Podcasts about infectious disease epidemiology

In this episode, our hosts chat with Dr. Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos and Frankie Catalfumo about APIC's updated CAUTI Implementation Guide and the collaborative efforts behind it. They share the guide's origins and what inspired the guide, highlight key prevention strategies, and debunk some common misconceptions about CAUTI in healthcare. Tune in to hear the discussion about real-world implementation challenges, the distinction between essential and additional practices, and how the new tools were designed to enhance process improvement. Get inspired to “partner harder” and strengthen your IP practice! Hosted by: Kelly Holmes, MS, CIC, FAPIC and Lerenza L. Howard, MHA, CIC, LSSGB About our Guests: Rebecca (Becca) Crapanzano-Sigafoos, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC (previously Bartles) Rebecca (Becca) Crapanzano-Sigafoos, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC is the Executive Director of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Prevention (APIC)'s Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation (CRPI). Becca has practiced Infection Prevention and Infectious Disease Epidemiology for the last 20 years in a variety of healthcare settings and has numerous publications focused on infection prevention staffing and endoscope safety. She received both her BS in Public Health, Health Education and her MPH in Epidemiology from East TN State University. She completed her Doctorate in Public Health in 2021 with a dissertation topic of “Assessing efficacy of an evidence-based Clostridiodes difficile screening tool using electronic medical record data.” She has been CIC certified since 2008 and is an APIC fellow. Most notably, though, Becca is the mother of six amazing daughters, ages 10-27. Frankie Catalfumo, MPH, CIC, CRCS Frankie Catalfumo, MPH, CIC, CRCST is the Director of Practice Guidance and Health Equity at APIC in their Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation (CRPI). Frankie is an infection preventionist with more than 10 years of experience leading collaborative initiatives within acute healthcare and the federal government. In his current role, he oversees the development of practice guidance tools that are meaningful to the association's membership. He also leads investigative work regarding the relationship between health equity and infection prevention. Prior to joining APIC, Frankie led infection prevention initiatives at Inova Health System, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From the global HIV epidemic to the threat of multi-drug resistant bacteria, all infectious agents prompt the need for effective prevention and control measures. Frankie is board-certified in infection control (CIC) and in sterile processing (CRCST). Resource: CAUTI Implementation Guide

AABP Membership Committee chair Dr. Dan Cummings is the guest host for this episode of Have You Herd? on One Health. Guests for this podcast include AABP member Dr. John Groves, an exclusive beef cattle veterinarian in central Missouri, and Dr. Greg Gray, a human physician and Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Read Dr. Gray's profile at this page.  Our guests define what One Health means to them and how it applies to a practicing veterinarian as well as educating physicians on the meaning of One Health. There are sometimes challenges from clients on exploring One Health, and our guests dive into its implications with the current HPAI disease outbreak in dairy cattle and poultry. Gray discusses his work with zoonotic diseases and working with coronaviruses and influenza viruses throughout his career. Groves and Cummings discuss a collaborative surveillance project that will be presented as an abstract at the upcoming Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CWRAD) in Chicago, Ill., January 18-21, 2025. Find information about this conference at this link.  One Health remains an important topic for both veterinarians and physicians. Working collaboratively to protect human and animal health by sharing knowledge is important for both communities.   

Dr. Rachel Wightman, Consultant Medical Director at the Rhode Island Department of Health for Drug Overdose Prevention and Surveillance, catches us up on the state's opioid strategy; Kelly White, Director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Division at the Indiana Department of Health, discusses tuberculosis drug shortages; performance management is on the agenda for a webinar hosted by ASTHO and the Public Health Foundation on September 17th; and Dr. Kelly Kimple is the new acting director of the North Carolina Division of Public Health. Rhode Island News Release: Rhode Island Overdose Deaths Decreased 7.3% in 2023 ASTHO Blog Article: Partnering to Increase Access to Tuberculosis Medications ASTHO Webinar: Operationalizing Performance Management in a Health Department ASTHO Web Page: Kelly Kimple, MD, MPH   

Natalie Dyenson, M.P.H. is the Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). She has nearly three decades of experience in food safety that encompasses the entire produce supply chain, from farm to fork. In her role at IFPA, Natalie and her team actively work to guide industry on food safety issues and connect with regulators and policymakers to advocate for a science-focused and risk-based approach to food safety worldwide. Having previously served as Vice President of Food Safety and Quality for Dole Food Company, Natalie is an internationally recognized food safety expert with broad and extensive experience leading international food safety programs for produce. She has leadership experience in food safety, public health, and regulatory compliance, leading global teams with a focus on scientific, risk-based program development, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance. Prior to joining Dole, Natalie held food safety leadership roles with both Walmart U.S. and Walmart International divisions. She also worked with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where she held various roles in food safety and public health supporting domestic and international operations. Natalie holds a B.S. degree in Microbiology from the University of Iowa and an M.P.H. degree in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of South Florida. She serves on the Produce Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (USDA NIFA's) Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Center for Produce Safety (CPS). In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Natalie [29:05] about: How Natalie's experience has given her a well-rounded, global perspective that informs her current work at IFPA The work of IFPA's Food Safety Council to improve food safety worldwide, and how the council represents the Association's international and multi-sectoral community Why IFPA recently became a member of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), and the Association's goal to reduce redundant audits as part of the GFSI Coalition for Action IFPA's participation in the Codex Alimentarius Commission Committee on Food Hygiene to ensure the produce perspective is part of the discussion as Codex guidance and recommendations are developed IFPA's current priorities for produce food safety achievable through its three strategic objectives The long-awaited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Agricultural Water Proposed Rule (Subpart E of the Produce Safety Rule), and IFPA's recently published, anticipatory guidance for industry The increasing concern about Cyclospora contamination of produce, the unreliability of detection methods under development, and strategies that can be implemented to break the cycle of contamination despite lacking effective detection methods. News and Resources New Illinois Bill Aims to Ban Same Four Toxic Food Additives as California Food Safety Act [4:12] EFSA: Poor Hygienic Equipment Design Most Crucial Risk Factor for Persistent Pathogens in Food Production [11:16] GAO, HHS Urge FDA to Develop Implementation Plan for Food Traceability Final Rule [17:50]FDA's Food Traceability Final Rule FAQs, Tools, and Resources USDA Releases Annual Pesticide Residue Report, Finds 99 Percent of Samples Below Benchmarks [20:59] Study Shows Promise of Phage Treatment in Reducing Salmonella on Raw Chicken Breast [22:36] IFPA Industry Guidance on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Stop Foodborne Illness Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship [WEBINAR] February 22, 2024 “Applied Root Cause Analysis: Using Your Results to Effectively Manage Risk” Register for the 2024 Food Safety Summit!Taking place May 6–9, 2024 in Rosemont, Illinois. Register before March 31 for a 10% early bird discount rate, plus use promo code “FSMatters15” for an extra 15% off registration. Yes, that's a total discount of 25%! We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com  

Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, FMedSci is Pro-Provost (Health), Dean, Faculty of Population Health Sciences and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University College London ( UCL - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/tb/people/professor-ibrahim-abubakar ). He was previously director of the UCL Institute for Global Health until July 2021. Prof. Abubakar was appointed National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator in 2017 and elected Fellow Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020. He led the UCL Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, UCL-TB and was a senior investigator at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit. He was also head of TB at Public Health England and prior to his appointment at UCL, he was Professor in Health Protection at the Norwich Medical School. Prof. Abubakar qualified in medicine in 1992 and initially trained in general medicine before specializing in public health medicine. His academic public health training was undertaken at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia. Prof. Abubakar is a member of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board ( https://www.gpmb.org/ ), Chair of Lancet Migration: global collaboration to advance migration health, Lancet Nigeria Commission and the NIHR Global Health Professorship Committee. He also served as chair of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Tuberculosis until 2019 and of the Wellcome Trust Expert Review Group on Population Health until 2022. Support the show

Fighting in Sudan has led to a new wave of violence in Darfur. Thousands have fled to neighboring Chad - to escape attacks by militias. And there are fears this could re-ignite tribal tensions in the region. So, what is fueling this violence?  Join host Mohamed Jamjoom.  Guests: Maysoon Dahab, Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Abdelwahab El-Affendi, Professor of Politics, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Hafiz Mohamed, Director of Justice Africa Sudan  

Prativa is the co-founder of Let Science Connect, an initiative aimed to restore trust in the scientific process by bridging science communication gaps between academia and the rest of the world. She is also an epidemiologist, operating at the intersection of global health and policy, and a Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, investigating methods in health systems strengthening, particularly in the context of crises.   She has served as a global health consultant and expert advisory committee member for various international agencies including the UN, the WHO, the GPMB, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank, with a special focus on institutional design for global health governance, monitoring efforts to better understand drivers of risk of health emergencies, as well as health systems resilience & service delivery during periods of shocks. Previously, she advised the Government of Canada in designing and drafting the country's first comprehensive global health research strategic plan. Her commitment to working with groups facing vulnerable conditions emerged through her work with the refugee resettlement program in Québec, where she acted as a point of contact between a wide range of Canadian ministries, local community partners, and refugee families across Québec. In 2018, she was selected to be a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum, and in 2021, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Prativa is a graduate of McGill University's Faculty of Science and has received a Master's in Public Health in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from Columbia University as a Merit Scholar Recipient. She is also a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar (2021) as well as a recipient of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research's Doctoral Foreign Study Award among other distinctions. Most recently, she served as the Canadian head delegate for the G7 Youth summit in Berlin, Germany (2022), and the sole Canadian representative as part of the Global Shapers delegation of young community leaders to the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos (2023).   Fluent in French, English and Nepali, Prativa is a former nationally-ranked chess player. She also regularly appears on CBC and CTV News and other media outlets providing Canadians with practical suggestions and advice regarding COVID-19. Listen until 06:59 to hear Dr. Baral talk about her experience at Davos and being proud of who you are.  ”Leadership is something that's been kind of advertised by corporate America, right? And you gotta wear that navy blue suit and speak a certain way and not show compassion or empathy or whatnot. And I think, I hope that our global definition of leadership is changing. And so if I go back next time to Davos, I think I would wear a lot more colours than I did. So I did wear, you know, a red dress at a certain point and a red blazer at a certain point. But Davos, let me see that you want to stand out. I can't hide the fact that I'm a woman. I can't hide the fact that I'm brown. And so instead of trying to fit the mould and wearing a navy blue suit, which, you know, there's nothing wrong with wearing one, but I would wear something brighter and bolder. Why would you want to hide your identity or the pieces of you that make you, you just wear the bright colours if that's what you want to wear, and just be because there's no one else like you. Right?”Check out the book! - Fearless: Girls with Dreams, Women with VisionThe Fearless Women Podcastfearlesswomenpodcast@gmail.comThe Beacon Agency

In February 2020, Mark Woolhouse, a UK epidemiologist, called the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland. Mark wanted to talk to the leader about what the country was doing to prepare for the inevitable arrival of a virus that was spreading through China. Thus began Mark's years-long critique and study of the worldwide system failure in reaction to COVID-19. On this episode of unSILOed, Greg and Mark discuss some of the things Mark thought we did wrong (lockdowns), what we might do going forward (bring medicine outside of hospitals) and how epidemiologists, journalists, and politicians need to communicate better during moments of public health emergencies. Mark Woolhouse is a Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. His latest book is The Year The World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir. Episode Quotes:On the failings on the pandemic response57:38: It's very hard to pin the failings of the pandemic response in the US and the UK and elsewhere on a single section of that overall response community, as it were. It's not just the scientist's fault. It's not just the advisor's fault. It's not just the civil service's fault, the politician's fault. It's not just the healthcare worker's fault. All of us were at fault in some ways. So I described that as a system failure. Our system was challenged with this particular event, which wasn't that different from what we planned for; it wasn't massively different from pandemic influenza, but it was different enough that it flew threw our system into complete disarray.04:03: There's a lot of humility needed in the public health and scientific community to try and understand that preparedness and vulnerability are different things, and they're different things to a virus.Lockdowns should be implemented with greater caution21:22: We better take a long, hard, critical look about the evidence, strengths, and weaknesses of the lockdown approach before we wholeheartedly embrace it as part of the next generation of pandemic preparedness plans. I think there's a real big danger there that we'll just jump into lockdown again the next time anything comes along to threaten us.Doesn't lockdown protect everybody?37:30: There was this rather naive argument that, well, doesn't lockdown protect everybody? Well, it's true to a degree. But it demonstrably doesn't protect all of those vulnerable people…(37:56) So whether you are against lockdown or somewhere on the fence, clearly, we needed other strategies, ones that did a better job of protecting the people who were most vulnerable.Show Links:Guest Profile:Faculty Profile at University of EdinburghProfessional Profile at The Academy of Medical SciencesHis Work:Mark Woolhouse Academic Research The Year The World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir

Nick talks to Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, who is a professor of medicine & economics at Stanford University. They discuss various aspects of the COVID pandemic, such as: how infectious, transmissible, and deadly SARS-CoV-2 is; mRNA vaccines, how well they stop transmission vs. severed COVID, and whether they can induce negative side effects such as myocarditis; how well masks actually work; Jay's inclusion in the "TwitterFiles" and the suppression of speech on social media; what he thinks of Elon Musk after meeting him; his thoughts on the future of public health governance in the US.SUPPORT M&M:Sign up for the free weekly Mind & Matter newsletter:[https://mindandmatter.substack.com/?sort=top]Learn how you can further support the podcast: [https://mindandmatter.substack.com/p/how-to-support-mind-and-matter]Support the show

Our mobile phones generate an incredible amount of data inbound and outbound. In today's episode, Nishant Kishore, a PhD graduate of Harvard University in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, explains how mobility data from mobile phones can be captured and analysed to understand the spread of infectious diseases.

Did lockdown really help prevent the spread of Covid-19? Or did we make the global crisis even worse? There's no doubt that the pandemic had a catastrophic impact on the world. Millions of lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and the cost to the economy was hundreds of billions of dollars. I am excited to share my conversation with Prof. Mark Woolhouse OBE – a leading epidemiologist, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and Advisor to the UK government – as we discuss the pandemic, the decisions that were made and alternative ways for managing the outbreak. Prof Woolhouse is also the author of the new book “The Year The World Went Mad” - a scientific memoir about the pandemic - so he is the perfect guest to share whether or not lockdown made (and still makes) sense, why politicians chose to ignore expert opinions, how the UK managed the spread of the virus and how we should deal with future outbreaks.   Discussion points 04:32 About Mark 6:50 Who advises the government 08:30 UAE vs UK Covid-19 response 12:58 Working with politicians 14:50 How the UK handled Covid-19 15:50 If lockdowns make sense 18:24 Alternative solutions 21:34 Why politicians ignore experts 23:15 Covid-19 statistics 27:15 How it feels to be ignored 28:53 Other scientists' frustration 31:19 Finance benefits 32:42 Empathy for politicians 34:58 The measures that Mark supported 39:50 How should we deal with future outbreaks 46:00 Has the world moved on? 49:17 The risk for minorities 56:45 Mark's book: The Year The World Went Mad 01:02:00 The number of people died VS those that suffered in other ways Show Sponsors: Smartkas: Providing food security as a service Arabian Business: The region's leading source of business news, analytics, thought-leadership and features. Najahi Events: The UAE's leading event promotor   Socials: Spencer Lodge https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV   Prof. Mark Woolhouse OBE Buy Mark's book: https://sandstonepress.com/books/the-year-the-world-went-mad  

The National CMV Team had the privilege of speaking with Kenya Simmons, a dedicated intern with the Foundation. Kenya Simmons is a Master's in Public Health graduate student with a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Florida International University. She began her internship journey with the National CMV Foundation in August of 2021. Her interest in infectious disease, health education, and health equity is what led her on this path with the Foundation. Upon completing her internship, she hopes to continue her journey in Maternal and Child Health focusing on providing infectious disease health education to mothers, children, and families.

David L. Heymann (born 1946) is an American infectious disease epidemiologist and public health expert, based in London. He is currently Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. For 22 years Heymann was based at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on secondment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during which time he rose from Chief of Research of the Global Programme on AIDS to Founding Director of the Programme on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases. Before joining WHO Heymann was based for 13 years in sub-Saharan Africa on assignment from CDC where he worked Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC and Malawi. During this period he participated in the response to the first, second and third outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in DRC. In 2009 he was appointed an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for service to global public health.

Plan B Covid restrictions in England have ended and the government says we must learn to live with Covid. But what does that actually mean and how sustainable is that position? In this programme we will ask how our understanding of Covid's newest variant, Omicron, has evolved since Plan B restrictions were first imposed 7 weeks ago. To what extent might flu provide a model for how we live with Covid? And how will our hospitals cope with the strain as restrictions within wider society are eased? David Aaronovitch is joined by:Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers Lesley Powls, Head of Clinical Site & Emergency Planning, King's College Hospital Emma Thomson, Professor of infectious diseases at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research Linda Bauld, Professor of public health at Edinburgh UniversityProducers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Studio manager: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

Researchers at Imperial College have found there's “no evidence” as yet that Omicron is milder than the Delta variant of coronavirus. There are concerns that the record-breaking infection levels from Omicron could lead to large numbers of people requiring hospital treatment. Professor Neil Ferguson, Head of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Imperial College speaks to Mishal Husain about the risk Omicron poses to the UK. (Image Credit: Getty Images)

Updated: Dec. 15 | Posted: Dec. 14 As of Wednesday, nearly 10,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota as the pandemic drags on. No one knows when it will end. But we do know some things that will help control the spread. As new strains appear and guidelines for vaccines, boosters and social behavior are adapting, questions continue to arise. Does improving air filtration in your home or office help prevent the virus? What's the best timing for a booster? How do you protect your young children who cannot get vaccinated? If your young children contract COVID, what can you expect in terms of their level of sickness? What's the safest way to travel over the holidays? If you get a booster and it makes you feel awful, is that a good sign?  MPR News host Angela Davis talked with two infectious disease experts who also answered your questions about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Guests:  Dr. Priya Sampathkumar is an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic and an infectious disease researcher.  Kris Ehresmann is the Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division at the Minnesota Department of Health Correction (Dec. 15, 2021): An earlier version of this post misstated the total deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. The article has been updated.

Join Raza Ahmad for Friday's show where we will be discussing: Covid Omicron Omicron: Right Response? Is it right to put restrictions on South Africa for discovering and reporting a new variant? Instead of working together as a global community, are we prolonging the fight against covid by only looking out for our own? Join us as we discuss the impact of coronavirus and mutations and the need to act with justice and unity if we truly want to move forward. Guests include: Ben Phillips (Author of How to Fight inequality) Charles Ayitey (Broadcast Journalist with Joy News of the Multimedia Group - Ghana's largest private news media) Toby Green (British historian who is a Professor of Precolonial and Lusophone African History and Culture at King's College London) Jane Clegg (Regional Chief Nurse for the NHS in London) Dr Jeremy Kamil (Virologist, Associate Professor LSU Health Shreveport) Kai Schulze (Scientist working on Covid-19 in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from Berlin, Germany) Produced by: Nudrat Qasim, Faeza Syed Ahmad, Iffat Mirza, Faiza Mirza, Maliha Shahzad and Anam Mahmood

Government ministers have been blowing hot and cold about vaccine passports. Now the Westminster government says it is not planning to introduce them to England, though they're being kept as an option should things change. The Welsh government is thinking about them, while Northern Ireland has rejected them for now. In Scotland vaccine passports are coming in on October 1st for nightclubs and large venues. But booster jabs are coming across the UK. The roll-out for over-50s, frontline health workers and vulnerable groups will begin in days. Joining David Aaronovitch to ask if we need vaccine passports and boosters are:Laure Millet, head of the healthcare policy programme at the Institut Montaigne in Paris Melinda Mills, Professor of Demography at the University of Oxford and Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London Natasha Loder, Health Policy Editor at The EconomistProducers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight, Soila Apparicio Editor: Jasper Corbett

As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

To listen to the full conversation visit https://soundcloud.com/institute-for-government/in-conversation-with-neil-ferguson As one of the UK's top epidemiologists and the head of the influential modelling group at Imperial College London, Neil Ferguson has played a critical role in providing advice during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as previous crises including foot and mouth. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson discussed the lessons he has learned about advising government, the role of scientific modelling in informing decision making and how scientists should communicate with the public. He also assessed the latest Covid-19 data, and what measures may need to be taken in the weeks and months ahead. Professor Neil Ferguson is head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.

Sarah Koster is Green and Red's public health guru and most frequent guest and we just had another great discussion about COVID with here. Despite government and media claims in June that the crisis of COVID was ending, we're seeing a resurgence in cases, especially due to the Delta variant, lagging vaccination rates, and less mask wearing. Sarah breaks down the nature of the new variant, the health risks it poses, and what we need to do to be as safe as possible. Prof. Sarah Koster is a Family Nurse Practitioner and also has Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle. Sarah worked in research and program evaluation for about 7 years with the Infectious Disease Division at the University of New Mexico Medical School and completed a fellowship in Infectious Disease Epidemiology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham while living in Southern Africa. Read more// NY Times: Delta Variant in Schools (https://nyti.ms/2Vjesdd) 7 Bay Area counties mandate masks indoors for everyone because of delta variant (https://bit.ly/3ylntke) Vaccinated People With Breakthrough Infections Can Spread The Delta Variant, CDC Says (https://n.pr/37iEmQy) Follow Green and Red at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac.

Listen to the highlights of our series finale, recorded live on 21 July 2021. Hosted by UCL alumna, broadcaster and writer, Vivienne Parry OBE, our global audience put their questions to the experts. Guests: - Professor Dame Anne Johnson (Professor of Infectious Disease, Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Population Health Sciences). Adviser to the SAGE committee. - Professor Deenan Pillay (Professor of Virology, Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences). Adviser to the Independent SAGE committee. - Professor Susan Michie (Professor of Health Psychology, Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences). Adviser to the Sage and Independent SAGE committees. - Professor Andrew Hayward (Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Inclusion Health Research, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health). Adviser to the Sage and Nervtag committees. Find out more: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/coronavirus View the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podcasts/coronavirus/transcript-episode-53

Listen to the highlights of our series finale, recorded live on 21 July 2021. Hosted by UCL alumna, broadcaster and writer, Vivienne Parry OBE, our global audience put their questions to the experts.Guests:- Professor Dame Anne Johnson (Professor of Infectious Disease, Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Population Health Sciences). Adviser to the SAGE committee.- Professor Deenan Pillay (Professor of Virology, Division of Infection & Immunity, UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences). Adviser to the Independent SAGE committee.- Professor Susan Michie (Professor of Health Psychology, Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences). Adviser to the Sage and Independent SAGE committees.- Professor Andrew Hayward (Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Inclusion Health Research, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health). Adviser to the Sage and Nervtag committees.Find out more: www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/coronavirusView the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podcasts…nscript-episode-53 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Delta Variant was first identified in India, fuelling a huge wave of cases and deaths. It is now spreading around the world, becoming the most dominant variant in many countries. This week we take a look at the numbers - where's it spreading, how is this different to previous waves and what can be done to stop it? Tim Harford speaks to Professor Azra Ghani, Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College, London and John Burn-Murdoch, the chief data reporter at The Financial Times.

Traditional Japanese food may hold building blocks of COVID-19 treatments Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, July 21, 2021 Natto, a fermented soybean dish often served for breakfast in Japan, originated at the turn of the last millennium but may hold an answer to a modern problem: COVID-19, according to a new study based on cell cultures.  Long thought to contribute to longer, healthier lives across Japan -- the country with the longest life expectancy on Earth and home to more than a quarter of the world's population aged 65 years or older -- natto was previously found to be a diet staple in those who were least likely to die from stroke or cardiac disease. Now, researchers have found that extract made from the sticky, strong smelling natto may inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect cells.  The team published its results on July 13th in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.  "Traditionally, Japanese people have assumed that natto is beneficial for their health," said paper author Tetsuya Mizutani, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (CEPiR-TUAT). "In recent years, research studies have revealed scientific evidence for this belief. In this study, we investigated natto's antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1), which causes respiratory disease in cattle." Natto is made by fermenting soybeans with Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria found in plant and in soil. The researchers prepared two natto extracts from the food, one with heat and one without. They applied the extracts to sets of lab-cultured cells from cattle and from humans. One set was infected with SARS-CoV-2, while the other set was infected with BHV-1.  When treated with the natto extract made without heat, both SARS-CoV-2 and BHV-1 lost the ability to infect cells. However, neither virus appeared to be affected by the heat-treated natto extract.  "We found what appears to be a protease or proteases -- proteins that metabolize other proteins -- in the natto extract directly digests the receptor binding domain on the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2," Mizutani said, noting that the protease appears to break down in heat, losing the ability to digest proteins and letting the virus remain infectious.  The spike protein sits on the virus's surface and binds to a receptor on host cells. With an inactive spike protein, SARS-CoV-2 cannot infect healthy cells. The researchers found a similar effect on BHV-1.  "We also confirmed that the natto extract has the same digestive effects on the receptor binding domain proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 mutated strains, such as the Alpha variant," Mizutani said.  While the results are promising, Mizutani said, he also cautioned that further studies are needed to identify the exact molecular mechanisms at work. He also stressed that the research does not provide any evidence of reduced viral infection simply by eating natto. Once the components are identified and their functions verified, the researchers plan to advance their work to clinical studies in animal models.  "Although there are vaccines for COVID-19, we do not know how they effective they may be against every variant," Mizutani said. "It will also take time to vaccinate everyone, and there are still reports of breakthrough cases, so we need to make treatments for those who develop COVID-19. This work may offer a big hint for such pharmaceutical design."       Excess caffeine intake may be linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis   University of South Australia, July 19, 2021 University of South Australia researchers have a bone to pick when it comes to drinking too much coffee as new research finds that excess caffeine may be linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis. Investigating the effects of coffee on how the kidneys regulate calcium in the body, researchers found that high doses of caffeine (800 mg) consumed over a six-hour period almost doubled the amount of calcium lost in the urine. This is the first study to report the impact of high-dose, short-term caffeine intake on renal clearance of calcium, sodium, and creatinine in healthy adults. UniSA's Dr. Hayley Schultz says with the emergence of an increasing "coffee culture" it's important for people to understand the impacts of what they are putting into their bodies. "Caffeine is one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the world, with 80 percent of adults consuming at least one caffeinated beverage per day," Dr. Schultz says. "It's a common stimulant, consumed by professionals, parents, shift workers, and teenagers alike to start their day and stay alert—even the military use caffeine to help combat sleepiness.  "But while coffee has its perks, it's also important to acknowledge its fallbacks—one of them being how our kidneys handle calcium. "Our research found that people who consume 800 mg of caffeine over a typical working day will have a 77 percent increase in calcium in their urine, creating a potential deficiency that could impact their bones." Osteoporosis is a chronic, painful, and debilitating disease which makes your bones less dense and more susceptible to fracture. More common in women, it occurs when bones lose calcium and other minerals faster than the body can replace them. In Australia, an estimated 924,000 people have osteoporosis. The double-blind clinical study saw participants chew caffeine or a placebo gum for five minutes at two-hour intervals over a six-hour treatment period (total caffeine 800 mg). While the primary research objective was to examine the impact of caffeine consumption on wakefulness and other factors, this sub-study aimed to evaluate the impact of caffeine consumption on the renal clearance of calcium. Co-researcher, UniSA's Dr. Stephanie Reuter Lange says understanding the long-term impacts of high caffeine consumption is especially important for higher risk groups. "The average daily intake of caffeine is about 200 mg—roughly two cups of coffee. While drinking eight cups of coffee may seem a lot (800 mg of caffeine), there are groups who would fall into this category," Dr. Reuter Lange says. "People at risk could include teenagers who binge-consume energy drinks are at are at risk because their bones are still developing; professional athletes who use caffeine for performance enhancement; as well as post-menopausal women who often have low blood calcium levels due to hormonal changes and lack sufficient daily dietary calcium intake. "Increasingly, we are also seeing high levels of caffeine among shiftworkers who need to stay alert over the night-time hours, as well as those in the military who use caffeine to combat sleep deprivation in operational settings. "Caffeine in moderation certainly has its pros. But understanding how excess consumption could increase the risks of a highly preventable disease such as osteoporosis, is important." From here, researchers will explore and predict the impact of different levels of caffeine intake on short- and long-term bone health, with the aim to inform dietary guidelines in Australia.     From heart to diabetes, these are the health benefits of strawberries University of Nevada, July 16, 2021 Dietary berries, such as strawberries, are rich in bioactive compounds and have been shown to lower cardiometabolic risk. We examined the effects of two dietary achievable doses of strawberries on glycemic control and lipid profiles in obese adults with elevated serum LDL cholesterol (LDL-C).  Methods: In this 14-week randomized controlled crossover study, participants were assigned to one of the three arms for four weeks separated by a one-week washout period: control powder, one serving (low dose: 13 g strawberry powder/day), or two-and-a -half servings (high dose: 32 g strawberry powder/day). Participants were instructed to follow their usual diet and lifestyle while refraining from consuming other berries and related products throughout the study interval. Blood samples, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and dietary and physical activity data were collected at baseline and at the end of each four-week phase of intervention.  Results: In total, 33 participants completed all three phases of the trial [(mean ± SD): Age: 53 ± 13 y; BMI: 33 ± 3.0 kg/m2). Findings revealed significant reductions in fasting insulin (p = 0.0002) and homeostatic model of assessment of insulin resistance (p = 0.0003) following the high dose strawberry phase when compared to the low dose strawberry and control phases. Glucose and conventional lipid profiles did not differ among the phases. Nuclear magnetic resonance-determined particle concentrations of total VLDL and chylomicrons, small VLDL, and total and small LDL were significantly decreased after the high dose strawberry phase, compared to control and low dose phases (all p < 0.0001). Among the biomarkers of inflammation and adipokines measured, only serum PAI-1 showed a decrease after the high dose strawberry phase (p = 0.002). Conclusions: These data suggest that consuming strawberries at two-and-a-half servings for four weeks significantly improves insulin resistance, lipid particle profiles, and serum PAI-1 in obese adults with elevated serum LDL-C.     Omega 3 has beneficial effects on reducing relapse rate, inflammatory markers in MS patients Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (Saudi Arabia), July 14, 2021 According to news originating from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, research stated, “Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, resulting in the degradation of the myelin sheath. Diet especially fish oils and omega-3 has been found to play an important role in MS.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, “This work aimed to review the literature systematically for evidence on the effect of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DPA and DHA) on MS progression in adults. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Oxford, Cochrane, Embase, International pharmaceutical abstract, PsychINFO, and clinical trials government. The inclusions were studies performed on humans both male and female, aged 18 years at minimum, diagnosed with MS according to McDonald 2010 criteria. Otherwise, all studies were excluded. A total of 5554 studies were screened and seven were thoroughly focused on as they typically met the inclusion criteria. These studies showed the beneficial roles of fish oil supplementation and omega-3 fatty acids in improving the quality of life of MS patients. These roles were attributed to their beneficial effects on inflammatory markers, glutathione reductase, reducing the relapsing rate, and achieving balanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratios.” According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Omega-3 and fish oils supplementations have beneficial effects on reducing the relapsing rate, inflammatory markers, and improving the quality of life for MS patients.” This research has been peer-reviewed.           Championing chrononutrition with protein, the morning elixir for muscle growth Waseda University (Japan), July 20, 2021 Proteins constitute an essential dietary component that help in the growth and repair of the body. Composed of long chains of amino acids, proteins promote the growth of skeletal muscles, the group of muscles that help us move. Humans have been aware of the benefits of proteins for long. However, recent studies have shown that having the right amount of protein at the right time of the day is essential for proper growth. This is called 'Chrononutrition,' in which when you eat is as important as what and how you eat. The reason behind this is the body's internal biological clock, called the 'circadian rhythm'. This rhythm is followed by all cells and controls life functions like metabolism and growth. Interestingly, protein digestion and absorption have been found to fluctuate across day and night according to this clock. Moreover, earlier studies have reported that intake of protein at breakfast and lunch promotes skeletal muscle growth in adults. However, details on the effect of the time of protein intake on muscle growth and function have remained elusive till date. Fortunately, researchers from Waseda University, led by Professor Shigenobu Shibata, recently endeavored to understand the effect of the distribution of protein intake through the day on muscles. They fed laboratory mice two meals per day containing either high (11.5% by proportion) or low (8.5% by proportion) protein concentrations. The researchers noted that protein intake at breakfast induced an increase in muscle growth, determined by assessing induced hypertrophy of the plantaris muscle in the leg, when compared with the effects of protein intake at dinner. Specifically, the ratio of muscle hypertrophy determined against the growth of the control muscle was 17% higher in mice fed 8.5% protein at breakfast, than that in mice fed 11.5% protein at dinner, despite the former group consuming a low proportion of protein overall. They also found that intake of a type of protein called the BCCA, short for branched-chain amino acids, early in the day increased the size of skeletal muscles specifically. To confirm the association of these effects with the workings of the circadian rhythm, the researchers next engineered whole-body mutant ClockΔ19 or muscle-specific Bmal1 knockout mice lacking the genes that control the biological clock. They repeated diet distribution experiments on these mice but did not observe similar muscle change, which confirmed the involvement of the circadian rhythm in muscle growth in the context of protein intake. Excited about the findings of their study published in a recent issue of the Cell Reports, Prof. Shibata emphasizes, "Protein-rich diet at an early phase of the daily active period, that is at breakfast, is important to maintain skeletal muscle health and enhance muscle volume and grip strength." To check if their findings were applicable to humans, the team recruited women in their study and tested if their muscle function, determined by measuring skeletal muscle index (SMI) and grip strength, varied with the timing of the protein-rich diet consumed. Sixty women aged 65 years and above who took protein at breakfast rather than at dinner showed better muscle functions, suggesting the possibility of the findings to be true across species. Additionally, the researchers also found a strong association between SMI and the proportion of protein intake at breakfast relative to total protein intake through the day. Prof. Shibata is hopeful that the findings of their study will lead to a widespread modification in the current diet regime of most people across the Western and Asian countries, who traditionally consume low amounts of protein at breakfast. He therefore stresses, "For humans, in general, the protein intake at breakfast averages about 15 grams, which is less than what we consume at dinner, which is roughly 28 grams. Our findings strongly support changing this norm and consuming more protein at breakfast or morning snacking time."   Ginseng compound exerts neuroprotective effects Gachon University (South Korea), July 16, 2021 According to news reporting from Gyeonggi Do, South Korea, research stated, “Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of b-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins in the brain.” The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Gachon University: “Cell signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt are known to play an essential role in regulating cell survival, motility, transcription, metabolism, and progression of the cell cycle. Recent studies demonstrated that the disruption of these signaling pathways in neurodegenerative disorders leads to oxidative stress and cell death. Targeting these altered signaling pathways could be considered as the therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative disorders. Ginsenoside Rh1 is known to provide beneficial effects in various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and inflammation. In this study, human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were treated with the b-amyloid oligomers alone or in combination with ginsenoside Rh1. We observed that ginsenoside Rh1 was able to attenuate b-amyloid induced oxidative stress and cell death by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.” According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Based on these findings, we suggest that ginsenoside Rh1 might be an efficacious therapeutic agent for AD.”     Many kinds of happiness promote better health, study finds Weill Cornell University of Medicine, July 21, 2021  A new study links the capacity to feel a variety of upbeat emotions to better health. The research suggests people who experience a range of positive emotions in their daily lives – from enthusiasm to cheerfulness and calm – have lower levels of inflammation, compared to those who experience a narrower range of emotions. Lower levels of inflammation are linked to a lower risk of premature death and chronic diseases like diabetes. The researchers drew on analytic approaches used to measure the biodiversity of ecosystems. Their study was published June 22 in the journal Emotion. "There are many kinds of happiness, and experiencing a diversity of emotional states might reduce a person's vulnerability to psychopathology by preventing any one emotion from dominating their emotional life," said lead author Anthony Ong, professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology and professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Little is known about the biological processes through which emotional experiences influence health outcomes. This study sought to fill a bit of that gap. Specifically, the study sheds light on one potential biological pathway – systemic inflammation – through which diversity in everyday positive emotional experiences might "get under the skin" to influence long-term health. Ong and his colleagues analyzed the connection between "emodiversity" – the breadth and abundance of different emotions people experience – and markers of inflammation in the body. A person with low emodiversity feels about the same through most of the day, with emotions concentrated in just a few categories. In contrast, a person with high emodiversity feels a range of emotions throughout the day, distributed evenly across the spectrum of feelings. The researchers analyzed data from 175 people ages 40 to 65 who reported on their negative and positive emotions for 30 days. Each evening, they rated the extent to which they had experienced 16 positive emotions that day, from interested and determined to happy, excited, amused, inspired, alert, active and strong. They were also asked to rate their experience of 16 negative emotions, including scared, afraid, upset, distressed, jittery, nervous and ashamed. Their blood was drawn six months later and was tested for three inflammation markers that circulate in the blood. Their range of negative emotions – regardless of whether it was narrow or wide – had no effect on inflammation. But people in the study who reported a wide range of positive emotions had lower levels of inflammation than those who said they felt a narrower range. "Emotions serve functional roles for individuals, helping them prioritize and regulate behavior in ways that optimize adjustment to situational demands," Ong said. "Our findings suggest that depletion or overabundance of positive emotions, in particular, has consequences for the functioning and health of one's emotional ecosystem." Growing evidence from other research has linked emotional processes with systemic inflammation, which has been shown to contribute to poor health, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid disease and osteoporosis, and leads to a number of processes that play a major role in premature death. How can these findings help one achieve better health? Label your good feelings as you experience them, Ong said. "The simple daily practice of labeling and categorizing good feelings in specific terms may help us experience more differentiated emotions in different contexts," Ong said.

Some are calling it Freedom Day. Others are much more circumspect. The lifting of Covid restrictions on 19th July in England is, to a certain extent, an experiment. The UK has one of the best vaccination rates in the world and far fewer people are now dying from coronavirus. But it also has one of the fastest rising infection rates. The development of the vaccines so quickly was, undoubtedly, an extraordinary scientific feat. It did also lead some scientists to predict that we would be through this pandemic by now. So why hasn't that happened? And what do we know about the risks involved in lifting restrictions now? Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London Tom Chivers, Science journalist and author Linda Bauld, Professor of public health at Edinburgh University Thomas Hale, Associate Professor in Public Policy, University of OxfordProducers: John Murphy, Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

Countries around the world are scrambling to get their populations inoculated against the Covid-19 virus. But many less economically developed countries are still struggling with their rollouts, and are reliant on the Covax facility, run by the World Health Organisation. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of Hong Kong for an update on the collective effort to vaccinate the world. Image Credit: Naeblys | Shutterstock.com

There is no data to suggest England's end to lockdown on 21 June might be delayed, the business secretary has said - but he cannot give a guarantee. A final decision about the 21 June date will be reached by 14 June. Kwasi Kwarteng's comments came as the variant first identified in India is now believed to be responsible for up to three-quarters of new Covid cases in the UK. Mishal Husain spoke to the secretary of state and heard from Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician who specialises in health data, director of the clinical operational research Unit at University College London and a member of the Independent SAGE group of scientists; Dr Helen Wall, part of the Covid vaccine programme in Bolton and Andrew Hayward, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at University College London and a member of NERVTAG. (Image: A sign reading We're Open; credit: Reuters)

While the US is relaxing its measures for vaccinated persons, countries like India and Brazil are still in the midst of a shocking surge in Covid-19 infections. In addition, concerns have risen over a "black fungus" affecting recovered Covid-19 patients in India. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of Hong Kong about this new complication, and whether India's variant is truly a cause for concern. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

“Today we still have a significant number of people who are suffering ill health in later life, and often suffering it because we're diagnosing conditions led to them. We're getting to people and treating them when they end up with things like stage three or four cancer or dementias; we only pick them up at the point when they start to be clinically visible. And it's really difficult to start to treat those individuals at that point.”  In this week's episode of The G Word, Chris Wigley is joined by Andy Roddam, renowned epidemiologist and Chief Executive Officer at Our Future Health. Having earned his doctorate degree in Statistics from The University of Oxford and completed a post-doctorate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Andy has held several roles across both academia and industry, principally focusing on the application of epidemiological methods to advance the understanding of human disease.   Today, Chris and Andy discuss health data and how best to collect it, interventional research, personalised treatment and the importance of predictive prevention.  

On this week's Statewide Conversation with Minnesota’s state officials on COVID-19, Heidi Holtan welcomed MDH Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division – Kris Ehresmann. Every week this is an opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This week, questions on the Gov. Walz dial back of restrictions, vaccinations for kids and more! Sign up for the v accine connector through the state of Minnsota. If you didn’t get a chance to send or call in your question this week email covid@ampers.org or call 612-562-9895. This conversation is a collaboration of Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an increased level of cooperation and coordination at EU-level. In her address to the IIEA, Dr Andrea Ammon outlines the role of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as an EU agency, in responding to the pandemic. Dr Ammon also discusses the developments in surveillance, preparedness, and international cooperation, in the context of an enhanced role for the ECDC. About the Speaker: Dr Andrea Ammon, MD, MPH, was appointed Director of the ECDC in June 2017. In addition, Dr Ammon previously served as Deputy to the Director and Head of Unit for Resource Management and Coordination. She served as Acting Director of the ECDC from May 2015. Prior to joining the ECDC, Dr Ammon was Head of Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin, where she maintained and further developed the German national surveillance system; coordinated the national outbreak response team for current and emerging infections; and provided scientific advice for government, members of parliament and the public.

On this week's Statewide Conversation with Minnesota’s state officials on COVID-19, Maggie Montgomery welcomed MDH Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division – Kris Ehresmann. Every week this is an opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This week, update on vaccine distribution, comments on gathering for Easter and more! Sign up for the v accine connector through the state of Minnsota. If you didn’t get a chance to send or call in your question this week email covid@ampers.org or call 612-562-9895. This conversation is a collaboration of Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association.

Several European countries like Germany and Italy have temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines over concerns that dozens of recipients of the shot have developed blood clots. So how concerning is this in the big picture? And how might it impact the public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines? For some insight, we speak with Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong. Image Credit: rafapress / Shutterstock.com

In this episode, Patrick is speaking with Bettina Schneider about overcoming the pandemic. They discuss: •The current state of the pandemic. •The safety and effectiveness of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. •The new SARS-CoV-2 variants, their increased infectivity, and what that means when it comes to controlling the pandemic. •Misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and how to encourage the public to get the new vaccine. •The Astrazeneca vaccine debacle. •How public health precautions still need to be adhered to even after you receive the vaccine. •The protective differences between mask types and why it's so important that the public mask up. •And other topics. Bettina Schneider, MPH, is a PHI/CDC Global Health Epidemiology Fellow working with CDC South Africa within the Prevention Branch of the Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis (DGHT). She holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the New York University School of Global Public Health where she graduated spring of this year. Prior international experience includes academic collaboration in Beirut, Lebanon with UNICEF and American University of Beirut to increase measles immunization coverage and cholera prevention efforts in Syrian UNIDP refugee camps during spring of 2019. During January of 2020, she collaborated with NYU Shanghai in Shanghai, China researching the affects of climate change on communicable respiratory illness. Bettina is familiar with working in the public sector of public health. She has previously worked for the Minnesota Department of Health in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control (IDEPC) Division with a primary focus on zoonotic surveillance. More recently, she has worked for New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Bureau of Communicable Disease with the surveillance of critical threat antimicrobial-resistance, where she conducted a city-wide surveillance evaluation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections. You can connect with Bettina on her social media here: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJ9GNhmQ/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Be_Sc_Ience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-schneider/ You can find this episode on our YouTube channel as well: https://bit.ly/3umFtZW This show is supported and produced by Final Stretch Media. Final Stretch believes in creating something that disrupts attention spans and challenges the marketing status quo. They do this by creating high quality visual content that captivates your audience. You can find them on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fsmedia2020 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finalstretch_media/ This show is also supported by QuikLee; the creators of Brain Racers. The world's first ever live racing competition for the brain. Download their app and play live on the weekends on an iOS device against the world. We have raced and it's a blast! App Download: https://apple.co/33n8aJs Our last sponsor creates survival technology as well as camping and other outdoor gear. Outer Wild's ultimate goal is to provide clean technologies for everyday devices as they are driven to create a more sustainable world. Use the code IS on your next purchase and receive an additional 10% off! Website: https://www.outer-wild.com/

This is the STATEWIDE conversation with Minnesota’s state officials on COVID-19 brought to you by the AMPERS network of radio stations. Hosted weekly by Heidi Holtan. This week Heidi spoke with the MDH Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division – Kris Ehresmann. Every week this is your opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Topics this week include: vaccination progress in Minnesota, variant strains of the virus and planning events in 2021. We also heard more about the Governor's Adjustments to COVID-19 mitigation measures. This is good for the economy, and a good sign in general. As she reminded us though - we should still be following masking and social distancing. Here are the changes: Executive Order 21-07, effective Saturday, February 13 at noon, takes steps to further reopen Minnesota’s economy safely, including: Increasing the “not to exceed” capacity in restaurants to 250, while

In this podcast Professor Dame Anne Johnson, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at University College London discusses the work of the Academy of Medical Sciences, tackling the coronavirus pandemic, and scientists working with policymakers.

A pool of COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be added to the state’s vaccination portal Tuesday at noon. The web and telephone queues opened up last week to a widening pool of candidates. Minnesotans ages 65 and over, child care providers and teachers are now eligible to get vaccinated alongside frontline health care workers and people who live or work at long-term care facilities. Even though eligibility is growing, the number of doses available remains limited. Minnesota's expanded COVID vaccination rollout Here's what you need to know First day of pilot program Thousands of vaccine slots for older Minnesotans fill quickly, demand swamps phone lines, website The slow rollout is a source of contention among Minnesota lawmakers, but state officials point to bottlenecks within the federal government which doles out vaccines to each state. Right now, Minnesota’s share is about 60,000 doses per week. Minnesota's top public health officials spoke with MPR News host Kerri Miller about the state’s initial vaccine rollout and when Minnesotans can expect vaccination rates to ramp up. Guests: Jan Malcolm is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Kris Ehresmann is the director of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division. Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS

Today we have a discussion of the challenges in delivering the COVID-19 in the United States with Jaime Anne Earnest Senior Researcher for Assessment, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the US Department of Defense's Center for Global Health Engagement.Dr. Jaime Anne Earnest is the Senior Researcher for Assessment, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the US Department of Defense's Center for Global Health Engagement, and is an Assistant Professor in Preventative Medicine and Biostatistics at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She has served as a Branch Chief in the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Mental Health, a program evaluation translational scientist and strategist at Headquarters, Department of the Army at the Pentagon, an evaluation methodologist at Army Public Health Center, and a senior health administration fellow at the National Vaccine Program Office, Office of the Secretary of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. There, she supported multiple National Vaccine Advisory Committees and coordinated the National Vaccine Advisory Committee's Vaccine Confidence Working Group. She received her PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Public Health Policy from the University of Glasgow as a Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Scholar, and her Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from Drexel University. She is a Medical Reserve Corps field epidemiologist volunteer who conducts contact tracing, testing, and vaccination clinics in her spare time.

We're back! In our first episode of 2021, we're joined by our frequent guest Prof. Sarah Koster to discuss the outbreak of COVID-19 in California, virus mutations, whether vitamin D is a virus preventor, food scarcity and housing insecurity. Prof. Sarah Koster is a Family Nurse Practitioner and also has Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle. Sarah worked in research and program evaluation for about 7 years with the Infectious Disease Division at the University of New Mexico Medical School and completed a fellowship in Infectious Disease Epidemiology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham while living in Southern Africa. Read more// ICU capacity in California (http://bit.ly/38hCmJS) The Atlantic: The Mutated Virus Is a Ticking Time Bomb (http://bit.ly/3bcICUU) Check us out our new media publication on Medium (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). We'll be sharing episodes, blogs and articles on it. So please follow us on Medium! Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed **Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac. Special thanks to Josie Sock (@JosieSock) and Jeff Ordower (@moredower) for contributing to this episode.

A controversial field of research is "gain-of-function," in which scientists take a virus (like a strain of flu) and attempt to make it more dangerous, for example by making it transmissible in mammals when it had previously been solely an avian flu. The motivation is to learn how viruses might mutate in nature so that we can be prepared -- but what if those engineered "superbugs" escape the lab and start a pandemic? In this episode of Rationally Speaking, Harvard professor of epidemiology Marc Lipsitch argues that the risks outweigh the benefits, and that we should halt gain-of-function research as soon as possible. Marc Lipsitch is Professor of Epidemiology with primary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. He directs the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, a center of excellence funded by the MIDAS program of NIH/NIGMS. He is also the Associate Director of the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Sped up the speakers by ['1.0', '1.1']

KAXE/KBXE's Heidi Holtan hosts a weekly statewide conversation with Minnesota State Officials. It's your opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the Minnesota Department of Health Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division, Kris Ehresmann answered questions regarding disinformation, current state guidelines, vaccine distribution and more. For more information on the states response to COVID-19 visit the Minnesota State's Website. If you’d like to ask the Lieutenant Governor or other state officials a question email covid@ampers.org or call 612-562-9895.

With the announcement of a Covid-19 vaccine now in emergency use in several countries, and just approved in the US, many believe that this is the beginning of the end for the pandemic. But the rollout of these vaccines may not be so simple. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about vaccine regulations, storage, and how much it will take to achieve herd immunity. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

With the announcement of a Covid-19 vaccine now in emergency use in several countries, and just approved in the US, many believe that this is the beginning of the end for the pandemic. But the rollout of these vaccines may not be so simple. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about vaccine regulations, storage, and how much it will take to achieve herd immunity. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

We're rejoined by our friend and comrade Prof. Sarah Koster of Samuel Merritt University to discuss the latest surge of COVID-19 cases. The U.S. is being hit hard by the latest surge of COVID cases. Last week, the country surpassed 250,000 deaths with over 2,000 deaths daily. The state of North Dakota has the worst COVID infection rate on the planet. NYC is closing it's schools once again. California is putting an "emergency brake" on it's re-opening. El Paso County, TX is having another massive outbreak and has brought in ten mobile morgues to hold bodies and is paying prisoners $2 a day to move bodies. Meanwhile, Trump plays golf and the federal government does very little in the way of relief from the pandemic or the economic crisis it's causing. We discuss the politics of the pandemic, the vaccines being flouted by pharmaceuticals Pfizer and Moderna and the failures of the U.S. healthcare system. We also discuss the need to avoid large gatherings and alternative ways to enjoy Thanksgiving. And much more. Plus we throw in our usual witty banter. Sarah is a Family Nurse Practitioner and also has Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle. Sarah worked in research and program evaluation for about 7 years with the Infectious Disease Division at the University of New Mexico Medical School and completed a fellowship in Infectious Disease Epidemiology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham while living in Southern Africa. She teaches Community Health at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA and is committed to involving students in conversations about the importance of structural determinants of health including how capitalism and various existing political systems, in the US and globally, continue to negatively affect health outcomes. Read more// Alexandra Mangili and Mark A Gendreau:Transmission of infectious diseases during commercial air travel (https://bit.ly/2UR6dB5) New Yorker: Biden's Covid-19 Mission (https://bit.ly/37382Rm) Guardian: Donald Trump appears to admit Covid is 'running wild' in the US (https://bit.ly/2HtoVvL) CNN: Trump's attempt to steal the election unravels as coronavirus cases surge (https://cnn.it/39a8jVm) Also, follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). "Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing extraordinaire by Isaac.

Podcast Guest: Dr. Nicholas Lehnertz, Medical Specialist 2, Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control, Minnesota Department of Health Podcast Host: Mark Jones, Director, Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA) View details of the entire podcast series at https://minnesotaruralhealthconference.org/podcasts! Dr. Lehnertz discusses the impact of COVID-19 in Minnesota, specifically in rural areas. Hear the most up-to-date data concerning cases, deaths, testing, race-related disparities, and new findings. Learn best practices for staying safe this winter and through the holidays as well as advice to prepare rural hospitals for the next 6-12 months. This series was developed by the Minnesota Rural Health Conference hosts – the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), the National Rural Health Resource Center, and the Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA).

Active cases of COVID-19 passed the 40,000 mark in Minnesota on Friday. On Thursday, the state recorded 7,228 cases in a single day. That number is staggering on its own, but it’s especially concerning given that two weeks earlier the daily case number had never passed 3,000. Cases are rising in nearly every part of the state, and health experts are concerned that pattern will continue as social gatherings, even small ones, continue to happen. MPR News host Kerri Miller checked in with Jan Malcolm and Kris Ehresmann from the Minnesota Department of Health about how the state is handling the recent surge in cases and how the state is preparing for the upcoming holiday season.   Guests: Jan Malcolm is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Kris Ehresmann is the director of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.

In this episode, Patrick is talking with Bettina Schneider about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss: •Her recent viral TikTok video where she briefly discusses how she first knew that COVID-19 was very serious. •How Bettina was working in China at the time when COVID-19 first started to be taken seriously as a novel pathogen that had pandemic potential. •The stark differences between how the Government handled the Ebola outbreak versus COVID-19. •How the scientific community still doesn't know what the long-term effects are for those afflicted by the disease. •How the severity of the disease was not taken seriously enough initially by the U.S. Government as well as by many of its citizens. •Bettina's experience as she lived through the worst part of New York City's COVID-19 health crisis. •How this is going to be a tough winter for the United States and that it's incredibly important everyone wear a mask, practice social distancing, and monitor their health closely. •And other topics. Bettina Schneider, MPH, is a PHI/CDC Global Health Epidemiology Fellow working with CDC South Africa within the Prevention Branch of the Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis (DGHT). Bettina holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the New York University School of Global Public Health where she graduated spring of this year. Prior international experience includes academic collaboration in Beirut, Lebanon with UNICEF and American University of Beirut to increase measles immunization coverage and cholera prevention efforts in Syrian UNIDP refugee camps during spring of 2019. During January of 2020, she collaborated with NYU Shanghai in Shanghai, China researching the affects of climate change on communicable respiratory illness. Bettina is familiar with working in the public sector of public health. She has previously worked for the Minnesota Department of Health in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control (IDEPC) Division with a primary focus on zoonotic surveillance. More recently, she has worked for New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Bureau of Communicable Disease with the surveillance of critical threat antimicrobial-resistance, where she conducted a city-wide surveillance evaluation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections. You can connect with Bettina on her social media here: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJ9GNhmQ/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Be_Sc_Ience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-schneider/ This channel is supported and produced by Final Stretch Media. Final Stretch believes in creating something that disrupts attention spans and challenges the marketing status quo. They do this by creating high quality visual content that captivates your audience. You can find them on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fsmedia2020 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finalstretch_media/ This show is also supported by QuikLee; the creators of Brain Racers. The world's first ever live racing competition for the brain. Download their app and play live on the weekends on an iOS device against the world. I have raced and it's a blast! App Download: https://apple.co/33n8aJs

KAXE/KBXE's Heidi Holtan hosts a weekly statewide conversation with Minnesota State Officials. It's your opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the Minnesota Department of Health Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division, Kris Ehresmann answered questions regarding a vaccine, rising COVID cases in the state and more! For more information on the states response to COVID-19 visit the Minnesota State's Website. If you’d like to ask the Lieutenant Governor or other state officials a question email covid@ampers.org or call 612-562-9895.

As the U.K. introduces more restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19, why are there such marked regional differences in the infection rate?Contributors: Greg Fell, Director of Public Health, Sheffield City CouncilWendy Burke, Director of Public Health, North Tyneside CouncilDr Susanna Currie, Clinical Director for Cumbria Sexual Health Services at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Dame Anne Johnson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at University College LondonDr Michael Tildesley, University of WarwickProducers: Rosamund Jones, Bob Howard and Kirsteen Knight. Editor: Jasper Corbett

Karol Sikora, an oncologist for 50 years and former Director of the World Health Organisation's cancer programme and Katharina Hauck, a Reader in Health Economics at the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Imperial College London both join Lauren, Deborah and Steve to look at where we are now in terms of cancer treatment and the Covid-19 pandemic. Don't forget, you can get in touch by using the #YouMeBigC across all forms of social media - spread the word and share the positive support.

Over 200,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. That number is expected to double in the next few months. The Trump Administration continues to put out misinformation about vaccines and tests the idea of "herd mentality" (we think he meant "herd immunity") as the only real solution. In this episode, we dive into these issues and more with returning guest Prof. Sarah Koster (@NotSoNormalNaCl) from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA. We also talk reproductive health politics around Trump's supreme court nominee and the forced hysterectomies being carried out in ICE detention centers. Sarah is a Family Nurse Practitioner and also has Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle. Sarah worked in research and program evaluation for about 7 years with the Infectious Disease Division at the University of New Mexico Medical School and completed a fellowship in Infectious Disease Epidemiology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham while living in Southern Africa. She teaches Community Health at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA and is committed to involving students in conversations about the importance of structural determinants of health including how capitalism and various existing political systems, in the US and globally, continue to negatively affect health outcomes. Read more: Excess Mortality Data Shows Trump Is Lying About Covid-19 Being More Deadly in Europe (https://bit.ly/2SdGJg1) Hospital where activists say ICE detainees were subjected to hysterectomies says just two were performed there (https://wapo.st/3n2j0O6) Trump says overturning Roe v Wade 'possible' with Barrett on supreme court (https://bit.ly/3ng9mYq) Also, follow us on any of these social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast/ Donate to Green and Red Podcast! Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Scott (@sparki1969) and Bob (@bobbuzzanco). "Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac.

The government has been accused of creating confusion with its announcement of tighter coronavirus restrictions in north-east England. From tonight, people who break a new law banning households from mixing indoors, including in pubs, will be fined. The Labour leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, told Nick Robinson he supported the measures but said: "It was announced in the House of Commons and we were not told beforehand that announcement was going to be made.” He went on to say: “We had had discussions last week that led us to believe this was going to happen, we just weren't pre-warned that it was actually going to happen. I got inundated with telephone calls last night from people asking us can we do this, can we...and actually I didn't have the precise wording of the regulations in front of us. So it is a bit chaotic." With Andrew Hayward, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Inclusion Health Research at University College London and an adviser to the government's Sage committee. Credit: Reuters

Claudia Hammond and experts from around the world consider the evidence behind schools, colleges and coronavirus spread. Listeners from India, Cuba, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, France, the USA pitch their questions to the specialists. Research so far shows a low risk of transmission but as children and young people return to classrooms across the globe, will that remain the case? And Claudia and the team look at that vital role of “test, trace and isolate” when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, something the World Health Organisation describes as the backbone of any Covid-19 response. Which countries are getting this right and what can others learn from the best? New research comparing six countries from Europe, Africa and Asia highlights the successes and the failures. Plus Kat, a nurse from Kansas City, Missouri gives a first hand account of pandemic response in the USA and then, when she moved to Germany in the summer, from Stuttgart. On the panel are Dr Regina Osih, an infectious disease and public health specialist from the Aurum Institute in South Africa who’s working on the country’s Covid response, Dr Young June Choe, paediatrician and assistant professor at Hallym University in South Korea, Gail Davey, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England, David Heymann, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine from France and Dr Margaret Harris from the WHO in Geneva. The Evidence is produced in association with Wellcome Collection. Production team: Fiona Hill, Samara Linton and Maria Simons Studio engineers: Matilda Macari and Tim Heffer Editor: Deborah Cohen

After a few days of a testing slowdown in Minnesota since Labor Day, data released Friday nearly reached 20,000 tests. In addition, there was only moderate new case growth, with 484 infections reported. On Monday, MPR News Host Kerri Miller talked with Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and the state’s infectious disease director, Kris Ehresmann, about COVID-19 testing, the spread of infection in the state and the return of children and adults to school this fall. Guests: Jan Malcolm is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Kris Ehresmann is the director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division at the Minnesota Department of Health.

As the toll from the COVID-19 pandemic increased, polling suggests counterintuitively that resistance to a future vaccine has also risen. Anthropologist Heidi J. Larson identified several likely drivers of this, including political polarization, a focus on being ‘natural,’ the undercurrent of mistrusting the so-called elite. But in this Social Science Bites podcast, she tells interviewer Dave Edmonds that there’s another driver. Scientists themselves. Families who have some expertise in running their own affairs can come to resent “the elitism of science, the language of science, the ‘we know better’” which dismisses their experiences and more importantly, their questions. “A lot of parents feel very strongly feel that they have their own evidence of vaccine problems,” she notes, and the medical establishment has often not invested a lot into bringing the public along – even as the number of vaccines and the expectation of being vaccinated grows. “[The public is] saying, wait a minute – we want to have say in this, we want to be able to ask some questions … [W]hen they feel like the door in closed on the questions, that shuts down the conversation. I think in order to become unstuck, we need to have more dialog and be open.” Stuck is the name of Larson’s new book. Besides the obvious pun in the title, Larson explains Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start -- and Why They Don't Go Away also refers to being “stuck in the conversation, why the public health community has been losing some of the public enthusiasm for vaccines.” These are questions and concerns Larson routinely addresses in her role as director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, a World Health Organization (WHO) Centre of Excellence that addresses vaccine hesitancy, and as a professor of anthropology, risk and decision science at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. The first organized opposition to compulsory vaccination arose in the United Kingdom in the late 1800s, she explains, as a reaction to mandatory smallpox vaccinations. “To this day that is one of the persistent themes that has fueled some of this resistance.” Nonetheless, as vaccinations remain one of the most remarkable health interventions available, the resistance that might be expected to erode in the face of a global health emergency hasn’t faded. “Strangely, in the context of the pandemic, the already amplified skepticism has taken another level of resistance, which is surprising to many of us. You’d think with such a serious disease and a pandemic it would be a time where people would say, ‘Wow, this is really an example of why we really need a vaccine.’” And the resistance, whether to a coronavirus vaccine or to vaccine in general, can be seen globally. In fact, Larson is seeing resistance groups linking up across borders – and an a most inopportune time.  “I see the whole increase in the anti- and skepticism as being kind of a tipping point … We’ve always had all these other issues that have been challenging in getting enough people vaccinated, both from the supply of the vaccine and the access, logistics and all the rest. But this additional factor – we’ve stagnated in our global vaccination coverage and just can’t seem to get above a certain amount.” And those coverage levels in some cases fall below the thresholds needed for “herd immunity,” which in turn means we can expect more cases, whether or COVID, measles or even polio. Social media has helped skeptics get their messages disseminated, and Larson notes that the Wakefield autism scare arose the same year as the start of Google. “The sentiments are not new,” she says, “but the scale and intensity of them is.” In addition to her position in London, Larson is also a clinical professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington and a guest professor at the University of Antwerp. She previously headed global immunization communication at UNICEF, chaired the Advocacy Task Force for the Gates Foundation-sponsored Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and served on the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts Working Group on vaccine hesitancy.

Hong Kong is pursuing voluntary mass testing for all its residents. This initiative has been met with objections from NGOs and activists while some questions over the privacy of data collected. Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at University of Hong Kong tell us the rationale for this and would this unfortunately lead to a false sense of security. Image credit: Yung Chi Wai Derek / Shutterstock.com

Dr. Samuel Friedman is a Research Professor and faculty member at the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is also the Senior Theoretician and Associate Director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Theory Core at the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR). In this bonus episode, Sam and Valerie discuss their role in activism as it relates to academia. Sam also talks about his role in drug user activism in the 1990s, specifically a demonstration at the Department of Health and Human Services which involves a 12 foot tall replica of a human backbone. Read more about Dr. Friedman's work here: https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/samuel-r-friedmanAnd here: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2012/july/nyucn-center-for-drug-use-and-hiv-researchs-drsamuel-friedman-awarded-a-nida-2012-avant-garde-award.html

With Hong Kong deep in the throes of a second wave, authorities are juggling the possibility of another lockdown even as joblessness hits a 15-year high. Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University of Hong Kong, discusses. Source: Reuters

Minnesota recently surpassed a new milestone: More than 40,000 people in the state have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. While deaths and hospitalizations are holding steady, the number of confirmed cases and rate of positive tests have increased. These developments come as communities around the state — like Winona, Rochester, Mankato and the Twin Cities — have set mask mandates and the Walz administration weighs a requirement on the statewide level. MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with Commissioner Jan Malcolm and Kris Ehresmann of the Minnesota Department of Health at 9 a.m. Monday to answer listener questions. Here are a few of the questions they addressed during the hour. What is behind the recent increase in infections? The first large spike in cases for Minnesota was in the middle of April and continued through May before declining significantly, Malcolm began, but since the third week of June we have seen increases again.  “We were actually expecting to see an increase” following the relaxation of the stay-at-home order and opening of businesses around the state, she said. However, it’s still concerning, in large part because the increases have been traced to people, especially younger populations, not following social distancing guidelines. COVID-19 tends to have a greater health impact on those 50 years old and older, so younger populations may feel they are not in danger, Malcolm said, but the virus can be deadly even for people with no prior health issues. “It’s rare but it can happen,” she said. People who do not experience a severe case can still spread it to others in their family and communities. Those not taking guidelines seriously may not realize how easily the virus is transmitted, Malcolm said, and it is essential that they understand the risks to themselves and others. How effective would a mask mandate be? It has been disappointing to see people treating the use of masks as a strictly personal choice, Ehresmann said. Wearing a mask is primarily about protecting those around you. The comparison to the flu is also fraught with misconceptions. COVID-19 is significantly easier to spread than the flu, nobody has had it before and is different from the flu in many other ways, Malcolm said. “There should be nothing political about this. This is a very serious public health threat where our behaviors are clearly affecting others,” Malcolm said, comparing the decision to wear a mask to the decision to smoke around others or drink and drive. Malcolm supports a statewide mandate and has made that recommendation to Gov. Tim Walz. To inform their suggestions, the state Health Department has been compiling data on how mandates have been working in other states. If I am infected, how soon am I contagious? When will I see symptoms? Recent data suggests that you are first contagious about two days before you start experiencing symptoms and you continue to be contagious while experiencing those symptoms, Ehresmann said. About 10 days after you start to feel symptoms, the likelihood that you will infect others drops off significantly. In general, symptoms will start to appear five to seven days after you were exposed to COVID-19. Messaging on how to stay safe has changed a lot since the beginning of the pandemic, how do we make decisions when we can’t see the impacts? When it comes to guidance like wearing masks and not gathering in large groups, “vigilance is what we’re looking for, not social shaming, but awareness,” Malcolm said. At the beginning of the pandemic it wasn’t yet clear what kind of masks were going to be effective against spreading COVID-19, which prompted health officials to discourage using them in order to save that equipment for health care workers. Now that we know more about the ease at which the virus is transmitted it’s clear that even a homemade cloth mask is helpful, Malcolm said. The science and research are building, and things will change. Usually there is a body of literature with which to work with to at least give some idea of how the virus will progress, Ehresmann added. That is not the case with COVID-19. Masks are still only suggested when people are indoors or in a situation where they cannot social distance. How bad is this year’s flu season going to be? “That’s certainly a scenario we are planning for and concerned about,” Malcolm said. The Health Department doesn’t know much yet about what the season will be like, which makes it even more important that everyone gets their flu vaccine. There is evidence that you can have both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time. “Oftentimes flu season deaths are due to opportunistic infections,” Ehresmann said. If you have influenza there’s a chance COVID-19 could be that infection. Flu season will also be part of the consideration when figuring out how to make sure health care system is not overwhelmed later this year. What is behind the long wait times for testing, especially for health care workers? There is a testing command center that has been set up to advise the state, Ehresmann explained. There are several groups that have been prioritized for testing – including health care workers who have been exposed to the virus — but those priorities have not been adopted at the same rate within all hospitals. Individual health care systems have their own limited capacity and they are setting priorities, Malcolm said, and while the Health Department has tried to organize in such a way that health care workers don’t hit up against those limitations, the work is ongoing. What does the research say about long-term health implications? The challenge is we’re only seven months out from initial cases so it’s difficult to talk about long-term impacts just yet, Ehresmann said. However, we do know that even as people are recovering many do have prolonged symptoms. There’s also evidence that even asymptomatic and mild infections cases can result in issues down the road. “Every time we turn around there’s a new piece of information and it’s not usually positive,” Ehresmann said. What precautions should you take when pregnant? Data suggests pregnant people are at a greater risk, Ehresmann said. So, you’d want to be particularly cautious about where you’re going in public — limit interactions, make sure you’re socially distancing and asking loved ones to wear masks. “Limit exposure as much as you can,” she said. What does the data suggest when it comes to reopening schools? “There are so many issues to balance in all of these decisions,” Malcolm said. Everyone is aware of the many benefits of getting kids back to school, but it needs to be balanced with safety. The Health Department is looking at examples in other countries and states, but the decision will ultimately be informed by how easy it is for children to contract and transmit the disease. That risk appears to be small, “not nonexistent, but small,” Malcolm said. The safety of teachers will also be key. The suggestion is still for school districts to plan for three different scenarios because it’s possible that circumstances could change throughout the year. Guests: Jan Malcolm is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Kris Ehresmann is the director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Ron & Natalie discuss the current status of the Coronavirus pandemic, what we can expect in the next few weeks, and the steps we need to take to get out of the crisis.

Prof Andrew Boulle of the University of Cape Town Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, talks to Lester Kiewit about new research showing the Western Cape's Covid-19 mortality rate is among the most alarming in the world.

In the 15th episode of our series on science, policy, and pandemics, we are exploring the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic in India. Throughout this episode, our host Dr Rob Doubleday and expert guests will take a deep-dive into the economic, food security, and health systems impacts of covid-19 in India CSaP's Science and Policy Podcast is a production of the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge. This series on science, policy and pandemics is produced in partnership with Cambridge Infectious Diseasesand the Cambridge Immunology Network. This episode has also been produced in partnership with TIGR2ESS. Our guests this week: Professor Bhaskar Vira is an expert on the political economy of environment and development. He is presently a Professor of Political Economy and Head of the University of Cambridge's Department of Geography. Dr Finn McQuaid is an Assistant Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He specialises in modelling infectious diseases and is presently working on drug-resistant tuberculosis and treatment adherence. Professor Jishnu Das is an economist specialising in health and education in low- and middle-income contexts. He is a is a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is also presently a Visiting Senior Fellow at India's Centre for Policy Research. Dr Meenakshi Gautham is a Research Fellow Health Systems and Health Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her work focuses on pluralistic health systems and health policies for developing antimicrobial stewardship in agricultural community settings. Professor Nitya Rao is a Professor at the University of East Anglia, where her work focuses on gender equality, resource rights, social equity, and rural development. She is a member of the Global Advisory Committee of the UN Girls' Education Initiative and the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition. Professor Sonalde Desai is a demographer whose work deals primarily with social inequalities in developing countries. She is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland and Director of the National Data Innovation Centre at New Dehli's National Council of Applied Economic Research. Dr Sukriti Chauhan is a global health advocate and policy professional. She holds a PhD in Law and Health from Jawaharlal University. She has experience in public health and human rights with a focus on gender issues, and has worked with organisations including PATH India, the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, and Global Health Strategies. -- CSaP: The Science & Policy Podcast is hosted by CSaP Executive Director Dr Rob Doubleday, and is edited and produced by CSaP Communications Coordinator Kate McNeil. If you have feedback about this episode, or questions you would like us to address in a future week, please email enquiries@csap.cam.ac.uk.

The former Conservative leadership contender, Rory Stewart, started calling for a lockdown in late February. He told Justin Webb ministers could have done things differently by looking at how other countries, particularly China and South Korea, had suppressed the virus. It follows claims from the former Government advisor Professor Neil Ferguson that the death toll from COVID-19 could have been halved if the lockdown had begun one week earlier. Justin also heard from our Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg and from Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. The R4Today podcast. Credit: Press Association

What is the evidence for wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic? Can it significantly slow the spread, or no? Who should wear a face mask and when should a face mask be worn? What's the most effective face mask? Should we keep them handy for a second (or third) viral wave? These questions and more are answered in this podcast. In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Erin Stair has a conversation with Dr. Benjamin Cowling, who recently published a study on the effectiveness of face masks in Nature Medicine. But more than that, he's been researching the pandemic since its initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, and authored several of the first papers, like this one in the New England Journal of Medicine, on the characteristics of the virus as well as its transmission dynamics. Dr. Benjamin Cowling is the Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University. He earned his PhD in medical statistics at the University of Warwick and did his postdoc fellowship at the Imperial College in London. In addition to leading the Epidemiology department, he is a co-director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control.His primary area of research is infectious disease epidemiology, including modes of respiratory virus transmission, influenza vaccination effectiveness and immunity to infections on the individual and population level. He works closely with China CDC and the NIGMS-funded Harvard Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. Dr. Cowling's has over 426 publications, is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, and an Associate Editor of Emerging Infectious Diseases. To contact Erin: erin@bloomingwellness.com, or follow her on Instagram here. Read her new short parody on the business of wellness here, or listen to the audio version here. Consider subscribing & sharing! Thank you!

The World Health Organization has come out to say that contact-tracing applications cannot replace old-fashioned interviews and surveillance, in getting ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic. With governments, including Malaysia's, beginning to encourage the public to use these apps to supplement virus mitigation efforts, we speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about how effective these apps are in helping to combat Covid-19.

The World Health Organisation has released guidelines for countries looking to end extended lockdowns and ease restrictions. But as the conversation turns to a post-coronavirus world, the question still remains of whether we're ready to return to business as usual. For more on this, we speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about current country responses to the virus.

Listen as host Danny Scalise discusses the COVID-19 pandemic with West Virginia Bureau for Public Health Commissioner and State Health Officer Dr. Cathy Slemp.Dr. Cathy Slemp has spent a career working in public health at community, state and national levels. At present, she is excited to be back with staff at the WVDHHR, Bureau for Public Health, serving as Commissioner and State Health Officer. From 2002 to 2011, Dr. Slemp served as both the Bureau’s Acting State Health Officer and the founding director of the state’s public health emergency preparedness and response programs. Prior to these roles, she worked with local health departments and other partners to build epidemiology capacity and was the founding director of the state’s Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. In recent years, prior to returning to the Bureau for Public Health, Dr. Slemp had an active public health consulting practice. She served as an action-learning coach for the Public Health Institute’s National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health working with multi-sector teams to advance health equity in communities, provided executive level support to the Department of Health in the US Virgin Islands, and worked locally as Relief and Development Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of WV, coordinating disaster recovery efforts and engaging faith-based organizations with community partners using a gifts / asset-based approach. Dr. Slemp also has a long history working on efforts to model, measure, and advance our nation’s health security and resilience, including COPEWELL (Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University) and previously, the National Health Security Preparedness Index. She is particularly interested in exploring the intersection between disaster recovery and community development. At the national level, Dr. Slemp serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Preparedness and Response and on the National Biodefense Science Board for the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, co-chairing workgroups for each. Locally, she volunteers with non-profits working on issues of safe housing and food security. Dr. Slemp has authored or co-authored publications on a wide variety of public health and medical topics.Dr. Slemp is board certified in both Public Health / Preventive Medicine and in Family Practice. She undertook her medical training at Duke University, her Preventive Medicine Residency and MPH at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and her Family Practice Residency at St. Margaret Memorial Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA. She received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and has undertaken leadership training through both the Southeast and National Public Health Leadership Institutes.

In this episode of Talks at GS, Goldman Sachs’ Sharmin Mossavar-Rahmani discusses the economic and public health implications of coronavirus for Europe with a number of leading health and economic experts. This conversation was recorded as a phone call on March 26, 2020. Click below to view materials referenced during the podcast: https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/talks-at-gs/03-26-20-update-coronavirus-europe-f/report.pdf Participants include: Dr. David Heymann, MD, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Sven Jari Stehn, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Research Silvia Ardagna, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Investment Strategy Group Peter Oppenheimer, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Research This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2020 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

Think all bugs are scary? Just like Dorothy’s journey through Oz, you will learn how bad (or good!) these bugs really are and better understand how to fight them when necessary. Lynn Slonim Fine PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC is an Infection Preventionist at the University of Rochester Medical School in Rochester, NY. Lynn has worked in Infection Prevention for over 15 years and has been certified in Infection Control since 2001 and was elected a Fellow of APIC in 2016. She has served as a section editor on the APIC Text Online and was a contributing author in APIC’s “The Infection Preventionists Guide to the Laboratory.” In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of her local APIC Chapter, she served on National APIC’s Education Committee and is currently a faculty member for APIC’s Epi Intensive, Epi 101, and CIC Prep courses. She is currently serving on APIC’s Research Committee, and teaches Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology at several local colleges in Rochester. Hosted by: Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

In the United States, three main types of fungi—coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis—can cause lung infections like pneumonia when people breathe in fungal spores from the air. Depending on where you live, you may be more likely to come in contact with one of these fungi. Some fungal diseases go undiagnosed and cause serious infections in people in the United States and around the world, leading to illness and death. Increased awareness about fungal diseases is one of the most important ways we can improve early recognition and reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment. In this episode, in honor of Fungal Disease Awareness Week, Tom Chiller from CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, and Kristen Ehresmann, director at the Minnesota Department of Health’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology department, talk about the risks of endemic fungal diseases.   Guests: Tom Chiller, MD, MPHTM, chief of the mycotic diseases branch, CDC Kristen Ehresmann, director of the infectious disease epidemiology, prevention, and control division, Minnesota Department of Health   Resources: CDC’s Fungal Disease Awareness page CDC Fungal Disease Personal Stories    

In this episode, I’m honored to introduce you to my special guest, Dr. Rania Milleron. She is a multidisciplinary professional in public health with a passion for policy and advocacy, as well as biomedical science, with expertise in vector borne infectious disease.  She is also an author, which she will discuss in more detail during the interview.  Dr. Milleron completed her Master of Science degree in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, and her PhD in Molecular Genetics of Infectious Disease Vectors from The University of Texas. Dr. Milleron is also a member of my Developing Your Public Health Career Strategy program. She talks about her experience in great detail such as how she found the program, her decision to join, and how it has impacted her so far.  She provides feedback and several examples. She has a very diverse background! She is fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of public health, a field that is more cooperative than individualistic. Because of this, she explains how she is able to wear many hats such as microbiologist, program specialist, or epidemiologist.  It also means that she is able to work with a wide variety of collaborators in government, academia, or commercial industry, as well as work with a variety of stakeholders such as physicians, scientists, or data analysts. If you are someone who is struggling to transition into public health from a different field, or trying to figure out what to do with your degree in public health, then I encourage you to pay close attention to Dr. Milleron’s story and message.  She is a great example of how to successfully interconnect your diverse experiences with public health.

This episode is a special featured episode for the APHA Epidemiology section.  My special guest today is Dr. Cathy Troisi.  She shares her journey into public health, including her rich experiences in the fields of infectious disease epidemiology and academia.  She offers some advice and tips for students, recent graduates, and anyone interested in a career in public health. 

Chung Eang Lip grew up in a Cambodian village. His father abandoned him in the second grade and hung himself shortly thereafter. His mother died of hepatitis when he was thirteen. Chung lived as an orphan in Phnom Penh and studied English, determined to set his life on a different course. He worked as a tour guide for several years before a family from Minnesota decided first to help him, then to adopt him. A recent graduate of Augsburg University, Mr. Lip is currently en route to Columbia University, where he will be earning his Master's in Public Health in Population and Family Health with a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. If that weren't enough, Mr. Lip is crowdsourcing a project that will bring water systems, wells, and toilets to his native Cambodia. https://www.gofundme.com/ngn9z-volunteer-trip-to-cambodia

Professor Dame Anne Johnson is Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at UCL, as well as Chair of the Population and Lifelong Health Domain and Vice-Dean for External and International Relations. She has given evidence to select committees, served as an expert adviser and helped to shape parliamentary enquiries, particularly on the epidemiology and prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections and other infectious diseases.

Adam Kucharski is an assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.  His research uses mathematical and statistical models to understand disease outbreaks.  In 2014, he was recruited to analyze the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.  Adam earned his PhD in applied maths at the University of Cambridge. 1.  What is it about gambling that seems to attract world-class mathematicians throughout history? 2.  What mathematical techniques have been best applied successfully to gambling? 3.  What was the genesis and evolution of Monte Carlo simulation?  What are its shortcoming? 4.  Why is poker such a good challenge for artificial intelligence? 5.  In free chess, computers-plus-human hybrids are still currently getting the best of computer-only opponents.  What are the implications for other domains like gambling and investing?

A controversial field of research is "gain-of-function," in which scientists take a virus (like a strain of flu) and attempt to make it more dangerous, for example by making it transmissible in mammals when it had previously been solely an avian flu. The motivation is to learn how viruses might mutate in nature so that we can be prepared -- but what if those engineered "superbugs" escape the lab and start a pandemic? In this episode of Rationally Speaking, Harvard professor of epidemiology Marc Lipsitch argues that the risks outweigh the benefits, and that we should halt gain-of-function research as soon as possible. Marc Lipsitch is Professor of Epidemiology with primary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. He directs the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, a center of excellence funded by the MIDAS program of NIH/NIGMS. He is also the Associate Director of the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins of infectious disease. Infectious disease has been with us for millennia. There are reports of ancient outbreaks of plague in the Bible, and in numerous historical sources from China, the Middle East and Europe. Other infections, including smallpox, tuberculosis and measles, have also been known for centuries. But some diseases made their first appearances only recently: HIV emerged around a century ago, while the Ebola virus was first recorded in the 1970s.But where do the agents of disease come from, and what determines where and when new viruses and bacteria appear? Modern techniques allow scientists to trace the histories of infective agents through their genomes; the story of disease provides a fascinating microcosm of the machinery of evolution.With:Steve JonesProfessor of Genetics at University College LondonSir Roy AndersonProfessor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College LondonMark PallenProfessor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham.Producer: Thomas Morris.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins of infectious disease. Infectious disease has been with us for millennia. There are reports of ancient outbreaks of plague in the Bible, and in numerous historical sources from China, the Middle East and Europe. Other infections, including smallpox, tuberculosis and measles, have also been known for centuries. But some diseases made their first appearances only recently: HIV emerged around a century ago, while the Ebola virus was first recorded in the 1970s.But where do the agents of disease come from, and what determines where and when new viruses and bacteria appear? Modern techniques allow scientists to trace the histories of infective agents through their genomes; the story of disease provides a fascinating microcosm of the machinery of evolution.With:Steve JonesProfessor of Genetics at University College LondonSir Roy AndersonProfessor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College LondonMark PallenProfessor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham.Producer: Thomas Morris.