Nursing Without Borders: Leadership, Crisis, and Compassion in Extreme Healthcare

In this episode, host Eoin Walker is joined by Clare O’Brien, a registered nurse whose career spans more than three decades across the NHS, humanitarian crises, and global health leadership.

From intensive care and organ transplantation in the UK to frontline deployments in South Sudan, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia, Clare shares what it really means to work in extreme, resource-limited environments. She reflects on her experiences responding to cholera outbreaks, Ebola, and neglected diseases like Noma, and the ethical realities of delivering care in conflict zones.

This conversation explores leadership under pressure, resilience in crisis, the importance of community-led responses, and why hope can be just as powerful as medicine. Clare also speaks candidly about returning home after deployment, sustaining purpose beyond the frontline, and what aspiring expedition and humanitarian clinicians should consider before stepping into these roles.

A thoughtful, grounded discussion on compassion, governance, adaptability, and what global healthcare can teach us about ourselves.

A quick update from the podcast team

We’re hitting pause on the podcast for a short while.

In the meantime, you can still access a wide range of recorded sessions, talks, and content online — perfect if you’re catching up or revisiting past episodes.

Thanks for being part of the journey so far. We’ll be back when the time’s right.

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Avsnitt(262)

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23 Dec 202557min

Humanitarian Nursing: Voices from the Frontline with Elsa Afonso & Marcus Wootton

From conflict zones to refugee camps, from neonatal units to global health leadership—nurses are at the heart of humanitarian medicine.In this episode, host Eoin Walker is joined by Elsa Afonso and Ma...

9 Dec 20251h 4min