Randy Wykoff was featured in the podcast Appalachia Meets World. Will and Neil are two brothers born and raised in the coal fields of central Appalachia. A podcast about place and perspective, they talk about life in Appalachia and venture outside the region to better understand the negative perceptions of Appalachia and find out how their culture truly compares to the rest of the World. Dr. Wykoff spoke in two episodes.
In the first episode, Dr. Wykoff discusses his recent book (as co-editor) "Appalachian Health: Culture, Challenges and Capacity" that speaks to the importance of health's intersection with social, political and economic factors to improve overall rtality in the region.dives into the book and discusses the significance of the practice of public health in the region, and all underserved communities.
"Whatever characteristic you want to define us as having, there are lots of other communities that have the same thing. Our job is to figure out what we can learn from them and what they can learn from us. Every community is a little bit different...but there are a lot of similarities between communities that have had something taken away from them...there's a certain sense of resilience in the people that stayed. Some people might call it stubborness, but there's something to admire, said Wykoff. "The one thing that always worries me is that our young people growing up might feel some sense of shame from the way Appalachia is portrayed in the media. Well, you know what? We've got a lot to be proud of, and I think, increasingly, people in the large urban areas are realizing there's a quality of life in the mountains that doesn't exist in other places."
In the second episode. he discusses overall healthcare challenges and potential opportunities in Appalachia,
and the importance of connecting healthcare with economic prosperity and job creation.
The podcasters also discuss the importance of staying and making the region an even
better place. "My commitment to my school and to my colleagues is to stay and help
build a world-class school of public health in and for central Appalachia."