Infectious Diseases

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Beth Blauer

The COVID-19 dashboard run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering has been a critical source of near real-time tracking of the spread of the novel coronavirus since it first emerged. Beth Blauer, Executive Director of Centers for Civic Impact and an expert on the public’s use of data and analytics, is part of the team that manages the map. Blauer talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the global dashboard originated, what new features have been added, and how the data can help individuals and officials make informed decisions for COVID-19 response.

Published April 14, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Kathryn J. Ruddy, MD

Guest: Joerg Herrmann, MD

To give us a better sense for how some cardiology and oncology specialists have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Joerg Hermann and Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, who are two members of the cross-disciplinary Cardio-Oncology clinic at Mayo Clinic, discuss their perspectives on this pandemic and how they’ve been treating immunosuppressed patients.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.

Tune in as pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein looks at a few of the novel approaches researchers all over the world are taking to conquer the novel coronavirus in addition to evaluating what these approaches may mean for today and potential viral mutations going forward.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: John Russell, MD

In the absence of FDA-approved therapies and vaccines to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals on the frontlines are turning to malarial medicines like chloroquine and hydroquinone to treat their patients—despite the fact that there’s no evidence to support their use. But this isn’t the first time that medicines have been used for a different purpose than what they were intended for, as Dr. John Russell explains.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.

Critical medicine shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for drugs required to support patients on mechanical ventilation, is the focus of this episode of The Drug Report. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein describes the urgent appeals made by major healthcare organizations, related reports highlighting the serious impact of these shortages on fill rates for critical medicines, and progress being made at the federal level to remedy the situation.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: John Russell, MD

The practice of quarantining ill patients goes back much further than you may realize. Tune in as Dr. John Russell walks us through the history of quarantines going all the way back to the year 1200.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.

Join pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein as she outlines the United States Health and Human Services’ authorization of licensed pharmacists to order and administer FDA-approved COVID-19 tests as well as the priority patient testing categories as set forth by the U.S. Public Health Service.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: John Russell, MD

Throughout history, diseases have acquired names from geographical landmarks, the name of the organism, the anatomy impacted, and even the media. But some naming conventions have resulted in negative consequences, which is why the World Health Organization established best practices for naming novel diseases in 2015.

Here to walk us through those guidelines and to give us a brief history of how some well-known diseases—including the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently facing—gained their name is Dr. John Russell.

Published April 21, 2020

Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.

The Centers for Disease Control provided a guidance for pharmacy staff to minimize their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus and reduce customer risk during the pandemic. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein presents highlights of the guidance that offers recommendations on ways to minimize viral exposure when medication dispensing along with methods to minimize patient-to-patient contact.

Published on April 17, 2020

Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.

Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein highlights the key points of a New England Journal of Medicine article that given the available evidence, the authors and multiple specialty medical societies believe that—despite theoretical concerns and uncertainty pertaining to the effect of RAAS inhibitors on ACE2 and its potential relationship to COVID-19 severity—RAAS inhibitors should be continued in patients who are otherwise in stable condition who are at risk for or are being evaluated for COVID-19. Abrupt withdrawal of RAAS inhibitors in high-risk patients, including those who have heart failure or have had myocardial infarction, may result in clinical instability and adverse health outcomes.

Published April 17, 2020