A Moment in Health with Dr. Ashish Jha

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha explains how 99% of new hepatitis B infections can be prevented with a universal newborn vaccine and critiques the recent ACIP decision to step away from that recommendation. He reviews a new New England Journal of Medicine study showing that one dose of the HPV vaccine is non-inferior to the traditional two-dose schedule, reducing barriers to protection. Dr. Jha is joined by Cate Ryan, Brown Class of 2021 and current Harvard public health student, who reflects on how reporting on science during the pandemic shaped her path in public health and how issues like housing stability continue to drive her work today.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Universal Hepatitis В Vaccination at Birth — CIDRAP
• Noninferiority of One HPV Vaccine Dose to Two Doses — New England Journal of Medicine

Cate Ryan is an MPH candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focusing on the intersection of health and housing. She graduated from Brown in 2021 with a cell and molecular biology major and was the former senior science and research editor for the Brown Daily Herald, as well as the producer of the COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a striking new statistic: 40% of fully subsidized ACA enrollees had no insurance claims last year — a number far higher than the 15–20% typically seen in employer-based plans. He then reviews a major New England Journal of Medicine trial showing that a modified mRNA influenza vaccine reduced lab-confirmed flu infections by 35% compared to traditional flu shots, producing stronger immune responses with slightly more short-term reactogenicity. Associate Professor of the Practice Dr. Craig Spencer, emergency physician and public health leader, joins to discuss his experience attending the Children's Health Defense conference in Austin — unpacking the movement’s growing cohesion, the small but vocal anti-vaccine contingent, and why many attendees feel unheard by the health system.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of Modified mRNA Influenza Vaccine — New England Journal of Medicine
• I’m a physician who went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering. More of my colleagues should too — STAT

Dr. Craig Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and an Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University School of Public Health. As a physician he focuses on frontline preparedness, both in the U.S. and globally, especially on the impact of COVID-19 on health systems. This includes the real world impact of pandemic preparedness – or lack of preparedness – for clinicians and patients, particularly from a humanitarian perspective.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a striking data point: 13.1% of U.S. adolescents and young adults report using AI tools for mental health advice, with 93% saying the guidance was helpful. He reviews a 2022 study from Italy’s Marche region showing that improving ventilation in more than 10,000 classrooms reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission by nearly 80%, underscoring the enormous impact of better indoor air quality on respiratory infections. Georgia Lagoudas, Senior Fellow at the Pandemic Center, joins to explain why indoor air quality standards in the U.S. are outdated, the benefits improving indoor air quality can have and the progress we have made.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Use of Generative AI for Mental Health Advice Among US Adolescents and Young Adults — JAMA Network Open
• Increasing ventilation reduces SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission in schools: A retrospective cohort study in Italy's Marche region — Frontiers in Public Health
• The Effect of Air Purifiers in Schools — Resources for the Future

Dr. Georgia Lagoudas is a Senior Fellow at the Brown University School of Public Health’s Pandemic Center. She recently served as Senior Advisor for Biotechnology and Bioeconomy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. During her time at the White House, she coordinated a variety of initiatives, including drafting and implementation of an Executive Order on Advancing the American Bioeconomy, as well as launching a White House Initiative to improve indoor air quality.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a 24% decline in telehealth visits for Medicare beneficiaries following the October 1 government shutdown, driven by the sudden expiration of Medicare’s authority to pay for telehealth. He reviews a new JAMA randomized controlled trial on caffeinated coffee and atrial fibrillation. Dr. Stephanie Psaki, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Brown School of Public Health, joins to explain why declining fertility rates around the world matter and why supporting people’s family planning choices should be a core public health and policy priority.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities at Risk with Government Shutdown — Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research
• Caffeinated Coffee Consumption or Abstinence to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation — JAMA
• The Real Way to Boost Birth Rates — TIME

Dr. Stephanie Psaki is a distinguished senior fellow at the Brown University School of Public Health and served as Special Assistant to the President and U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security at the National Security Council.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a troubling new data point: premature mortality among Americans ages 18 to 64 rose by 27.2% between 2012 and 2022, driven largely by opioid overdoses, early cardiovascular disease, violence, and the early COVID-19 years. He reviews a new Nature study showing that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, finding that patients who received an mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting treatment were twice as likely to be alive three years later, likely due to broad immune activation. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory, joins to discuss where Americans can turn for reliable, evidence-based public health information at a time when federal guidance has become less consistent.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Racial Disparities in Premature Mortality and Unrealized Medicare Benefits Across US States — JAMA Health Forum
• SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint blockade — Nature

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis served as the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) from 2023 to 2025. He also previously served as the director of the CDC's Division of HIV Prevention and Deputy Coordinator for the National Mpox Response at the White House.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 66% of U.S. physicians now report using AI in their clinical practice, reflecting the technology’s rapid adoption across billing, documentation, and patient care. He reviews a new JAMA Network Open study showing that people with type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder who took semaglutide (Ozempic) had roughly half the risk of opioid overdose compared to those on other diabetes medications, adding to growing evidence that GLP-1 drugs may help reduce addictive behaviors. Dr. Brendan Saloner, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, joins to outline three key policy priorities for curbing opioid overdose deaths.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Semaglutide and Opioid Overdose Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Opioid Use Disorder — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Brendan Saloner is the Donald G. Millar Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University. One strand of his research focuses on access and quality of care for people with mental health and substance use disorders. A second strand of his research focuses specifically on health care for people in the criminal legal system. At Johns Hopkins University before joining Brown, he co-led the evaluation team for the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative, a $120 million investment in overdose reduction focused on seven states.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 70% of U.S. parents oppose removing public school immunization requirements, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll—even as Florida becomes the first state to end immunization requirements for public schools. He reviews a large French registry study published in JAMA Network Open finding no link between first-trimester COVID-19 vaccination and major congenital anomalies among more than 500,000 infants, reinforcing the safety of vaccination during pregnancy. Dr. Olivier Wouters, Assistant Professor at the Brown University School of Public Health, joins to unpack whether Americans truly gain faster access to new drugs—confirming that while the majority of medicines launch first in the U.S., complex barriers mean equitable access often comes much later than in other countries.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• First-Trimester mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination and Risk of Major Congenital Anomalies — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Olivier J. Wouters is an Associate Professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health and a visiting faculty member at Harvard Medical School  He was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics. His research focuses on pharmaceutical economics and policy, particularly issues related to drug pricing and access to medicines in high- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha spotlights a sobering data point: 40,000 estimated hepatitis A cases in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. He reviews a JAMA Network Open study on chronic disease care in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia, which found a dramatic decrease in the number of patients with conditions like diabetes who had access to treatment. Dr. Michael VanRooyen, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and founding director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, joins to outline what it takes to rebuild Gaza’s health system—beginning with stability and governance, clearing unsafe areas, sustaining emergency care, and gradually restoring long-term health infrastructure and workforce capacity.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• War and Health Care Services Utilization for Chronic Diseases in Rural and Semiurban Areas of Tigray, Ethiopia — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Michael VanRooyen is the founding director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), an interfaculty initiative at Harvard University dedicated to advancing evidence and professional development in humanitarian assistance. He has led complex humanitarian operations with numerous relief organizations in more than thirty countries affected by conflict and disaster, including Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan–Darfur, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, and Ukraine. Dr. VanRooyen is the Chair of Emergency Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as the Enterprise Chief of Emergency Medicine for the Mass General Brigham health system.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 51% of U.S. adults—about 125 million people—are overweight or obese with one or more chronic conditions. He reviews a new study examining the lifetime health effects and cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs tirzepatide (Zepbound) and semaglutide (Ozempic). Dr. Andy Ryan, Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, joins to discuss how to meaningfully reduce U.S. healthcare spending, emphasizing the need for a national strategy that aligns coverage and pricing with value and ensures that Americans get the greatest health benefit for the dollars spent.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Lifetime Health Effects and Cost-Effectiveness of Tirzepatide and Semaglutide in US Adults — JAMA Health Forum

Dr. Andrew Ryan is a professor in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University and Director of the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research. His research focuses on understanding and evaluating the effects of health care payment reform.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that private equity firms have invested an estimated $1 trillion into U.S. healthcare acquisitions over the past decade. He then reviews a new Annals of Internal Medicine study showing that private equity hospital buyouts are linked to staffing cuts in ICUs and emergency departments, with a 13% rise in mortality among Medicare patients. Dr. Yashaswini Singh joins to outline policy strategies to curb harmful effects of private equity in healthcare — calling for stronger transparency, updated guardrails for patients and workers and targeted antitrust enforcement.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Hospital Staffing and Patient Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition — Annals of Internal Medicine

Dr. Yashaswini Singh is a health care economist and Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University. Her areas of interest and expertise include health care consolidation and corporatization, including by private equity firms, and the downstream effects on health care spending, access, quality, and the clinical workforce.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky