Leaders of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research Dr. Daniel Webster and Dr. Cass Crifasi have studied the relationships between communities and police forces for years. They recently released a report on the enforcement of gun laws in Baltimore. Following the homicide of George Floyd and drawing on this report, they talk to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the profound loss of trust between minority communities and the police, and the need for greater transparency and accountability to move forward.

At first, it seemed that COVID-19 was sparing children from illness. Then, doctors began connecting symptoms in sick children to what is now known as Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, a disease thought to be caused by an immune reaction to SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Lasya Gaur, a pediatric cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, talks with Stephanie Desmon about what we know and need to learn about this disease, what parents should know, and what treatments have been helpful for children who become ill.

The Latinx immigrant community has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic for reasons that include housing, employment, transportation, and obstacles to receiving care. George Escobar, chief of programs and services at CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization in Maryland, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the policies that led to this population being particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, changes needed to ensure future health, and what CASA is doing to help during the pandemic.

As restrictions lift and businesses think about reopening, many aren’t sure what they should consider in order to protect their employees and customers. Lucia Mullen and Dr. Crystal Watson co-authored a toolkit for businesses that includes checklists to follow and suggested modifications to put in place before reopening. They talk with Stephanie Desmon about how businesses can assess risk and create solutions that fit their budgets and resources.

The focus of this podcast has been on COVID-19. Now, we're broadening it to cover other urgent public health issues starting with racism, police violence, and the national protests over the homicide of George Floyd. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Baltimore author, artist, and activist Chris Wilson about his experiences in and out of the prison system, his reflections on “unstacking the deck” against people of color, and the role of art in healing, documenting, and storytelling during galvanizing moments

What can people do to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19 during a protest? Do higher-risk patients ever have mild novel coronavirus or do they always get very sick? When is it ok to resume routine medical and dental care? Will people who have had COVID-19 be eligible for a vaccine when it’s available? Are gloves necessary like masks?

To what extent has COVID-19 affected Americans’ mental health? In this episode, guest host Colleen Barry speaks to Beth McGinty, lead author of a new study which finds a significant increase in psychological distress among adults in the U.S. in April at the height of social distancing. Dr. Dani Fallin, Chair of the Department of Mental Health, also discusses mental health as a public health issue and ways to protect our own mental health and those of others during these stressful times and beyond.

Long term care facilities that house vulnerable populations in a communal living setting have been hotbeds for COVID-19 outbreaks. Infectious disease physician Dr. Morgan Katz has been working with some facilities to provide guidance on COVID-19 response. She talks with Stephanie Desmon about infection control procedures, how testing is a double edged sword, the biggest lessons we’ve learned so far, and what the future of long term care facilities may look like.

Underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and Type II diabetes are risk factors for critical illness or death from COVID-19. Just as these chronic health issues disproportionately impact different racial and ethnic groups in the US, so too is COVID-19. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez of the American Heart Association talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the US’s failure to address the underlying health of its populations is contributing to COVID-19 fatalities.

Dr. Julie Gerberding was director of the CDC during the 2003 SARS outbreak and lessons learned from that response are now informing her work overseeing some 65,000 employees around the world as executive vice president of Merck. Gerberding talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the US’s response, how Merck is keeping things moving, why emerging infectious diseases may be a new normal, and how the pandemic is contributing to the threat of antimicrobial resistance.