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About this episode: Trying to save money on antibiotics, GLP-1 antagonists, or other medications using online pharmacies can pose serious health risks. These sites are flush with substandard and falsified drugs, which can cause adverse side effects, leave serious conditions untreated, and, in some instances, lead to death. In this episode: Dr. Henry Michtalik shares how providers and patients can spot unregulated suppliers and report counterfeit drugs. Guest: Dr. Henry Michtalik, MHS, MPH, is a hospitalist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an assistant professor at both the School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a co-principal investigator with the School of Public Health's BESAFE initiative. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Fake medication is a problem across the world—DW Fake Drugs, Real Danger—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine Verify Before You Buy—National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Report a Counterfeit Drug—U.S. Food and Drug Administration Transcript Information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
Let's say you were asked to name the greatest health risks facing the planet. Priceton University economist Ramanan Laxminarayan, founder and director of the One Health Trust, would urgently suggest you include anti-microbial resistance near the top of that list. “We're really in the middle of a crisis right now,” he tells interview David Edmonds in this Social Science Bites podcast. “Every year, about 5 million people die of infections that are associated with antibiotic resistance -- 5 million. That's nearly twice the number of people who die of HIV, TB and malaria, put together -- put together. Antibiotic resistance and associated deaths are the third leading cause of death in the world, after heart disease and stroke. So you're talking about something that's really, really big, and this is not in the future. It is right now.” The underlying problem, simply put, is that humans are squandering perhaps the greatest health innovations in the last century by using antibiotics stupidly, allowing pathogens to develop resistance and thus rendering existing antibiotics worthless. For the last 30 years and in particular through One Health Trust and as director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Antimicrobial Resistance, Laxminarayan has labored to make both shine a light on anti-microbial resistance and push for policies to address it. This, he tells Edmonds, is a social science problem even more so than a medical science problem – but not the exclusive province of either. “I think one of the failures of economics,” he says, “in some ways, is that we don't take the trouble to understand the nitty gritty of the actual other field, especially when it deals with health economics or environmental economics.” In addition to his role as a senior research scholar at Princeton, Laxminarayan is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, a senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde.
About this episode: Breastfeeding plays a crucial role in babies' development and new research is even suggesting that breast milk can provide benefits to the microbiomes and immune systems of adults. In this episode: Meghan Azad, a breastfeeding researcher from the University of Manitoba, explains the chemical compounds that make human breast milk unique from other mammals, the opportunities to build more community support for breastfeeding, and the benefits of lactation for mothers. Guest: Meghan Azad, PhD, is a professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba, where she leads a lab studying breastfeeding and breast milk. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: World Breastfeeding Week—World Health Organization New study reveals breastfeeding duration influences infant microbiome and respiratory development—UM Today Breast milk's benefits are not limited to babies—The Economist Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Medicaid cuts from the recent budget reconciliation law are raising fears of cutbacks among Americans with disabilities who rely on the program for services that allow them to live independently. In this episode: Demi Eckhoff, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and who relies on Medicaid in North Carolina, explains the uncertainty and what people with disabilities are doing to advocate for themselves. Guest: Demi Eckhoff, MPH, is a disability advocate, a registered dietitian, and an incoming doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Disabled Americans Fear What Medicaid Cuts Could Do to Them—New York Times Five Ways the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' Could Make It More Difficult to Get Health Insurance in N.C.—The Assembly America's Caregiver Crisis—Public Health On Call (July 2025) The Potential Impacts of Cuts To Medicaid—Public Health On Call (March 2025) Transcript information: Click here for a transcript of this episode. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is eyeing an overhaul of two more key entities as part of his ongoing effort to reshape health policy. And President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that would enable localities to force some homeless people into residential treatment.Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News' Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sara Rosenbaum, one of the nation's leading experts on Medicaid, to mark Medicaid's 60th anniversary this week. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: KFF Health News' “Cosmetic Surgeries Led to Disfiguring Injuries, Patients Allege,” by Fred Schulte. Anna Edney: The Washington Post's “Morton Mintz, Post Reporter With a Muckraker Spirit, Dies at 103,” by Stefanie Dazio. Joanne Kenen: ScienceAlert's “New Kind of Dental Floss Could Replace Vaccine Needles, Study Finds,” by David Nield. Shefali Luthra: The New Yorker's “Mexico's Molar City Could Transform My Smile. Did I Want It To?” by Burkhard Bilger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About this episode: The World Health Organization is reporting thousands of cases of malnutrition and 74 civilian deaths resulting from mass starvation in Gaza in 2025. In this episode: Dr. Paul Spiegel discusses the origins of the crisis and recent developments and shares what this dire situation means for the future of the international humanitarian system. Guest: Dr. Paul Spiegel is a physician, epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Spiegel has worked in humanitarian emergencies for the last 30 years. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say—New York Times Malnutrition rates reach alarming levels in Gaza, WHO warns—World Health Organization Humanitarian Health in Gaza and Beyond—Public Health On Call (June 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Since the 1980s, petrochemical production along an 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River has designated the corridor as “Cancer Alley,” but recent research shows that the risks from air pollution in the region have been seriously underestimated. In this episode: Pete DeCarlo and Keeve Nachman of the Johns Hopkins University discuss their concerning findings about compounding chemical exposure on human health and explain what these conclusions mean for how the United States should regulate carcinogens. Guest: Pete DeCarlo, PhD, is an associate professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Keeve Nachman, PhD, MHS, is the Robert S. Lawrence Professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. Show links and related content: Air testing reveals cancer-causing gas levels far exceeding some government estimates—ABC News 4 Ethylene Oxide in Southeastern Louisiana's Petrochemical Corridor: High Spatial Resolution Mobile Monitoring during HAP-MAP—Environmental Science and Technology Surprisingly High Levels of Toxic Gas Found in Lousiana—The Hub Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: The United States stands at a pivotal juncture in eradicating HIV. Despite recent advancements, including the development of an effective new form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an uncertain future marked by cuts to Medicaid and research hurdles threatens to undo the country's progress. In this episode: Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director of PrEP4All, sheds light on the urgent need for equitable access to PrEP and what's at stake if we fail to scale up initiatives to test, prevent, and treat HIV. Guest: Jeremiah Johnson is the Executive Director of PrEP4All—an organization that seeks to prevent the spread of HIV by identifying data-driven policy solutions to increase access to PrEP. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Trump's Policies Could Undermine the Fight to End America's HIV Epidemic—Tradeoffs FDA approves Gilead's twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, offering a powerful and convenient new option—CNBC Financing and Delivering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to End the HIV Epidemic—Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics A National PrEP Program to End the Nation's HIV Epidemic—Public Health On Call (April 2022) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: In the 1980s, Colombian neurologist Francisco Lopera discovered a rare genetic mutation afflicting residents of a village outside Medellín that could hold the key to understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease. In this episode: Author Jennie Erin Smith talks about her new book Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure and how families in the Paisa region of Colombia have forever changed the study of neurodegenerative diseases. Guest: Jennie Erin Smith is an author and a regular contributor for The New York Times, whose work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Times Literary Supplement, The New Yorker, and more. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure—Penguin Random House A Different Way to Think About Medicine's Most Stubborn Enigma—The Atlantic The ‘Country Doctor' Who Upended Our Understanding of Dementia—New York Times Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: The recent dismissal of all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has stirred questions about vaccine safety and immunization protocols. In this episode: Dr. Grace Lee—a former ACIP chair—shares insights on the committee's crucial role in recommending vaccines uses, the importance of transparent decision-making, and dangers of abandoning strong processes. Guest: Dr. Grace Lee, MPH, is the Chief Quality Officer and the Christopher G. Dawes Endowed Director of Quality at Stanford Medicine Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, and Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health (Quality and Safety) and Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. She previously served as the Chair of ACIP. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Former chairs of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on the panel's role—STAT Who Decides Which Vaccines Americans Should Get and When?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
The Senate narrowly approved the Trump administration's request to claw back about $9 billion for humanitarian foreign aid projects and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — but refused to cut funding for the international AIDS/HIV program PEPFAR. The House has a Friday deadline to approve the rescissions bill, or the funding remains in place. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia can ban the abortion pill mifepristone, which could allow states to block other drugs approved by the FDA. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News' Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: The New York Times' “UnitedHealth's Campaign to Quiet Critics,” by David Enrich. Joanne Kenen: The New Yorker's “Can A.I. Find Cures for Untreatable Diseases — Using Drugs We Already Have?” by Dhruv Khullar. Shefali Luthra: The New York Times' “Trump Official Accused PEPFAR of Funding Abortions in Russia. It Wasn't True,” by Apoorva Mandavilli. Sandhya Raman: The Nation's “‘We're Creating Miscarriages With Medicine': Abortion Lessons from Sweden,” by Cecilia Nowell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About this episode: The deadly Fourth of July floods in Kerr County, TX are raising urgent concerns about flash flooding risks and the future of storm response. In this episode: Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry discusses what causes increasingly intense storms, details the significant strides made in forecasting, and outlines what's at stake with potential cuts to NOAA. Guest: Michael Lowry is a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert for WPLG-TV in Miami, FL. He previously served as a senior scientist at the National Hurricane Center and as disaster planning chief at FEMA. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Trying to Make Sense of the Unspeakable Texas Tragedy—Eye on the Tropics The Trump Administration Has Blinded Hurricane Forecasters—Intelligencer Critical Hurricane Monitoring Data Is Going Offline—New York Times Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Artificial intelligence is changing everything about how we work, live, and study—and, now, AI therapy chatbots are poised to transform mental health care. In this episode: Stanford researcher Nick Haber details recent data that suggests that therapeutic AI has a long way to go in addressing biases and recognizing safety-critical situations in order to provide adequate care. Guest: Nick Haber, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and by courtesy, Computer Science, where he researches AI implementation for learning and therapeutic tools. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Expressing stigma and inappropriate responses prevents LLMs from safely replacing mental health providers—FAccT '25: The 2025 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency Kids Are in Crisis. Could Chatbot Therapy Help?—New York Times Exploring the Dangers of AI in Mental Health Care—Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: For mothers questioning whether or not to vaccinate their children, the decision can be complicated by an overwhelming and, at times, conflicting information environment. In this episode: Health communication researcher Melissa Carrion explores how an onslaught of messaging is informing how mothers decide to vaccinate their kids and how public health experts can better communicate on these key decisions. Guest: Melissa Carrion, PhD, is an assistant professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she researches rhetoric and health communication. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: How one mom is navigating vaccines' uncertain future—ScienceNews New Research: Childhood Vaccination Rates Drop Across 1,600 U.S. Counties—The 74 "I Don't Understand How These Two Things Go Together": Toward a Theory of Risk Ecologies—Health Communication “You need to do your research”: Vaccines, contestable science, and maternal epistemology—Public Understanding of Science Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Asthma can cause sometimes debilitating symptoms for children who have it, and some—particularly Black and Hispanic children—can experience higher rates of diagnoses, hospitalizations and emergency department visits. In this episode: pediatrician and immunology researcher Dr. Elizabeth Matsui talks about the known causes behind childhood asthma and how it impacts youths, and how factors like poor housing conditions and barriers to care and medication worsen conditions and undermine long-term lung development. Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Matsui is a pediatric allergist-immunologist and epidemiologist and a leading researcher on the connection between asthma and environmental conditions. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: The Role of Neighborhood Air Pollution in Disparate Racial and Ethnic Asthma Acute Care Use—American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Association of a Housing Mobility Program With Childhood Asthma Symptoms and Exacerbations—JAMA Do upper respiratory viruses contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department visits for asthma?—The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Tackling Housing Injustice—and Improving Childhood Asthma—Public Health On Call (June 2023) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University
About this episode: Caregivers—both paid and unpaid—are the silent backbone of the nation's workforce, providing crucial support to America's young, aging, and disabled populations. But 24 states stand on the precipice of crisis with looming threats to caregiver stipends, salaries, and other resources. In this episode: what led to this tipping point, how proposed cuts to Medicaid could make it worse, and how to build a more supportive system for caregivers, patients, and loved ones. Guest: Stacey B. Lee, JD is a professor of Law and Ethics at Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, with a joint appointment at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she specializes in business law, health law, and negotiations. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Despite Political Divisions, U.S. Adults Across Parties Back Affordable Care, Support for Caregivers—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management These Are The States On The Brink Of A Caregiver Crisis — And Trump Medicaid Cuts Could Make It Worse—HuffPost America's Unseen Workforce: The State of Family Caregiving—Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health The Forgotten Youths Who Are Caregivers For Their Families—Public Health On Call (April 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: American farms, restaurants, retailers, and households throw out nearly 30% of the food in our system, landfilling millions of tons of food each year and draining resources like land and energy. Households generate the most waste, with everyday cooks overbuying at grocery stores and throwing away a substantial portion of their purchases—but getting ahead of those scraps can make a big difference. In this episode: ReFED's Dana Gunders covers the environmental costs of food waste and shares immediate action items to better manage it. Guest: Dana Gunders is a national food systems expert and the president of ReFED—an organization that researches and promotes evidence-based action to end food waste. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: From Surplus to Solutions: 2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report—ReFED Marylanders toss out more than 1 million tons of food each year. How do we reduce waste?—WYPR From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System—Public Health on Call (June 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Consumer wearables like Fitbits track a lot of our activity, from time spent standing to estimates of calorie expenditure. What if they could also alert us to possible health issues as we age? In this episode: How movement patterns change with aging, and how researchers are examining ways to measure those patterns to determine what's normal and what may be associated with cognitive decline and other neurological issues. Guest: Jennifer Schrack is the director of the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: The Mysteries of Aging Well—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine Long-running Surveys Help Researchers Track Trends In Aging—The Hub How Well Will You Age? Check Your Grip Strength—Time Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Growing and producing our food comes at an extreme cost to the environment. In this episode: a conversation about climate and agriculture with journalist and author Michael Grunwald, whose blunt new book looks at how the food system is wiping out wetlands, forests, and other carbon reservoirs that protect us from global warming. Guest: Michael Grunwald is a journalist and author who covers public policy. He's written for Politico Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Washington Post, and Time. His new book is We Are Eating The Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: A Food Reckoning Is Coming—The Atlantic Changing How We Grow Our Food—The New York Times (Opinion) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: What might be in store for the 2025 hurricane season? Meterologist Brian McNoldy returns to the podcast to talk about how things are shaping up, a look back at how last summer's unprecedented mix of heat and moisture played out in an extremely active season, and a zoomed-out look at climate change trends as larger patterns beyond individual events and year-over-year comparisons. Guest: Brian McNoldy is a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmosphere and Earth Science at the University of Miami. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Meteorology and Climate Change—Public Health On Call (July 2024) Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn—AP ‘Bomb cyclone' adds to growing extreme weather trend—News@TheU (2024
On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Amesh Adalja, a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They discuss the outbreak of avian flu on poultry and dairy cattle farms, the federal funding cuts that are weakening government agencies' ability to track and prevent the spread of the virus, and why the lack of proactivity is cause for concern. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.
About this episode: Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021 but many people don't know the history or how to recognize the day. In this episode: a look back at a 2022 conversation with Janice Bowie about how to celebrate, reflect, and recommit to social justice this Juneteenth. Guest: Janice Bowie is a Bloomberg Centennial Professor in Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on health equity and disparities. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Juneteeth: Sun, Sounds and the Spirit of Freedom—Smithsonian Instutition Juneteenth National Independence Day Act—Congress.gov 9 Places to Celebrate Juneteenth This Year—The New York Times Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Homicides in the U.S., particularly those involving gun violence, peaked in 2022 following a rapid rise during the COVID pandemic. In the years that followed, there were notable decreases and 2025, so far, shows one of the most dramatic reductions in homicides in decades. In this episode: A look at some of the reasons behind the rise and fall of deaths, and why staying the policy course may be key to avoiding another spike. Guest: Daniel Webster is a Bloomberg Professor of American Health who has studied gun violence and prevention for more than thirty years. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Deadly decisions? Trump guts anti-crime program as summer violence looms—USA Today Supreme Court upholds Biden regulations on ‘ghost gun' kits—NBC News City of Baltimore Reaches Settlement in Polymer80—Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore City A Safer Gun Buying Process—Public Health On Call (February 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Humanitarian health systems provide relief like food, water, and medicine in crisis situations. They operate within a carefully organized framework built on core principles including impartiality and neutrality. In this episode: what's happening with humanitarian aid in Gaza and the importance of a new framework for global humanitarian efforts. Guest: Dr. Paul Spiegel is a physician, epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Spiegel has worked in humanitarian emergencies for the last 30 years. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Group Accuses Hamas of Threatening Aid Workers in Gaza—The New York Times A Flawed Attempt at Delivering Gaza Aid Led to a Wave of Deaths—The Wall Street Journal (paywall) The Humanitarian Response in Gaza—Public Health On Call (January 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: In 2016, the nonprofit Braver Angels was founded to bring together diverse groups of people to try and figure out why productive communication has become so difficult. During the pandemic, the conversations got even harder. In this episode: How Braver Angels is bringing together questioners and supporters of public health to hear each other out with a goal of humanizing, understanding, and remembering that “everyone is worth listening to.” Guests: Dr. Leslie Lapato is a retired psychiatrist who has worked with Braver Angels since 2017 in a variety of roles including alliance chair, debate chair, debate whip, moderator, and organizer. Dr. Beth Malow is a neurology sleep physician and science communicator who has worked with Braver Angels since 2017 in a variety of roles including moderator, workshop designer, and debate chair. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Our Mission—Braver Angels Confronting our COVID condescension—Braver Angels Colorado Springs company works with Braver Angels to promote civility through debates—The Gazette Braver Angels spreads its ‘building bridges' gospel across Greater Minnesota—MinnPost Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week did something he had promised not to do: He fired every member of the scientific advisory committee that recommends which vaccines should be given to whom. And he replaced them, in some cases, with vaccine skeptics. Meanwhile, hundreds of employees of the National Institutes of Health sent an open letter of dissent to the agency's director, Jay Bhattacharya, accusing the Trump administration of policies that “undermine the NIH mission, waste our public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.” Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News' Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, to discuss how the CBO works and why it's so controversial. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: Stat's “Lawmakers Lobby Doctors To Keep Quiet — or Speak Up — on Medicaid Cuts in Trump's Tax Bill,” by Daniel Payne. Joanne Kenen: ProPublica's “DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool To ‘Munch' Veterans Affairs Contracts,” by Brandon Roberts, Vernal Coleman, and Eric Umansky. Anna Edney: KFF Health News' “Two Patients Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test To See if It Was Safe,” by Arthur Allen. Sarah Karlin-Smith: Wired's “The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. To Make Their Dreams Come True,” by David Gilbert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr. Jim McDonald, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses the State's Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard and how it can reduce heat related injury; Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, previews public health communications topics that will be covered in ASTHO's INSPIRE Readiness webinar today, Thursday, June 12 at 2 p.m. ET; the Texas Department of State Health Services is leading an initiative to strengthen collaboration between public health and academic health departments; and ASTHO member Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, was a panelist at the Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit, where he discussed the importance of effective public health messaging. New York State Department of Health Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard News Release: New York State Department of Health Launches Interactive Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE: Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust ASTHO Blog: Public Health and Academic Leaders Unite Through Texas Consortium Trust for America's Health and John A. Harford Foundation: The Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit
About this episode: A recent MAHA report from the Department of Health and Human Services stated that a trio of common procedures for children—tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and tympanostomy tube (ear tube) placement—“cause harm without offering benefits.” In this episode: a look at what these surgeries are, the advantages and risks, and what the report said—and didn't say—about the value of these procedures when properly indicated. Guests: Dr. Emily Boss is the director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: The MAHA Report: Make Our Children Health Again—The White House MAHA kids' health report misinforms about tonsillectomies and ear tubes—STAT (Opinion) Tympanostomy Tubes or Medical Management for Recurrent Acute Otitis Media—The New England Journal of Medicine Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
In this episode of the Glowing Older podcast, host Nancy Griffin interviews Lauren Dunning, Director of the Milken Institute Future of Aging. They discuss the importance of intergenerational connections, the role of the Milken Institute in promoting healthy aging, and the challenges of financial security and loneliness among older adults. Lauren shares insights from recent studies and reports, emphasizing the importance of community engagement and innovative solutions for aging well.About LauraLauren Dunning is a Director for the Milken Institute Future of Aging, where she develops initiatives and strategic partnerships that advance healthy longevity and financial security across the life course. In her role, Dunning leads work on integrated care solutions leveraging technology and oversees the Future of Aging Advisory Board, a group of global leaders from across sectors who provide advisement,expertise, and collaboration to maximize collective impact.Before joining the Milken Institute, Dunning served in key policy leadership roles for over 10 years at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where she was most recently the director of government affairs, working with officials at all levels to shape public health policy. She has written and presented on a variety of topics across public health, aging, and health care; held an appointment as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center; and serves in an advisory capacity to several organizations, including LeadingAge California and theAtria Research Institute.Dunning earned a JD from Georgetown University LawCenter, a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a bachelor's degree from George Washington University. She works at the Milken Institute's Santa Monica office. Key TakeawaysThe Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank with offices in the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that collaborates across business, philanthropy, government, nonprofit and academia.The two domains of social connectedness are socialisolation, which is objectively having few relationships and infrequent social interaction and loneliness, which is the state of perceived isolation or inadequatesocial connections.Loneliness is a significant health risk, comparable tosmoking fifteen cigarettes a day and associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, anxiety, and depression. In a 2023 Gallup study of 142 countries, younger adultsreported greater loneliness levels than adults over 65. The rates of loneliness were 10% higher among people 19 to 29 (27 % reporting they were fairly lonely)than for older adults over 65 (17%).Children that participate in mentoring programs with older adults improved their physical and mental health and educational status. Civic engagement among college students increases when paired with older volunteers.Intergenerational relationships benefit both younger and older generations by reducing ageism and age discrimination, bridging differences, and identifying shared values.Eight in 10 older adults would like to connect across generations and 92 % of Americans believe intergenerational activities can help reduceloneliness across all ages.
About this episode: Would it be a good idea to have tariffs on pharmaceuticals? In this episode: a conversation about the rationales for tariffs as well as potential downsides—like higher drug prices—and what could really help with supply and pricing issues. Guest: Dr. Mariana Socal studies the pharmaceutical market and is an associate professor in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Tariffs as a Hidden Tax: Price Pass-Through in Multi-Stage Supply Chains—Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Trump's pharmaceutical tariffs could raise costs for patients, worsen drug shortages—NBC Los Angeles Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: A new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition documents incidents of violence against health care facilities and workers in conflict zones around the world. In this episode: why it's important to track these trends, how incidents are reported and investigated, and a look at the 2024 report with examples from various conflict zones around the world including Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza. Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University. Guests: Joe Amon is the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, 2024 Report Allegations of War Crimes by Leaders of Hamas and Israeli Officials Before the International Criminal Court—Public Health On Call (June 2024) Human Rights and Health Care in the Middle East Crisis—Public Health On Call (December 2023) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: June is Gun Violence Awareness Month with a focus on safe storage, a key factor in preventing gun-related injuries and deaths. In this episode: a look at how safe storage saves lives, evidence-based tools and tips for lawmakers, gun owners, parents, pediatricians, and more; and how to normalize conversations about safe storage in everyday life. Guests: Dr. Katherine Hoops, is a pediatrician and the director of Clinical Practice at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Cass Crifasi is the co-executive director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Gun Violence Awareness Month Campaign—The Center For Gun Violence Solutions Safe & Secure Gun Storage Prevents Injuries (PDF) How To Talk To Other Parents About Guns In The Home (PDF) Safe and Secure Gun Storage Solutions—The Center For Gun Violence Solutions What The Conviction of a Parent of a High School Shooter Could Mean—Public Health On Call (March 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced that the COVID vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women. In this episode: a vaccine policy expert unpacks the announcement — how it differs from past policy changes, and its potential impact on Americans. Note: This episode was recorded on May 28, 2025. Guest: Sarah Despres has over 25 years of experience in public health policy and advocacy and is an expert on immunization policy. She has served on the HHS National Vaccine Advisory Committee from 2012-2017. She has also served on the board of Vaccinate Your Family, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring children and adults have access to vaccines. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: U.S. Will No Longer Recommend Covid Shots for Children and Pregnant Women—The New York Times Who Decides Which Vaccines Americans Should Get and When?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (March 2025) Pediatric COVID Vaccines—Public Health On Call (May 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Travel can open our eyes to the world and make us better global citizens. But there's no denying the environmental impacts of travel. Plus, with climate change happening everywhere, it's becoming more difficult for tourists to predictably see and do some things without factoring in extreme weather. In this episode: how travelers can be more mindful and a look at how a travel company is thinking about the industry's carbon footprint. Guest: Cameron Hewitt is a travel writer and photographer, and for the last 25 years he's been a co-writer for Rick Steves' Europe, one of the biggest names in travel for guidebooks, public television, radio, and tours. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and Facebook. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Our Climate Smart Commitment—Rick Steves' Europe How a traveler's mindset can grow your understanding—Rick Steves, TEDxSeattle Salon Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
On May 20th, after years of negotiation, World Health Organization member states adopted the Pandemic Agreement — the first international treaty focused on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Developed in response to the shortcomings revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the agreement emphasizes equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, and promotes international cooperation in disease surveillance and health system strengthening. But will this brand-new agreement live up to its potential? And what role might the United States' decision to remain on the sidelines — and not become a party to the agreement — play in how it is adopted and implemented? Joining me to discuss these questions and more is Alexandra Phelan, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. We begin by examining how the deficiencies in the global response to COVID-19 revealed the need for such a treaty in the first place, before having a longer conversation about what the agreement actually obliges of its signatories — and what factors will determine whether or not it works as intended. This episode is produced in partnership with Lex International Fund, a philanthropic fund dedicated to strengthening international law to solve global challenges. It is part of a series that demonstrates the impact of Treaties on state behavior that we are calling "when treaties work"
Fungal diseases are becoming more common, more dangerous, and more difficult to treat. There's concern that they may cause the next global pandemic. Rising global temperatures, better survival rates for vulnerable patients, and increased medical interventions contribute to the rise in fungal infections. Access to effective diagnostics and treatment remains limited, with significant disparities between high and low-income countries. Treating fungal infections is becoming more challenging as they build resistance to the drugs used to treat them. New therapies are being developed, including treatments that disrupt fungal DNA replication or interfere with essential proteins, offering some hope for long-term control.Contributors: Adilia Warris, Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Exeter, UKRita Oladele, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, University of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, NigeriaArturo Casadevall, Professor and Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USMichael Bromley, Professor in Fungal Disease, University of Manchester, UKPresenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Louise Clarke Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Production co-ordinator: Tammy Snow(Image: Aspergillus fumigatus, seen under an optical microscope. Credit: BSIP/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
This week their guest is Walter “Buzz” Stewart, PhD, MPH, is a distinguished healthcare researcher and entrepreneur, currently serving as CEO and Co-Founder of Medcurio, a company specializing in real-time EHR data integration solutions. With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. Stewart has held pivotal roles in both academic and healthcare institutions. He previously led research and development initiatives at Sutter Health and founded the Center for Health Research at Geisinger Health System, focusing on digital health, advanced analytics, and precision medicine. Dr. Stewart's academic tenure includes faculty positions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he contributed significantly to neuro-epidemiology research. His extensive publication record and leadership in healthcare innovation underscore his commitment to transforming patient care through data-driven strategies. To stream our Station live 24/7 visit www.HealthcareNOWRadio.com or ask your Smart Device to “….Play Healthcare NOW Radio”. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen
About this episode: The approval of pediatric COVID vaccines during the height of the pandemic brought reassurance to many parents and pediatricians who were caring for children with severe infections and, sometimes, Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MISC)—a rare but extremely dangerous condition that could impact even the healthiest kids after a COVID infection. But what's the picture of pediatric COVID vaccination now? In this episode: a discussion about the risks and benefits of pediatric COVID vaccination in 2025. Guest: Dr. Erica Prochaska is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: New FDA framework on Covid vaccines leaves pediatricians confused and concerned—STAT News A Pediatric Cardiologist on What We Know—And Don't Know—About COVID-19-Related Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children—Public Health On Call (June 2020) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: A look inside the ongoing public health response to measles outbreaks in Lubbock, a city in West Texas. Guest: Katherine Wells is the director of Lubbock Public Health in West Texas. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Lubbock's public health director fights to stop measles and build public trust—The Texas Tribune Texas Isn't Declaring a Measles Victory Yet—Bloomberg Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: It's graduation time at the Bloomberg School! Doctoral candidate Jeff Marr joins the podcast to talk about how an economics major and an early internship at a health care system led to an interest in examining how health care markets and public policy work. Soon-to-be Dr. Marr discusses his dissertation looking at how predictive algorithms lead to decisions about care coverage. Guest: Jeffrey Marr is a healthcare economist and doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In July 2025, he will join Brown University as an Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Algorithmic Decision-Making in Health Care: Evidence from Post-Acute Care in Medicare Advantage Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: While cigarette use has radically declined in the U.S., many still die from smoking here and around the world. World No Tobacco Day—celebrated annually on May 31 since the 1980s—has helped expose tobacco industry tactics and highlight progress in global tobacco control. This year, a look at how manufacturers are increasing efforts to hook younger users on new products like e-cigs with fun packaging, new flavors, fashionable designs, and gimmicks including video games and social media integration. Guests: Kevin Welding is an economist studying corporate influence on public health at the Institute for Global Tobacco Control. Tuo-Yen Tseng is a health policy researcher who studies social and behavioral change at the Institute for Global Tobacco Control. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: World No Tobacco Day 2025 Evidence and Resources—Institute for Global Tobacco Control 25 Years of Fighting Tobacco—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Quit Smoking—American Lung Association The Inside Story of the 1964 Surgeon General's Report That Changed How Americans Viewed Smoking—Public Health On Call (July 2024) An Update on Efforts to Prevent Tobacco-Caused Death and Disease—Public Health On Call (February 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: This week, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. In this episode: a look at why the U.S. spends three to four times more for drugs than many peer countries, its current approach to drug pricing policy, the directives laid out in the Executive Order, and how other countries negotiate their prices. Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University. Guest: Dr. Gerard Anderson is an expert in health policy and a professor in Health Policy and Management and International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: Delivering Most-Favored Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients—Executive Order, The White House The Potential Impacts of Cuts to Medicaid—Public Health On Call (March 2025) What's Next For Prescription Drug Pricing?—Public Health On Call (February 2023) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed
About this episode: Diagnoses of autism are on the rise, but is this the result of more children being affected by the condition, or is more of a consequence of broader criteria and more screening? In this episode: a look at a new study about the number of children diagnosed with autism and what this research shows—and doesn't show. Guest: Dr. Christine Ladd-Acosta is an autism researcher and vice-director of the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. She is the lead Maryland investigator on a national study about the rate of autism. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States 2022—CDC's MMWR RFK Jr.'s autism study to amass medical records of many Americans—CBS News The NIH-Funded Autism Study Hoping to Pinpoint Gene-Environmental Interplay—Public Health On Call (March 2025) Vaccines Don't Cause Autism. Why Do Some People Think They Do?—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Discovering How Environment Affects Autism—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine (2023) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
GOP-controlled House committees approved parts of President Donald Trump's “one big, beautiful bill” this week, including more than $700 billion in cuts to health programs over the next decade — mostly from Medicaid, which covers people with low incomes or disabilities.Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before Congress for the first time since taking office and told lawmakers that Americans shouldn't take medical advice from him.Julie Appleby of KFF Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News' Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: The New York Times' “Elizabeth Holmes's Partner Has a New Blood-Testing Start-Up,” by Rob Copeland. Alice Miranda Ollstein: ProPublica's “He Became the Face of Georgia's Medicaid Work Requirement. Now He's Fed Up With It.” by Margaret Coker, The Current. Julie Appleby: Scientific American's “How Trump's National Weather Service Cuts Could Cost Lives,” by Andrea Thompson. Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic's “Now Is Not the Time To Eat Bagged Lettuce,” by Nicholas Florko. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About this episode: In 2003, George W. Bush's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was the largest commitment to a single disease in U.S. history. Renewed under every subsequent presidency since, PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives and prevented some 5 million perinatal infections globally. But now, policy changes that effectively end PEPFAR have the potential to completely reverse course and the world could see HIV/AIDS infections on par with a time even before effective antivirals existed. In this episode: Dr. Chris Beyrer talks about his recent Lancet essay, “On Going Backwards,” why any retreat now will make it harder to regain lost ground, and how this policy change has the potential to impact millions of lives. Guest: Dr. Chris Beyrer is the past president of the International AIDS Society and an expert in global health and human rights. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: On Going Backwards—The Lancet (Perspectives) By executive order: The likely deadly consequences associated with a 90-day pause in PEPFAR funding—Journal of the International AIDS Society Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: A look back at health policy in the first 100 days of Trump's second presidential administration including global health, vaccines, and the Department of Health and Human Services restructuring—plus a few things to keep an eye on for the future. Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University. Guest: Dr. Josh Sharfstein served in a number of political roles in his career including as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City, and as a Congressional health policy advisor. He is currently a health policy distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: The First Week's Executive Orders—Public Health On Call (January 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed
About this episode: In the early 2000s, babies in Baltimore were dying at an alarming rate. In this episode: a look at Baltimore's enormously successful health program to reduce infant mortality and close unacceptable disparities in infant death and how it has developed into a program that offers support and resources for individuals and families across the lifespan. Guests: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is the vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a former Baltimore City Health Commissioner. Rebecca Dineen is the assistant commissioner for Maternal and Child Health at the Baltimore City Health Department. Stacey Stephens is the director and clinical instructor of B'More For Healthy Babies at Promise Heights. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: B'More For Healthy Babies B'More for Healthy Babies Turns 15—Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs The Public Health Strategy Behind Baltimore's Record-Low Infant Mortality Rate—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore City Youth Data Scorecard: Babies Born Healthy Indicator Details—Baltimore's Promise Babies kept dying in Baltimore. People worked together to understand why.—Maryland Matters Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services with a mission to protect the nation's workforce from occupational hazards and illnesses. Their work includes setting policy and best practices around safety standards for things like exposure to toxic chemicals, firearms in the workplace, and even protecting workers' data. NIOSH is among the many Centers that suffered personnel and funding cuts under HHS's recent restructuring. In this episode: a look at NIOSH's work and how the cuts may impact worker safety—particularly at a time when there is great interest in leveling up the manufacturing industry in the U.S. Guest: Ram Ramachandran is the director of the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health. Cass Crifasi is the director of Occupational Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Program at the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: American workers deserve better than to lose their safety watchdogs—The Hill (Opinion) The CDC's critical occupational safety institute has been virtually wiped out—STAT Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Zyn nicotine pouches are suddenly everywhere. What are they and how can they impact health? In this episode: A look at the popular products, what they are and how they work, how they're marketed, and what we know—and don't yet know—about their long-term health impacts or whether they could be a tool to help people quit tobacco products. Guest: Meghan Moran is an associate professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a researcher who studies how communications from advertising to misinformation shape public health issues such as vaccine promotion, cancer screening, and tobacco control. Johannes Thrul is an associate professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a substance use disorder researcher. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: A Cross-Sectional Survey on Oral Nicotine Pouches; Characterizing Use—Motives, Topography, Dependence Levels, and Adverse Events—Nicotine & Tobacco Research What's That in Your Mouth, Bro?—The New York Times What We Know (and Don't) About Nicotine Pouches—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Electronic Cigarettes Part 1: Do E-cigs Help People Quit Smoking?—Public Health On Call (May 2024) Electronic Cigarettes Part 2: How Serious are the Health Risks Associated with E-cigs?—Public Health On Call (May 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
About this episode: Dr. Scott Harris has worked as a leader in Alabama's public health department for eight years and recently became that national president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In this episode: A conversation with Dr. Harris about lessons learned from the pandemic and how the current moment is presenting new challenges with measles outbreaks and plenty of unknowns. He also talks about keeping his staff motivated and on task to meet their bottom line: protecting the health and safety of Alabamians. Guest: Dr. Scott Harris is the State Health Officer of the Alabama Department of Public Health and the President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)