Take as Directed

Steve and Andrew speak with Helen Branswell, a premiere journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on dangerous infectious disease outbreaks, based for the past five years at STAT. The conversation focuses on the acute challenges: as the coronavirus pandemic advances, how do journalists makes sense of this historic moment? As we fail in the United States and elsewhere to protect health workers, in the face of dangerously escalating demands, how are we to understand the profound human and institutional consequences?

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former CDC Director. They discuss why Dr. Frieden has ‘tears in my eyes’ about the infections and deaths in New York and the risk to healthcare workers. While different communities need different responses, there is a need for clear federal guidance. They discuss how political priorities have infiltrated the national approach and sidelined public health experts, and how we can organize to minimize the harm from this pandemic. Dr. Frieden details how every health system should be getting ready to deal with “World War C”, and how we need a global commitment after this pandemic to never let this happen again. 

Dr. Frieden serves as President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. He was formerly the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Secretary John Wiesman, Secretary of Health for Washington state. They discuss the testing and hospital capacity in Washington state, the scramble for resources that states are finding themselves in and how Washington is working with the private sector to develop these products, and when social distancing might end. 

Dr. John Wiesman was appointed secretary of health by Governor Jay Inslee in April 2013.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic.

In this fourth episode, Steve speaks with Paul Stoffels, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson. They discuss the unknowns surrounding the COVID-19 virus, the Chinese response, and the role J&J is playing in developing a vaccine.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic.

In this third episode, Steve speaks with Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. They talk about his experience with SARS in Vietnam, the number of unknowns surrounding the coronavirus, China's unprecedented response and its impacts, and the role Wellcome is playing. 

Today, Andrew and Steve are joined by Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. They discuss how the U.S. and China are dealing with the pandemic in their own countries, and how this might affect U.S.-China trade and diplomacy, as well as scientific research partnerships between the U.S. and China.

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Hamburg, foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine and member of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security. They discuss what’s happened with testing in the U.S., the ‘global arms race’ to develop a vaccine, and how the U.S. and the world can develop, produce, and distribute any potential vaccine in an equitable way. 

Dr. Hamburg is an internationally recognized leader in public health and medicine. She currently serves as the foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and 2018 president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Hamburg is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), known for advancing regulatory science, modernizing regulatory pathways, and globalization of the agency.

In this episode, Steve and Andrew invite CSIS's Kathleen Hicks to discuss how the military can respond to COVID-19, and to what extent that can be done. They also examine how, as President Trump labels himself a 'wartime president,' more and more national guard units are operating at state capacity under the direction of governors, and what the Department of Defense can offer.

Kathleen Hicks is senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this first remote episode, Steve and Andrew discuss what’s happening with the U.S. response: the wholesale suspension of work and cultural events, the mixed messages coming from the Administration, and the unknown period we’re currently in as we wait for the worst part of the pandemic. They also discuss the role Dr. Tony Fauci is playing in this crisis, the role the military could play in a response, and how people need to remain calm and comfortable.

In today’s episode, Steve and Andrew speak with Stephanie Segal, senior fellow and deputy director of the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy. They talk about the economic shocks COVID-19 is causing, the so-far inadequate policy response, and the possible prolonged economic crisis to come.