Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

804 - 2024 Election Series: What's At Stake For Abortion Access Sep 25, 2024

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About this episode:

Abortion access is on the ballot nationwide this November. In this episode: a look at proposed bans and protections across the state and federal levels, and the long-term implications of judicial decisions. Please note that the opinions expressed in this episode belong solely to those interviewed. As a nonprofit entity, the Johns Hopkins University cannot take a position for or against any candidate running for elected office. Information is being provided solely for academic or educational purposes and is not an endorsement of any individual candidate.

Guest:

Joanne Rosen is an expert in public health law and a co-director of the Center for Law and the Public's Health 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:

Mifepristone and EMTALA SCOTUS Rulings: A Holding Pattern—Public Health On Call Podcast (July, 2024)
Abortion Restrictions and the Threat to Women's Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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.

803 - 2024 Election Series: What's At Stake For Global Health Sep 23, 2024

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About this episode:

The 2024 presidential election lands at a critical time in global public health. In this episode: a look at the potential implications for the U.S.'s future relationships with global health institutions like the World Health Organization and funding of initiatives on HIV and other challenges. Also covered: the connection between US domestic policy and US global health engagement. Please note that the opinions expressed in this episode/event belong solely to those interviewed. As a nonprofit entity, the Johns Hopkins University cannot take a position for or against any candidate running for elected office. Information is being provided solely for academic or educational purposes and is not an endorsement of any individual candidate.

Guest:

Thomas Bollyky is an expert in health policy law and the inaugural Bloomberg Chair in Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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:

Trump Threatens to Shut Down Pandemic Preparedness Office Launched by Biden—Time
Why The World's Most Lifesaving AIDS Program is in Danger—Public Health On Call Podcast (December, 2023)
Global Cooperation and the COVID-19 Vaccine—Public Health On Call Podcast (August, 2020)

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.

802 - Safer Supply: A Novel Approach to Reducing Overdose Deaths Sep 18, 2024

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About this episode:

Safer supply is a harm reduction tool that involves making regulated pharmaceuticals available for people who use drugs. In today's episode: The safer supply model explained, and why some experts are saying it is time to give it a try.

Guests:

Becky Genberg is an epidemiologist studying the intersection substance use and infectious diseases.

Danielle German studies drug use and harm reduction.

Host:

Show links and related content:

It's not just opioids. New drugs make it harder to fight Baltimore's overdose crisis—The Baltimore Banner
The New Federal Regulations Aimed At Making Methadone More Accessible—And Less Stigmatizing—Public Health On Call (April, 2024)
In Rural Maryland Counties, Communities Fight Back Against the Opioid Crisis—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine (2018)

801 - ADHD and Aging Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is primarily diagnosed in childhood, but a lack of understanding about this neurodevelopmental disorder means many adults have lived their entire lives with undiagnosed ADHD. As we age, a certain degree of forgetfulness or decreased ability to mentally multitask is expected but then how can you tell what's normal from what could be cognitive impairment or undiagnosed ADHD? In this episode: How ADHD diagnosis and treatment in later adulthood can change lives and potentially stave off further cognitive decline.

Guest:

Dr. David Goodman is a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist and the director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland.

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:

Why Are So Many Adults Being Diagnosed With ADHD?—Public Health On Call (June, 2024)
Evidence-Based Education on ADHD in Adults—ADHD in Adults
A Critical Need Ignored: Inadequate Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD After Age 60—ADDitude 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.

800 - All About Parvovirus Sep 11, 2024

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About this episode:

Last month, the CDC issued an alert about an increase in parvovirus, a respiratory disease that is common for children but can be very serious in people with certain medical conditions. In today's episode: all about parvovirus and why it's yet another reason to wash your hands regularly.

Guest:

Dr. Erica Prochaska is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Host:

Show links and related content:

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.

799 - How An Online Gaming Community Is Helping To Prevent Veteran Suicides Sep 09, 2024

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About this episode:

Playing video games has long been seen as an isolating activity, but the world of online gaming is anything but. Platforms like Twitch and Discord are home to thriving communities of players who connect over games and strategies. Researchers are also finding that they offer unique opportunities for peer support and mental health programs. In today's episode: A study looked into how one online gaming community, the Stack Up Overwatch Program, is providing mental health and crisis support—including suicide prevention—for military members and veterans.

Guest:

Michelle Colder Carras is a digital mental health researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She specializes in video games, online communities and digital wellbeing, as well as research leadership by community members.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Online Peer Support and Crisis Prevention: Evaluating the Stack Up Overwatch Program's Impact—Psychiatric Services, American Psychiatric Association
Mind Games: Hitting Restart on the Public Health Conversation Around Gaming—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine (2017)

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.

798 - When Should I Get My COVID/Flu Shot? And Other Queries To Kick off Respiratory Virus Season Sep 04, 2024

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About this episode:

When should you get your COVID/flu shots? How long can a COVID vaccine really protect you from infection? Why do we have summer waves of COVID but not flu or RSV? Will we ever see a flu/COVID combo shot? A virologist answers questions as we gear up for respiratory virus season.

Guest:

Andy Pekosz is a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with appointments in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Environmental Health and Engineering.

Host:

Show links and related content:

What to Know About the Updated COVID Vaccine for Fall, Winter 2024-25—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Why COVID Surges in the Summer—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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.

797 - A Fall Look-Ahead With School Nurses: More Than Just Band-Aids and Ice Packs Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

School nurses are charged with helping to maintain the health and well-being of every student in their care which goes way beyond providing basic first aid. Today, the podcast goes back to school at KIPP Baltimore, an open enrollment charter school serving pre-K to 8th grade students. Nurse Erica and Nurse Lily talk about their work providing health care to nearly 1,000 students, and what they're thinking about for the year ahead for everything from infectious diseases to eye screenings.

Guest:

Erica Johnson and Lily Mendelson are school nurses at KIPP Baltimore.

Host:

Show links and related content:

What School Nurses Want Parents to Know—The New York Times
More Cases of Measles in the United States—Public Health On Call (June, 2024)

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.

796 - An Update on PEPFAR And The Reality of Ending HIV Aug 28, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

Now in its 21st year, PEPFAR—the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief which launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush—still has ending the HIV epidemic in its sights. It's now at a critical juncture with an expanding toolbox of exciting treatments and, simultaneously, eroding bipartisan support from Congress.

Guest:

Dr. Mike Reid is the Chief Science Officer in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir or Daily F/TAF for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women—The New England Journal of Medicine
Why The World's Most Lifesaving AIDS Program is in Danger—Public Health On Call podcast (December, 2023)
A Conversation With The Experts on Ending The HIV Epidemic—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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.

795 - The Discovery of a New Clade of Candida Auris—A "Critical Pathogen" Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

The discovery of a new clade of C. auris—a fungus the WHO has declared a "critical pathogen"—has ignited new fears about the fungi's ability to evolve beyond infection control measures. C. auris already poses significant—and lethal—risks to hospitals and patients worldwide and, with global warming, medicine should expect more emerging fungal infections that are resistant to existing treatments. In today's episode: C. auris's evolution, the climate change factor, and what's needed to prevent infections before treatment options fail.

Guest:

Arturo Casadevall is chair of the department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a global expert in host defense mechanisms, fungi, and antibody-based therapies. He is also co-author of the book What If Fungi Win? with Stephanie Desmon.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Worsening Spread of Candida auris in the United States, 2019-2021—Annals of Internal Medicine
What If Fungi Win? (book)—Johns Hopkins Press
Candida auris: A Yeast to Fear—Public Health On Call Podcast (archive)
The Rise of Invasive Fungi—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
Why Fungal Diseases Are An Increasing Threat–Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
On the Emergence of Candida auris: Climate Change, Azoles, Swamps, and Birds—mBio

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.

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