Inside Brookline Health

What’s Happening? In this episode, Chris sits down with Darlene Johnson, Community Health Manager at the Brookline Department of Public Health and Human Services. Darlene leads critical health education and promotion programs across town, including the seasonal public flu vaccination clinics organized by the town. Getting vaccinated is a simple, powerful act of community care. Chris and Darlene di...

Episode Notes Episode 7: Freedom, Food, and Fairness: Grassroots Organizing as Public Health in Brookline What’s Happening? In this episode, Chris sits down with Zaria Karakashian-Jones, a lifelong Brookline resident, community organizer, and non-profit and public policy professional. Recognized in April 2026 as the recipient of the Public Health Equity Award from the Friends of Brookline Public H...

Episode 6: Public Art, Public Health: Building Stronger Communities Through Storytelling What’s Happening? In this episode, Chris sits down with Summer L. Williams, co-founder and associate director of Company One Theatre, who also serves our local youth as a Dean of Students at Brookline High School. Recognized recently as true public health champions at our local Public Health Awards Ceremony, S...

What’s Happening? In this episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Matt Motta, an Associate Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health and an affiliated researcher at the Center for Health Communication at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As routine childhood vaccination rates face a decline across the nation, they dive into a topic that d...

Episode Notes In this episode, Chris sits down with Cheryl Snyder, Brookline’s Deputy Director of Emergency Management. As summer arrives and New England temperatures surge, they dive into a topic that directly impacts everyone in our neighborhood: extreme heat. While many of us welcome the summer sun, extreme heat is far more than an annoyance. It is a serious public health threat that is shiftin...

In this episode, Chris sits down with Michelle Visser, a licensed psychotherapist, certified early intervention specialist, and Board member for the Friends of Brookline Public Health. In honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, they tackle a vital topic that affects nearly everyone who has ever been pregnant, given birth, or supported someone on a parenting journey, yet remains far too rarely discu...

In this episode, Chris and Pat sit down with Michelle Visser, a licensed psychotherapist, certified early intervention specialist, and Board member for the Friends of Brookline Public Health. We discuss the challenges of parenting in real time, specifically how to navigate those unexpected, difficult questions children ask when parents are least prepared, whether in traffic or right before bed. Mi...

Episode Notes ** In this episode, Chris and Pat sit down with Dr. Rosemarie Roque Gordon, MD, MPH, a local pediatrician and Vice Chair of Brookline’s Advisory Council on Public Health (ACPH). We dive into the recent January 5, 2026 changes to the childhood immunization schedule. Specifically, we discuss the shift of six immunizations from the "recommended" list into a new category of “sh...

Episode Notes Inside Brookline Health is your go-to podcast for bite-sized, practical, and science-based guidance tailored specifically for our Brookline community. Hosted by Dr. Chris Chanyasulkit, PhD, MPH, and Pat Maher, MS, RNP, this series is a collaborative effort sponsored by the Friends of Brookline Public Health, in partnership with the Brookline Department of Public Health and Human Serv...