Public Health On Call

Vaccine experts Drs. Anna Durbin and Bill Moss return to the podcast to talk with Lindsay Smith Rogers about the global state of COVID-19. They discuss vaccine coverage around the world, second-generation or bivalent vaccines, a new variant of concern, and what a worrying flu season in the southern hemisphere could mean for us this winter.

New Mexico has the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths in the US, but the problem is routinely sidestepped at best or, at worst, blamed erroneously on the Native American population. Journalist Ted Alcorn talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the barriers facing New Mexico in tackling alcohol as a public health crisis. Learn more here.

The public health system has been fragmented and haphazard for years, and COVID-19 showed just how consequential a weak system can be. Former FDA Commissioner Peggy Hamburg talks with Stephanie Desmon about a Commonwealth Fund report that looks at how to build a national public health system that addresses ongoing and future health crises, advances equity, and earns trust. Learn more here.

In the 500th episode of the Public Health on Call podcast, Dr. Chris Beyrer joins Dr. Josh Sharfstein to talk about how yet another virus has escalated to crisis levels in a short period of time. They discuss parallels and differences with the early days of the HIV epidemic, the danger of ignoring health challenges facing the developing world, and the future of public health challenges facing societies worldwide.

Settlements with opioid giants like Purdue, Johnson & Johnson, and Cardinal Health have resulted in billions of dollars paid out to states and municipalities. Sara Whaley, a coordinator for a project called Principles for the Use of Funds from Opioid Litigation, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about five guidelines these entities can follow to use the funds in ways that will actually address the nation's ongoing opioid epidemic. Learn more at opioidprinciples.jhsph.edu.

​​The recent Supreme Court ruling limiting the EPA's ability to mandate carbon emissions reductions is a setback but not game over for fighting climate change. Former environmental official Tom Burke talks with Stephanie Desmon about the ruling and about this "perfect storm" moment of extreme weather, a war that's jacked up oil prices, and a lack of political will to face climate change. They also discuss some things to be hopeful about and what can be done right now to adapt and innovate for a better future.

The FDA recently issued a marketing denial order for all Juul products, which was quickly reversed when Juul filed for a temporary stay. Dr. Joanna Cohen talks with Stephanie Desmon about why e-cigarettes are regulated like cigarettes and not pharmaceuticals despite their initial introduction to the market as a smoking cessation tool, where gains have been made in reducing popularity with youths, and why other tools like nicotine replacement therapy have not been able to live up to their promise to help more people quit smoking.

Overdose death rates among Black Americans surpassed those among white Americans in 2020, a sharp reversal from a decade earlier. Hopkins post-doctoral fellows Dr. Keisha Solomon and Dr. Jason Gibbons talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the reasons behind this alarming increase and what can be done to respond.

Mindfulness is sometimes seen as a buzzword, but it's an evidence-based facet key to our physical and emotional well-being. Mindfulness researcher Dr. Christina Bethell talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about the science behind the practice, the connection to resilience, and how mindfulness can help people recover from trauma and adverse childhood experiences. They also discuss some basic practices you can do yourself and Dr. Bethell leads a short breathing exercise. Learn more about her work here.

In a special episode Tradeoffs host Dan Gorenstein talks about the nation's new 9-8-8 crisis line, and how local agencies are struggling to find counselors to staff the Lifeline number. A content warning that this episode mentions suicide and other mental health emergencies. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). Learn more here: https://tradeoffs.org/