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342 - COVID-19 Vaccines and Children Jul 07, 2021

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Youths 12 and older have been eligible for COVID-19 vaccines since March, but clinical trials are still ongoing for kids under 12. Dr. Kawsar Talaat, who led one of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trials in adults, and Dr. Odis Johnson, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, return to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about whether schools may require vaccines, the ethics of immunizing children when so many high-risk adults around the world don't have access to shots, risk factors for serious disease among children, and what is known currently about vaccine hesitancy among parents.

341 - COVID-19 Research Update: The consequences of COVID Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with researchers who break down three papers looking at what happens to patients with COVID over the longer term. Dr. Lauren Peetluck, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, talks about the risks of long-term complications of COVID. Dr. Heather McKay, an epidemiologist at Hopkins, talks the risks of negative neurological and psychiatric outcomes of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Danny Sack, an MD/PhD student at Vanderbilt, talks about post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. These researchers are part of the Hopkins novel coronavirus research consortium, with many summaries of new studies available at http://ncrc.jhsph.edu.

Bonus - The Promise and Perils of the Lung Cancer Screening Tool: Tradeoff's Dan Gorenstein Talks to Experts and Patients About Early Detection Vs Unnecessary Treatments Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

On a special episode, Tradeoffs host Dan Gorenstein talks with a host of experts about screening for lung cancer, America's number one cancer killer. While CT scans have provided early insights into a cancer that previously wasn't caught until far too late, this tool has also led to unnecessary procedures, costs, and even disability and death for patients that may not have even been sick. You'll hear from pulmonologist Dr. Gerard Silvestri; behavioral scientist and nurse practitioner Dr. Lisa Carter-Harris; Dr. Cherie Erkmen, surgeon and director of Temple University's Lung Cancer Screening Program; Johns Hopkins oncologist Dr. Otis Brawley; Ida Pittman, a lung cancer patient, and Helena Price, her cousin and health care advocate. If you like this episode, check out the Tradeoffs' podcast www.tradeoffs.org

BONUS - What the Delta Variant Means for Vaccinated and Unvaccinated People Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

There are a lot of worrying headlines about the delta variant and outbreaks of COVID-19 around the world. Lindsay Smith Rogers talks to Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo from the Center for Health Security about the variant, how much more transmissible it is, whether it causes more serious disease, what the variant means for vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, and what people should be most concerned about.

340 - The Future of the Public Health Workforce after COVID-19 Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Epidemiologists, community health workers, laboratory professionals, data analysts, and a whole spectrum of public health workers rose to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, years of underinvestment in public health departments undermined the response. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what the pandemic has taught about urgently needed investments in public health workforce.

339 - The Lows and Highs of Native American Communities' Struggles With COVID-19 Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

Native American communities were especially hard hit during the pandemic with COVID cases 10 times that of the rest of the US. Dr. Allison Barlow talks with Stephanie Desmon about how the Native Americans went from the highest rates of cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities to the highest vaccination rates in the US with 70-95% of the community fully vaccinated. They also talk about how much the rest of the US can learn from these successes, and how the intrinsic values of indigenous communities can mean better health for all people.

338 - Tying the Hands of Public Health Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

According to a new report by the Network for Public Health Law, several states are considering or have passed legislation to limit the ability of public health agencies to respond to infectious disease and other emergencies. At stake are the ability of health departments to impose quarantine to save lives or require masks for any conditions, including infectious tuberculosis. Donna Levin, National Director for the Network, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the history of public health authority, what's happening now in North Dakota, Kansas, and elsewhere; and the dangers of these ill-considered laws.

337 - The Tokyo Olympics and COVID-19 Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

As a 2004 Olympic silver medalist in swimming and public health expert at the Center for Health Security, Dr. Tara Kirk Sell is uniquely positioned to talk about what to expect at next month's Olympics. Dr. Sell talks with Stephanie Desmon about how the Olympic committees are working to keep athletes safe, what could go wrong, and why we need the Olympics now more than ever.

336 - How You Can Support the US Vaccine Effort Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

With millions of Americans still unvaccinated and dangerous variants continuing to spread, the footrace against the virus continues into the summer months. Want to help? The Made to Save Coalition is a national grassroots effort to ensure communities hardest hit by COVID-19 have access to vaccines and accurate, timely information. Chris Wyant, executive director, and Alice Chen, senior advisor, talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what's behind this effort—and how you can join. Learn more here: madetosave.org/act

BONUS - The American Health Podcast: The Facts About Waste Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative offers full scholarship for MPH and DrPH degrees to people working on the front lines of key challenges to health in the United States. This special episode of the Initiative's American Health Podcast features an interview with host Shane Bryan and scholarship recipient and "Bloomberg fellow" Julianah Marie, the Waste Reduction Programs Coordinator with the City of Frisco, Texas. They discuss Marie's work with the Frisco school district, the history of America's growing pollution issues, and ways to reduce the amount of waste coming from our households. To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

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