In this episode of the Public Health Joy Podcast, Dr. Joyee Washington sits down with Quisha Umemba—registered nurse, public health leader, and CEO of Umemba Health—to talk about what it really looks like to bring AI into public health work with clarity, integrity, and impact.

Quisha shares her journey from initial resistance (“this is cheating!”) to becoming a certified AI consultant who now trains organizations to reduce busy work and increase people work. Dr. Together, Dr. Joyee and Dr. Umemba unpack what AI can do, what it shouldn’t do, and why public health is in an era of redesign that demands innovation without abandoning ethics, community wisdom, or human insight.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Building Umemba Health at the intersection of public health expertise + learning innovation [1:45]

• Why “AI translator” is the perfect title for leaders helping teams cut through complexity [40:00]

• The mindset shift: AI doesn’t replace your expertise—it amplifies it [4:57]

• Why public health burnout makes AI’s time-saving potential especially relevant [7:34]

• The “AI iceberg”: why ChatGPT is only the tip, and what else exists beyond it [14:09]

• How AI can reduce curriculum development time from 20–40 hours down to 4–6 hours [22:40]

• Using AI for qualitative analysis, data storytelling, and leadership reporting—while keeping a human in the loop [23:27]

• Real concerns: ethics, privacy, intellectual property, environmental impacts, and “knowledge decay” [32:30]

• Planting seeds, building confidence, and helping people move from confusion to clarity [39:46]

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Season 5 of The Public Health Podcast opens with a powerful keynote from Dr. Joyee Washington, delivered at the 2026 Public Health Joy Summit.

In Rest, Reimagine, Rebuild, Dr. Joyee invites the public health community into a deeply honest reflection on where we are, and where we must go next.

This episode acknowledges the collective grief, exhaustion, and disillusionment many public health professionals are carrying. Rather than rushing past it, Dr. Joyee names it. Honors it. And reframes it as a necessary starting point for transformation.

At the heart of this keynote is a radical but essential message: rest is not a reward, it is a strategic weapon. Dr. Joyee challenges listeners to move beyond survival mode and reclaim rest as a tool for sustainability, clarity, and power.

From there, she calls on the community to reimagine public health through abundance, not scarcity, to dream bigger than burnout has allowed and to remember what drew us to this work in the first place. This vision is not meant to be carried alone. Dr. Joyee emphasizes the necessity of rebuilding together, through community, mutual support, and shared responsibility.

This episode is both a grounding and a rallying cry. A moment to pause and a call to act.

The promise of public health is not broken. It is not over. And it is not small.

It is waiting to be rebuilt stronger, wiser, and more expansive than ever before.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Reflect on what public health means to you. [1:55]

• Grief is a necessary part of the healing process. [3:15]

• The current state of public health is a war. [5:46]

• Rest is a strategic weapon, not a retreat. [12:45]

• Dreaming in abundance is essential for progress. [15:00]

• Community building is crucial for rebuilding efforts. [19:00]

• Sacrifice is often required in the fight for justice. [21:40]

• Each generation has its own assignment to fulfill. [23:00]

• We are in a war, and we will win. [25:45]

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review! For more transcripts, show notes, and more, visit: Click Here

In this powerful solo Season 4 finale of The Public Health Joy Podcast, Dr. Joyee Washington shares a deeply personal reflection on what 2025 demanded of her — and what it revealed about all of us in public health.

After reaching a long-dreamed-of six-figure milestone, Dr. Joy entered 2025 expecting abundance. Instead, she encountered one of the most challenging years of her life — marked by financial strain, caregiving, spiritual warfare, and the continued dismantling of public health systems. In this episode, Dr. Joyee unpacks the truth many don’t talk about: abundance is not accessed without first confronting scarcity.

This is a conversation about endurance — not as survival, but as preparation. About joy — not as softness, but as strategy. And about rebuilding public health not from institutions rooted in extraction, but from communities rooted in healing, power, and faith.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Health professionals are burned out, underfunded, and under attack.[1:00]

• We need more than just another conference; we need restoration. [3:00]

• Joy is a strategic choice in public health. [5:00]

• You can't step into abundance until you face scarcity. [6:00]

• Scarcity mindset affects both mental and physical health. [7:00]

• Endurance is built through challenges, not ease. [17:00]

• Abundance and scarcity cannot coexist. [20:00]

• Choosing joy amidst adversity is an act of resistance. [21:00]

• Public health is at a reckoning, exposing old systems. [23:00]

• Community is essential for transformation and healing. [25:00}

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and, leave a review! For more transcripts, show notes,and more visit: https://joyeewashington.com/public-health-joy-season-4/