In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Latest Episodes:

Can the CDC Regain Public Trust? (with Julie Gerberding) Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Bob calls up Dr. Julie Gerberding to address vaccines, the CDC, and how public trust factors into both. Julie has vast experience with all of those topics, having served as president of Merck vaccines and also as CDC director under George W. Bush, the first woman to serve in that role. First, Bob and Julie discuss the vaccine rollout, how the variants may affect things, and Merck's failed efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Then, an important discussion about the CDC, and how to avoid politics from interfering with science in the future. Plus, the lifelong lessons she learned about infectious diseases during the HIV epidemic as Bob's Chief Resident at UCSF in the 80s.

Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Read this op-ed from Julie Gerberding and other former CDC directors about how President Biden can rebuild public trust in the CDC: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/cdc-was-damaged-marginalization-politicization-how-biden-can-fix-it-ncna1254135
Learn more about Julie’s experience caring for patients with AIDS at San Francisco General Hospital in the 1980s: https://www.merck.com/stories/lessons-from-dual-pandemics/
Check out this article about Merck’s decision to stop developing its two COVID vaccine candidates: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/25/960294852/merck-stops-developing-both-of-its-covid-19-vaccine-candidates
Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Inside the National COVID-19 Plan (with Atul Gawande) Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Bob calls up a friend – Dr. Atul Gawande – to bring clarity and empathy to some pretty complicated issues. Atul, a practicing surgeon and bestselling author, recently finished serving on the Biden transition’s COVID-19 task force. Atul discusses the work of the task force, how best to handle vaccines and the schools, and what COVID-19 has taught him about our healthcare system, our politics, and our approach to death and dying.

Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

Follow Atul Gawande on Twitter @Atul_Gawande.

Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Watch President Biden's full address on his COVID-19 response plan: https://youtu.be/JzA37FofhmM
Read President Biden’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/National-Strategy-for-the-COVID-19-Response-and-Pandemic-Preparedness.pdf
Watch Anthony Fauci speak at a recent White House press conference, his first under the new Biden administration: https://youtu.be/sFLxkM3xeGw
Learn more about what Atul Gawande and his colleagues are up to at CIC Health: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/24/business/seven-months-ago-cic-health-didnt-exist-today-its-running-states-mass-vaccination-effort/
Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toolkit: Where Is My Vaccine? Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Now that we are a couple of months into the vaccine rollout, we wanted to answer more of your vaccine-related questions. Dr. Bob asks Paul Offit your questions about what more we've learned about the vaccines in terms of safety, efficacy and vaccinating kids. Ruth Faden tackles your questions about the ethics of deciding who gets the shots first, jumping the line, and vaccination passports. Plus, Dr. Bob and his wife Katie Hafner discuss what it's like when one person in a bubble is vaccinated and the other isn’t.

Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

Follow Paul Offit @DrPaulOffit and Ruth Faden @fadenethx on Twitter.

Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Find your place in the line for the COVID-19 vaccine with this tool from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html
Keep track of the U.S.’s vaccine rollout with this graphic from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/
Read more on what Dr. Paul Offit thinks of President Biden’s plan to distribute 100 million vaccines in 100 days: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/health/biden-covid-vaccine-supply.html
Check out this New Yorker article featuring Ruth Faden, asking if it’s wrong to take advantage of technicalities and glitches in the vaccine distribution: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/should-you-wait-your-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine.html
Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Went Wrong in L.A. (And What We’re Hopeful About in D.C.) Jan 20, 2021

Show notes

On the first day of President Biden's term, Dr. Bob takes a look at the toll the pandemic is having right now in Los Angeles – the epicenter of the nation’s winter surge – with emergency room physician Erika Flores Uribe and Hal Yee, Chief Medical Officer with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. They discuss who's most affected, what it's like on the front lines, what they're doing to turn things around, and how the vaccine rollout is going in L.A. Dr. Bob also reflects on what we can look forward to after Inauguration Day in the fight against COVID-19.

Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Keep track of the COVID-19 situation in California with The Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/
Learn about the 5 new vaccination super sites opening up in Los Angeles: https://laist.com/latest/post/20210118/5-more-vaccination-super-sites-open-tomorrow-in-LA-county
Check out this article about Los Angeles lifting its cremation limits due to a backlog caused by skyrocketing COVID-19 deaths: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/19/958354466/cremation-limits-lifted-in-la-due-to-backlog-as-covid-19-deaths-skyrocket
Watch the full clip of CNN reporter Sara Sidner choking up after reporting from a hospital in Los Angeles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du5HjRpAliE
Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toolkit: What You Need to Know About the Variants Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

If you were worried that a new host would mean a completely different show, let this Monday Toolkit ease your fears. Dr. Bob poses your questions about the so-called UK and South African variants to virologist Angela Rasmussen and evolutionary biologist Paul Turner. You'll get answers about what the variants mean for the vaccines, how they affect kids, how to adjust your behavior in response to them, and much more.

Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

You can follow Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Here’s a link to CDC’s webpage on the new COVID-19 variants: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html
Check out this article about the CDC’s prediction that the UK variant could become the dominant COVID strain in the US by March: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-variant-dominant-us/2021/01/15/4420d814-5738-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html
Learn more about ‘The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense:’ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html
Read about Andy’s temporary role in the Biden administration: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/andy-slavitt-biden-covid-team/index.htm
Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Goes to Washington Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

On January 20th, Andy will begin serving in the Biden White House as Senior Advisor for the pandemic response. He will be back to the show in June. Hear about the decision, what he’ll be doing, and who will be hosting the show while he’s away.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet the New CDC Director (with Rochelle Walensky) Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

Incoming CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gives her first major interview. She and Andy discuss her background as a young girl who wanted to grow up to be financially independent and how that turned into a storied career that led her to the pinnacle of public health. She discusses the challenges she faces in this epic role and her priorities for the CDC. There’s never been a more important time to have a strong leader like Dr. Walensky in charge of this agency.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.

Follow Rochelle Walensky on Twitter @RWalensky.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Read Rochelle’s opinion piece in The New York Times about her priorities as CDC Director: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/opinion/rochelle-walensky-cdc-director.html
Watch President-elect Joe Biden introduce his health team nominees, including Rochelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVFUIrWMkXA
Learn more about the Biden administration’s plan distribute 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/08/955005344/biden-vows-to-distribute-100-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-in-his-first-100-day
Find the CDC’s latest guidance on COVID-19 here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/
Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toolkit: How to Stay Safe at Work Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Here’s the toolkit for everyone who needs to physically be at work — either now or in the future. Andy’s got you covered with expert advice on how to stay safe at work with attorney Jessica Rosenberg and Director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings program Joseph Allen. They’ve got answers about Plexiglas, filtration, bad bosses, your rights, and more.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Joseph Allen @j_g_allen on Twitter.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Find the website for The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) here: www.osha.gov
Check out the Healthy Buildings tool that’ll help you to calculate air changes per hour in an indoor space: https://tinyurl.com/portableaircleanertool
Read this 5 step guide to checking ventilation rates in classrooms that Joe mentions in today’s episode: https://schools.forhealth.org/ventilation-guide/
Order Joe’s book, Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, co-authored with John D. Macomber: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674237971
Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Top Scientists' Predictions for 2021 Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

When do the country’s top scientists think we'll be gathering indoors again? How about when most adults in America will be vaccinated? And what's the number one thing you can do this year to slow the pandemic? We all want to know what’s going to happen in 2021, so Andy got you some answers from a few of the smartest people out there. You’ll hear from Larry Brilliant, Leana Wen, Anthony Fauci, Megan Ranney, David Agus, and many more.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Check out the five key milestones in the COVID-19 pandemic that experts are anticipating in 2021: https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/04/five-key-milestones-in-the-covid19-pandemic-2021/
This article explains the breakthroughs that will make 2021 better than 2020: https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2020
Learn more about the new UK coronavirus variant: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-variant-pandemic-spread
Get the latest news and resources about the coronavirus vaccines from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/coronavirus-vaccine
Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best of In the Bubble: What No One Knows About COVID-19 (with Larry Brilliant) Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

If you didn’t catch this Best of In the Bubble episode the first time around, you are in for a treat! And even if you've heard it already, go ahead and give it another listen. If there is one expert Andy could talk with about coronavirus and how we are really doing, it is epidemiologist Larry Brilliant. Larry, who helped eradicate smallpox and is hard at work on coronavirus, grades our performance on a scientific, sociological, and political basis. He also shares everything that science knows, and doesn't know, about the way the novel coronavirus is transmitted and infects us. Larry doesn’t mince words about political leadership or the CDC.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Larry Brilliant on Twitter @larrybrilliant.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Check out the latest information on the Oxford vaccine, as mentioned in this week’s Zach Fact: https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/20/study-provides-first-glimpse-of-efficacy-of-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine/
Here is more information if you are Interested in volunteering for a COVID-19 prevention clinical study: https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/clinical-study-volunteer/
Watch Larry Brilliant’s 2006 TED Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/larry_brilliant_my_wish_help_me_stop_pandemics/transcript?language=en
Read more about how chronic fatigue syndrome may hold keys to understanding post-Covid syndrome: https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-keys-understanding-post-covid-syndrome/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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