Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

959 - The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Apprenticeships offer the unique opportunity to earn money while learning in-demand skills—and they can be a useful public health intervention, diverting young people away from violence and poor choices. In this episode: Maryland State Senator Cory McCray opens up about his own apprenticeship experience and how earn-while-you-learn opportunities can transform young people's lives.

Guest:

Cory V. McCray is a state senator representing Maryland's 45th District. He is also an electrician, an entrepreneur, and the author of "The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life: Guidebook to Navigating the Earn-While-You-Learn Opportunity of a Lifetime".

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life: Guidebook to Navigating the Earn-While-You-Learn Opportunity of a Lifetime—Morgan James Publishing

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

958 - The Executive Order on Homelessness Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

This summer, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at "ending crime and disorder on America's streets." In this episode: Ann Oliva of the National Alliance to End Homelessness discusses her concerns about what this executive order means for unhoused people. She also discusses proven strategies for reducing homelessness and the renewed role of states and localities in addressing the nation's housing crisis.

Guest:

Ann Oliva is the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a public education, advocacy, and capacity-building organization dedicated to ending homelessness in the United States.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets—The White House
National Alliance to End Homelessness Statement on Trump Administration's Executive Order on Homelessness—National Alliance to End Homelessness
What Would It Take to End Homelessness in America?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

957 - The Formula for Better Health Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

For centuries, public health has seen invisible killers, believed in the power of community interventions, and created better health outcomes across the globe. In this episode: Former CDC director Tom Frieden explains how to tackle today's biggest health challenges and previews his new book, "The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own".

Guest:

Dr. Tom Frieden, MPH, is the president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. He previously served as the director of the CDC and is the author of "The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own".

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own—Penguin Random House
A former CDC director's guide to seeing and stopping threats to America's health—STAT

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

956 - Medical Care in Immigration Detention Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

How do people in ICE custody, many of whom have chronic diseases or rely on daily medication, receive medical care? In this episode: Dr. Katherine Peeler, a medical adviser for Physicians for Human Rights, talks about the standards of care for detainees, challenges emerging at overcrowded detention centers, and high rates of burnout among providers.

Guest:

Dr. Katherine Peeler, MA, is a pediatric critical care physician and a medical adviser at Physicians for Human Rights. She leads the Peeler Immigration Lab where she researches the health and health rights of immigrants and, in particular, asylum seekers.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Medical Care Standards in Immigrant Detention Facilities—Congress.gov
Consequences of Fear: How the Trump Administration's Immigration Policies and Rhetoric Block Access to Health Care—Physicians for Human Rights
An ICE detention center wants a doctor who will follow orders. That's unethical.—Washington Post

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

955 - Mental Health Care in ICE Custody Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

How well do ICE detention centers provide mental health care? In this episode: We first hear from Dr. Solomiya Tsymbalyuk from the University of Maryland about an emergency department interaction that presented legal and ethical questions around treating individuals in ICE custody. Then, Dr. Katherine Peeler of Physicians for Human Rights offers a look at how mental health care should be offered in immigration detention centers and why those protocols are becoming more difficult to follow.

Guest:

Dr. Solomiya Tsymbalyuk is a fourth-year psychiatric resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Psychiatrists and Other Physicians Interfacing With ICE: Legal and Ethical Challenges—Psychiatric Services
'People Are Losing Hope' Inside ICE Detention Centers—New York Times
California sent investigators to ICE facilities. They found more detainees, and health care gaps—CalMatters

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

954 - Preventing Suicide Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Social media and AI chatbots are changing the landscape of suicide prevention, requiring a multidisciplinary care model. In this episode: Walker Tisdale, Johns Hopkins' Director of Outreach for Suicide Prevention Initiatives, discusses how these developing technologies are changing care models and how to help loved ones who are struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Guest:

Walker R. Tisdale III, MPH, DSW, is a leading subject-matter expert and national speaker on suicide prevention, crisis intervention, health equity and the social determinants of health. He serves as the Director of Outreach for Suicide Prevention Initiatives at Johns Hopkins University.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life—New York Times
September is National Suicide Prevention Month—The Hub
Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team—Johns Hopkins University

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

953 - Interpreting the Data on Tylenol, Pregnancy, and Autism Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Does acetaminophen use during pregnancy cause autism in children? In this episode: Brian Lee, who led the largest study on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental outcomes, walks through the study's findings—as well as the challenges of researching the causal effects of medication use during pregnancy. Then, biostatistician Elizabeth Stuart discusses how she thinks about assessing potential cause-and-effect relationships when studies have different strengths and weaknesses.

Guest:

Brian Lee, PhD, MHS, is a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University.

Elizabeth Stuart, PhD, is Chair in the Department of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focuses on designing and interpreting studies exploring causal effects.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability—JAMA
What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism—STAT
Discovering How Environment Affects Autism—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
Does A Really Cause B? How a Biostatistician Thinks About Causality—Public Health On Call (August 2024)

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

952 - The Atomic Bomb, 80 Years Later Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Eighty years ago, the United States introduced the globe to atomic warfare, devastating the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this episode: Author Leslie Sussan tells the story through the eyes of her father, who filmed the aftermath of this disaster on orders from the President of the United States.

Guest:

Leslie Sussan is an attorney and author, who wrote the book, "Choosing Life: My Father's Journey in Film from Hollywood to Hiroshima".

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Choosing Life: My Father's Journey in Film from Hollywood to Hiroshima—Choosing Life
Atomic Cover-Up—PBS
Documenting Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks profoundly impacted a military filmmaker and his daughter—WBUR

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

951 - Dr. Debra Houry on Her Decision to Leave the CDC Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Last week, Dr. Debra Houry was testifying before Congress. Today, she's talking with Dr. Josh Sharfstein on Public Health On Call. In this episode: Dr. Houry reflects on her time at the CDC, the drastic changes at the agency under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and what she hopes her testimony can do to uphold quality public health.

Guest:

Dr. Debra Houry, MPH, most recently served as the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at the CDC. She has also worked as a professor at both the Emory University School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health, and as an emergency department physician.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Testimony from Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H.—Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Senior CDC officials resign after Monarez ouster, cite concerns over scientific independence—CBS News
A Brief Update: CDC in Crisis—Public Health On Call (September 2025)

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

950 - Michael Osterholm on Vaccine Policy in 2025 Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

An overwhelming majority of Americans support vaccines, particularly routine childhood immunizations for preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella. But misinformation is obscuring the scientific evidence on vaccine safety and efficacy. In this episode: Michael Osterholm, one of the founding members of the Vaccine Integrity Project, talks about his work to uplift science-backed research and offers a readout on the most recent meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Guest:

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, is an author and epidemiologist who serves as the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He is one of the founders of the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative safeguarding vaccine access by reviewing and sharing scientific evidence.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Transcript information:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.