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 the latest evidence on seasonality? And do we have any new answers about long COVID? Katelyn Jetalina, aka Your Local Epidemiologist, returns to the podcast to talk about what's new in COVID research. Learn more here: https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/

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 apply to reports of the rape, mutilation, and murder of Israeli women and girls during the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. They also discuss what comes next for survivors. *Please note: This podcast was recorded several weeks ago. Earlier this week, the United Nations announced it was sending a team to Israel to investigate these reports. Also, please note that this is a difficult conversation that discusses sexual violence including rape.

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 psychosis and what is known (and not known) about how cannabinoids interact with our bodies. They also discuss who might be most at risk and some takeaways people can consider about cannabis use when the field of research is still so lacking about the benefits and risks.

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 from fossil fuels. Susan Joy Hassol, author and climate change communicator, tells Stephanie Desmon that the final agreement is a hollow disappointment misaligned with the urgency of the climate crisis. They discuss the "minefield" of the growing climate emergency and what global leaders should be doing to put meaningful action behind commitments to addressing it.

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. Caleb Alexander returns to the podcast to talk with Lindsay Smith Rogers all about ketamine.

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 of small communities including economic disparities and struggling health care systems. They also discuss addressing misinformation and the role that foundations can play in connecting people with much-needed services.

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/

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 Center, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about LAC's litigation and advocacy efforts to combat SUD-based discrimination and the details of a major lawsuit against a hospital that allegedly denied critical care to a patient. Learn more about LAC's work: https://www.lac.org/

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 a remarkably adept spreader of malaria in places and to extents not normally seen in places across the continent. In an extended episode of Malaria Minute, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, guest host Thomas Locke discusses how researchers are tracking stephensi and how the invasive species could complicate efforts to control the disease in Africa. Learn more: www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/prevention/vector-control/global-databases-on-invasive-mosquito-vector-species

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 about the podcast and some of the topics they cover, including ethics around buying and selling organs, fertility, and more. Learn more: https://bioethics.jhu.edu/research-and-outreach/the-dracopoulos-bloomberg-bioethics-ideas-lab/projects/playing-god/