Public Health On Call

In September of this year, routine testing turned up the presence of a microscopic parasite called cryptosporidium in Baltimore's water supply. Johns Hopkins environmental health scientist Natalie Exum returns to the podcast to speak with Lindsay Smith Rogers about what the parasite's presence means for the larger water system, and why it's critical to repair and replace aging infrastructure throughout the US. Note: This podcast was recorded in November. Since then, President Biden has proposed a new plan to remove all lead water pipes across the country. Learn more about another one of our projects, the Expert Insights newsletter: http://publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

The Geneva Convention sets out specific protections of health care in war dating back to the 1860s. Len Rubenstein, interim director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights and author of the book Perilous Medicine: The Struggle to Protect Health Care from the Violence of War talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the core elements of these laws and how they apply in the current conflict.

Medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro show lots of promise for treating obesity but scientists still don't understand exactly how they work. There's also a lack of data to show whether these medications are safe to take long term. Dr. Sameer Khan, a Johns Hopkins fellow in gasteroenterology, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what these medicines are and what they can do, the questions that remain, and why it's a challenge for clinicians to prescribe them and for patients to actually obtain them. Learn more about another one of our projects, the Expert Insights newsletter: publichealth.jhu.edu/subscribe

The CDC's newest center, a "national weather service for public health threats," is up and running! Dylan George, director of the center, returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the center's mission, what they're working on, and how this year's viral respiratory season might stack up against last year's tripledemic.

Dr. Richard Chaisson, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research, and Dr. Josh Sharfstein discuss the ongoing threat and challenges of tuberculosis, including drug-resistant tuberculosis, declining rates in the United States, and the need for comprehensive approaches and research. They also talk about their work with the Tibetan community in India, reducing TB rates by 90% in Tibetan school children.

After two World Wars and the Holocaust, the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 was a milestone for humanity. But 75 years later, the document remains both an inspiration and a measure of failure. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the origins of the document, its role in "stating the obvious," and why the world has fallen woefully behind in upholding it. Learn more: https://research.un.org/en/udhr75

Peacebuilders work to help solve violent conflicts and rebuild societies through nonviolent means. Michael Shipler, vice president of Search for Common Ground, an international peacebuilding NGO, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the remarkable work the organization has done amidst some of the most intractable conflicts around the world. They discuss what factors drive violent conflict, the goals and processes of peacebuilding as a practice, and how everyone can adopt a peacebuilding mindset.

A mysterious respiratory disease is affecting dogs across the country, in some cases causing serious illness and even death. Veterinarian Dr. Meghan Davis returns to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about what we know and don't know about these cases so far, and how data collection and surveillance will be key to learning more. They also discuss One Health, a public health approach bridging human, animal, and environmental health for surveillance against novel threats.

Stimulant medications can significantly increase the quality of life for kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Rheanna Platt talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how a shortage of these meds is impacting patients and their families. They discuss what's behind the shortages and address questions about whether overuse of these drugs among adults is a contributor.

PEPFAR, or the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was initiated by President Bush in 2003 is credited with saving 25 million lives over the past 20 years and remains the largest commitment to a single disease in history. But the global bipartisan program is now at the mercy of American politics. Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of the Duke Global Health Institute and a member of the scientific advisory board for PEPFAR, returns to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about why PEPFAR's reauthorization is in jeopardy and what the failure of reauthorization could mean for global health.