The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

How much progress have we made against cancer? Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

We’ve heard a ton about medical advancements that happened really quickly in response to COVID - meanwhile, scientists and doctors have been working on a cure and treatments for cancer for decades. Where does that research stand today? Are we any closer to finding a cure…or is that the wrong thing to look at? Dr. Jonathan Chernoff, Cancer Center Director at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, talks us through the progress that we have made, and why it might be slower than we’d like. He also explains what’s on the horizon and how new technologies, like mRNA, could help.

What will change when the COVID public health emergency ends? Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

On May 11, the Biden administration is ending the public health emergency that gave everyone, insured or not, access to free testing and vaccines for COVID-19. They said it’s because cases have decreased by 80 percent, but the United States has reported the highest death toll of any country at 1.1 million. Are we really in the clear? And, what does it mean now that we’re no longer in a public health emergency? Dr. Esther Chernak is the Director of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Drexel University. She tells us why she believes this decision will negatively impact public perception of the pandemic, and what it tells us about health care in the United States.

As if a viral pandemic wasn’t enough... Have you seen “The Last of Us?” Apr 13, 2023

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We are all way too familiar with the impact of a pandemic from the past three years dealing with the COVID-19 virus. But there is another kind of pandemic that's at the center of the hit video game and now TV show “The Last of Us”...a pandemic driven by a fungus that leads to zombies and the collapse of society. So this got us wondering - how much should we be worried about a fungal pandemic? How realistic is it? To get some answers, we spoke with Dr. Richard Bortnick, Associate Professor of Biology at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown.

To drink or not to drink? What Philly’s water crisis can tell us about emergency communication Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

After more than 8,000 gallons of an acrylic polymer solution leaked into a tributary of the Delaware River, the city of Philadelphia panicked. But even after the all clear was given, many residents were still wary.

This is just one example of a growing mistrust of government messaging. What could officials on the city, state, and national level be doing better in times of crisis? Dr. Mike Smith is an associate professor of communications at La Salle University. He tells us how he thinks the government and institutions should communicate with people and how to regain public trust once it’s gone.

"America and the Taliban" examines the 20-year war in Afghanistan Apr 06, 2023

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It was August 2021 when the U.S. closed the door on its 20-year war in Afghanistan with a scattershot exit from the country as the Taliban took over. A new three-part documentary from PBS’s Frontline looks at the war from all angles and examines how things went so wrong. The first episode was released this week, with the other two coming later in April. Martin Smith is a long-time Frontline correspondent who covered the war in Afghanistan and is one of the producers of “America and the Taliban.” We talked with Smith about the documentary and the mistakes that were made over two decades in Afghanistan.

How do we screen for autism? Apr 04, 2023

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In recent years, autism rates have tripled due to advances in diagnostic capabilities and a greater understanding of autism. But how do you test for it? What goes into developing these tools? Dr. Diana Robins is the director of the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, and she developed the M-CHAT, or Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. She tells us about the process of building this tool, how effective it can be when used properly, and how these screening tools can be improved over time.

Is democracy dismantling in Israel? Understanding the months-long protests. Mar 30, 2023

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Protests in Israel have continued since January, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party proposed judicial reforms. They say they want to reign in the Supreme Court, but many citizens think these reforms will remove checks and balances and dismantle the country’s democracy. There’s a lot to unpack to understand the situation, so we called on Rabbi Josh Weinberg, VP for Israel and Reform Zionism at the Union for Reform Judaism and Executive Director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America. He explains what these protests are about and what’s at stake, both in Israel and internationally.

Tiny kids, big influence: how Gen Alpha is shaping our future Mar 28, 2023

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The global data intelligence company Morning Consult has a new report out called “A Brand’s Guide to Gen Alpha.” It’s a look at the next generation of consumers, a generation that is still taking shape. Joanna Piacenza, head of industry intelligence for Morning Consult, talks about the report and the fascinating trends it reveals. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All the Presidents’ mistakes: examining presidential legacies without political bias Mar 23, 2023

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Is it possible to examine the legacy of president without letting political beliefs get in the way? Ronald Gruner is the author of “We the Presidents”, a book that examines the presidencies over the last century, starting with Warren Harding. Gruner tells us how he uses the economy to examine presidential effectiveness, and how past policies shape the future of the United States.

Could Silicon Valley Bank’s failure push us toward a bigger financial collapse? Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Silicon Valley Bank, the nation’s 16th largest bank and a financial center for many tech startups, collapsed in mid-March. Startups across the country - including here in the Philadelphia region - are feeling the effects. But outside of the tech world, how big of a deal is this for everyone? Could this bank’s failure lead people to panic and push other banks to a tipping point? Dr. Samuel Rosen, Assistant Professor of Finance at Temple University's Fox School of Business, explains what led up to the collapse, what happens now for companies who used Silicon Valley Bank, and what this could mean for the future.