JAMA Author Interviews

Anthony S. Fauci, MD, returns to JAMA's Q&A series to discuss the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, including the continued importance of nonpharmaceutical interventions (masking, handwashing, physical distancing) for managing rising case numbers in the US and globally. Recorded October 28, 2020. Related Article(s): Preventing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 With Masks and Other "Low-tech" Interventions

Paul A. Offit, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, returns to JAMA's Q&A series to provide an update on progress in COVID-19 vaccine development. Recorded October 27, 2020. Related Article(s): Developing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine at Warp Speed

Interview with Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD, author of Expanding Use of Clinical Genome Sequencing and the Need for More Data on Implementation Related content: Functional Neurological Disorder Society

Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital returns to JAMA's COVID-19 Q&A to provide an update on developments in the pandemic. She is a signatory of the recent John Snow Memorandum emphasizing the importance of public health interventions to manage the spread of COVID-19. Recorded October 22, 2020. Related Article(s): Preventing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 With Masks and Other "Low-tech" Interventions

The costs of the coronavirus pandemic are unprecedented in their dimensions: David M. Cutler, PhD, of Harvard University discusses financial costs: the $16 trillion virus. Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins University discusses the costs to communities of color in excess deaths and bereavement. Charles R. Marmar, MD, of NYU Grossman School of Medicine discusses the mental health costs. Recorded October 20, 2020. Related Article(s): The COVID-19 Pandemic and the $16 Trillion Virus

Andy Slavitt, MBA, discusses recent developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and the US response. Slavitt is former Acting CMS Administrator in the Obama administration, board director at the United States of Care in Washington, DC, and a Distinguished Health Policy Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Recorded October 16, 2020. Related Article: The COVID-19 Pandemic Underscores the Need to Address Structural Challenges of the US Health Care System

The National Academy of Medicine has recommended that racial minority populations receive priority for vaccination because they have been hard hit by the pandemic and are "worse off" socioeconomically. US law is inconsistent on whether race/ethnicity can be an explicit criterion for achieving equity and diversity. Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, of Georgetown University and Michelle A. Williams, ScD, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discuss ways to achieve the public health objective of protecting vulnerable communities while adhering to law and ethics. Recorded October 14, 2020. Related Article(s): Is It Lawful and Ethical to Prioritize Racial Minorities for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Interview with Christopher W. Seymour, MD, MSc, author of Sensible Medicine—Balancing Intervention and Inaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The US Surgeon General's office has released a report emphasizing the importance of making hypertension control a national public health priority. Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, the 20th US Surgeon General, discusses the report's background and recommendations. Recorded October 7, 2020. Related Article(s): A National Commitment to Improve the Care of Patients With Hypertension in the US

On October 2 the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine issued its consensus Framework for Equitable Allocation of a COVID-19 Vaccine. William H. Foege, MD, MPH, emeritus distinguished professor of International Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, cochaired the committee that authored the report and discusses its recommendations. Recorded October 2, 2020. Related Article: Fairly Prioritizing Groups for Access to COVID-19 Vaccines