America Dissected

Latest Episodes:

The Innovation Gap with Prof. Shobita Parthasarathy Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Marginalized communities–including low-income and Black and brown folks, and women and LGBT people–are less likely to have reliable healthcare access in America. But it’s not just that, they’re less likely to have treatments tailored to the health challenges they’re more likely to face. That innovation gap, that’s a function of the way we fund research and the process by which innovations go to market, namely patents. Abdul reflects on the innovation gap and speaks w/ Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, an expert on science and technology policy about how to solve it.

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

You’ve Got Mail with Guest Host Tre’vell Anderson Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Abdul and Guest Host Tre’vell Anderson answer everything you wanted to know (and maybe didn’t know you wanted to know) about public health, COVID-19, and the year ahead.

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

Healing Back...maybe? with Jonathan Cohn Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised action on President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, a sweeping package of legislation that would transform the American social experience. Along with critically important investments like universal childcare and paid family leave, the version that passed the House includes a slew of healthcare reforms. Abdul speaks to Jonathan Cohn, National Correspondent at HuffPost, and author of The Ten Year War, about the fight over protecting the Affordable Care Act, about the potential impact of the legislation.

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

Patent Pending with Prof. Jorge Contreras Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Imagine someone could patent your arm, or your mouth. Well, for a long time, someone could patent a part of the human body, a DNA sequence. That all ended in 2013 with a landmark supreme court case. But it illustrates how science, business, and law intersect—in ways that shape our health today. Abdul speaks with Prof. Jose Contreras, Law Professor and Author of the new book, The Genome Defense.

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

Uh-Omicron Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Omicron has now made landfall in the US. We are learning more about the variant every day—good, bad, and ugly. We turn to Dr. Angie Rasmussen, America Dissected’s resident virologist to get into the nitty-gritty and help us understand what it means for us and the future of the pandemic.

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

Teeth with Mary Otto Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Because of an accident of history, we think of our teeth as being wholly separate from the rest of our bodies. They even have different doctors. But teeth really are the entryway to the body, and the state of oral health in America says a lot about our inequities in general. Abdul talks to Mary Otto, journalist and author of Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America. Abdul also offers his perspective on the current COVID-19 surge and the new Omicron variant.

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

Cannabis Capitalism with Prof. David Jernigan Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

The movement to legalize cannabis has marked some major wins, helping us better understand its benefits and addressing the way it's been used to systematically over-police and incarcerate Black and brown people. And yet cannabis is big business, as venture-backed companies have swooped in to monetize newly legal cannabis, putting their bottom line ahead of public health concerns. Abdul talks to Prof. David Jernigan, author of a new book on the public health implications of cannabis.

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

The Last Best Chance with Prof Jisung Park Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Our health is inevitably tied to the health of our planet. At COP26, the world’s leaders tried to save it—but did they do enough? We speak to Prof. Jisung Park, an environmental economist, about how climate change is shaping inequality, and about what we hoped for and what we got from COP26.

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

The Contagion Next Time with Prof Sandro Galea Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

Were we set up to fail? And how does our failure affect the most vulnerable people in society? Abdul reflects on the nature of prevention itself. He speaks with Prof. Sandro Galea, Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health and author of the new book “The Contagion Next Time.”

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

Be-JUULed with Lauren Etter Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

Decades of public health efforts turned America’s young people against smoking. And then JUUL made it cool again. Abdul speaks with Lauren Etter, author of “The Devil’s Playbook,” about how a tool designed to help people quit hooked a whole new generation to nicotine.

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