Public Health On Call

With the expiration of the COVID-19 emergency, how prepared are states for another crisis? Dr. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, returns to the podcast to discuss a 2023 report assessing states' performance in key areas related to emergency preparedness—including infectious disease, natural and artificial disasters, and bioterrorism. You can find individual state reports at www.tfah.org.

What happens when homeless encampments are swept away? Dr. Joshua Barocas, an infectious disease physician at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new study that simulates the true cost of "move along" orders and encampment "clean ups"—including infectious disease outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths. They then discuss the short-term and long-term implications of these findings.

Who is making decisions about how to spend more than $50 billion in proceeds from opioid-related litigation? Christine Minhee, lawyer and founder of opioidsettlementtracker.com, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about tracking the complex cashflow state by state, and her hopes that the website will challenge more jurisdictions to share just how they're spending dollars intended for tackling the opioid epidemic. http://publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

Renowned journalist Barkha Dutt, dubbed the "Indian Anderson Cooper," has spent her career reporting from conflict zones about gender equity and violence against women. In the last few years, she expanded her beat and traveled around India during COVID talking with people about their pandemic experiences. Dhutt recently sat down in the studio with Lindsay Smith Rogers for an expansive conversation about her career and what's next. You can watch the video of the conversation on YouTube.

In a special episode, two brand-new graduates of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about their dissertation research involving mental health. Jaimie Shaff, DrPH, talks about her work examining the mental health of people who are multiethnic and multiracial, and who are routinely left out of data sets or lumped in with "other." Bianca Smith, PhD, discusses her research using geospatial analysis to examine the relationship between housing discrimination and Black mental health in metro Detroit. Get even more public health news from our twice-weekly Expert Insights newsletter:http://publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

Dr. Raj Panjabi, one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2016, is a physician, professor, epidemiologist, entrepreneur, and public servant currently serving on the White House National Security Council. Dr. Panjabi speaks with Stephanie Desmon about growing up in Liberia and his experience working in West Africa during the first Ebola crisis, preparing for the next pandemic, and his advice for this next generation of public health graduates. Get even more public health news from our twice-weekly Expert Insights newsletter: http://publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

From origin to Warp Speed, COVID-19 proved to be a national disaster the likes of which hadn't been seen since 9-11. Lead writer of "Lessons from the COVID War" and former 9-11 Commission leader Philip Zelikow talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why COVID was a much more complicated issue, competing explanations of what went wrong, where innovation and success actually occurred, and what needs to be done to prevent another disaster like this from happening again. Get even more public health news from our twice-weekly Expert Insights newsletter:http://publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

After 9/11, mental health workers in New York City found themselves overwhelmed with requests to provide treatment to kids and their families. In response, clinical psychologist Laura Murray and her colleagues developed the Common Elements Treatment Approach, or CETA, which helps providers address multiple problems and symptoms using a customized plan of evidence-based therapies. Dr. Murray talks with Stephanie Desmon about the program's applications in conflict zones like Ukraine, and its promise in bolstering mental health programs in the US.

Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, have been used throughout human history. But it's only in the last few decades that researchers have been examining them as a potential tool for treating an array of mental health issues. Albert Garcia-Romeu, a Johns Hopkins behavioral pharmacology researcher, talks with Stephanie Desmon about his research with psilocybin, the promising outcomes, and how approval and proper regulation could lead to a whole class of psychedelic drugs used responsibly as treatment for mental health disorders.

The pandemic phase of COVID-19 is officially over, but there's still work to be done. Virologist and podcast regular Dr. Andy Pekosz talks with Stephanie Desmon about transitioning to annual COVID vaccines (no longer referred to as boosters!); "Arcturus," or variant XBB.1.16; and the importance of investing in the development of antivirals and other treatments.

Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer that is showing up in illicit opioid supplies. In addition to contributing to the risk of overdose, xylazine causes horrific, necrotizing wounds when injected, smoked, or snorted. Lindsay Smith Rogers talks to two clinicians on the front lines of the overdose epidemic about their experiences with xylazine and their views on what this latest development means for the future: Rachel McFadden, a Bloomberg Fellow at the School of Public Health and a wound care nurse in the Emergency Department at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and Dr. Matthew Salzman, also a Fellow and assistant professor of medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. Xylazine: The New Overdose Crisis | Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

Concluding our 3-part series dedicated to addressing the Black maternal health crisis in the United States, co-hosts Dr. Rachel Bervell and Annalies Winny will explore the revolution in maternal health that's happening outside the policy space – but that also informs it. They'll investigate how Black moms, community advocates, and a new generation of medical trainees are taking this issue into their own hands—and how everyone can contribute to solutions. Access the resources and organizations mentioned in this episode, including suggested reading: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/solving-the-black-maternal-health-crisis

Continuing our 3-part series dedicated to addressing the Black maternal health crisis in the United States, co-hosts Dr. Rachel Bervell and Annalies Winny explore how government policy can help shape the solutions, from closing the "Medicaid gap" to passing the most ambitious federal effort yet on this issue: the Momnibus. Access the resources and organizations mentioned in this series, including suggested reading: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/solving-the-black-maternal-health-crisis

In the last year, more anti-trans legislation has been passed in the U.S. than at any other time in history. Dr. Helene Hedian, director of clinical education at the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the dehumanizing aspects of these bills and how much they can impact her patients' daily lives and overall health. They also discuss what's going right, and how advocacy is helping to bring better and more protective health care coverage and human rights to trans- and gender-diverse people.

Jennifer Kates, senior vice president and director of global health and HIV policy at KFF, returns to the podcast to talk with Lindsay Smith Rogers about the looming expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency and what that means for things like access to tests, treatments, vaccines, and eligibility for Medicaid. They also discuss the differences between this and the national health emergency that Biden ended in April, and why both are significant symbolic gestures at a time when a new variant is emerging.

In a recent commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins tobacco policy expert Joanna Cohen and colleagues call for the FDA to take steps to bring more smoking cessation therapies to the market. Cohen, director of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why new therapies are needed and where to find evidence to support their use. Read the full commentary here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2301700. If you or someone you know needs help with quitting tobacco products, call 1-800-QUITNOW.

To understand what happens now that SCOTUS has stayed Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling on mifepristone, we first have to understand how the case got to the highest court in the land in the first place. Public health lawyer Joanne Rosen returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the unprecedented series of filings and rulings around mifepristone from Amarillo, Texas to Washington D.C., and what could happen next as litigation continues to play out.

World Immunization Week is the last week in April and this year's theme is The Big Catch Up. Vaccine expert Dr. Bill Moss returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how major setbacks in global vaccine coverage over the past few years are seeding the deadly threat of a measles resurgence. They discuss contributing factors and what needs to be done to get out in front of one of the world's most infectious viruses.

Malaria infects hundreds of millions of people around the globe each year and kills more than 600,000. But the disease has been eliminated in many of the countries providing significant support in the fight against malaria, like the U.S. For World Malaria Day, Thomas Locke, host of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute's podcast, Malaria Minute, talks with some advocates in the U.S. who are passionate about rallying political support around the fight against malaria and raising the bar for the role young people play in global health advocacy.

In the 1980s and 90s, the world came together to successfully address a major environmental problem: a growing hole in the ozone layer. So why hasn't that success translated to global collaboration to make a dent in climate change? For Earth Day, David Victor, professor at UC San Diego, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the unique problem of climate change, and some optimistic and realistic signs of progress.

Antibiotics are marvels of modern medicine but overuse has created deadly strains of bacteria that can't be treated. Where and how could prescriptions be curtailed to have the biggest effects? Dr. David Wallinga, a physician-scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the murky picture of unnecessary antibiotic use in animals in the US and the "dismal" near future where many more may die before efforts are made to get overuse under control.

Algorithms—formulas that do everything from suggesting Netflix shows to streamlining Google results—are increasingly used in health care settings. But could these tools be introducing bias? Kadija Ferryman, a cultural anthropologist and faculty at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what algorithms are and the double-edged sword of their use in medicine.

Dire statistics about birth outcomes for Black people in the U.S. have become front-page news in recent years. But this problem isn't new—in fact, it has roots in the very fabric of American society and health care with structural and systemic racism at its core. Kicking off a series from Public Health in the Field, Rachel Bervell and Annalies Winny explore how and why the nation has come to recognize this crisis in Black maternal health, what it means for health care as a whole, and possible solutions that could benefit the entire field of reproductive health at a challenging time. Listen to the full series and access the resources mentioned in it: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/solving-the-black-maternal-health-crisis

This week is Black Maternal Health Week in the US and to kick off the conversation, Dr. Josh Sharfstein speaks with author and New York Times contributor Linda Villarosa about her new book on racism and health. They discuss how she came to this topic after her years being a health editor at Essence magazine and why the picture is particularly stark for the health of Black women and their infants. They also talk about why she's optimistic about the health of Black people and how personal stories are helping to create societal change. You can read her article on maternal mortality mentioned in the podcast here.

Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, an obstetrician-gynecologist and CEO of Power to Decide, returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Texas case that invalidated FDA approval of the abortion medication mifepristone. They discuss what the ruling might mean in the short term and the broader implications for reproductive health, FDA approval of other drugs, and the field of medicine.

A U.S. district court in Texas issued a ruling limiting the scope of the Affordable Care Act's requirements for coverage of preventive services. On today's podcast, Joe Palmore, a former assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice and current co-chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group at the law firm Morrison Foerster, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Braidwood Management Inc versus Becerra case, its consequences, and what comes next.

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit allowed a man subject to an intimate partner violence restraining order to keep his guns. Kelly Roskum, the director of law and policy for the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about this decision and what's next for guns and the courts.

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 Health Security. They discuss what has happened to the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and outline what needs to be done before the next one.

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 environmental initiatives to improve the sustainability of cities around the world, accelerate the transition to clean energy, combat overfishing and protect coral reefs, and help businesses and investors better understand climate-related financial risks and opportunities.

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 consumers billions of dollars. They also discuss what it would take to reform the system.

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 matters and what lessons we can learn for the future.

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, they discuss why the mosquito is in Africa, what this means for malaria, and—more importantly—what can be done.

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 Journal of Medicine. This research was conducted by the Major Extreme Trauma Research Consortium (METRC), based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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 keeping our sewers healthy.

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 water systems, about the immovable clogs that threaten public health in cities across the globe—and what we do about it.

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 how potential changes could help reduce diet-related disease as well.

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 company at nesthealth.com.

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 health worker and certified lactation consultant in the program. The secret to their success? It's not an app. It's not a quick fix. It's years of grassroots organizing and outreach. To learn more visit the program's website, which has opportunities to contribute.

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. Stephen Thomas, director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland School of Public Health in College Park and founder of the Barbershop Project talks about the power of barbershops as places of health education. These stories were recorded on September 22, 2022 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

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 paper about his hospital's experience, as well as its impressive results. Learn more: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36192278/

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 the most vulnerable kids in the city, and Tyde-Courtney Edwards, founding director of Ballet After Dark on surviving trauma through dance. These stories were recorded on September 22, 2022 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

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 kids. They talk about what schools and parents can do to help.

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 change policies, communications, and real community engagement.

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 screening when you need it, and about some of the harm of over-screening in certain cases.

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 also tells some amazing behind the scenes stories, including the moment when Congressman Cummings met with President Trump.

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 of not only naming climate change problems, but getting involved with them "at every level" to advance change.