Public Health On Call

Why isn't the potential of contact tracing being realized right now in the US? Can an MMR booster protect me from COVID-19? Is it better to go to the grocery store several times a week or make one longer trip? Will social distancing and masks make for a lighter flu season? Can a COVID test become negative if it sits too long before processing? Should I shave my beard? Dr. Crystal Watson from the C...

Economic upheaval, school closures, social distancing, and job losses have all contributed to worsening mental health for parents and behavioral health for children. Pediatrician Dr. Stephen Patrick is the lead author of a new study that shows how COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to the lives of children and parents. Patrick talks with guest host Colleen Barry about how these issues are havin...

Nearly six months into the US outbreak, getting a test for COVID-19 is still messy, and getting results can take so long that they're useless for contact tracing and isolating. Scott Becker , chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories , talks with Stephanie Desmon about the complexities of testing and why we should not expect anything to change in the next six months. Becker...

COVID-19 shutdowns forced businesses into a remote work culture—many of them almost overnight. As employers contemplate how to safely bring staff back to work, they'll need to consider the ways in which "work" itself and the role of the physical office have changed. Steve Lang , President and CEO of Dancker , a US company that designs office space, talks with Stephanie Desmon about solving for bas...

How do social injustices contribute to health problems among Black Americans? Today, we look at racial disparities through the lens of kidney disease. Dr. Tanjala Purnell and Dr. Deidra Crews talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a confluence of factors—including harmful experiences and societal barriers to equal housing, employment, and other opportunities—that contributes to Black Americans experi...

A special episode today as Dr. Josh Sharfstein discusses Henrik Ibsen's play, The Enemy of the People , with Dr. Leonardo Lisi , Hopkins professor and an expert in 19th century Scandinavian literature and philosophy. The play, which was written in 1882, draws parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic like the vilification of health officials whose guidance may run counter to political and economic intere...

Dr. Mikhail "Doctor Mike" Varshavski , D.O., a board certified family medicine physician, has amassed six million subscribers on YouTube where he posts fun and engaging videos that demystify healthcare and combat misinformation. Doctor Mike talks to Dr. Josh about his "edutainment" approach to inform and engage people on health literacy, and how physicians and institutions can help make medicine m...

India's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, or PM-JAY, was founded in 2018 as a government-funded health insurance initiative that provides free services to the poorest 40% of the population. Dr. Indu Bhushan , the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority and CEO of the PM-JAY, talks with Sara Bennett about the COVID-19 pandemic in India and how the health system is addressing the cr...

Forty million people are at risk of eviction in the US as a result of COVID-19-related unemployment. Emily Benfer , Wake Forest law professor and co-creator of the Princeton Eviction Lab's COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard , talks with Stephanie Desmon about what could be the biggest housing crisis in US history and the lasting impact this could have on individuals, communities, and the housing ma...

With resources strained and attention focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, active hurricane and wildfire seasons could add more deadly threats to the mix. Craig Fugate , the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Obama administration, talks with Stephanie Desmon about how disaster management experts are prepping shelters and crews, and what people can do to keep themselves and the...

How close are we to a vaccine? What do efficacy trials actually entail? What are the challenges to achieving diversity in clinical trials? How long would a COVID-19 vaccine provide some level of protection? How is vaccine safety assessed? Should pregnant women be included in vaccine trials for COVID-19? Dr. Ruth Karron , one of the top vaccine experts in the world and a professor in International...

Sweden's approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19 has relied largely on providing guidance and expecting compliance. What's gone right? What's gone wrong? Anders Tegnell , Sweden's chief epidemiologist, talks candidly with Dr. Josh Sharfstein . He rejects the idea that the nation has been complacent, saying the goal has always been to reduce transmission, using mandates as necessary to achie...

Over 300 homeless youths ages 14-25 come to the Youth Empowered Society (YES) Drop-in Center every year. They come for food, clothing, mental health counseling, job training, housing and rental assistance, and many more basic services. But COVID-19 is presenting even greater challenges for clients and has forced the staff to rethink service delivery models. YES executive director Blair Franklin ta...

Experts are concerned about outbreaks of seasonal influenza alongside further spikes of COVID-19 infections this fall and winter as some people return to work and school. Jen Gerber , a recent PhD graduate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the importance of the flu vaccine to keep people from getting sick and filling hospital beds needed fo...

In May, the mayor of Dallas appointed Dr. Kelvin Baggett as the "COVID Czar." Now, amidst rising cases across the state, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alum Baggett is tasked with reducing harm and suffering from COVID-19. He talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about his work as COVID Czar, how the city is addressing disproportionate impact on minority communities, and how the pandemic...

This week, we're checking in with guests we interviewed earlier in the pandemic. Today, Stephanie Desmon gets an update from epidemiologist Dr. Chris Beyrer about the status of the pandemic in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers. Beyrer also talks about the victories they've had with decarceration and releases of individuals who are high-risk for serious COVID-19 illness, the role of...

Dr. Josh Sharfstein gets an update from Dr. Arturo Casadevall about the innovative idea of using convalescent serum from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to help others. Since we last heard from him, Dr. Casadevall has launched a plasma project that, along with others across the US, has helped over 35,000 COVID-19 patients. Casadevall also talks about how data from the project can help wi...

Are people who test positive for weeks, or even months still infectious? Are face shields more effective than masks? If COVID-19 is airborne, does this mean we don't have to be as concerned about surfaces? If a person tests positive multiple times, is each new test considered a new "case?" If you're sick with COVID and you wear a mask, will you get sicker because you're breathing in more virus? Wo...

Recently, the White House and HHS have undermined credibility of the top US experts on pandemic response. Dr. Josh Sharfstein reminds us that the battle we're fighting is not about Democrats vs. Republicans, nor about public health vs. the economy. The battle is humanity vs. the virus, and we need evidence and experience to prevail.

Early in the US's COVID-19 outbreak, Michigan experienced a surge in cases that led to the governor issuing an aggressive stay-at-home order. Despite pushback, the state successfully flattened the curve and is now trying to address gaping health disparities and prevent another surge. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun , Michigan's Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Health, talks with Dr. Josh...

New evidence points towards likelihood that the virus may be spread through aerosols that linger, not just droplets that fall. Dr. Elizabeth Matsui , a pediatric allergist and immunologist, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the growing evidence of aerosol spread, why it's been controversial, and what it means for safety measures to limit viral transmission.

In some areas of the globe, people are seeing blue skies for the first time during COVID-19 lockdowns. But is this really indicative of a major shift in the reduction of air pollution? Dr. Urvashi Narain , lead economist at the World Bank of South Asia, recently authored a report: " Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 But Not Arrested ." Dr Narain talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how activi...