About this episode:

As electric scooters and bikes explode in popularity in cities across the globe, concerns about safety abound. Early data shows that injuries from collisions and falls on these devices can include severe head trauma and injuries to internal organs, culminating in increased visits to the hospital. In this episode: Road safety expert Johnathon Ehsani provides an epidemiological overview of the safety data and offers advice for parents and policymakers to prevent injuries.

Guest:

Johnathon Ehsani, PhD, MPH, is an internationally recognized road safety researcher and an associate professor in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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:

• E-Scooters and Micromobility Are Potential Public Health Game Changers for Transportation and Equity—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Injuries From Electric Bikes and Scooters: Illinois, U.S., 2021–2023—American Journal of Preventive Medicine

• Crash-Related Protective and Risky Behaviors Among Micromobility Riders: A Nationally Representative Survey—American Journal of Public Health

• Riding an electric scooter: the rules—gov.uk

• Should Cities Be Welcoming Autonomous Vehicles?—Public Health On Call (July 2026)

Transcript information:

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

About this episode:

Accumulating research has linked nitrogen dioxide emissions from gas stoves to exacerbated respiratory issues. A recent study from Case Western Reserve University set out to conduct a large analysis of whether switching to electric stoves could improve breathing conditions, but funding was halted just as early results came in showing significantly improved asthma symptoms. In this episode: what this truncated study can tell us about air quality inside our homes and what's lost when public health research is canceled.

Guest:

Ana Rule, PhD, MHS, is an associate professor of 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:

• Asthma Control Before and After Changing Gas Stoves to Electric Stoves—The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

• The EPA halted a study on gas stoves and asthma. But even partial results were striking.—Washington Post

• Gas stoves might pose risks to both our planet and health—The Hub

• How States Can Better Regulate Indoor Air Quality—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.

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

About this episode:

At the turn of the 20th century, waterborne diseases like typhoid and dysentery posed a significant threat to public health, accounting for a large part of infant mortality and overall morbidity. Enter Abel Wolman, an early graduate of Johns Hopkins' engineering program and a professor at the university's school of public health. In this episode: the story of the Baltimore-born pioneer of water sanitization and how his work in water chlorination and infrastructure set the stage for better health across the globe.

Note: This episode was produced in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University sesquicentennial campaign.

Guest:

Graham Mooney, PhD, is an associate professor of history of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Host:

Ari Goldstein, MD, is a family medicine physician and a recent alum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health General Preventive Medicine Residency program. This year, Dr. Goldstein served a one-month rotation with Public Health On Call.

Show links and related content:

• Heroes of Public Health: Abel Wolman—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Friend of the Thirsty—New York Times

About this episode:

Long flights at high altitudes can expose pilots and flight attendants to dangerous levels of cosmic radiation over their careers, potentially increasing their risk for a variety of cancers and posing special dangers to pregnant crewmembers. In this episode: a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges action on in-flight radiation exposure, including mandating airline safety programs and developing new ways to measure hazards.

Guest:

Tom Burke, PhD, MPH, is an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins and a former top official with the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration.

Lindsay S. Fenwick is an accomplished pilot with over 21,000 flight hours spanning military, corporate, VIP, and major airline operations. He also has extensive experience in aviation safety management.

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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.

Show links and related content:

• Assessing Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies for Flight Crewmembers—National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

• Aircrew and Cosmic Ionizing Radiation—CDC

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.

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

About this episode:

Millions of children will experience sexual abuse before they turn 18, either in-person or online and often at the hands of people they know. The mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences can linger into adulthood. In this episode: Elizabeth Letourneau, director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, explains why child sexual abuse is one of the nation's most pressing public health crises and what can be done to prevent it.

Guest:

Elizabeth Letourneau, PhD, MA, is a professor of mental health and the director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. She is also the co-author of "One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—and What We Can Do to Stop It."

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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.

Show links and related content:

• One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—and What We Can Do to Stop It—Hachette Book Group

• What Would It Take to End Child Sexual Abuse?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau and Luke Malone (on child sexual abuse prevention)—Armchair Expert

• Preventing Child Sexual Abuse—Public Health On Call (January 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

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

About this episode:

This summer, Merck & Co. settled more than 200 lawsuits alleging that the company's HPV vaccine, Gardasil, caused cases of autoimmune conditions and fertility issues in young women. But that $50 million settlement is not an admission of fault on the part of the company or the vaccine. In this episode: Vaccine law expert Dorit Reiss details the lawsuits, including why evidence isn't stacking up for plaintiffs and how headlines about the dollar amount can misconstrue the facts of the case.

Guest:

Dorit Reiss, PhD, is an expert on vaccine policy and a professor of law at UC San Francisco.

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:

• Merck to Settle Bulk of Gardasil Suits for About $50 Million—Bloomberg

• Kennedy played key role in Gardasil vaccine case against Merck—Reuters

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

• The HPV Vaccine, 20 Years Later—Public Health On Call (August 2026)

• Vaccines 101: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program—Public Health On Call (February 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:

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

About this episode:

In the latest move to alter the childhood vaccine schedule, the president has signed an executive order seeking to scale back and restructure routine immunizations. In this episode: what's in the executive order, what it means, and what comes next.

Guest:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.

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:

• Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans—The White House

• HHS Changes Its Pediatric Vaccine Recommendations: What's Different, What Remains, and What It Means for American Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• What Exactly is in a Vaccine?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• A Judge Rules on Vaccines—Public Health On Call (April 2026)

• The Evidence on Vaccines and Autism—Public Health On Call (March 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:

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

About this episode:

Could applying a public health approach to issues like education, crime, and the environment help tackle some of society's most pressing challenges? That's what one researcher argues in a new book titled "Imagine Doing Better: Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything." In this episode: Author and professor Paul Fleming discusses his new book, a generational approach to policymaking, and the power of collective action.

Guest:

Paul Fleming, PhD, MPH, is an associate professor of health behavior and health equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and co-founder of the Collaborative for Transformative Public Health.

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:

• Imagine Doing Better: Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything—Johns Hopkins University Press

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.

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

About this episode:

Over four million children in the United States are uninsured, while many more lack health insurance that adequately meets their care needs. A proposed bill aims to fix that by providing universal health coverage for everyone aged zero to 26. In this episode: Senator Andy Kim, sponsor of the MediKids Act, on why now is the right time for this bill to become law and how it can be implemented by building on the existing Medicaid framework.

Guest:

Andy Kim, PhD, is a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He previously held roles at the Pentagon, State Department, and White House.

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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.

Show links and related content:

• MediKids Act—Congress.gov

• U.S. and State-by-State Child Health Coverage Trends—Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy

• Underinsurance Among Children in the United States—Pediatrics

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

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

About this episode:

New research has identified massive fungal blooms in North America in the Cretaceous period, suggesting significant ecological upheaval before and after the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. In this episode: Arturo Casadevall, senior author of the study, explains why these findings are so significant and his hypothesis that fungi gave mammals an evolutionary leg-up over reptiles.

Guest:

Dr. Arturo Casadevall, PhD, MS, is chair of the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a global expert in host defense mechanisms, fungi, and antibody-based therapies. He is also co-author of the book What If Fungi Win? with Stephanie Desmon.

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:

• Fungal Surges Marked Cretaceous Mass Extinction that Ended Age of Dinosaurs—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• What zombie show 'The Last of Us' gets right about fungus in a warming world—Washington Post

• What If Fungi Win?—Johns Hopkins University Press

• The Discovery of a New Clade of Candida Auris—A "Critical Pathogen"—Public Health On Call (August 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

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