America Dissected
Incision Media LLC
Wellness isn’t just about mindfulness, exercise, or the right skin routine. Science, politics, media, culture, tech — everything around us — interact to shape our health. On America Dissected, Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Katelyn Jetelina cuts into what really makes us sick — be it racism, corporate greed, or snake oil influencers — and what it'll take to heal it. From for-profit healthcare to ineffective sunscreens, America Dissected cuts deeper into the state of health in America. New episodes every Thursday. Want to know where to start? Here are some fan-favorite episodes to search: Cannabis Capitalism with David Jernigan; Weight Weight Don’t Tell me with Harriett Brown; Black Scientists Matter with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 31, 2021 • 33min
A Labor of Love with Randi Weingarten
As children head back to school, masks should be on the shopping list. But, despite CDC recommendations, in many states they won’t be. Abdul talks about the critical work of protecting children in schools and speaks with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, one of America’s most powerful teacher’s unions about worker safety in the pandemic and in our schools.Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Aug 24, 2021 • 38min
Football on the Brain with Dr. Kathleen Bachynski
As football season approaches, Abdul talks about his years on the field and his growing ambivalence to the sport in the face of new research about its health consequences.He interviews Prof. Kathleen Bachynski, author of “No Game for Boys to Play” about the public health impact of football. Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Aug 17, 2021 • 29min
A Second Opinion with Dr. Anthony Fauci
Nobody has come to represent the role of science in taking on this pandemic quite like Dr. Anthony Fauci. He joins Abdul for their second conversation about where we’ve been, where we are now, and how to face down anti-science trolls, even when they come in the shape of US Senators.Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Aug 10, 2021 • 41min
Delta, Delta, Delta with Dr. Angie Rasmussen
Why is the delta variant a game-changer? Abdul dissects how the delta variant has changed our approach to COVID-19—and what could be in store. He speaks with America Dissected’s resident virologist Dr. Angie Rasmussen about why the delta variant is so transmissible and how it should change our approach to COVID-19 in general.Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Aug 3, 2021 • 36min
The Green New Heal with Rhiana Gunn-Wright
We can’t talk about infrastructure without centering climate—and we can’t talk about climate without centering structural racism. Abdul dissects the indelible link between infrastructure, climate, and health. He interviews Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Climate Policy Director at the Roosevelt Institute (and a long time friend!) about that link, and what this moment should teach us about where our public policy should go from here.Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit https://crooked.com/podcast-series/america-dissected/.
Jul 27, 2021 • 36min
Big Pharma’s big fraud with Dr. Aaron Kesselheim
Abdul dissects the FDA’s disastrous decision to approve the new Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab despite the evidence that it fails to improve symptoms—and its aftermath and implications for the future of Big Pharma. He speaks with Professor Aaron Kesselheim, a prescription drug policy expert and a former member of the FDA Advisory Panel, who resigned at the FDA ignored the panel’s overwhelming opposition to approve it the drug. Take Crooked's listener survey: crooked.com/surveyFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Jul 20, 2021 • 27min
Pandemic Olympics with Peter Vanderkaay
Abdul breaks down the risks--and rewards--inherent in holding an international athletic competition in the middle of a pandemic. He speaks with four-time US Olympic swimmer and gold medalist Peter Vanderkaay about the Olympic experience and how this summer’s Olympics might be different.
Jul 13, 2021 • 38min
Whose problem is it anyway? with Wayne Brady
Abdul dissects why our society makes it so hard for people with mental illness to get care. Then he interviews comedian and performer Wayne Brady about his experience with mental health and what he thinks it will take to end the stigma around mental illness.For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Jul 6, 2021 • 39min
Mental health is a social justice issue with Dr. Ashwin Vasan
Abdul dissects the various ways that people with mental illness are stigmatized, marginalized, and oppressed in our society. Then he talks to Dr. Ashwin Vasan, President and CEO of Fountain House, a nonprofit organization focused on creating safe and welcoming spaces for people with serious mental illness, about their work to make mental health the next social justice issue.For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Jun 22, 2021 • 27min
A Tale of Two Crises: Opiates vs. Crack (from Season 1)
We bring back an episode from Season 1 that remains relevant today: The Opioid Crisis has wreaked havoc across America, taking lives and devastating families, neighborhoods, and communities. But this isn’t the first time we’ve suffered a deadly drug crisis. In today’s episode, Abdul tells the tale of two crises: the opioid epidemic of today and the crack epidemic of the 1980s, contrasting the government’s and media’s responses to these crises—and what they tell us about the nature of drug use and structural racism in America.For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
