Our award-winning podcast highlights ITM’s versatility

For the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (ITM), we made ‘Transmission’: an international podcast about the important work of their researchers and those at partner institutions. Its compelling episodes bring to life ITM’s multifaceted and far-reaching mission of “health for all”.

The Institute of Tropical Medicine is a household name. Yet the public knows it mainly for its travel vaccinations, and isn’t aware of the multitude of services, knowledge and expertise ITM represents. The Institute requested our help to put their entire offer – and staff – in the spotlight. Together with Sonhouse, we created ‘Transmission’, an international podcast narrated by Lara Chedraoui. 

ITM not only provides medical services at home and abroad; it also educates, conducts cutting-edge research, and spearheads collaborative projects around the world. Health has no borders, so the ITM staff give it their all, both in the lab and the field.  To get that message across to patients, students, potential new employees and other stakeholders, we crafted compelling stories that resonate with each of them.

In 2023, we launched the first season of ‘Transmission’. In four episodes, listeners learn how health workers and scientists deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola, and how their work affects them. Lieven Scheire showered season 1 with praise in Nerdland, and it won a much-coveted Belgian Podcast Award. 

Season 2, released in 2024, zooms in on the underlying health systems. Why are they under pressure? Can everyone access them? And how can we prepare for crises? With an ageing population, climate change, urbanisation and the looming threat of a new pandemic, we face quite a few challenges.  

‘Transmission’ is an immersive journey into the heart of global health battles.  Its touching personal anecdotes, captivating travel stories, and revisitations of breakthrough moments in science and healthcare invite listeners to look over the shoulders of experts who dedicate their lives to “health for all”.  

In addition to creating the podcast, we revamped the ITM website together with digital studio (and fellow 62MILES family member) Who Owns The Zebra. We also devised an always-on communication strategy, including explainer videos that delve deeper into the podcast topics, and we launched a fundraising campaign.  

More interesting things are in the pipeline, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, give ‘Transmission’ a listen on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts.