General Medicine and Primary Care

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Terry Allan

Why the director of Hopkins’ Office of Critical Event Preparedness is preparing but not panicking: Dr. Gabor Kelen, Director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what’s contributing to public fears about COVID-19, how the institution assesses what actions to take, and his one piece of advice for people experiencing mild symptoms.

Published March 10, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Lisa Maragakis, MD

COVID-19 presents new challenges for health care providers in the midst of respiratory virus season. Dr. Lisa Maragakis, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about standard precautions, protecting hospital staff while ensuring coverage, how previous outbreaks have laid some groundwork to address this one, and what you can do to help.

Published March 9, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD

Is hand sanitizer effective? Will this spread throughout the US? Should I cancel my upcoming travel plans? Can COVID-19 tests tell the difference between someone who has had the virus and someone who currently has it? Are face masks effective?

Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security answers these and some of the most asked questions.

Published March 6, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Andrew Stanley Pekosz, PhD

Tune in for an interview with Professor Andrew Pekosz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an expert in the basic science of respiratory viruses, including influenza and SARS. Dr. Pekosz shares what’s known and what is yet to be discovered about the novel coronavirus.

Published March 5, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Justin Lessler, PhD

Dr. Josh Sharfstein interviews infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Justin Lessler on the features of viruses that lead to worldwide contagion, how COVID-19 compares with the flu in terms of speed, and where the evidence now points for this novel coronavirus.

Dr. Justin Lessler is an Associate Professor in Epidemiology. Dr. Josh Sharfstein is the Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and former secretary of Maryland’s Department of Health.

Published March 4, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD

Guest: Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA

Guest: Lauren M. Sauer, MS

With COVID-19 beginning to spread via community transmission in the U.S. and the WHO raising its risk assessment to “very high,” experts from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine offer insights on the growing global public health concern.

Featuring Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo and Dr. Tara Kirk Sell of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Lauren Sauer of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response; moderated by Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and former secretary of Maryland's Department of Health.

Published March 3, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Reports from hospitals in multiple states speak to a rapidly diminishing supply of personal protective equipment, leading healthcare systems to adopt alternative solutions to the shortage. But will these approaches meet the rising demand, and will clinicians be adequately protected along the way?

Published March 23, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Among the most touted candidates in the hunt for effective coronavirus treatments are the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine. Will these drugs become effective treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis agents?

Published March 23, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

COVID-19 has irreversibly altered the progression track for the next generation of physicians, with cancellations of Match Day events, Board exams, and clinical rotations in effect. Now an increasing number of entities are calling on medical students to join front-line efforts to combat the virus.

Published March 23, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Asim A. Shah, MD

Healthcare reform has become a leading debate in the media, with supporters of single payer systems touting projections of quality improvements and cost savings alongside other benefits. But what are some of the drawbacks of a one-size-fits-all? That’s the question psychiatrist Dr. Asim Shah addressed in a recent op-ed article from the Houston Chronicle he co-authored.