For decades, infrastructure policies harmed communities of color. New highways displaced residents through eminent domain, public transit systems were left in disrepair, and urban construction projects often catered to wealthier families. Andrea McDaniels, Director of Communications for the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, talks with Professor Keshia Pollack Porter of the Bloomberg School about how President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan has the potential to rectify many of these inequities, some of the challenges of the federal law, and how infrastructure is intrinsically tied to health and well-being.

Dr. Josh Sharfstein checks in again with virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz about omicron and what we now know in terms of increased transmission, immune evasion, and lethality. Spoiler: If you’re unvaccinated, you shouldn’t assume that omicron will most likely lead to a mild infection. They also talk about what the omicron variant could mean for the future of the pandemic.

Dr. Shaun Truelove, an infectious disease epidemiologist, returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the latest model for the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub. How quickly will the wave pass? How much harm will it cause? What happens in February and March? And can we trust these kinds of predictions? Learn more: https://covid19scenariomodelinghub.org/

In September 2020, President Biden pledged to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by September 2021. More than a year later, however, the US has delivered about 270 million of the 11 billion doses needed to vaccinate the planet. Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University professor and public health expert, returns to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about how things have gone so wrong, why he isn’t optimistic about vaccination equity improvements in 2022, and how vaccine manufacturers could be doing so much more to help.

Going into 2022, what should the next phase of our COVID strategy look like? Epidemiologist Dr. Emily Gurley talks with Stephanie Desmon about how our current approach to prevent as many infections as possible is complicated, costly, and carries a lot of collateral damage. Instead, Gurley says, a focus on preventing hospitalizations and deaths could rewrite the script on our approach but it would require some difficult conversations and a strategic rethinking of the public health system.

In the last episode of Season 4, Lindsay Smith Rogers talks with co-hosts Dr. Josh Sharfstein and Stephanie Desmon about 2021: how it started, what happened, and how it's going now. They reflect on where we were one year ago, talk about their favorite episodes and public health moments, give some reading suggestions, and discuss what they're most looking forward to in 2022. If you're in need of a chuckle, stick around for a surprise at the end.

A discussion of vaccines and trust. In an interview with Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Rev. Dr. Terris King, pastor of Liberty Grace Church of God in Baltimore and former official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services talks about his work building bridges between faith communities and health care during the pandemic and beyond. Dr. King also talks about his own journey to getting vaccinated.

Nearly a month into the emergence of omicron, much more is known about how omicron behaves in the real world—thanks to the work of scientists like South Africa’s Dr. Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, the equivalent of the US’s National Institutes of Health. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Dr. Gray and with Hopkins epidemiologist Dr. Chris Beyrer about how omicron was discovered, what we know about it now, and what it means for South Africa and the world. They also discuss the importance of protecting people who are immunocompromised—including those with HIV— to help get the pandemic under control.

There’s still lots to learn about omicron, but two things are certain: vaccinations will provide some level of protection, and until the majority of the world’s population is vaccinated, we may continue to see new variants. Vaccine experts Dr. Anna Durbin and Dr. Bill Moss talk with Stephanie Desmon about viral mutations and what we might expect to see when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, what needs to be done to address ongoing challenges with global vaccine distribution, and the importance of sharing vaccine technology to help curb future pandemics.

Public health is having a moment, both in terms of challenges and opportunities. Dr. Anand Parekh, the chief medical adviser to the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington DC, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report, Public Health Forward, that aims to keep public health top of mind for policymakers and the American public. They talk about why this is a critical moment to think about the future of the public health system, the process behind the bipartisan project, and some major takeaways from the report.