American Journal of Public Health Podcast

In this episode of the AJPH Vickie Mays, Alfredo Morabia and guest podcast co-host Susan Cochran offer reflections of a series of papers on the context of societal conditions that call out the need for public mental health. The interviews are of an author of 4 papers in a special AJPH issue on mental health. Margarita Alegria and her study of which primary care referrals actually enhanced both mental and physical health, Brea Perry and the impact of mental health in emerging young adults use of social media in building social cohension and bonding, Pualani Enos's reflection on the ways in which the land and water right fights are part of the mental health trauma of the Lahaina fires and from Cochran and Mays on their paper on the gendered language of mental health and its importance in assessing men's suicide.

In this AJPH podcast episode, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia speak with Caroline R. Efird, Derek M. Griffith, and Jonathan Metzl about the often-overlooked concept of whiteness as a determinant of health. They discuss their article, 'Whiteness: A Fundamental Determinant of the Health of Rural White Americans,' exploring what whiteness is, why it should be considered a health determinant, and whether racism within whiteness can backfire. The conversation also addresses how public health professionals can navigate the current pushback against anti-racist health initiatives.

In this episode of the AJPH podcast, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia interview four experts—Kimberly M. Nelson, Wendy E. Parmet, Kristen Underhill, and Ruqaiijah Yearby—on the intersection of law, policy, and public health. They discuss the importance of studying policies within their legal contexts, the trend of state laws disproportionately targeting marginalized groups, and the broader implications for health and equity. The conversation explores the reasons behind these legal shifts and how research can inform the creation of stronger, more protective policies that promote public health and social justice.

In this AJPH podcast episode, recorded live at the 2025 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia speak with Adrienne R. Ghorashi and Ruqaiijah Yearby about their presentation, "Examining the Role of State Constitutions in Racism, Governance, and Health Equity." They highlight how state constitutions, rather than the federal constitution, play a crucial yet often overlooked role in shaping health inequities. The discussion explores how legal frameworks at the state level contribute to systemic disparities and how constitutional reforms could advance health equity.

2025P1 Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu and Dr. Tianchu Lyu, review highlights of the Oct to Dec 2024 Issues and Supplements.

The Editor’s Corner features Dr. José Pagán, Professor and Chair of Department of Public Health Policy and Management, School of Global Public Health, New York University

In this episode of AJPH podcast, Alfredo Morabia interviews Professor

Vickie Mays, co-host of the podcast and clinical psychologist who is a

faculty member at UCLA, about the devastating fires that have ravaged the

Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Speaking from Los Angeles, Professor Mays

provides an up-to-date account of the destruction as of January 16, 2025.

She discusses the critical public health priorities for the weeks and

months ahead and shares insights on how communities and policymakers can support the victims and aid recovery efforts.

In this episode of AJPH Talks, Alfredo Morabia interviews three distinguished guests: Dr. David Michaels, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Dr. Jonathan Samet, Professor and former Dean at the Colorado School of Public Health, and Paul E Sampson, historian at the University of Scranton. Together, they explore the historical context that brought ventilation to the forefront of public health concerns in homes and workplaces, the evolving regulatory framework for protecting workers from airborne transmission, and the progress (or lack thereof) in evidence-based strategies for reducing respiratory infections through improved indoor air management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Dr Sherry Glied, Dean of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public and Dr Steven Woolf, Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor, VCU Center on Society and Health about the differences in excess all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic across the US states. How can we explain the greater excess mortality in states with more conservative governments? Were these deaths preventable and, if so, how? Should governments be accountable for preventable excess deaths?

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Profs Neil Pearce (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Andrew C. Stokes (Boston University School of Public Health), and Jan P Vandenbroucke (Leiden University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Epidemiology) in a compelling discussion about excess mortality and its significance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why might excess mortality be a more accurate measure than COVID-19-specific mortality? What is the theoretical foundation for using excess mortality as an evaluative tool? How can excess mortality help determine whether countries or regions performed ‘equally well’ during the pandemic? Can it provide insights into what strategies worked—or didn’t—during the crisis? Despite delays in obtaining mortality data, how can excess mortality be used to track health emergencies in real time? Finally, what key recommendations should guide those using excess mortality as an outcome measure? Join us for this insightful conversation to better understand the critical role of excess mortality in shaping public health decisions and pandemic evaluations.

2024 P4 Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu and Dr. Tianchu Lyu, review highlights of the July to September 2024 Issues and July Supplement.

The Editor’s Corner features Dr. Lin Fang, Professor from Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Canada.