Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

489 - Book Club—Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe with Keith O'Brien Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

In the late 1970s, residents of a working-class neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York learned their community was built on a toxic waste dump that was causing significant health problems. Keith O'Brien, author of Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what became known as the Love Canal Disaster. The incredible story includes mobilized moms, exploding rocks, a hostage situation, and a young Congressman from Tennessee.

Bonus - Tradeoffs Special Episode: Medical Respite—Too Healthy to be Hospitalized But Too Sick to be Unhoused Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

In a special episode, Tradeoffs host Dan Gorenstein talks about medical respite, a program for people who are too healthy to be hospitalized but too sick to be without housing. You can listen to this original episode and more at tradeoffs.org.

488 - An Update on Omicron Subvariants with Dr. Andy Pekosz Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

There are now five versions of omicron circulating, and each subvariant is as distinct as what we used to label totally different variants. Virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz returns to the podcast to talk about the diverse range of omicron siblings, reinfection with different subvariants, omicron-specific vaccines, and what we can expect to see in the coming weeks and months from this "game-changer" variant.

487 - Friday Q&A: Dr. Crystal Watson Returns to Answer Your COVID-19 Questions Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

Why was smallpox eradicated but COVID-19 can't be? What do we know about the risks of long COVID and omicron? Is it ok to use expired rapid tests? Is it more likely to get severe COVID from someone who is unvaccinated? Should people who continue to test positive after taking paxlovid be treated again?

Dr. Crystal Watson of the Center for Health Security returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about your COVID-19 questions - plus a bonus question on where we are with the response to monkeypox.

Bonus - A Conversation With an Mpox Patient Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

When Matt Ford, an actor, writer, and video producer in LA, had flu-like symptoms a few weeks ago, he never would have suspected mpox if a close contact hadn't told him they'd tested positive. Still in isolation, Ford talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about his experience with the disease, where we are in terms of treatment and prevention, and how to lessen stigma towards the LGBTQ community where mpox seems to be spreading the fastest.

486 - Special Episode: Public Health In the Field—Did COVID Change Tourism for Good? Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

COVID-19 sent shock waves through the tourism industry, shutting down the economic engine of many popular destinations. But for some residents and tourism workers, it also brought a welcome break from swelling crowds and a rare chance to slow down and rethink their priorities. In a special episode, Lindsay Smith Rogers and Annalies Winny take a virtual tour to Aruba, Jamaica, Hawaii, and Senegal to learn how popular destinations have weighed economic stability against the risks of COVID outbreaks—and how they're rethinking some longstanding environmental and economic issues around tourism.

485 - The NBA and COVID-19 Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

In 2020, scientists working on injury analytics expanded to COVID-19 epidemiology to help create and monitor the NBA bubble. Dr. Christina Mack, an epidemiologist with IQVIA Real World Solutions, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the team continues to monitor the health and safety of players and staff, and some of the findings with real-world implications such as how long people can shed COVID-19 virus, if people with asymptomatic infections are less likely to transmit COVID, and whether boosters really work.

Bonus - Overturning Roe v. Wade and Public Health Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

For immediate reaction to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe versus Wade, Dr. Josh Sharfstein speaks to Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, an obstetrician-gynecologist who leads Power to Decide, a nonprofit organization with the goal of ensuring that all people "have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child."

484 - Lyme Disease: Diagnosis, Prevention, and How Long COVID is Helping to Advance Awareness and Research for Chronic Lyme Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

First identified 50 years ago, Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness endemic to many parts of the U.S. While the acute infection can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed in time, 10-20% of people still go on to experience persistent symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and pain. Lyme expert John Aucott talks with Stephanie Desmon about how to prevent Lyme disease, what we know about chronic Lyme, and how long COVID is helping to draw attention to it and other diseases like chronic fatigue.

Bonus - The Supreme Court's Decision on Guns Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

In a bonus episode, Alex McCourt, the director of legal research at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, speaks to Dr. Joshua Sharfstein about guns and the Supreme Court. They discuss this decision's meaning and direct impact, as well as the potential implications for other actions to reduce the toll of gun violence in the United States.

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