Public Health On Call

In a bonus episode, Alex McCourt , the director of legal research at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, speaks to Dr. Joshua Sharfstein about guns and the Supreme Court. They discuss this decision's meaning and direct impact, as well as the potential implications for other actions to reduce the toll of gun violence in the United States.

Johns Hopkins University hosted a live, virtual briefing earlier this month on responses to the crisis of gun violence featuring a panel of experts, including Cass Crifasi, Shannon Fratteroli, Josh Horwitz, Odis Johnson, and Daniel Webster . Moderated by Lainie Rutkow , the discussion focuses on the challenges gun violence poses for American democracy, which gun laws are effective, how Extreme Ris...

Greater global cooperation could have saved many lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preparedness and response expert Lucia Mullen of the Center for Health Security talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the growing call to support such cooperation through a pandemic treaty . They also talk about mis- and disinformation that have emerged already, such as myths that a treaty could override countries'...

In 2021, Congress established Juneteenth as a federal holiday but many people don't know the history or how to recognize the day. Dr. Janice Bowie , an expert in community-engaged research, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how to celebrate, reflect, and recommit to social justice this Juneteenth.

An FDA advisory panel recommended Emergency Use Authorization for the two-dose Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18+. The vaccine is built on a different technology than others currently authorized in the US, and significant delays in manufacturing and authorization have slowed down its entry into the US market. Vaccine expert Dr. Bill Moss returns to the podcast to talk with Lindsay Smith...

Suicide is a significant public health problem. News coverage, and how we talk about it with each other, can actually help prevent suicide and connect those who are vulnerable with lifesaving resources. Journalist and MPH suicide expert Aneri Pattani talks with Stephanie Desmon about a free Coursera course she helped develop, Responsible Reporting on Suicide for Journalists, and what we can all le...

Melanoma is the riskiest, most lethal skin cancer and it's completely preventable. Dr. Sancy Leachman , the chair of dermatology at the Oregon Health and Science University, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about Oregon's "War on Melanoma," an all-fronts effort to educate people on early identification, diagnosis, and prevention of melanoma. They also discuss the role of tattoo parlors in this campa...

Kicking off our third pandemic summer looks a lot different than the last two….or does it? With more than five times as many COVID cases as this time last year, have we given up on trying to protect ourselves? What should we be focusing on, and does this mean we're truly learning to live with COVID? Experts Keri Althoff and Elizabeth Stuart return to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about...

Dr. Joe Sakran is a Hopkins trauma surgeon and a survivor of gun violence, giving him a unique perspective on this heavy moment in history. He talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what needs to be done to effectively tackle the complex public health problem of gun violence, and how it will require moral and political courage to finally turn the tide on senseless tragedies. 

The CDC is investigating reported clusters of children with acute severe hepatitis that have no known cause. Johns Hopkins pediatric hepatologist Dr. Kathryn Smith talks with Stephanie Desmon about hepatitis in children and what we know and don't know about this particular phenomenon. Ultimately, she says, it's a question of whether this really is something new or if we're just now noticing patter...

The US has a complex and underfunded approach to food safety that has recently experienced some high profile failures to keep the food supply safe. Former FDA official and legal expert Howard Sklamberg talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the challenges facing FDA and some potential solutions. At the end of the episode is an extra conversation between the two on the recent infant formula recall.

Many parents of kids ages 5 and under have been anxiously awaiting FDA authorization for vaccines for the youngest age group. Dr. Ruth Karron , one of the world's leading experts in the development of children's vaccines, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why it's taken so long to authorize vaccines for young children, the evidence behind the safety and efficacy of vaccinating this age group, a...

For the first time in history, a working draft of an opinion by justices of the Supreme Court was leaked to the media and the public. Legal and public health expert Joanne Rosen talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what the opinion expressly says, why it would upend precedent, and what may happen at the state level. They also discuss the immediate and long-term consequences if it's passed, includi...

Dr. Cass Crifasi , director of research and policy at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the deadly misperception that there's nothing to be done about gun violence. They discuss what could have prevented this senseless tragedy—and what must be done to prevent further loss of life.

In June 2020, amid #BlackLivesMatter protests across the country, law professor and philosopher Ekow Yankah of Yeshiva University talked with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the crisis of legitimacy in policing and opportunities for reform based on public health approaches. Two years later, Yankah returns to the podcast to discuss how and why the optimism of the protests has receded.

1 in 3 Americans believes the pandemic is over, but waves of illness and hospitalizations continue to cause signifiant disruption and death. Dr. David Dowdy returns to the podcast to talk with Lindsay Smith Rogers about how COVID-19 is impacting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, why there were so many deaths of vaccinated people from omicron (hints: sheer numbers and outsize impacts on olde...

As the world watches reported outbreaks of monkeypox, researchers are trying to learn more about how and why the virus is spreading. Dr. Eric Toner , an expert in bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about what monkeypox is and where it comes from, how it spreads, treatments and prevention, and why these outb...

Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health and author of the book "The Contagion Next Time" talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why the US was a "sitting duck" at the onset of the pandemic. They also discuss what needs to change in public health—and society—to be better prepared for day-to-day challenges and the next emergency.

This week, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is holding its spring graduation ceremonies. Today, Caitlin Ceryes , a soon-to-be PhD in Environmental Health and Engineering, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what led her to a career in public health, her diverse research ranging from soda taxes to sustainable aquaculture, and how the pandemic caused her to pivot her dissertation...

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness month, Christen Linke Young , the deputy assistant to President Biden for Health and Veteran's Affairs, talks with Josh Sharfstein about the mental health component of the President's Unity Agenda. The ambitious plan aims to build the mental health workforce, make mental health care much more accessible, and invest in resilience to prevent mental health di...

During the pandemic, the US Surgeon General declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health—a recognition of a crisis long in the making. Psychologist and researcher Tamar Mendelson , talks with Josh Sharfstein about what young people are experiencing, who is most affected, and what can be done to help young people thrive.

Since February 2021, Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security, has been working with HHS as part of the government response to COVID-19. Now, Dr. Inglesby returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what he learned from inside government, the importance of renewed funding from Congress, the potential of test-to-treat programs, and his assessment of the state o...

Since 1893, public health nurses have served the rural communities of Alaska, mainly providing individual patient care for infectious diseases like TB. Public health nurse Lorne Carroll serves an area of about 15,000 people across four Alaskan native villages. He talks with Stephanie Desmon about how public health nursing has changed in recent years with more emphasis on community and systems care...

Humanitarian expert Dr. Paul Spiegel is back from Poland where he has been working with the WHO for the last six weeks. Spiegel talks with Stephanie Desmon about his work helping to coordinate the massive response for millions of Ukranian refugees seeking shelter throughout Europe. They talk about providing psychological first aid and basic care for refugees, what makes this situation different fr...

On this special Mother's Day episode, Public Health On Call host Dr. Josh Sharfstein interviews retired pediatrician, Dr. Margaret Sharfstein , aka Josh's mom. Together they discuss the early stages of COVID, the impact it had on her perception of age, her concerns throughout the pandemic, and even why she nicknamed him "Dr. No".