Public Health On Call

A new report entitled "Building the CDC the Country Needs," makes recommendations for how to return trust and confidence to the nation's top public health agency's tarnished reputation. Stephanie Desmon talks to the co-chairs of the report, Steve Morrison , a global health policy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Tom Inglesby , who heads the Johns Hopkins Center for...

Guest host Shelley Hearne , director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy talks to Antha Williams , who leads the Environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. In this episode, they discuss how Bloomberg Philanthropies is using data, storytelling, and grassroots campaigns to fight climate change and protect public health. Under Williams' direction, Bloomberg Philanthropies supports e...

Humira is an immunosuppressive drug used to treat arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, is one of the most profitable drugs of all time. In this episode, Tahir Amin , founder and executive director of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge., joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about how gaming the patent system may have helped stave off competition, costing...

Three years on, we are still actively debating whether the pandemic was caused when the virus spilled over naturally from animals in a market or whether it was somehow caused by a Chinese lab leak. In this episode, Stephanie Desmon talks to Tom Inglesby , director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, about the dueling theories on where COVID came from. They discuss what we know, why it...

The Anopheles stephensi mosquito is threatening to redefine malaria in Africa. In this episode, Thomas Locke , host of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute Extended podcast produced by the School Malaria Research Institute, speaks to Eric Ochomo from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, and Seth Irish from the World Health Organization, about the rise of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito. Together, th...

What's the best way to prevent blood clots after serious fractures? Is it an expensive shot you have to give yourself twice a day? Or is it a little pill you might have already somewhere in your house? In this episode, Dr. Josh Sharfstein speaks to Dr. Robert O'Toole , Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, about a new  study published in the New England...

Fatbergs are a menace to public health in our cities, and a potent symbol of neglect of our urban water systems. They're also disgusting to look at. Yet thanks to a glamorous troupe of synchronized swimmers, Fluid Movement Baltimore made them glamorous in the name of public health. Find out how as we go behind-the-scenes of a special video project that reminds us we all have a role to play in keep...

Fatbergs are 'the bane of utilities' existence'—they exist because many cities take for granted an essential but largely hidden public health tool: urban sewers. In this episode, Natalie Exum , Assistant Scientist in the department of Environmental Health and Engineering, and Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper Alice Volpitta of Blue Water Baltimore, a nonprofit that serves as a watchdog for the city's w...

Jerold Mande , CEO of Nourish science and an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, speaks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about an article he co-authored calling for more attention to health in the nation's largest food assistance program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. They also discuss SNAP's benefits in reducing food insecurity, and ho...

The B'more for Healthy Babies program in Promise Heights is a remarkable program in West Baltimore that has reduced infant mortality and improved other health outcomes for more than a decade. Stacey Stephens , the social worker who directs this effort for the University of Maryland School of Social Work, speaks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about this effort.  Joining them is Gisele Joseph, a community...

Dr. Rebekah Gee , formerly the successful Commissioner of Health for Louisiana, is now the founder of the startup company Nest Health. She speaks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why she chose a for-profit venture, how her current role compares and contrasts with the public sector, and the advice she would give to someone looking to make an impact in public health. You can read more about Dr. Gee's...

Johns Hopkins Professor and infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. David Dowdy returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about some of the latest studies on the effectiveness of masks in protecting people from COVID

The Stoop Storytelling Series and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health partnered last fall to present a night of storytelling by scientists, activists, and community members sharing personal stories about urgent public health issues. In part 3, Ashley Esposito , a "litter picker" with Bmore Trashpickers, talks about the story that trash can tell about the health of a community, and Dr....

Dr. Gerard Carroll is the Division head of EMS and Disaster Medicine and an emergency room physician at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey. He joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about a pilot program that allows emergency responders to give the treatment buprenorphine after the reversal medication naloxone—right at the scene of an overdose. Dr. Carroll is the co-author of a new pap...

Dr. Johnathon Ehsani is an expert in traffic safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He speaks with Dr. Sharfstein about the safety of autonomous vehicles today and what might be possible in the future. He also shares what he thinks of the potential benefits of this technology.

The Stoop Storytelling Series and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health partnered last fall to present a night of storytelling by scientists, activists, and community members sharing personal stories about urgent public health issues. In part 2, we hear from Cleo Hirsch , the executive director of COVID Response at Baltimore City Public Schools about creating "learning pods" for some of...

Johns Hopkins veterinarian Meghan Davis joins Stephanie Desmon to discuss the avian flu outbreak. They discuss the influenza that has been raging since 2021, with no signs of abating, and what the impacts are on the food supply, the cost of eggs and products that contain them, and on human and animal health.

A devastating CDC report on youth risk behavior paints a grim picture of how today's adolescents are faring mentally. Dr. Kathleen Ethier , director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, joins Stephanie Desmon to discuss the large increase in depression, suicidal ideation and sexual violence being seen among teenage girls and LGBTQ...

Dr. Bisola Ojikutu , the executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about her shift during the pandemic. She began supporting community coalitions that came together to fight COVID-19. In July 2021, she became the city's leading health official, focused on creating new connections with community organizations—for the pandemic and beyond.

Guest host Shelley Hearne , director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, speaks with Jaime Madrigano , Visiting Associate Professor, with the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School, whose research examines the health impacts of environmental air pollution and weather. Together they discuss how health and cost implications must be tied to climate cha...

For decades, improvement in diagnostic tools for cancer have led to a movement of early screening from mammograms to colonoscopies. Today, Dr. Otis Brawley , a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, tells Stephanie Desmon that many people think screening is better than it actually is. While early screening can save lives, they discuss the how to be sure you're getting high-quality screen...

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about her late husband, the Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, who represented Baltimore for more than 35 years in the Maryland General Assembly and in Congress. Dr. Rockeymoore Cummings explains the origins of the Congressman's successful efforts to expand access to dental care, reduce prescription drug prices, and tackle addiction. She a...

Today, guest host Shelley Hearne , director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, talks with Natalia Linos , a social epidemiologist and executive director of Harvard's FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, and 2020 Congressional candidate. Linos talks with Hearne about why "all public health is political," how to approach politics as a public health professional, and the importance o...

In this bonus episode, Johns Hopkins Professor Thomas Burke joins Dr. Sharfstein to talk about  the risk to residents following the train derailment and toxic release of chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio— the knowns, the unknowns, and where to go from here. Dr. Burke is a former environmental official for the state of New Jersey and a former science adviser of the Environmental Protection Agency

Mark Miller , the executive vice president of health care at Arnold Ventures joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act for Medicare patients this year, as well as two areas of future work to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. They discuss patent reform and opportunities to increase transparency for pharmaceutical benefit managers.