Public Health On Call

We're in a strange "limbo" where vaccinations are on the rise, but so are hospitalizations. Epidemiologist Keri Althoff and mental health expert Elizabeth Stuart return to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about making safe decisions, why vaccinated people shouldn't take off their masks just yet, and the need for flexibility as mixed messaging and lots of transitions may be the "new normal...

There's a lack of data around COVID-19 in humanitarian settings and refugee camps so it's difficult to know how people there have fared in the pandemic. Paul Spiegel , director of the Center for Humanitarian Health, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the data vacuum and the importance of vaccinating all who are at high risk of severe COVID. They also discuss how humanitarian assistance has fared si...

While one-third of Americans have received their first COVID vaccine dose, COVID cases in parts of the U.S. are at their highest levels since December because of new variants that are more contagious. Dr. Michael Osterholm , an infectious disease expert, and adviser to President Biden talks with Stephanie Desmon about the critical place we're in now, his fears for children who are both more likely...

Dr. Susan Sherman talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about her 2016-2017 research on the relationship between female sex workers and police, including how abusive policing practices directly and indirectly put the health and safety of the women at risk. They then discuss Dr. Sherman's recommendations for a different approach. Note: After this podcast was recorded, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn M...

The theme of this year's National Public Health Week is "Building Bridges to Better Health." Dr. Georges Benjamin , president of the American Public Health Association, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the poor condition of these bridges, from archaic lab technology and a sparse workforce to gross inequities in health care. They discuss what needs to be done to fix the system so these inequiti...

In a special 4-part series excerpted from a webcast, we look at the extraordinary challenges facing the field of public health in the COVID era. In the final episode, we hear more about how serious the problems are and what can be done about it. Lori Freeman , NACCHO CEO; Chrissy Juliano , Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition; and Dr. Marcus Plescia , Chief Medical Officer of ASTO...

In a special 4-part series excerpted from a webcast, we look at the extraordinary challenges facing the field of public health in the COVID era. Today, Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer and Director of the Santa Clara Public Health Department in California; Jennifer Kertanis , Director of Health at Farmington Valley Health District in Connecticut; and Lisa Macon Harrison , Health Director of the Granv...

In a special 4-part series excerpted from a webcast, we look at the extraordinary challenges facing the field of public health in the COVID era. Today, Dr. Beth Resnick and Paulani Mui of Johns Hopkins talk about their research on the issue of challenges facing public health officers during the pandemic. They put current challenges in the context of long-standing underfunding of critical public he...

In a special 4-part series excerpted from a webcast, we look at the extraordinary challenges facing the field of public health in the COVID era. Today, a message from Dr. Rochelle Walensky , director of the CDC. Then, we hear from three public health officers: Dr. Mysheika Roberts , the Health Commissioner of Columbus Public Health in Ohio; Dr. Greg Holzman , the State Medical Officer of the Depar...

Una conversación entre Dra. Sara Polk , una de las directoras del Centro Sol de la universidad de Johns Hopkins y Gabriela Calderon Velazquez , especialista en salud escolar de Johns Hopkins. Hablan sobre el regreso a clases en persona en el tiempo de covid. Escuchemos.

The American Rescue Plan Act, meant to help the country dig its way out of the pandemic's disastrous economic effects, has some benefits that could be long-term game-changers for children and families. Bruce Lesley, president of the bipartisan advocacy group First Focus on the Children, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the Child Tax Credit's potential to cut child poverty by 45%. KEYWORDS: child...

When the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem paused live performances last March, there were questions about what would happen next. Like many venues, the theater made the transition to virtual performances, drawing audiences from all over the world, but it also considered ways to serve its local community including microgrants for nearby businesses and displaying messages of hope on its marquee. Fa...

The pandemic halted all in-person performing arts in the last year: a "big hole to crawl back out of," says Marin Alsop , music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Alsop talks with Josh Sharfstein about what's been lost during a period of "emotional stasis," but also how the pandemic, alongside the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, offer the chance for much-needed change for and m...

Research suggests that the arts—a sprawling industry of museums, theaters, studios, production companies, artists, administrators and more—have lost over $15 billion in the COVID-19 pandemic. But the losses go beyond financial to the existential: who are we without the arts? Kate Levin , who oversees the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts program, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the losses of...

Is the recovery on track or about to be derailed? What can we do alongside vaccines to step down case numbers? What does the CDC's relaxed guidance for 3-feet of distance for kids mean for schools reopening? What are the key metrics of vaccine success? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo from the Center for Health Security returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein and answer some questions about yet...

Life expectancy in the US has been declining over the last 30 years, especially among working-age adults—a stark contrast from wealthy peer countries in Europe and Asia where adults are living longer, healthier lives. Hopkins health economist Dr. Darrell Gaskin talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about new data on this American crisis including a confluence of factors including a lack of jobs, systemic...

Staying on top of the COVID-19 pandemic means understanding the infectiousness, lethality, and spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Jonathan Quick , managing director for pandemic preparedness and prevention at the Rockefeller Foundation, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report with a vision for tracking variants across the United States and the world. KEYWORDS: viral mutation; testing...

Many of the largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are in prisons, jails, and detention centers—places that have not been prioritized for vaccine rollouts. New data also shows that there are thousands of people who are pregnant being admitted to these facilities each year. Dr. Chris Beyrer returns to the podcast to give an update on COVID and prisons, and Dr. Carolyn Sufrin talks about the...

Last week, parts of Europe suspended the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after a few vaccinated individuals reported dangerous blood clots. Johns Hopkins vaccine safety expert Dan Salmon talks with Stephanie Desmon about the situation and why it's reassuring in terms of vaccine safety monitoring, and how these are questions that "can and will be answered by science." Note: This conversation...

In this episode, Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Hopkins researchers who break down three research papers looking at the relationship between obesity and COVID-19. Lauren Peetluk , a graduate student from Vanderbilt University, talks about a study published early in the pandemic looking at obesity and mortality from COVID-19. Dr. Sabina Haberlen talks about a CDC paper on the relationship between B...

POTS is a chronic syndrome marked by high blood pressure and dizziness that can be debilitating. It's often diagnosed after patients recover from viruses like strep or mono, and now doctors are seeing patients develop POTS-like symptoms after infection with COVID-19. Dr. Christina Kokorelis and patient Vanessa McMains talk with Stephanie Desmon about POTS and the long-term prognosis for patients s...

Last fall, the state of North Dakota had the highest COVID-19 rate per capita in the world and Sanford Medical Center in Fargo was nearly overwhelmed with COVID patients from as far away as Montana. Dr. Doug Griffin , Sanford Health vice president and medical officer, talks with Stephanie Desmon about how the hospital got through that crisis and what things are like today, his fears of another sur...

Baltimore County's mass vaccination sites—called "PODs," which stands for Point of Dispensing—can serve up to 500 patients an hour. The logistics of moving so many people safely through a space are complicated, but Terry Sapp , the public health emergency coordinator for Baltimore County, is drawing on his years of experience setting up venues for the heavy metal rock band Twisted Sister. Sapp tal...

While COVID-19 showed all the ways the health care and public health systems in the US are broken, the pandemic has also led to innovative problem solving and fixes for the future. Health economist Dr. Melinda Buntin talks with Stephanie Desmon about what went wrong, what went right, what changes she hopes will stay, and what comes next for health care and public health. KEYWORDS: telemedicine; he...

Physicians play a crucial role in educating patients, who have lots of questions about COVID-19 vaccines. Drs. Jay Bhatt and Hussein Lalani are part of a digital campaign called This Is Our Shot that aims to drive out misinformation and elevate personal stories from physicians about getting COVID-19 vaccines. They talk with Stephanie Desmon about their work and how it's "drawing on the very best o...