flash, which may be necessary for the play button and podcast player. If that is your case, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2019 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 19, 2019
Tiffany Finck-Haynes, program manager, Friends of the Earth
Lisa Lindsley, capital markets advisor, SumOfUs
Photos: SumOfUs, Friends of the Earth
A podcast interview with Tiffany Finck-Haynes, program manager, Friends of the Earth, and Lisa Lindsley, capital markets advisor, SumOfUs, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, they discusse bee health and pollinators with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Tiffany leads the organization’s work to eliminate toxic pesticides and advance a sustainable and just food system to protect people, pollinators and the planet. She leads federal, state, local policy and marketplace campaigns aimed at reforming industrial agriculture. Prior to joining Friends of the Earth, she worked as a community health organizer at Many Languages One Voice, running campaigns to improve equitable access to affordable, culturally and linguistically appropriate health-related information, services, and care for nail salon workers and day laborers.
After getting her start on Wall Street, Lisa’s 33-year career in finance has taken her from the microfinance industry to the United States labor movement. She has lived in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Prior to joining SumOfUs, Lisa was director, Capital Strategies American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). She led the effort to remove Jamie Dimon as the board chair of JPMorgan Chase, helped pass the Dodd-Frank Act, and pioneered shareholder initiatives around American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and human rights. Lisa left her position as a managing director, Latin American Corporate Finance Division, Bear Stearns in 1995 to enter the microfinance field.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Tiffany Finck-Haynes, Lisa Lindsley” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home from the RSS feed. Some software will not allow flash, which may be necessary for the play button and podcast player. If that is your case, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2019 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 12, 2019
Bottle of Lies
Photos: Ecco, Roberto Falck
Investigative journalist Katherine Eban dedicated 10 years of her life to researching and writing about the generic drug industry boom in the United States. Along the way she read official documents, spoke with whistleblowers, lawyers and government employees, uncovering disturbing truths about the quality and trustworthiness of the drugs that many would prefer remain in the dark. This year her findings became available to the public in Bottle of Lies The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom (Ecco, $28.99). There is also an audio edition narrated by Eban. A paperback edition is due May 2020.
The 482-page non fiction book is easy to read and engaging, more like a novel than a non-fiction expose. It outlines the events that led to the blossoming of a huge generic drug industry in the United States and the myriad problems she uncovered. It is divided into 28 chapters and seven main parts: Shifting Ground, India Rises, A Cat-and-Mouse Business, Making A Case, Detectives in the Dark, The Watershed, and Reckonings.
“The book is entirely non-fiction, Eban said by email. “Every detail in the book is supported by documentation, interviews, or source recollections, and no names have been changed.”
When asked about her personal motivator, she replied, “My reporting on the generic drug industry actually began a decade ago, when I was contacted by the host of an NPR radio show, The People’s Pharmacy. The host, Joe Graedon, said that patients were contacting him with complaints about side effects from their generic drugs. He suggested I look into the question of what is wrong with the drugs. It quickly became apparent to me that just documenting patient concerns would not get me very far in answering that question. I realized the answers most likely lay in the manufacturing plants and boardrooms of the companies making our drugs – which meant in India and China.
My effort to answer that original question — What is wrong with the drugs? — turned into a global mystery that kept me reporting and digging.”
Katherine Eban, author, Bottle of Lies
The primary target audience for the book? “Anyone and everyone, the author said. “The story is real-life global thriller with big money and life-and-death consequences at its core. Anyone who enjoys a page-turning detective story, who wants to learn about the dark side of globalization, or who takes any medicine at all, is the ideal reader.”
About the book project overall the author said, “The biggest challenge was: how was I, as an independent U.S.-based journalist — without a newsroom, a team of colleagues, or other resources at my disposal — going to be able to penetrate an industry, and companies, that were based on another continent? The difficulties of a global investigative project were unrelenting.
The most rewarding was finally being able to get real insight into those distant manufacturing plants, and to convey that to readers. The reaction has been immense. I am flooded with emails from grateful readers, almost all of whom are consumers of generic drugs. They feel enlightened by the book.”
Eban said that since the book came out, she has been contacted by Congressional committees, interested in investigating the problems she raised. One measure of success, the author said, would be to help fix the problems her book exposes.
Click to buy Bottle of Lies
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 5, 2019
Shital Mars, CEO, Progressive Care
Photo: Progressive Care
A podcast interview with Shital Mars, CEO, Progressive Care is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses chronic pain, substance abuse, opioid dependency and alternative pain management with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
According to promotional materials, Shital has guided Progressive Care and its wholly-owned subsidiary PharmCo LLC on a rapid growth trajectory with the signing of an investment deal; and she has focused on creating and implementing systems that improve patient adherence and provide risk management practices for physicians and providers. She spearheaded Progressive Care’s new campaign focused on pain management alternatives to opioids.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Shital Mars” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home from the RSS feed. Some software will not allow flash, which may be necessary for the play button and podcast player. If that is your case, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2019 section of the podcast archive.
