Infectious Diseases

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, FRCP

Until there is a vaccine, the best hope for the novel coronavirus is finding the right “cocktail” of treatments for managing severe illness. A unique clinical trial model developed several years ago may now help identify treatments that work. Dr. Derek Angus talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Bayesian inference model, a “March Madness” of testing multiple therapies at once.

Published April 27, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Host: Stephanie Desmon

Guest: Andrew Stanley Pekosz, PhD

Virologist Dr. Andrew Pekosz returns to the podcast with an update on what his team has learned about COVID-19. Dr. Pekosz and Stephanie Desmon discuss further indications that COVID-19 may not be seasonal, why COVID-19 is “the flu on steroids,” and how learning about how the virus replicates in our upper respiratory tracts could hold clues for treatment and prevention. PLUS: An update on the convalescent plasma therapy trial.

Published April 27, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD

The market is suddenly flooded with antibody tests claiming to prove whether or not people have already been exposed to COVID-19. But two critical questions are yet unanswered: Are any of these tests accurate and does past exposure mean immunity?

Immunologist Dr. Gigi Gronvall of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report outlining the potential and pitfalls of antibody testing. They discuss how long it might be before we understand more about antibodies and immunity to COVID-19 and how widespread testing could help capture the true footprint of the coronavirus’s spread.

Published April 24, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD

If bats are immune to the novel coronavirus, can we learn something to help fight the virus in humans? How can I tell if my cough is spring allergies or COVID-19? Is it too soon for businesses like barber shops and salons to reopen? Can the virus crawl or be blown by the wind into your nose? Why are some people asymptomatic? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses questions.

Published April 24, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Host: Stephanie Desmon

Guest: Annette C. Anderson, PhD

Most schools closed suddenly and have had to scramble to stand up online learning or other solutions to continue instruction in the midst of the pandemic. Further complicating the response is the fact that no one knows how long this will last.

Dr. Annette Anderson of the Johns Hopkins School of Education talks to Stephanie Desmon about the Digital Divide, how schools are trying to prevent a “COVID slide,” the fear that learning can be lost over long breaks. They also discuss the burden on parents and how some districts are stepping up to address disruptions to vital services like food and mental health support for students and their families.

Published April 23, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH

Much of our world was suddenly postponed, canceled, or shuttered in the last month or so. There’s now an opportunity to be more thoughtful about reopening. There are risks either way: wait too long and there are consequences for health, safety, and the economy. Open too soon, and viral transmission may ramp up and out of control.

Dr. Caitlin Rivers of the Center for Health Security is coauthor of a recent report geared towards governors considering how to reopen non-essential businesses. She talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the basic principles behind deciding when to reopen bars, gyms, salons, and other nonessential businesses.

Published April 22, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Renata Schiavo, PhD, MA

COVID-19 is constantly referred to as a global pandemic, but how often do you think of it as an info-demic? Or as a health equity issue? Joining Mario Nacinovich to give us a look at COVID-19 through a different lens is Dr. Renata Schiavo, Senior Lecturer, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Sociomedical Sciences and Founder and President of the Board of Directors of the Health Equity Initiative. Dr. Schiavo discusses common barriers faced by the most vulnerable populations and how we can protect them during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published April 28, 2020

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: James Withers, MD

The street medicine movement is faced with the challenge of administering treatments and protection methods to a population that is often excluded and in dire need of care, and that challenge has only been intensified during this unprecedented time. Street physician Dr. Jim Withers, who’s credited with starting the street medicine movement, is here to share what it’s like to care for the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published April 27, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Anthony Dragun, MD

Throughout this global pandemic, radiation oncologists are faced with the challenge of finding ways to continue administering the necessary cancer treatments while limiting their patients’ risk of exposure to COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Dragun from the MD Anderson Cancer Center is here to explain how that can be done and why these new approaches should be embraced even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Published April 27, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Jonathan Riess, MD, MS

Due to the many challenges and complications that are now facing oncologists and their patients requiring lung cancer treatment, lung cancer care is changing in many ways to help minimize a patient’s risk of exposure, as Dr. Jonathan Riess from the UC Davis Medical Center explains.

Published April 24, 2020