Public Health On Call

For some, the pandemic has been a "perfect storm" in terms of unhealthy eating resulting in the "quaran-ten" or the COVID "19 pounds." Dr. Elena Jansen and Dr. Susan Carnell, two Johns Hopkins obesity researchers, talk with Stephanie Desmon about how COVID-related stress—combined with being at home more—has impacted our bodies and health behaviors during the pandemic. They also talk about how the pandemic has a silver lining for some families' eating habits and give their take on where pandemic eating is heading in the long term, for better or worse.

Stopping gun violence requires more than thinking about policies and programs that focus on guns alone. Dr. Shani Buggs, a professor with the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how community-based violence prevention programs identify those most at risk of being involved in violence and connect them to services that can help them solve problems and stay safe. They also talk about the evidence for these programs and their growing popularity across the country.

Vaccinations are seen as the primary tool to prevent COVID-19 infections, but are there other things we should be doing to bring down transmission rates? Dr. Caitlin Rivers and Dr. Crystal Watson from the Center for Health Security return to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about where we are, what still needs to be done, and when they'll know that the pandemic is truly in the rearview mirror.

We last heard from Matt Hornbeck—longtime principal of Hampstead Hill Academy, a K-8 school in Baltimore city—in the fall for an update on how the school community was faring with online learning. Hornbeck returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the school's recent reopening to more than 500 students for in-person instruction. Does it feel the same?

India is in the throes of the world's worst COVID-19 infection with overwhelmed health systems and a shortage of oxygen, hospital beds, testing, and medications. Dr. Amita Gupta, chair of the Johns Hopkins India Institute, Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Service in New Delhi, and Dr. Gagandeep Kang, professor of microbiology at Christian Medical College in India, talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about this "unprecedented public health disaster" and what needs to be done to address the crisis.

At the onset of the pandemic, the world's family planning community worried about the impact COVID-19 would have on access to contraception and unintended pregnancies in lower- and middle-income countries. Dr. Phil Anglewicz and Dr. Caroline Moreau of Performance Monitoring for Action talk with Stephanie Desmon about what some initial research says about impacts on contraceptive use and access, what is still unknown, and what the concerns are—especially for young girls facing economic hardship and food instability during the pandemic.

India produces much of the world's vaccines in normal times, and even produced enough COVID-19 vaccines that it was donating doses to poorer countries earlier this year. So how did a vaccine powerhouse with an existing distribution infrastructure end up with one of the world's worst COVID crises? Dr. Anita Shet of the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center talks with Stephanie Desmon about India's vaccine situation, what the crisis could mean for the supply of other critical vaccines, and what needs to be done to stem the outbreak.

Ghost guns are firearms that can be made at home from kits or 3D printed parts. They're unregulated and untraceable, meaning no background check is required to purchase them. Dr. Alex McCourt, a public health lawyer with the Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, talks with Stephanie Desmon about why these guns are so dangerous, what we know and don't know about their use in violent crimes, and Biden's proposal for ATF regulation.

Canada is experiencing a serious wave of COVID infections with the majority from variants of concern like B.1.1.7. British Columbia currently has one of the highest rates of P.1 outside of Brazil itself where the variant was first discovered. Dr. Brian Goldman, the host of two CBC podcasts and a clinician at Sinai Health System in Toronto, returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the factors that contributed to Canada's COVID crisis, including logistical issues with distributing vaccines.

India is in the throes of the world's worst COVID-19 infection with overwhelmed health systems, and a shortage of oxygen, hospital beds, testing, and medications. Dr. Amita Gupta, chair of the Johns Hopkins India Institute, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how this "unprecedented public health disaster" snuck up on the country after they successfully controlled the first wave back in the fall. They also discuss what needs to be done to address the crisis, and how you as an individual can help. Note: Please consider donating to the following organizations: https://giving.jhu.edu/ways-to-give/international-giving/johns-hopkins-india-institute/ https://www.jhpiego.org/countries-we-support/india/