Public Health On Call

Latest Episodes:

1039 - Spending Down Billions in Opioid Settlement Money: The Debatable, The Inventive, and The Innovative Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

A collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, KFF Health News, and Shatterproof is tracking how communities across the country are spending opioid settlement funds. In this episode: Abigail Winiker of the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative details the good, bad, and the ugly of the expenditures the team has tracked, from EMS-delivered harm reduction methods to punitive law enforcement investments to... D.A.R.E magicians?

Guest:

Abigail Winiker, PhD, MSPH, is an assistant scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the program director of the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative.

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:

Six Innovations in Settlement Fund Spending—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Innovations in Opioid Settlement Fund Spending | CMAP Nexus Series—Health Policy and Management – BSPH via YouTube
From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs—KFF Health News
Edgecombe County honored for its innovative approach to opioid crisis—Rocky Mount Telegram

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1038 - Cannabis Use Disorder in Adolescents Linked to Other Psychiatric Conditions Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

New findings suggest that, compared to adults with similar habits, teens with patterns of problematic cannabis use are at an elevated risk for developing other mental disorders like schizophrenia and depression. In this episode: Johannes Thrul breaks down a study on this potential link and outlines what it may mean for the growing field of cannabis research.

Guest:

Johannes Thrul, PhD, MS, is an associate professor of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Association of Cannabis Use Disorder Versus Other Substance Use Disorders With Psychiatric Conditions: A Propensity-Matched Retrospective Cohort Analysis—American Journal of Psychiatry
Cannabis Use Disorder Among Young People Linked to Diagnosis of Psychiatric Disorders—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
New Research Reveals Age Plays Key Role in Cannabis‑Related Psychiatric Risks—Men's Journal via Yahoo
The Risks of Psychotic Symptoms With Cannabis Use in Younger People—Public Health On Call (January 2024)

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1037 - Chatbots, Mental Health, and Suicide Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

People are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for therapeutic purposes—but these platforms are built for engagement, not mental health care. In this episode: Laura Reiley, whose daughter took her own life after confiding in a chatbot, explains why this technology is ill-equipped to treat those struggling with their mental health and how a transparent regulatory system could establish responsible practices for AI companies.

Note: This episode includes discussions of suicidality and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, there is 24-hour assistance in the United States available by dialing 988.

Guest:

Laura Reiley is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Baltimore Sun. She is currently a writer for the Cornell Chronicle.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life—New York Times
The family of teenager who died by suicide alleges OpenAI's ChatGPT is to blame—NBC News
Summary of Artificial Intelligence 2025 Legislation—National Conference of State Legislatures
Register of Suicides—Centre for Suicide Research
Should AI Be Your Therapist?—Public Health On Call (July 2025)

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1036 - Geopolitics and Humanitarian Health in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

Humanitarian crises don't exist in a vacuum—they are shaped by geopolitical actions like blockades, sanctions, and armed conflicts between countries. In this episode: Stanford University scholar Ruth Gibson details how geopolitical decisions impact civilians on the ground and how this framing applies to current situations in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine.

Guest:

Ruth Gibson, PhD, is a scholar at Stanford University where she holds appointments in at the Center for Innovation and Global Health and the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

U.S. to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports—U.S. Central Command
Block Food and Medicine?—Geopolitics and Humanity Dispatch
Cuban doctors endure burnout, blackouts as once-vaunted healthcare declines—Reuters
Willing Accomplices: Gazprom & Rosneft's Role in the Transport and Indoctrination of Ukraine's Children—Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab
Caring for Children in War-Torn Ukraine—Public Health On Call (November 2025)
Starvation in Gaza—Public Health On Call (July 2025)

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1035 - The Epic Struggle for Public Health Apr 13, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

Public health efforts have led to tremendous gains throughout history—and sparked backlash. That's the argument made by Michelle A. Williams in her new book "The Cure for Everything The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving." In this episode: why community interventions often go underappreciated, the economic benefits of a healthy society, and the tension between medicine and public health.

Guest:

Michelle A. Williams, ScD, is a professor of epidemiology and population health at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also the co-author of "The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving."

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving—Penguin Random House
"On Going Backwards": A New HIV/AIDS Epidemic?—Public Health On Call (May 2025)
Recognizing W.E.B. Du Bois and His Seminal Work on Racism and Health—Public Health On Call (February 2022)

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1034 - An Update on Measles and the U.S.'s Elimination Status Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

The U.S. is on track to surpass 2025's alarming number of measles cases in 2026. At the same time, the nation's measles elimination status remains under review as health entities use genome sequencing to better understand the state of transmission. In this episode: Infectious disease specialist William Moss explains what's at stake with the verification of the U.S.'s elimination status and why this resurgence of measles is so concerning for immunization writ large.

Guest:

Dr. William Moss, MPH, is an infectious disease specialist and the executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center 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.

Show links and related content:

US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines—KFF Health News
The U.S. will likely lose its measles elimination status. Here's what that means—NPR
US builds case to retain measles elimination status as infections mount—Reuters
Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S.—International Vaccine Access Center
There's a Measles Alert in My Area. Now What?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1033 - Chemical Contaminants and Fungal Fixes in Wastewater and Agriculture Apr 08, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

Biosolids created by the wastewater treatment process are useful fertilizers in agriculture, but they often contain chemical compounds from the pharmaceutical and personal care products we send down our drains. In this episode: Researcher Carsten Prasse details new findings that suggest that fungi could reduce our risk of exposure to these compounds in our drinking water and food.

Guest:

Carsten Prasse, PhD, MSc, is an associate professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he studies organic contaminants in the urban water cycle and their impact on environmental and human 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.

Show links and related content:

White-Rot Fungi Show Promise for Reducing Pharmaceutical Residues in Biosolids—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Magic Mushrooms? White-Rot Fungal Degradation of Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals in Biosolids—ACS Environmental Au

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1032 - A Judge Rules on Vaccines Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

A federal judge has halted changes from the Department of Health and Human Services to the childhood immunization schedule and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice. In this episode: the impact of this decision and what comes next.

Guest:

Sarah Despres, JD, is a lawyer with over 25 years of experience in public health policy and advocacy and is an expert on immunization policy. She served as counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2021-2025.

Host:

Show links and related content:

Judge blocks US government from slimming down vaccine recommendations—Associated Press
Trust in federal government drops when it comes to childhood vaccines, poll suggests—CIDRAP
HHS Changes Its Pediatric Vaccine Recommendations: What's Different, What Remains, and What It Means for American Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Changes to the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee—Public Health On Call (June 2025)

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1031 - What is Prediabetes? Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

Prediabetes—a diagnosis characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that can progress to Type 2 diabetes—is embroiled in debate about whether the condition is clinically "real," and, if so, what the threshold for diagnosis should be. In this episode: Epidemiologist and diabetes expert Elizabeth Selvin breaks down the controversy surrounding prediabetes and why she thinks the diagnosis offers an opportunity for intervention.

Guest:

Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, is a professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she studies diagnosis and screening for diabetes and prediabetes.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

Prediabetes and What It Means: The Epidemiological Evidence—Annual Review of Public Health
Prediabetes Explained: An Under-the-Radar and Common Condition That Doesn't Have to Lead to a Diabetes Diagnosis—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
In Praise of Prevention—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)—National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Transcript information:

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.

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

1030 - An Endgame for the Tobacco Industry? Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

About this episode:

Despite sizable decreases in tobacco use in high-income countries, 7 million people around the world die every year from tobacco-related causes. In this episode: an approach that seeks not to manage the $880 billion tobacco industry but to end it.

Guest:

Eline Goethals is a communications specialist and a fellow at the School of Moral Ambition.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content: