General Medicine and Primary Care

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD

Why is the response to COVID-19 so much more severe than the response to other outbreaks like H1N1 or SARS? Will a vaccine be more effective than the usual flu vaccine? Has the shortage of available testing been resolved? Are we seeing more cases because of increases in transmission or testing? Why does COVID-19 cause shortness of breath? Can drinking cold water increase your risk of infection?

Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses some myths and questions.

Published March 20, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Stephanie Desmon

Recent volatility in the financial markets have shaken investors and left everyone asking: Are we currently in a financial crisis? Author and expert on financial crises Kathleen Day of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School talks to Stephanie Desmon of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs about how the novel coronavirus is affecting local and global economies and what consumers should do right now.

Published March 19, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD

What are the human rights considerations in the response to COVID-19? How can societies move to control the spread of the virus in ways that do not create panic or unnecessarily restrict communities? What are critical considerations as governments try to strike the right balance between restrictions and depriving people of the ability to live their lives? Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Len Rubenstein, Conflict and Health program director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights.

Published March 18, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH

What is #FlattenTheCurve? Caitlin Rivers, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about this response strategy, what it means for you, and how staying home can help ensure that everyone who needs healthcare in an outbreak will be able to get it.

Published March 17, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD

Is there potential for using antibodies generated by people who have recovered from COVID-19 to prevent infection and treat those who are sick? Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Arturo Casadevall, chair of Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, about a landmark 1934 case where antibodies helped stopped a measles outbreak.

Published March 17, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Jeffrey Kahn, MD

Guest: Nancy E. Kass, ScD

Is it right to publicly disclose information about people who get sick with COVID-19? What are society’s obligations to people who are quarantined? Is it time to start thinking about how to allocate critical healthcare resources in case this epidemic stretches the healthcare system beyond its capacity to care for everyone? Dr. Josh Sharfstein speaks with renowned ethicists Jeffery Kahn and Nancy Kass, the director and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Published March 16, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Professor Lucy Wilson

Dr. Lucy Wilson, professor of Emergency Health Services at University of Maryland Baltimore County, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why the Seattle outbreak is an important bellwether for the rest of the country in terms of protecting vulnerable populations and what facilities and first responders can do to control and stop outbreaks like COVID-19.

Published March 13, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Thomas V. Inglesby, MD

Can people without symptoms spread COVID-19? Can children get COVID-19? Should you cancel an upcoming gathering? Are school closures helpful? If you’ve had COVID-19, are you immune? Are men more affected than women? Dr. Tom Inglesby from the Center for Health Security answers these and some of the most asked questions.

Published March 13, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Georges Benjamin, MD

Weak points in the U.S.’s health and social policies—like paid sick leave and universal health coverage—disproportionately affect underserved communities. COVID-19 may present added challenges for these populations. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, about public health’s role in preventing communities from being left behind.

Published March 12, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Gabor Kelen, MD

What role do local health departments play in outbreaks, and how are they preparing for COVID-19? As Commissioner of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health in Ohio, Terry Allan is responsible for the well-being of over 850,000 people. Allan talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about public trust and the importance of open information sharing and how ongoing relationship building and past experience help set the stage for protecting people in their communities.

Published March 11, 2020