Public Health On Call

By Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Medicine

What's Public Health On Call about?

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

4.6

402402 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Public Health On Call episodes:

04.24.2024
750 - World Malaria Day: From Lab to Legislature—Meet the Scientists Taking on Capitol Hill in the Fight Against Malaria
World Malaria Day is April 25. Today, guest host Thomas Locke takes us to Capitol Hill where we meet malaria scientists who have joined an advocacy group to lobby members of Congress to fund critical interventions against malaria. They talk...
04.22.2024
749 - Planetary Health: Thinking About The Earth Crisis As A Humanitarian Crisis
Humans are transforming, degrading, and altering Earth’s natural life support systems so profoundly that our actions have created an existential crisis. For Earth Day, Sam Myers, founding director of the Planetary Health Alliance and director of the brand new Johns...
04.19.2024
748 - Studying Sewage to Fight Infectious Diseases: An Update From The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC
The presence of infectious diseases can be picked up through wastewater surveillance but how can this data be useful in predicting future outbreaks? Dr. Dylan George, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, talks with...
04.17.2024
747 - The Lack of Research Around Type 1 Diabetes
There’s a lot of research around Type 2 diabetes that has informed patient care when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, and lifestyle management. But much less is known about Type 1, long mislabeled “childhood diabetes.” Johns Hopkins epidemiologists Elizabeth Selvin...
04.15.2024
746 - Why Cigarettes Are So Bad for the Environment
Cigarette butts are the most littered object in the world. With their plastic filters and toxic substances, they are a significant source of contamination for soil and water. Grazi Grilo, a researcher at the Global Institute for Tobacco Control, talks...
04.12.2024
745 - A Conversation With Dr. Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon General
Dr. Antonia Novella served as the 14th Surgeon General under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 - 1993. She is the first female and first Hispanic Surgeon General in U.S. history. Dr. Novella talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about her...
04.10.2024
744 - The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences
Much research has been dedicated to the long-lasting negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences—far less has focused on the powerful effects of positive experiences. Dr. Melissa Walls, co-director of the Center for Indigenous Health and a member of the Bois...
04.09.2024
BONUS - Coping With The Psychological Aftermath of The Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
On March 26, Baltimore’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed, killing six people. Since then, many have found themselves watching endless loops of the video and ongoing coverage, and some are feeling symptoms...
04.08.2024
743 - What You Need to Know About H5N1, The Bird Flu Spilling Over Into Mammals
Recent reports of spillover of avian virus H5N1 into cows, cats, and even one human are concerning to the scientific community for a number of reasons. But what does the public need to know? Virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz and public...
04.05.2024
742 - What You Need To Know About PFAS, Or “Forever Chemicals
Per- and polyfluorinated substances are in all kinds of products from waterproof makeup to fire retardants. Dr. Ned Calonge, co-author of a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, talks with Stephanie Desmon about these “forever...
04.03.2024
741 - Xolair: The First Drug For Severe Food Allergies
Xolair is the first FDA-approved therapy to prevent severe and potentially life-threatening reactions in adults and children who are allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts and other foods. Dr. Robert Wood, the director of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns...
04.01.2024
740 - The Forgotten Youths Who Are Caregivers For Their Families
A hidden population of children serve as caregivers for family members who are chronically ill, elderly, disabled or injured. Left out of the systems that support adult caregivers, these youths often sacrifice their education, health, well-being, and childhoods. Connie Siskowski,...
03.29.2024
739 - How an 1882 Play, The Enemy of the People, is Helping Communities Heal from the Trauma of COVID-19
How can a play about rural Norway in 1882 help us process the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic? That's the question posed by Theater of War Productions, which is hosting readings of The Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen—and then...
03.27.2024
738 - Why Syphilis Is On the Rise
Despite a national plan to eliminate syphilis by 2010, the sexually transmitted infection has reached the highest rates since the 1950s. Dr. Khalil Ghanem, a researcher of sexually transmitted infections at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, talks...
03.25.2024
737 - Secretary Xavier Becerra on the 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
The 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act marked a major change in health insurance coverage and care for millions of Americans. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra talks with Stephanie Desmon about the remarkable changes “Obamacare”...
03.22.2024
736 - World Water Day: How Water Can Be a Powerful Force to Bring People Together
More than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and more than 3 billion are living without safe sanitation systems. For World Water Day, Ken Conca, a professor of international relations at the School of International Service at...
03.20.2024
735 - De-medicalizing Menopause
Menopause: inevitable, stigmatized, mysterious, and bringing a broad range of symptoms and experiences. Dr. Martha Hickey, a menopause researcher at the University of Melbourne, talks with Stephanie Desmon about a new Lancet series on menopause. They discuss how ageism and...
03.18.2024
734 - How Hospital Infection Control Has Changed Since COVID
Four years after the early days of the pandemic, how are hospitals thinking about infection control, how much has changed, and to what degree have things returned to “normal”? Dr. Lisa Maragakis, the head of infection control at Johns Hopkins...
03.15.2024
733 - Projections of Excess Deaths in Gaza Over the Next Six Months
A new report models projections of the human costs of conflict in Gaza over the next six months across several scenarios. Paul Spiegel, director of the Center for Humanitarian Health, and Tak Igusa, professor of Civil and Systems Engineering at...
03.14.2024
BONUS - How "Illiberal" Is Public Health?
In his new book Within Reason: A Liberal Public Health for an Illiberal Time, Dean Sandro Galea of the Boston University School of Public Health challenges closed-mindedness and invective in public health. In this special, extended bonus episode, Dr. Galea and...
03.13.2024
732 - Bringing Back Condoms to Prevent HIV
Condoms were once an essential part of the public health toolkit to fight HIV and STIs. But over the last decade, and coinciding with the rise of medication that prevents HIV infection, condom use among men who have sex with...
03.11.2024
731 - A Playbook for Addressing Health Misinformation
Health misinformation is rampant—online and through rumors—but there are steps people can take to help stamp them out. Aishwarya Nagar and Tara Kirk Sell from the Center for Health Security are co-authors of a new playbook aimed at helping public...
03.08.2024
730 - Women’s History Month: A Conversation With Sue Baker, the “Mother of Injury Prevention”
When Sue Baker started her research career in the 1960s, there was no field devoted to injury prevention despite accidents being a leading cause of death in the US. In honor of Women’s History Month, Stephanie Desmon talks with injury...
03.06.2024
BONUS - COVID-19 Updated: The CDC’s New Isolation Guidelines, Vaccines For People Over 65, and New Variants
The CDC announced new isolation guidelines last week that bring COVID-19 in line with recommendations for other viral respiratory diseases. Virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz returns to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about what this means in the contexts...
03.06.2024
729 - Hidden Food Insecurity: The Adolescents Who Aren’t Getting Enough to Eat
Food insecurity uniquely impacts youth ages 14-18 but it’s largely a hidden problem. Kristen Mmari, an adolescent health researcher at Johns Hopkins, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about the long-term impacts being hungry can have on young people and why...
03.04.2024
728 - Methadone Access for Incarcerated Pregnant People
Opioid use disorder is a major contributor to maternal mortality in the US. The gold standard of care is medication like methadone, but for incarcerated pregnant people, treatment can be difficult to access and highly stigmatized. Johns Hopkins obgyn and...
03.01.2024
727 - What The Conviction of a Parent of a High School Shooter Could Mean
The manslaughter conviction of Jennifer Crumbley, whose son shot and killed four students at his school, is unprecedented. But will it be a watershed moment for gun violence in schools? Tim Carey, law and policy advisor at the Johns Hopkins...
02.28.2024
726 - Substandard and Fake Drugs
Imagine going to the pharmacy to buy a needed medicine and then finding out you purchased a falsified product that was, at best, ineffective, but at worst contained something toxic or deadly? This is the unfortunate reality in many places...
02.27.2024
BONUS: The Alabama Supreme Court’s Ruling on Frozen Embryos
The Alabama Supreme Court issued an extraordinary ruling on February 16 that embryos that are the result of in vitro fertilization are “children.” Public health law expert Joanne Rosen returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about...
02.26.2024
725 - “An Unforgiving Virus” Measles Hits the U.S.
Measles outbreaks can quickly spread like wildfire. Vaccination expert Dr. Saad Omer returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the threat posed by this highly contagious and potentially lethal virus – especially when communities let their...
02.23.2024
724 - Social Media and Adolescent Health
What's the state of the evidence on the impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents? Dr. Ceren Budak, a computational social scientist at the University of Michigan, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report from...
02.21.2024
723 - The White House’s Initiative to Eliminate Hepatitis C
Deadly hepatitis C is curable, but 2.5 million Americans remain infected without treatment. Dr. Francis Collins, longtime director of the National Institutes of Health, is now serving as a special advisor to Present Biden for an effort to eliminate hepatitis...
02.19.2024
722 - Healing City Baltimore: How A City Is Responding to A Mental Health Crisis
From a 2019 school shooting in West Baltimore, Healing City Baltimore was born. The program aims to help city agencies train their employees, reform stigmatizing policies, and build new response programs—all with a goal of helping to improve mental health...
02.16.2024
721 - Preventing Alcohol Misuse, Use Disorders, and Deaths
Alcohol use is the fourth leading cause of death in the US, but there are evidence-based approaches to preventing alcohol misuse and deaths and treating use disorders. Dr. Cara Poland, an addiction medicine specialist at Michigan State University, talks with...
02.14.2024
720 - Medical Diagnostic Errors Are a Public Health Emergency
Missed diagnoses account for 800,000 deaths or permanent disabilities among Americans every year. Johns Hopkins neurologist Dr. David Newman-Toker talks with Stephanie Desmon about the consequences of missed opportunities and diagnoses, especially for vascular events, infections, and cancers. They also...
02.12.2024
719 - The Two Major Abortion Cases Coming to the Supreme Court
In the Dobbs decision, the SCOTUS majority hoped to return legal issues around abortion back to the states. But since overturning Roe v. Wade, a flurry of litigation has now put two consequential cases before the Supreme Court. Public health...
02.09.2024
718 - Why So Many Babies Didn’t Get RSV Vaccines This Winter
When the FDA approved an RSV vaccine for infants in July of 2023, parents and pediatricians rejoiced. But product shortages and a patchwork of insurance coverage throttled the rollout, leaving many babies still unprotected this winter. Pediatrician and Internist Dr....
02.07.2024
717 - An Update on Efforts to Prevent Tobacco-Caused Death and Disease
Thanks to policies like tobacco taxes, clean indoor air acts, and legislation to ban flavor additives, tobacco use is declining around the globe. But there’s still an enormous burden of death and disease from smoking, and rates of use are...
02.05.2024
716 - The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
Tuesday, February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. Dr. Michele Decker, founding director of Johns Hopkins Center for Global Women’s Health and Gender Equity, and Dr. Nicole Warren, a nurse and an expert on...
02.02.2024
715 - An Update on COVID Research with Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist
How are updated COVID vaccines performing against severe and long COVID? What have we learned about COVID transmission that could help people calculate their risk in certain situations? Do we know more about when people might be most infectious? What’s...
02.01.2024
BONUS - Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
Professor Nancy Glass of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing studies violence against women and girls in humanitarian settings and conflicts around the world. She speaks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about key themes from this difficult work and how they...
01.31.2024
714 - The Risks of Psychotic Symptoms With Cannabis Use in Younger People
With more widespread use of cannabis has come an uptick of reports of related psychotic symptoms, especially among youths and young adults. Dr. David Wolinsky, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins, talks with Stephanie Desmon about cannabis and the risk of...
01.29.2024
713 - The Disappointment of COP28
More than 85,000 participants attended the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, better known COP28, which ended in December. The big news: a call to governments to speed the transition away...
01.26.2024
712 - All About Ketamine
Ketamine prescriptions for chronic pain and mental health are increasing, but what is known about the safety and effectiveness for off-label use? And how are doctors prescribing a drug approved as an anesthetic in clinical settings for outpatient use? Dr....
01.24.2024
711 - The State of Rural Health
Rural communities have unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to health. Cara James, president and CEO of Grantmakers in Health, a philanthropic organization that supports rural health foundations, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about some of the unique facets...
01.22.2024
710 - Tradeoffs—Can the U.S. Put an End to Surprise Ambulance Bills?
Congress banned most surprise medical bills back in 2020, with one major exception: ambulance rides. Can lawmakers find a fix? Guest host Dan Gorenstein of the Tradeoffs podcast investigates. Learn more: https://tradeoffs.org/2023/11/09/surprise-ambulance-bills/
01.19.2024
709 - Discrimination Against Patients With Substance Use Disorder in Health Care Settings
Substance use disorder is recognized as a disability and therefore protected under antidiscrimination laws. But stigma persists, even in health care settings where people who use substances may be denied necessary care. Rebekah Joab, senior staff attorney at the Legal Action...
01.17.2024
708 - Invasive Anopheles stephensi Could Redefine the Epidemiology of Malaria in Africa
Anopheles stephensi, a species of mosquito native to Southeast Asia, is finding its way to Africa. Unlike Anopheles gambiae, the species native to Africa, Anopheles stephensi can breed in tiny amounts of water year-round and has made a comfortable home in urban areas. It’s also...
01.12.2024
707 - ‘playing god?’ - A Bioethics Podcast
Just because we can do something medically, should we? A new podcast from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics explores some unintended consequences of advancing technology and medicine. Bioethicist and playing god? producer Jeff Kahn talks with Stephanie Desmon...
01.10.2024
706 - What Happens To Our Skin in Winter?
Are you one of the millions of people who experience dry skin and itchiness when the weather becomes colder? Dermatologist Dr. Shafat Hassan talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what happens to our skin in the wintertime and how we...

What's Public Health On Call about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Public Health On Call episodes:

750 - World Malaria Day: From Lab to Legislature—Meet the Scientists Taking on Capitol Hill in the Fight Against Malaria

749 - Planetary Health: Thinking About The Earth Crisis As A Humanitarian Crisis

748 - Studying Sewage to Fight Infectious Diseases: An Update From The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC

747 - The Lack of Research Around Type 1 Diabetes

746 - Why Cigarettes Are So Bad for the Environment

745 - A Conversation With Dr. Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon General

744 - The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences

BONUS - Coping With The Psychological Aftermath of The Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

743 - What You Need to Know About H5N1, The Bird Flu Spilling Over Into Mammals

742 - What You Need To Know About PFAS, Or “Forever Chemicals

741 - Xolair: The First Drug For Severe Food Allergies

740 - The Forgotten Youths Who Are Caregivers For Their Families

739 - How an 1882 Play, The Enemy of the People, is Helping Communities Heal from the Trauma of COVID-19

738 - Why Syphilis Is On the Rise

737 - Secretary Xavier Becerra on the 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

736 - World Water Day: How Water Can Be a Powerful Force to Bring People Together

735 - De-medicalizing Menopause

734 - How Hospital Infection Control Has Changed Since COVID

733 - Projections of Excess Deaths in Gaza Over the Next Six Months

BONUS - How "Illiberal" Is Public Health?

732 - Bringing Back Condoms to Prevent HIV

731 - A Playbook for Addressing Health Misinformation

730 - Women’s History Month: A Conversation With Sue Baker, the “Mother of Injury Prevention”

BONUS - COVID-19 Updated: The CDC’s New Isolation Guidelines, Vaccines For People Over 65, and New Variants

729 - Hidden Food Insecurity: The Adolescents Who Aren’t Getting Enough to Eat

728 - Methadone Access for Incarcerated Pregnant People

727 - What The Conviction of a Parent of a High School Shooter Could Mean

726 - Substandard and Fake Drugs

BONUS: The Alabama Supreme Court’s Ruling on Frozen Embryos

725 - “An Unforgiving Virus” Measles Hits the U.S.

724 - Social Media and Adolescent Health

723 - The White House’s Initiative to Eliminate Hepatitis C

722 - Healing City Baltimore: How A City Is Responding to A Mental Health Crisis

721 - Preventing Alcohol Misuse, Use Disorders, and Deaths

720 - Medical Diagnostic Errors Are a Public Health Emergency

719 - The Two Major Abortion Cases Coming to the Supreme Court

718 - Why So Many Babies Didn’t Get RSV Vaccines This Winter

717 - An Update on Efforts to Prevent Tobacco-Caused Death and Disease

716 - The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

715 - An Update on COVID Research with Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist

BONUS - Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War

714 - The Risks of Psychotic Symptoms With Cannabis Use in Younger People

713 - The Disappointment of COP28

712 - All About Ketamine

711 - The State of Rural Health

710 - Tradeoffs—Can the U.S. Put an End to Surprise Ambulance Bills?

709 - Discrimination Against Patients With Substance Use Disorder in Health Care Settings

708 - Invasive Anopheles stephensi Could Redefine the Epidemiology of Malaria in Africa

707 - ‘playing god?’ - A Bioethics Podcast

706 - What Happens To Our Skin in Winter?