Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

870 - The Origins, Impacts, and Challenges of Misinformation Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

A new report on misinformation and disinformation from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is helping to define what misinformation is and how it starts and how to combat it. In this episode: a conversation about the findings, and how to get away from misinformation as a name-calling contest.

Guest:

Vish Viswanath is the Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and chaired the blue ribbon panel examining misinformation about science.

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:

Science Misinformation, Its Origins and Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies Examined in New Report; Multisector Action Needed to Increase Visibility of, Access to High-Quality Science Information—National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The Anatomy of Deception: Conspiracy Theories, Distrust, and Public Health In America—Public Health On Call (October 2024)

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.

869 - The Evidence on Vaccines and Autism Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Questions about vaccines and autism have been around for a while despite multiple scientific studies that do not show a connection. In this episode: where the concerns started, the science behind why experts have concluded there is no link, and why these questions still persist.

Guest:

Dan Salmon is the director of the Johns Hopkins Institute For Vaccine Safety.

Host:

Show links and related content:

CDC Wants to Revisit Debunked Theories of Links Between Vaccines And Autism—Forbes
Vaccines 101: Vaccine Safety Science—Public Health On Call (February 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.

868 - COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma: From Emergency to Everyday Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when there were no vaccines or treatments, convalescent plasma—antibody-containing blood from people who recovered from COVID—saved countless lives through Emergency Use Authorization. In this episode: special guest host Thomas Locke of MMI Monthly: From Bench To Breakthrough discusses the evolution of CCP therapy, from emergency use during the pandemic to now, nearly five years later, crossing the finish line with recent FDA approval as a potential treatment for immunocompromised patients.

Guest:

David Sullivan is a professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.

Host:

Thomas Locke is the host of MMI Monthly: From Bench to Breakthrough and Malaria Minute, podcasts from the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Bloomberg School Researchers Support First Blood Center to Receive Full FDA Approval to Provide Convalescent Plasma for Patients Who Are Immunocompromised—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Convalescent Plasma Offers 'Blueprint' For Future Pandemics—The Hub
How a Boy's Blood Stopped an Outbreak—The Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

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.

867 - Everything Is Tuberculosis: A Conversation With John Green Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

John Green is a New York Times bestselling author and YouTuber known for writing books like The Fault In Our Stars. His latest book is about tuberculosis. In this episode: A conversation with John Green about why he chose to write about TB, the current state of public health and its challenges, and how the disease and its prevalance reflects so much back on us in terms of who we are as a society.

Guest:

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. With his brother, Hank, John has co-created many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. John serves on the board of trustees for the global health nonprofit Partners In Health and spoke at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on the Fight to End Tuberculosis. John lives with his family in Indianapolis. You can visit him online at http://johngreenbooks.com or join the TB Fighters working to end tuberculosis at http://tbfighters.org .

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:

Everything Is Tuberculosis (book)—http://Everythingistb.com
Henry Reider, TB Survivor—YouTube
Henry's story–Vlogbrothers
Tuberculosis in the U.S.—Public Health On Call (February, 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.

866 - Vaccines 101: Understanding the Vaccines on the Childhood Vaccination Schedule Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

In another episode in our series on vaccines: the different types of vaccines and how they work, and the logic and timing of the childhood vaccination schedule. Also: A conversation about measles vaccinations for children younger than 1 year.

Guest:

Dr. Bill Moss is the executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Vaccines 101 Series: From Molecular Science to Global Policy—Public Health On Call
All About the Recommended Immunization Schedules—http://Healthychildren.org
What experts say about childhood vaccines amid the Texas measles outbreak—ScienceNews

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.

865 - Deep-Sea Mining Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

At the bottom of the world's oceans lie valuable deposits of cobalt, manganese, and other minerals. In today's episode: a deep dive on deep-sea mining, the environmental impacts, and how the world might approach regulating mining in areas that technically belong to everyone.

Guests:

Andrew Thaler is a deep-sea ecologist, conservation technologist, and an ocean educator.

Host:

Show links and related content:

@‌drandrewthaler—Bluesky
Deep-sea Mining: What went down in 2024?—Southern Fried Science
Withdrawal Agreement Could Signal Shift in Deep Sea Mining Activity—Forbes

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.

864 - The Measles Outbreak in Texas and Beyond Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

A measles outbreak that started in west Texas has sickened more than 150 people and killed a child. In today's episode: the scope of the outbreak and how it's spreading, the challenges of trying to control it, and claims about treatments including vitamin A, steroids, and antibiotics.

Guest:

Dr. Bill Moss is the executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Measles Outbreak Updates—Texas Department of State Health Services
Measles Outbreaks in the U.S. Highlight the Importance of Vaccination—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
As Measles Spreads, Kennedy Embraces Remedies Like Cod Liver Oil—The New York Times
The Story of Dean Sommer and Vitamin A—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.

863 - The NIH-Funded Autism Study Hoping to Pinpoint Gene-Environmental Interplay Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

A large-scale, multi-country autism study involving more than 175,000 individuals is hoping to find interplay between genes and the environment that may influence autism diagnosis and symptoms. But proposed NIH funding cuts could imperil the study's future. In this episode: A look at an NIH-funded study that hopes to improve the quality of life for people with autism and their caregivers, and find better tools for diagnosis and treatment.

Guests:

Christina Ladd-Acosta is the vice director at the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and associate director for epigenomic analysis at the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes, Data Analysis Center (ECHO-DAC).

Heather Volk is an epidemiologist and professor of mental health at the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

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, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

NIH funding makes large scale Johns Hopkins autism study possible—The Hub
Discovering How Environment Affects Autism—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

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.

862 - The Misinformation Around Seed Oils Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Research shows that seed oils, like sunflower and sesame, can contribute to better health. So why are wellness influencers talking about a group called "the hateful eight," which include non-seed oils like soybean and canola? In this episode: a breakdown of what seed oils are (and aren't), misconceptions around inflammation and omega 6's, and how processed foods play into the conversation. Note: This episode mentions Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and was recorded prior to his confirmation as Secretary of HHS.

Guests:

Christopher Gardner is the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Are Seed Oils Actually Bad For You?—The New York Times

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.

861 - Ending Neglect of Tropical Diseases Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

About this episode:

Neglected diseases like mycetoma, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis impact more than a billion people worldwide every year and kill hundreds of thousands. In this episode: Why these illnesses don't get widespread attention or the resources needed for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and how in a shifting global funding landscape, cross-sector collaboration is key to alleviating suffering.

Guests:

Delali Attipoe is the North America director of the Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi).

Host:

Show links and related content: