During the pandemic, CDC recommendations about masking and other issues were the source of controversy. Some have asked whether the agency can better communicate the basis of its recommendations — and even seek public input along the way—to increase public understanding and acceptance.  In today’s episode, Johns Hopkins cardiologist Dr. Joseph Marine and Dr. Peter Lurie of the Center for Science in the Public Interest join the podcast to discuss how the CDC can communicate more transparently to build more public trust.

Dr. Joseph Marine is a cardiologist and a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Peter Lurie is the president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and a former Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Applying Class of Recommendations and Level of Evidence to Clinical Strategies, Interventions, Treatments, or Diagnostic Testing in Patient Care—American Heart Association

• Building a Better CDC—Public Health On Call (April, 2023)

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There’s a lot of flu out there right now, but just how bad is it and by what measures is it “bad”? In today’s episode: How this year’s flu season stacks up against years past, some factors that could be driving such high rates and severe disease, and how bird flu is further complicating things. Also: It’s not too late to get a flu shot!

Dr. Erica Prochaska is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• U.S. facing worst flu season since 2009, experts say—Axios

• The flu has killed 16,000 people this season. These are the states with the worst outbreaks—Fast Company

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Although cannabis is legal in nearly half of all U.S. states, policy is complicated. There's federal law, which prohibits the sale of THC-containing cannabis but not hemp. There's state law, which is an even more complex patchwork. In this episode: A new report looks at how this hazy landscape is impacting public health policy and equity.

Dr. Yasmin Hurd is a neuroscientist and the director of the Addiction Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Douglas Berman is a legal expert and the director of the Drug Enforcement Policy Center at the Moritz College of Lawat The Ohio State University.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity—National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine

• The Risks of Psychotic Symptoms With Cannabis Use in Younger People—Public Health On Call (January, 2024)

• The Evidence—and Lack Thereof—About Cannabis—Public Health On Call (August, 2023)

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The FDA is responsible for labeling on food packaging, such as the ubiquitous black and white nutrition label. But consumers could soon see new labels on foods offering more information about nutrition in key areas like sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. In today’s episode: the FDA’s proposed changes for food labeling and new standards for using the term “healthy” in everything from product names to descriptions and marketing.

Dr. Peter Lurie is the president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and a former Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• FDA Issues Proposed Rule on Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling—FDA

• Use of the Term Healthy on Food Labeling—FDA

• FDA Proposes New Food Labels to Detail Sugar, Fat, and Salt Levels—The New York Times

• Who can say it’s healthy? The FDA has a new definition for food labels—NPR

Traditional police work has struggled to meet the needs of cities like Rapid City, South Dakota. Often, police are called to address situations that are related to mental health crises, homelessness, and substance use. In this episode: Rapid City’s Chief of Police, Don Hedrick talks about what it means to police with public health in mind, the success of partnerships and outreach, and how a nontraditional approach helped Rapid City address an influx of violent crime.

Don Hedrick is the Chief of Police of Rapid City, South Dakota and a Bloomberg Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Law Enforcement With A Public Health Lens—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

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In 1868, the 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship in the United States. In this episode: a look at the court cases, historical events, and people that shaped one of the Constitution’s human rights provisions.

Martha Jones is a writer, historian and legal scholar, and a professor of history at the SNF Agora Institute.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Dred Scott v. Sandford—National Archives

• Opinion of the Maryland Court of Appeals, Hughes v. Jackson (1858)—National Constitution Center

• United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)—National Constitution Center

• The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

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Research has linked America’s food system with a host of health problems including obesity and heart disease. Advocate Marion Nestle, a food lover and food advocate, wants to change that. In this episode: how she got interested in the food system, the link between food marketing and diet, her excitement around GLP-1 drugs, and what she’ll be watching if RFK Jr. is confirmed as the head of HHS.

Marion Nestle is a molecular biologist and public health nutritionist known for her advocacy around a better food system for better health in America.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• The Effects of Food Advertisements on Food Intake and Neural Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Recent Experimental Studies—Advances in Nutrition

• Food Marketing and Labeling—Johns Hopkins Center For a Livable Future

• First randomized, controlled study finds ultraprocessed diet leads to weight gain—NIH Clinical Center

• GLP-1 drug use cuts grocery spending by 6%, study finds—Fooddive

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Today, in another episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics from the molecular level to global policy and everything in between: The Vaccines For Children Program is a CDC program that provides recommended vaccines without charge to about half of the nation’s children. In this episode: the program’s origins in a terrifying measles outbreak, how the program works, and what the evidence shows about its success.

Claire Hannan is the executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit organization that helps state public health agencies operate immunization programs.

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• The Vaccines For Children Program—CDC Website

• The $8 Billion Children’s Vaccine Fund Kennedy Would Oversee—The New York Times

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Today, in another episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics from the molecular level to global policy and everything in between: how compensation for most vaccine-related injuries works in the U.S. Serious vaccine injuries are rare, but when they do happen, people can bring their claims to a special court. In today’s episode, Judge Gary Golkiewicz, a “special master” of the United States Court of Federal Claims, talks about how the program works, how often it’s utilized, and what’s needed to help the program improve.

Gary Golkiewicz is a litigator and the former Chief Special Master for the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Vaccines 101: The Basics of Vaccines and Vaccination—Public Health On Call (January, 2025)

• Vaccines 101: Vaccine Safety Science—Public Health On Call (January, 2025)

• The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program—Health Resources & Services Administration

• Vaccine Injury Table (pdf)—Health Resources & Services Administration

• Vaccine Claims/Office of Special Masters—United States Court of Federal Claims

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Today, in the next episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics: the science of vaccine safety. In this episode, a look at what’s unique about vaccine safety compared to the safety of other medical products, and how experts tell the difference between an adverse effect that is "causal" and one that is "coincidental."

Dan Salmon is the director of the Johns Hopkins Institute For Vaccine Safety.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

• Vaccines 101: The Basics of Vaccines and Vaccination—Public Health On Call (January, 2025)

• What VAERS Is (And Isn’t)—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Let’s Talk Shots—The Institute for Vaccine Safety

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