Public Health On Call

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750 - World Malaria Day: From Lab to Legislature—Meet the Scientists Taking on Capitol Hill in the Fight Against Malaria Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

World Malaria Day is April 25. Today, guest host Thomas Locke takes us to Capitol Hill where we meet malaria scientists who have joined an advocacy group to lobby members of Congress to fund critical interventions against malaria. They talk about their work and what scientific messages they bring to DC to impart on policy makers who play a major role in efforts to combat this preventable and deadly disease. This special episode is an extended version of Malaria Minute, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.

Learn more:

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/malaria-research-institute

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/events/2024/world-malaria-day-symposium

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/malaria-research-institute-1

749 - Planetary Health: Thinking About The Earth Crisis As A Humanitarian Crisis Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

Humans are transforming, degrading, and altering Earth's natural life support systems so profoundly that our actions have created an existential crisis. For Earth Day, Sam Myers, founding director of the Planetary Health Alliance and director of the brand new Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the concept of planetary health, an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the state of the earth affects the health of us all.

Learn more:

http://Planetaryhealthalliance.org

https://planetaryhealth.jhu.edu/

748 - Studying Sewage to Fight Infectious Diseases: An Update From The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

The presence of infectious diseases can be picked up through wastewater surveillance but how can this data be useful in predicting future outbreaks? Dr. Dylan George, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the Center's forecast for the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season performed and the role of wastewater surveillance as part of a multifaceted approach to aggregating data.

Resources from this episode:

https://johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/699-an-update-on-the-cdcs-new-center-for-forecasting-and-outbreak-analytics

https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2020/cloudy-chance-covid

https://www.theinvisibleshieldseries.com/

747 - The Lack of Research Around Type 1 Diabetes Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

There's a lot of research around Type 2 diabetes that has informed patient care when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, and lifestyle management. But much less is known about Type 1, long mislabeled "childhood diabetes." Johns Hopkins epidemiologists Elizabeth Selvin and Michael Fang talk with Stephanie Desmon about new research debunking a lot of previously held assumptions about Type 1 diabetes, the prevalence of adult onset and correlation with obesity, and why different approaches to diagnosis and management are necessary. They also discuss the cost of insulin and why more research is needed around medications like Ozempic for Type 1 diabetes.

746 - Why Cigarettes Are So Bad for the Environment Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Cigarette butts are the most littered object in the world. With their plastic filters and toxic substances, they are a significant source of contamination for soil and water. Grazi Grilo, a researcher at the Global Institute for Tobacco Control, talks with Stephanie Desmon about her work quantifying the scope of the problem, and why some of the very things that make cigarettes so environmentally hazardous also provide enormous benefits for the tobacco industry.Read more about her work here: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/institute-for-global-tobacco-control/2024/assessment-of-littered-cigarette-butts-in-brazil-informs-strengthening-of-global-treaty

745 - A Conversation With Dr. Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon General Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Antonia Novella served as the 14th Surgeon General under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 - 1993. She is the first female and first Hispanic Surgeon General in U.S. history. Dr. Novella talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about her life and career, from being born with a rare condition called Hirschsprung's disease to her childhood in Puerto Rico and her notable career in medicine and public health. She also discusses facing prejudice, staring down Big Tobacco, and even buying support hose for a U.S. Senator. You can read more in her new autobiography: https://www.fulcrumbooks.com/product-page/duty-calls-lessons-learned-from-an-unexpected-life-of-service Read more about the epic surgeons general event here: https://pages.jh.edu/gazette/aprjun98/apr1398/13surgen.html

744 - The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

Much research has been dedicated to the long-lasting negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences—far less has focused on the powerful effects of positive experiences. Dr. Melissa Walls, co-director of the Center for Indigenous Health and a member of the Bois Forte and Couchiching First Nation bands, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about her research with benevolent childhood experiences among Indigenous communities. They discuss the importance of researching the positive, not only for public health, but in celebrating the inherent strengths of Indigenous individuals, their families, and culture. Read more: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38419503/

BONUS - Coping With The Psychological Aftermath of The Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

On March 26, Baltimore's iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed, killing six people. Since then, many have found themselves watching endless loops of the video and ongoing coverage, and some are feeling symptoms of anxiety or even intense fear. Dr. George Everly, a Johns Hopkins psychologist, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the phenomenon of "psychological contagion" and how something so rare but so spectacular can suddenly make us question our sense of safety. They also discuss how to talk to kids about events like these and what to do when healthy curiosity becomes problematic. Read Dr. Everly's Psychology Today piece here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-disaster-strikes-inside-disaster-psychology/202403/the-dangers-of-the-baltimore-bridge

743 - What You Need to Know About H5N1, The Bird Flu Spilling Over Into Mammals Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Recent reports of spillover of avian virus H5N1 into cows, cats, and even one human are concerning to the scientific community for a number of reasons. But what does the public need to know? Virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz and public health veterinary expert Dr. Meghan Davis return to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about these spillovers events and what they mean for biosecurity and our safety.

742 - What You Need To Know About PFAS, Or "Forever Chemicals" Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

Per- and polyfluorinated substances are in all kinds of products from waterproof makeup to fire retardants. Dr. Ned Calonge, co-author of a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, talks with Stephanie Desmon about these "forever chemicals" and what is known about their impact on health, who is most at risk, and what people should do if they have high levels of exposure. Read the report here: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26156/guidance-on-pfas-exposure-testing-and-clinical-follow-up

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