Public Health On Call

By The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Evidence and experts to help you understand today's public health news—and what it means for tomorrow.... more

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FAQs about Public Health On Call:

How many episodes does Public Health On Call have?

The podcast currently has 1,076 episodes available.

Public Health On Call episodes:

November 24, 2025980 - Why Early Introduction Helps Reduce Children's Peanut Allergies
About this episode:
Since 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that parents and caregivers introduce peanuts to children's diets at around four to six months old to avoid the onset of a peanut allergy. In this episode: Pediatric allergist David Hill explains why early allergen introduction is safe and effective and how these recommendations have led to a significant reduction in peanut allergies in children.
Guests:
Dr. David Hill, PhD, is an allergist, immunologist, and an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:

Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy—Pediatrics

Peanut Allergies Have Plummeted in Children, Study Shows—New York Times

Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy—New England Journal of Medicine

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
16min
November 20, 2025979 - Why Are More People Choosing Not to Vaccinate Their Pets?
About this episode:
As hesitancy about human vaccines rises, so too does skepticism of routine pet immunizations. In this episode: Veterinarians Meghan Davis and Kaitlin Waite explain what's behind growing anti-vaccine sentiment among pet owners, how veterinarians are navigating this divide, and why an understanding of the human-animal bond can yield better public health outcomes for all.
Guests:
Meghan Davis, PhD, MPH, DVM, is a veterinarian and public health researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a joint appointment at the School of Medicine.

Kaitlin Waite, MPH, DVM, is a veterinarian and a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also serves as the Deputy Director of Outreach Core at the POE Center.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:

Here's Why Fewer People Are Vaccinating Their Pets—TIME

Vaccine Skepticism Comes for Pet Owners, Too—New York Times

The importance of vaccinating your pet—Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

Could One Health Prevent the Next Pandemic?—Public Health On Call (September 2025)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
17min
November 19, 2025978 - Advancing Robotic Telesurgery
About this episode:
Robotic telesurgery allows providers to conduct minimally invasive surgeries across long distances, reaching remote communities. In this episode: Binita Ashar, a surgeon with a background in policy, discusses the revolutionary role this technology can play in medicine and what issues need to be addressed—from cost to cybersecurity—in order to greenlight more procedures in the United States.
Guests:
Binita Ashar, MD, MBA, is a general surgeon who previously served as the Director of the FDA's Office of Surgical and Infection Control Devices. She also serves on the board of the Society of Robotic Surgery.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:

Exclusive look at groundbreaking remote robotic surgery: Patient was in Africa; doctor was in Florida—ABC News

WHO and Society of Robotic Surgery launch health innovation initiative to expand access to virtual care and telesurgery—WHO

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
16min
November 17, 2025977 - The Health Risks of Alcohol
About this episode:
Long-cited research has promoted potential health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. But updated information disproves these claims and links drinking at any amount with increased cancer risk. In this episode: Professor Johannes Thrul, whose research covers substance use and addiction, details recent research on this topic and shares how to communicate these findings to help people make their own decisions around drinking.
Guests:
Johannes Thrul, PhD, MS, is an Associate Professor of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:

Why Alcohol Needs a Cancer Warning Label—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

Alcohol Causes Cancer. We Should Be Drinking Less.—MedPage Today

Preventing Alcohol Misuse, Use Disorders, and Deaths—Public Health On Call (February 2024)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
15min
November 13, 2025976 - Championing the Just Treatment of People Who Use Substances
About this episode:
A single court case in North Carolina is holding skilled nursing facilities accountable to adopt anti-discrimination policies for those with a history of substance use. In this episode: Sally Friedman, part of the team behind this lawsuit, explains the case and why it could set a national precedent for the just treatment of people who use substances in health care.
Guests:
Sally Friedman, JD, is the Senior Vice President of Legal Advocacy at the Legal Action Center, where she leads a team of attorneys and paralegals that help over 1,500 clients annually to access jobs, housing, health care, and other basic rights.
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:

Nursing facilities can't blanket ban people with addiction history, per N.C. settlement—STAT

Q&A with Disability Rights North Carolina's Sara Harrington and Dane Mullis—Legal Action Center

Disability Rights North Carolina—http://disabilityrightsnc.org

Discrimination Against Patients With Substance Use Disorder in Health Care Settings—Public Health On Call (January 2024)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
14min
November 12, 2025975 - A Tumultuous Year for NIH Funding
About this episode:
Between lawsuits, layoffs, and lags in funding, NIH has undergone significant changes in how it reviews and approves grant proposals for critical research. In this episode: Jeremy Berg, a former NIH leader, talks about what's changed and what's to come for indirect cost reimbursements, funding approvals, and the scientific research ecosystem as a whole.
Guests:
Jeremy M. Berg, PhD, is a professor of computational and systems biology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is also the Associate Senior Vice Chancellor of Science Strategy and Planning. He previously served as the Director of the National Institute for General Medical Sciences at NIH.
Host:
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.
Show links and related content:

Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration's defense of capping NIH overhead payments—STAT

Trump order gives political appointees vast powers over research grants—Nature

Life-saving medicines begin in the basic research DOGE wants to stop funding—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
25min
November 10, 2025974 - Caring for Children in War-Torn Ukraine
About this episode:
As the conflict in Ukraine nears its fourth year, what help is available for vulnerable children caught in the crossfire? In this episode: Irwin Redlener, co-founder of the Ukraine Children's Action Project, discusses how he's operationalizing care for children's medical, psychological, and educational needs, and urges for an end to the conflict.
Guests:
Dr. Iriwin Redlener is a pediatrician and the co-founder of the Ukraine Children's Action Project. A longtime humanitarian activist, he is also the co-founder of the Children's Health Fund and the founder of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.
Host:
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.
Show links and related content:

UCAP Report: October 2025—Ukraine Children's Action Project

Dr. Redlener: Firsthand Report from Ukraine—MSNBC

Zelensky, 2022—Joan Baez Art

Ukraine's Humanitarian Crisis—Public Health On Call (March 2022)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
17min
November 06, 2025973 - Baltimore's Record Low in Homicides
About this episode:
Since taking office in 2020, Mayor Brandon Scott and his administration have embraced a public health approach to reducing gun violence. The results include an unprecedented reduction in the number of homicides and other violent crimes. Baltimore's homicide rate is now the lowest that it has been in decades. In this episode: Mayor Scott shares what is behind the city's progress and what comes next.
Guests:
Brandon M. Scott is the 52nd mayor of Baltimore, serving his second term. A lifelong Baltimorean, he previously served as President of the Baltimore City Council.
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:

Baltimore homicides down 31% from 2024, Mayor Brandon Scott says—Baltimore Sun

How Baltimore's violent crime rate hit an all-time low: 'This is not magic. It's hard work'—The Guardian

Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS)—City of Baltimore

A Sharp Decline in Homicides—Public Health On Call (June 2025)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
24min
November 04, 2025972 - Inside Rising Health Insurance Costs
About this episode:
Cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies are setting higher premiums and pushing coverage out of reach for many Americans. In this episode: the yearslong political battle behind elevating insurance costs, ripple effects across health care providers, and what it will take to build a healthy insurance system.
Guests:
Gerard Anderson, PhD, is an expert in health policy and a professor in Health Policy and Management and International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:

'A lifeline' - Americans fear spike in healthcare costs, making some Republicans nervy—BBC

How Affordable Care Act subsidies became a sticking point in the government shutdown—ABC News

The New Reality Facing Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA—Public Health On Call (August 2025)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
17min
November 03, 2025971 - An Update on Syphilis in the Great Plains Region
About this episode:
Last spring, Dr. Meghan Curry O'Connell joined Public Health On Call from ground zero of a syphilis outbreak among American Indian and Alaskan Native people in the Great Plains Region. In this episode: She provides an update on the situation, explaining how a collaborative team has been able to overcome obstacles and make progress.
Guests:
Dr. Meghan Curry O'Connell, MPH, is the chief public health officer at the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and a member of the Cherokee Nation.
Host:
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.
Show links and related content:

Efforts to curb SD's syphilis outbreak yield results, but public health advocate says work remains—South Dakota Searchlight

How a fight over data made South Dakota's bad syphilis outbreak worse—Vox

A Public Health Emergency: Syphilis Surges in the Great Plains Region—Public Health On Call (May 2024)

Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:

@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
...more
18min

FAQs about Public Health On Call:

How many episodes does Public Health On Call have?

The podcast currently has 1,076 episodes available.

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