A special live Commencement & Reunion Weekend episode of Humans in Public Health brings experts from epidemiology together with the director of Urban Studies at Brown for a discussion on cities: How they collect public health problems and the ways they might help us to address those same issues.

This episode of Humans in Public Health features Professor Alex Macmadu, an epidemiologist who has spent her career studying the opioid and overdose crisis. She shares insights on Rhode Island’s bold step in opening the first state-approved overdose prevention center in the U.S. and what her research reveals about community attitudes toward harm reduction. Listen in to learn how evidence, advocacy and compassion are shaping the future of public health responses to drug use.

What happens when private equity firms buy hospitals and doctor’s offices? In this episode of Humans in Public Health, host Megan Hall sits down with health care economist Yashaswini Singh to unpack how private equity is reshaping the American health care system—often behind the scenes. From rising costs to shifting priorities in patient care, Singh explains why the recent collapse of Steward Health Care is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you’ve heard the term “private equity” or not, this conversation will change the way you think about your next doctor’s visit.

March 2020—life as we knew it changed overnight. In this special episode of Humans in Public Health, we take you back to the early days of the pandemic, when uncertainty loomed, fear spread and the world held its breath. Through personal stories and firsthand accounts from public health experts, we revisit the emotions, decisions and pivotal moments that shaped those first weeks. How did people react? And what have we learned since? Tune in for a compelling look at the moment everything changed.

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They’re not just in your nail polish. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are everywhere—in our homes, clothing, the personal care products we use, and in our bodies. Postdoctoral researcher Amber Hall explains the dangers PFAS pose, especially to developing humans, and helps us learn how to avoid them. The burden of protecting our children’s health from toxic chemicals, she argues in the latest episode of Humans in Public Health, shouldn’t be borne by individuals. Regulation, Hall says, is needed to push through product-level change and protect the public’s health.

Sound Effects in this episode from Freesound.org, courtesy of: 

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Host Megan Hall sits down with Jared Perkins, director of health policy strategy at Brown University's Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research. They discuss how academic research makes its way from dense journals to policymakers on Capitol Hill, bridging the gap between science and legislation. Jared offers insights into the challenges of health policy under a shifting political landscape and explains how researchers can play a vital role in shaping decisions that impact healthcare nationwide.

Professor Alyssa Bilinski set out to answer a seemingly simple question: how often are pregnant people included in medical trials? Finding the answer, however, was anything but simple. With 90,000 records to analyze, she turned to AI for help—but ensuring the accuracy of the results required a creative approach. Discover how Bilinski tested and refined AI algorithms to deliver reliable insights and advance health policy research.

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The East African country of Rwanda is currently in the midst of a Marburg virus disease outbreak, but the picture is far from bleak. Global health expert Dr. Craig Spencer, who survived Ebola in 2014, joined us to discuss the current situation in Rwanda, how the country has managed its “unprecedented” response, and what more developed nations can learn about global health security from their success.

Picture a coal power plant: a building with tall smoke stacks with big plumes of gasses coming out of them. By now, we know that those gasses aren’t great for our health or the environment. But how bad are they? That’s where Professor Cory Zigler comes in. He worked with a team of researchers to figure out where those gasses go and who they affect. Their approach was so specific, the team could point to a single power plant and say how many people it killed.

Science: Mortality risk from United States coal electricity generation

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The dangers of firearms are well understood, but their ammunition is the source of a little-known health threat: toxic lead. Brown doctoral student Christian Hoover studies the connection between guns and elevated blood lead levels in America’s children and adults. Host Megan Hall speaks with him about the results of the first national study of this problem, and his advice for gun owners on the healthiest way to minimize lead exposure.