Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

Special Series: Racial Bias and Pulse Oximeters Part 1–A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

Pulse oximeters—devices used to read blood oxygen levels in hospitals and at home—are far less reliable for people with darker skin tones... Falsely normal readings create the potential for clinical staff to miss life-threatening conditions.

In this three-episode special series, we explore a longstanding issue that only caught the nation's attention in recent years. In episode 1: How COVID-19 shined a light on an issue that was known, but largely ignored.

Listen to Part 2: What Went Wrong?

Listen to Part 3: Fixing Pulse Oximeters.

View the transcript for this episode.

Host:

Annalies Winny is a co-producer of the Pulse Ox series for the Public Health On Call podcast, an associate editor for Global Health NOW, and a contributor for the Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine.

Show links and related content:

The Problem with Pulse Oximeters: A Long History of Racial Bias
Estimating COVID-19 Hospitalizations in the U.S.—JMIR Public Health Surveillance
How a Popular Medical Device Encodes Racial Bias–Amy Moran-Thomas
People with darker skin are 32% more likely to have pulse oximeters overestimate oxygen levels, report says–CNN
Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurement—The New England Journal of Medicine
Dynamic in vivo response characteristics of three oximeters: Hewlett Packard 47201A, Biox III, and Nellcor N-100—Sleep (1987)

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

Bonus Episode - Mifepristone and EMTALA SCOTUS Rulings: A Holding Pattern Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

The Supreme Court has issued decisions in the two major abortion cases on its docket this year. For the time being, the drug mifepristone remains on the market and a federal law requiring that emergency rooms provide life-saving abortions even in states banning the procedure is upheld. But the court's decisions—both upholding the status quo—all but guarantee both cases will be back, putting mifepristone and EMTALA once again under fire.

Guests:

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:

The Two Major Abortion Cases Coming to The Supreme Court—Public Health On Call
Despite Supreme Court ruling, the future of emergency abortions is still unclear for US women—ABC News
OB-GYN Training and Practice in Dobbs' Shadow–Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
The Threat to Abortion Rights You Haven't Heard Of—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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

776 - The Invisible Shield—Public Health Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

Public health saved your life today and you didn't even know it. But while public health makes modern life possible, efforts are frequently underfunded, undervalued, and misunderstood.

Today we bring you a special episode from Follow the Data, a podcast by the Bloomberg Philanthropies, that discusses "The Invisible Shield," a four-part documentary series on PBS. The series delves into the often unseen public health infrastructure that supports our daily lives and highlights the field's significant achievements.

Guests:

Dr. Sandro Galea is dean of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Host:

Katherine Oliver is a Principal at Bloomberg Associates and the host of Follow the Data, a podcast by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Show links and related content:

Follow the Data—Podcast
The Invisible Shield—Documentary

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

775 - How to Make Cities More Mental Health Friendly for Adolescents and Young Adults Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

Our mental health and well-being are shaped by our environment: access to green space can be beneficial, while cities with high population density can affect the risk for mood, anxiety, or even substance use disorders. A recent study explores how cities can be more mental health-friendly for adolescents and emphasizes the importance of life skills, open-minded interpersonal relationships, safe public spaces, secure employment, and youth-inclusive policy-making.

Guest:

Dr. Pamela Collins is a Bloomberg Centennial Professor and chair of Mental Health 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, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults—Nature
Research Identifies Characteristics of Cities That Would Support Young People's Mental Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
World Mental Health Day: Mental Health is a Universal Human Right—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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

774 - Why We Desperately Need—And Still Don't Have—A Global Pandemic Treaty Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, world health officials agreed that many more lives could have been saved had there been better global coordination. In 2021, countries came together to draft a pandemic treaty committing to better future responses and pledging to sign it within two years. But deadlines have come and gone, the draft revised many times over. In a race to secure an agreement before the next pandemic, countries must reckon with historic inequities, vaccine access, data sharing, and more.

Guests:

Alexandra Phelan is an expert in global health law and an associate professor and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

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:

Ignore the disinformation—the US is safer with a global pandemic treaty—The Hill (Opinion)
The world needs the new pandemic treaty—STAT (Opinion)
A pandemic agreement is within reach—Science
Global pandemic treaty to be concluded by 2025, WHO says—Reuters

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

773 - More Consequences of Abortion Restrictions: Increases in Infant Deaths in Texas Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

About this episode:

In 2021, Texas passed the extremely restrictive Senate Bill 8 which bans most abortions with very few exceptions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected—as early as five or six weeks of pregnancy. 2022 data suggested a noticeable uptick in infant mortality in Texas. A new study looked into the connection between the two and is among the first to show evidence evaluating the impacts of abortion bans and how other places with severely restrictive laws could also see more infant deaths as a result.

Guests:

Dr. Suzanne Bell is an assistant professor and demographic researcher in the department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Allison Gemmill is an assistant professor, demographer, and perinatal epidemiologist in the department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Analysis Suggests 2021 Texas Abortion Ban Resulted in Increase in Infant Deaths in State in Year After Law Went Into Effect—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Infant Deaths After Texas' 2021 Ban on Abortion in Early Pregnancy—JAMA Pediatrics
Episode 656 - The Consequences of Abortion Restrictions Part 1: Spotlight on Texas—Public Health On Call
Episode 657 - The Consequences of Abortion Restrictions Part 1: Denials of Medical Care—Public Health On Call

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

772 - Why Are So Many Adults Being Diagnosed With ADHD? Jun 24, 2024

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About this episode:

What's behind the significant increases in adult diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—historically thought to be a neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood? A new understanding of symptoms, better diagnoses, and some of the best treatments in psychiatric medicine mean more and more people are benefiting from the evolving science behind ADHD.

Guest:

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

Host:

Show links and related content:

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

771 - More Cases of Measles in the United States Jun 21, 2024

Show notes

Overview:

An uptick of measles cases in the U.S. is raising concerns, especially heading into summer when travelers may bring back more cases from Europe. This most infectious human virus can cause severe and even fatal complications, especially for unvaccinated children—sometimes years after what seemed to be a mild case. Pandemic disruptions and rampant mis- and disinformation online have contributed to declining rates of vaccination that leave some communities especially vulnerable to measles outbreaks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with states, health departments, and the general public to communicate around the danger of measles, the safety of vaccines, and what people can do once they've been exposed.

Guests:

Dr. David Sugerman is the incident manager for measles response at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Dan Filardo is a medical officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention working to fight measles across the country.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Measles Cases and Outbreaks Dashboard—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Assessing Measles Outbreak Risk in the United States—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Learn the Signs. Act Early. (Autism campaign)—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC Official Urges Parents to Get Measles Vaccine for Children—Health News Florida

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

BONUS - Allegations of War Crimes By Leaders of Hamas and Israeli Officials before the International Criminal Court Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

Overview:

The International Criminal Court, a justice system inspired by the Nuremburg tribunals after World War II, holds individuals responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In May 2024, the Court's chief prosecutor requested arrest warrants for three leaders of Hamas and, separately, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for alleged crimes on October 7, 2023 and in the war in Gaza that followed. Len Rubenstein is Distinguished Professor of the Practice and Interim Director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this episode, he breaks down the Court's processes, explains the allegations against both Hamas and Israeli leaders, answers questions that have surfaced about the allegations, and argues that the Court is essential for accountability for human rights and public health around the world.

Guest:

Len Rubenstein is a human rights lawyer and Distinguished Professor of the Practice and Interim Director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns and interim director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine—International Criminal Court
Perilous Medicine: The Struggle to Protect Health Care from the Violence of War—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Human Rights and Health Care in the Middle East Crisis—Public Health On Call Podcast
War Crimes and Russia's Bombing of Mariupol Maternity Hospital in Ukraine—Public Health On Call Podcast

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

770 - Juneteenth in 2024 Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

Overview:

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021 amidst a national reckoning with race. Four years later, the observation finds us at a time of continued polarization and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Reflecting on the historical significance of Juneteenth can help us think about how to celebrate and observe the day, and how to recommit to healing and social justice work as individuals, communities, and society.

Guest:

Joel Bolling is the assistant dean for Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-racism, and Equity at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

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