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 1,099 episodes available.

Public Health On Call episodes:

January 29, 20261003 - The U.S.'s Insurance-Based Health Care System
About this episode:
The U.S. takes a unique approach to health care by tying coverage to employment. This has led to high rates of uninsured Americans, the creation of the Affordable Care Act, and ongoing fights about health care spending culminating in a government shutdown late last year. In this episode: Jonathan Cohn details the health care debate happening in Washington right now, the nuances of universal coverage in other countries, and what might come next for health insurance in the U.S.
Guests:
Jonathan Cohn is a writer for The Bulwark and the author of "The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage".
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:

Lawmakers reached a surprise bipartisan health deal. Now they have to keep it.—POLITICO

Oregon Health Insurance Experiment—National Bureau of Economic Research

Defenders of Medicaid cuts are misunderstanding a study I worked on—STAT

Inside Rising Health Insurance Costs—Public Health On Call (November 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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
21min
January 28, 20261002 - On Public Health and Human Rights in Minneapolis
About this episode:
Today: a human rights perspective on immigration enforcement and public protest in Minneapolis. Professor Joe Amon is the director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has also studied human rights issues in more than 40 countries. He talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about his perspective on some of the most dramatic images that have emerged over the last several weeks. Note: this episode contains descriptions of violence and trauma. Please listen with care.
Guests:
Joe Amon is the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human 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:

Disaster Epidemiology: Human Rights and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Siege of Minneapolis—Health and Human Rights

KARE 11's Jana Shortal recounts being pushed, pepper sprayed by ICE after fatal shooting—KARE 11

A preschooler was taken away by ICE, but officials say they had no choice. Here's what we know—CNN

Mother of 3 who loved to sing and write poetry shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis—CNN

Alex Pretti identified as man fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis—Minnesota Star Tribune

Medical Care in Immigration Detention—Public Health On Call (October 2025)

Mental Health Care in ICE Custody—Public Health On Call (October 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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 26, 20261001 - Vaccines 101: How FDA Regulates Vaccines
About this episode:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for reviewing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines—a job that requires deep scientific understanding as well as thoughtful regulatory judgment. In this episode: Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former top vaccine regulator and chief scientist at the FDA, explains how the agency came to lead the world in vaccine oversight—and shares his concerns for the future.
Guests:
Dr. Jesse Goodman, MPH, is a professor and the director of Georgetown University's Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship. He worked at the FDA from 1998 until 2014, including as chief scientist.
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:

How HHS, FDA, and CDC Can Influence U.S. Vaccine Policy—KFF

Vaccines 101—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Recent "Expert Panels" Could Undermine the FDA's Credibility—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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
21min
January 22, 20261000 - Celebrating 1,000 Episodes of Public Health On Call
About this episode:
It started as a time-limited series of interviews with public health experts at the start of a global pandemic. Over nearly six years, Public Health On Call expanded to a wide range of topics, including humanitarian health, aging, and vaccines, becoming a home for nuanced public health discussions and analysis. In this episode: Hosts Stephanie Desmon, Josh Sharfstein, and Lindsay Smith Rogers reflect on 1,000 episodes of the show, the challenges of covering complex health topics, and what issues they want to focus on next. Note: This episode is also available as a video on YouTube.
Guests:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

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.
Episodes mentioned:

001 - Global Preparedness, Misinformation and Community Transmission—March 2020

060 - The Epidemic Within the Pandemic: Opioids and COVID-19—April 2020

064 - How COVID-19 Has Changed a Baltimore Public School—May 2020

132 - The Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen and Parallels to the COVID-19 Pandemic—August 2020

169 - Online Learning with Baltimore Public School Principal Matt Hornbeck—September 2020

285 - COVID-19 and the Arts Part 2: Performing Arts and the Pandemic with Marin Alsop—March 2021

311 - A Baltimore Public School Reopens—May 2021

401 - School in the Time of COVID: A Tour Of Hampstead Hill Academy—November 2021

465- A Special Mother's Day Episode—May 2022

653 - Back to School: How One K-8 School Is Getting Ready for the Fall—August 2023

751 - The New Federal Regulations Aimed Making Methadone More Accessible—And Less Stigmatizing—April 2024

823 - Special Episode—The Fight For A Swimmable Harbor in Baltimore—November 2024

862 - The Misinformation Around Seed Oils—March 2025

891 - B'More For Healthy Babies: A Look Back at 15 Years of Infant Mortality Reduction in Baltimore—May 2025

953 - Interpreting the Data on Tylenol, Pregnancy, and Autism—September 2025

967 - An Update on Baltimore's Swimmable Harbor and the Pistachio Tide—October 2025

973 - Baltimore's Record Low in Homicides—November 2025

979 - Why Are More People Choosing Not to Vaccinate Their Pets?—November 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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
29min
January 21, 2026999 - Head Lice and Bed Bugs
About this episode:
Nothing can make your skin crawl quite like the mention of lice or bed bugs, especially if you're the parent of young children. The good news: though these blood-sucking pests are a nuisance, they pose limited risk to human health. In this episode: Parasitologist Conor McMeniman explains why infestations start, who's susceptible, and how to get these pests out of your hair—literally.
Guest:
Conor McMeniman, PhD, is an associate professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and faculty at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.
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:

No-Panic Guide to Head Lice Treatment—Johns Hopkins Medicine

Bed Bugs: Get Them Out and Keep Them Out—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 20, 2026998 - Marion Nestle on the New Dietary Guidelines
About this episode:
Renowned nutritionist Marion Nestle likes the federal recommendation to reduce ultra-processed foods and its emphasis on healthy school meals. But there are other things she finds muddled, contradictory, and incomplete about the nation's new dietary guidelines. In this episode: Nestle talks protein, whole grains, and expanding access to healthy foods.
Guests:
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, is emeritus faculty at New York University. She is the author of the Food Politics blog and the book "What To Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters".
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:

RealFood.gov—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The MAHA 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines have arrived: Cheerful, Muddled, Contradictory, Ideological, Retro—Food Politics

Canada's Low-Risk Alcohol Guidelines—Public Health On Call (January 2026)

The Misinformation Around Seed Oils—Public Health On Call (March 2025)

Marion Nestle and Food Politics—Public Health On Call (February 2025)

What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters—Food Politics

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 15, 2026997 - The New Drug Igniting a Withdrawal Crisis
About this episode:
Medetomidine, a veterinary sedative similar to xylazine, is appearing more frequently in drug supplies in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania—and the withdrawal symptoms are debilitating. In this episode: Addiction medicine specialist Jordan Nahas-Vigon details the risks facing people who use drugs and why it's so difficult to quit.
Guests:
Dr. Jordan Nahas-Vigon is a primary care doctor with Johns Hopkins Medicine who specializes in addiction medicine.
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:

A Powerful New Drug Is Creating a 'Withdrawal Crisis' in Philadelphia—New York Times

Why the animal sedative behind a Baltimore mass overdose is so hard to quit—The Baltimore Banner

Sedative 'dex' is replacing 'tranq' in illegal drug supply and causing excruciating withdrawal—STAT

The Xylazine Crisis—Public Health On Call (May 2023)

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 14, 2026996 - Canada's Low-Risk Alcohol Guidelines
About this episode:
Citing updated research on the health risks of drinking alcohol, Canada changed consumption guidelines in 2023, making global headlines for its steep drop in what's viewed as "low risk" drinking. In this episode: One of the architects of those guidelines explains how these recommendations were developed, their efficacy as a public health intervention, and what to make of the U.S.'s new guidelines.
Guests:
Tim Stockwell, PhD, is a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Victoria.
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:

US has new alcohol guidelines: How much is healthy to drink?—The Hill

Is That Drink Worth It to You?—New York Times

Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health—Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

What's behind Canada's drastic new alcohol guidance—BBC

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 12, 2026995 - A Record-Breaking Flu Season
About this episode:
Flu is surging in states across the country, breaking a 25-year record for flu-related doctor visits. In this episode: the new strain of influenza A that's driving cases, why getting a flu shot can still protect you, and how antivirals can help if you do get sick.
Guest:
Andrew Pekosz, PhD, is a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with appointments in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Environmental Health and Engineering.
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:

Doctors still recommend flu shot despite sneaky new strain—Politifact

US Flu Cases Show No Signs of Letting Up—Bloomberg

Flu reaches highest level in the US in 25 years—CNN

How Bad Will This Winter Be for Flu, COVID, RSV, and Measles?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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
January 08, 2026994 - What "The Pitt" Reflects About Real-Life Hospitals
About this episode:

Emmy-award winning drama "The Pitt" returns for a second, thrilling season that follows 15 hours in an emergency department for doctors, nurses, residents, and administrators. In this episode: Dr. Emily Boss discusses what the show gets right about real-life hospitals, from the medicine to the stress to the systemic barriers that can make delivering quality health care difficult. You don't have to watch the show to enjoy this conversation!

Guests:

Dr. Emily Boss, MPH, is a pediatric otolaryngologist and a professor of Health Policy & Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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:

I'm a Surgeon. This Is the Messy Truth 'The Pitt' Exposes—Newsweek

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

@‌PublicHealthPod 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

FAQs about Public Health On Call:

How many episodes does Public Health On Call have?

The podcast currently has 1,099 episodes available.

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