Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

929 - How To Spot Unregulated Pharmacies and Falsified Medications Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Trying to save money on antibiotics, GLP-1 antagonists, or other medications using online pharmacies can pose serious health risks. These sites are flush with substandard and falsified drugs, which can cause adverse side effects, leave serious conditions untreated, and, in some instances, lead to death. In this episode: Dr. Henry Michtalik shares how providers and patients can spot unregulated suppliers and report counterfeit drugs.

Guest:

Dr. Henry Michtalik, MHS, MPH, is a hospitalist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an assistant professor at both the School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a co-principal investigator with the School of Public Health's BESAFE initiative.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Fake medication is a problem across the world—DW
Fake Drugs, Real Danger—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
Verify Before You Buy—National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Report a Counterfeit Drug—U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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.

928 - When Pharmacists Prescribe Medication for Abortion Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Following the rise of restrictive abortion laws around the country, a pilot program in Washington state is training pharmacists to screen for and prescribe medication abortion. In this episode: Dr. Beth Rivin talks about the Pharmacist Abortion Access Project and how it's creating more options for safe, convenient, and effective care for women—especially those living in rural and low-income communities.

Guest:

Dr. Beth Rivin, MPH, is the President and CEO of Uplift International, an organization focused on improving health and human rights with a particular emphasis on family planning and reproductive rights.

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:

Abortion Pills Prescribed by Pharmacists Are Newest Effort in Abortion Fight—New York Times
In Washington state, pharmacists are prescribing abortion drugs—NPR
Mifepristone and EMTALA SCOTUS Rulings: A Holding Pattern—Public Health On Call (July 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.

927 - World Breastfeeding Week: Creating Sustainable Support Systems Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Breastfeeding plays a crucial role in babies' development and new research is even suggesting that breast milk can provide benefits to the microbiomes and immune systems of adults. In this episode: Meghan Azad, a breastfeeding researcher from the University of Manitoba, explains the chemical compounds that make human breast milk unique from other mammals, the opportunities to build more community support for breastfeeding, and the benefits of lactation for mothers.

Guest:

Meghan Azad, PhD, is a professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba, where she leads a lab studying breastfeeding and breast milk.

Host:

Show links and related content:

World Breastfeeding Week—World Health Organization
New study reveals breastfeeding duration influences infant microbiome and respiratory development—UM Today
Breast milk's benefits are not limited to babies—The Economist

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.

926 - A Disability Advocate Speaks Out on Medicaid Cuts Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Medicaid cuts from the recent budget reconciliation law are raising fears of cutbacks among Americans with disabilities who rely on the program for services that allow them to live independently. In this episode: Demi Eckhoff, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and who relies on Medicaid in North Carolina, explains the uncertainty and what people with disabilities are doing to advocate for themselves.

Guest:

Demi Eckhoff, MPH, is a disability advocate, a registered dietitian, and an incoming doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Disabled Americans Fear What Medicaid Cuts Could Do to Them—New York Times
Five Ways the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Could Make It More Difficult to Get Health Insurance in N.C.—The Assembly
America's Caregiver Crisis—Public Health On Call (July 2025)
The Potential Impacts of Cuts To Medicaid—Public Health On Call (March 2025)

Transcript information:

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

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.

925 - Starvation in Gaza Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

The World Health Organization is reporting thousands of cases of malnutrition and 74 civilian deaths resulting from mass starvation in Gaza in 2025. In this episode: Dr. Paul Spiegel discusses the origins of the crisis and recent developments and shares what this dire situation means for the future of the international humanitarian system.

Guest:

Dr. Paul Spiegel is a physician, epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Spiegel has worked in humanitarian emergencies for the last 30 years.

Host:

Show links and related content:

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say—New York Times
Malnutrition rates reach alarming levels in Gaza, WHO warns—World Health Organization
Humanitarian Health in Gaza and Beyond—Public Health On Call (June 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.

924 - The Shocking Hazards of Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Since the 1980s, petrochemical production along an 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River has designated the corridor as "Cancer Alley," but recent research shows that the risks from air pollution in the region have been seriously underestimated. In this episode: Pete DeCarlo and Keeve Nachman of the Johns Hopkins University discuss their concerning findings about compounding chemical exposure on human health and explain what these conclusions mean for how the United States should regulate carcinogens.

Guest:

Pete DeCarlo, PhD, is an associate professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.

Keeve Nachman, PhD, MHS, is the Robert S. Lawrence Professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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:

Air testing reveals cancer-causing gas levels far exceeding some government estimates—ABC News 4
Ethylene Oxide in Southeastern Louisiana's Petrochemical Corridor: High Spatial Resolution Mobile Monitoring during HAP-MAP—Environmental Science and Technology
Surprisingly High Levels of Toxic Gas Found in Lousiana—The Hub

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.

923 - A Critical Moment in the Fight Against HIV Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

The United States stands at a pivotal juncture in eliminating HIV. Despite recent advancements, including the development of an effective new form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an uncertain future marked by cuts to Medicaid and research hurdles threatens to undo the country's progress. In this episode: Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director of PrEP4All, sheds light on the urgent need for equitable access to PrEP and what's at stake if we fail to scale up initiatives to test, prevent, and treat HIV.

Guest:

Jeremiah Johnson is the Executive Director of PrEP4All—an organization that seeks to prevent the spread of HIV by identifying data-driven policy solutions to increase access to PrEP.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Trump's Policies Could Undermine the Fight to End America's HIV Epidemic—Tradeoffs
FDA approves Gilead's twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, offering a powerful and convenient new option—CNBC
Financing and Delivering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to End the HIV Epidemic—Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics
A National PrEP Program to End the Nation's HIV Epidemic—Public Health On Call (April 2022)

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.

922 - Book Club—Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

In the 1980s, Colombian neurologist Francisco Lopera discovered a rare genetic mutation afflicting residents of a village outside Medellín that could hold the key to understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease. In this episode: Author Jennie Erin Smith talks about her new book Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure and how families in the Paisa region of Colombia have forever changed the study of neurodegenerative diseases.

Guest:

Jennie Erin Smith is an author and a regular contributor for The New York Times, whose work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Times Literary Supplement, The New Yorker, and more.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure—Penguin Random House
A Different Way to Think About Medicine's Most Stubborn Enigma—The Atlantic
The 'Country Doctor' Who Upended Our Understanding of Dementia—New York Times

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.

921 - Is Bird Flu Gone for Good? Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

In early July, the CDC deactivated the United States' H5N1 emergency response, citing lowered rates of infection among animals and humans. But fewer cases might not indicate an end to the years-long emergency. In this episode: Dr. Erin Sorrell of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security details the timeline of the virus, its impacts on American farmers, and how to prepare for the return of migratory birds later this year.

Guest:

Dr. Erin Sorrell, PhD, MSc, is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

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:

As bird flu evolves, keeping it out of farm flocks is getting harder—ScienceNews
RFK's proposal to let bird flu spread through poultry could set us up for a pandemic, experts warn—Live Science
Bird Flu Is Escalating—Public Health On Call (January 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.

920 - Changes to the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

The recent dismissal of all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has stirred questions about vaccine safety and immunization protocols. In this episode: Dr. Grace Lee—a former ACIP chair—shares insights on the committee's crucial role in recommending vaccines uses, the importance of transparent decision-making, and dangers of abandoning strong processes.

Guest:

Dr. Grace Lee, MPH, is the Chief Quality Officer and the Christopher G. Dawes Endowed Director of Quality at Stanford Medicine Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, and Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health (Quality and Safety) and Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. She previously served as the Chair of ACIP.

Host:

Show links and related content: