America Dissected

Latest Episodes:

Bracket Buster with Prof. Tim Fong Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Online sports betting has exploded over the past few years as 18 states have legalized it. Already a $70 Billion market, it’s projected to double in the next five years. But what does the rise of online sports betting mean for people with gambling disorder? We speak with Prof. Tim Fong, a gambling addiction expert, about the consequences of online sports betting–and how we can protect vulnerable people.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

Daylight Shavings Time with Dr. Muhammad Adeel Rishi Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Spring forward has taken all the spring out of my step. It’s even worse from my four year old who’s super confused about why she has to wake up an hour earlier every day. But beyond the annoyance and the lack of sleep, what are the long term health consequences of Daylight Savings Time? We speak with Dr. Adeel Rishi, lead author of a position paper from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on Daylight Savings Time.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

State of the Pandemic with Dr. Don Burke Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

COVID really is over this time, right? Abdul reflects on the fact that public health is about what we do in the background when no one is paying attention–and how now is not the time for public health leaders to take a breather, but to get ahead of the next variant. Abdul sits down with Dr. Don Burke, a global infectious disease expert, to walk through various scenarios for where we go from here.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

On the Beaten Path with Dr. Shane O’Mara Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

Who knew “take a hike” was really powerful health advice? Abdul reflects on the power of one of the most basic things humans can do. Then he speaks with Neuroscientist and author Shane O’Mara about his book “In Praise of Walking,” about the power of a walk, and why so many of us rediscovered it during the pandemic.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

People > Pathology with Prof. Celeste Watkins-Hayes Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

Too often, we focus on the disease that affect people rather than the people those diseases are affecting. That failure to pay attention to people lets the disease take more than their health, it lets it take their identities. But we can stop it. Prof. Celeste Watkins-Hayes studies the ways that women with HIV negotiate their illness and how it shapes their lives. She joins Abdul to talk about her work, her book “Remaking a Life,” and about what it can teach us about rethinking how we respond in times of health crises like COVID-19.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

The Sum of Us are Sick with Heather McGhee Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Public health requires us to believe that there is “a public” above and beyond ourselves as individuals. But who belongs to that public may matter even more for what we’re willing to do provide that public. In her book “The Sum of Us,” author and organizer Heather McGhee shows how racism has destroyed collective efforts–from swimming pools to insurance pools–in America. She joins Abdul to talk about what that means for public health and the pandemic.

You can find "The Sum of Us," now in paperback, wherever you shop for books.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

The Black Maternal Health Caucus with Rep. Lauren Underwood Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

One of the most galling examples of inequity in America continues to be the stunningly high rate at which Black mothers die in pregnancy and childbirth and Black babies die before during their first year of life. Abdul reflects on how structural inequity continues to take mothers’ and babies’ lives. Then he talks to Rep. Lauren Underwood, Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and sponsor of the “Momnibus” package to eliminate these disparities.

Baby 2 Baby: https://baby2baby.org/

Star Legacy Foundation: https://starlegacyfoundation.org/

BabyQuest Foundation: https://babyquestfoundation.org/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

The Court of Public Vaccination w/ Prof. Melissa Murray Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Your right to swing your first ends where my face starts. That principle captures the limits of our freedoms in this country. And the Supreme Court has long held the precedent that people could be required to be vaccinated to protect the public from disease. But a recent ruling against workplace vaccine mandates may upend that. We speak with Prof. Melissa Murray, NYU Law professor and host of “Strict Scrutiny,” a podcast about the supreme court, about that, the retirement of Justice Breyer, and more.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

A different kind of public option? Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

President Biden ran on the idea of offering Americans a “public option” for health insurance — a government managed healthcare plan that would operate in parallel to private insurance. But what if we extended “public options” beyond health insurance to, say, pharmaceuticals or increased public investment in clinics and hospitals? Dana Brown is the Director of Health and Economy at the Democracy Collaborative and has been writing about just that. She joins Abdul to talk about it.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

CDC something wrong here? Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

The CDC is the nation–perhaps the world’s–most preeminent public health agency. But it’s taken quite the beating throughout this pandemic. From flawed tests to unclear guidance to political tampering, the agency’s mistakes continue to mount. How did this happen, and how do we make sure it doesn’t happen again? Abdul talks about how public health mistakes happen and speaks with Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC Director under President Obama about the past, present, and future of the once-storied agency.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.