Public Health On Call

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Public Health On Call

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

16 minutes 36 seconds

1036 - Geopolitics and Humanitarian Health in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine
About this episode:
Humanitarian crises don't exist in a vacuum—they are shaped by geopolitical actions like blockades, sanctions, and armed conflicts between countries. In this episode: Stanford University scholar Ruth Gibson details how geopolitical decisions impact civilians on the ground and how this framing applies to current situations in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine.
Guest:
Ruth Gibson, PhD, is a scholar at Stanford University where she holds appointments in at the Center for Innovation and Global Health and the Center for International Security and Cooperation.
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:
- U.S. to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports—U.S. Central Command
- Block Food and Medicine?—Geopolitics and Humanity Dispatch
- Cuban doctors endure burnout, blackouts as once-vaunted healthcare declines—Reuters
- Willing Accomplices: Gazprom & Rosneft's Role in the Transport and Indoctrination of Ukraine's Children—Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab
- Caring for Children in War-Torn Ukraine—Public Health On Call (November 2025)
- Starvation in Gaza—Public Health On Call (July 2025)
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
15 April 2026, 2:03 pm
13 minutes 56 seconds

1035 - The Epic Struggle for Public Health
About this episode:
Public health efforts have led to tremendous gains throughout history—and sparked backlash. That's the argument made by Michelle A. Williams in her new book "The Cure for Everything The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving." In this episode: why community interventions often go underappreciated, the economic benefits of a healthy society, and the tension between medicine and public health.
Guest:
Michelle A. Williams, ScD, is a professor of epidemiology and population health at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also the co-author of "The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving."
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:
- The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving—Penguin Random House
- "On Going Backwards": A New HIV/AIDS Epidemic?—Public Health On Call (May 2025)
- Recognizing W.E.B. Du Bois and His Seminal Work on Racism and Health—Public Health On Call (February 2022)
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
13 April 2026, 10:00 am
17 minutes 1 second

1034 - An Update on Measles and the U.S.'s Elimination Status
About this episode:
The U.S. is on track to surpass 2025's alarming number of measles cases in 2026. At the same time, the nation's measles elimination status remains under review as health entities use genome sequencing to better understand the state of transmission. In this episode: Infectious disease specialist William Moss explains what's at stake with the verification of the U.S.'s elimination status and why this resurgence of measles is so concerning for immunization writ large.
Guest:
Dr. William Moss, MPH, is an infectious disease specialist and the executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:
- US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines—KFF Health News
- The U.S. will likely lose its measles elimination status. Here's what that means—NPR
- US builds case to retain measles elimination status as infections mount—Reuters
- Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S.—International Vaccine Access Center
- There's a Measles Alert in My Area. Now What?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
9 April 2026, 10:00 am
14 minutes 40 seconds

1033 - Chemical Contaminants and Fungal Fixes in Wastewater and Agriculture
About this episode:
Biosolids created by the wastewater treatment process are useful fertilizers in agriculture, but they often contain chemical compounds from the pharmaceutical and personal care products we send down our drains. In this episode: Researcher Carsten Prasse details new findings that suggest that fungi could reduce our risk of exposure to these compounds in our drinking water and food.
Guest:
Carsten Prasse, PhD, MSc, is an associate professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he studies organic contaminants in the urban water cycle and their impact on environmental and human health.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:
- White-Rot Fungi Show Promise for Reducing Pharmaceutical Residues in Biosolids—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Magic Mushrooms? White-Rot Fungal Degradation of Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals in Biosolids—ACS Environmental Au
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
8 April 2026, 10:00 am
17 minutes 50 seconds

1032 - A Judge Rules on Vaccines
About this episode:
A federal judge has halted changes from the Department of Health and Human Services to the childhood immunization schedule and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice. In this episode: the impact of this decision and what comes next.
Guest:
Sarah Despres, JD, is a lawyer with over 25 years of experience in public health policy and advocacy and is an expert on immunization policy. She served as counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2021-2025.
Host:
Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:
- Judge blocks US government from slimming down vaccine recommendations—Associated Press
- Trust in federal government drops when it comes to childhood vaccines, poll suggests—CIDRAP
- HHS Changes Its Pediatric Vaccine Recommendations: What's Different, What Remains, and What It Means for American Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Changes to the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee—Public Health On Call (June 2025)
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
6 April 2026, 10:00 am
15 minutes 3 seconds

1031 - What is Prediabetes?
About this episode:
Prediabetes—a diagnosis characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that can progress to Type 2 diabetes—is embroiled in debate about whether the condition is clinically "real," and, if so, what the threshold for diagnosis should be. In this episode: Epidemiologist and diabetes expert Elizabeth Selvin breaks down the controversy surrounding prediabetes and why she thinks the diagnosis offers an opportunity for intervention.
Guest:
Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, is a professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she studies diagnosis and screening for diabetes and prediabetes.
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:
- Prediabetes and What It Means: The Epidemiological Evidence—Annual Review of Public Health
- Prediabetes Explained: An Under-the-Radar and Common Condition That Doesn't Have to Lead to a Diabetes Diagnosis—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- In Praise of Prevention—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
- Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)—National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
2 April 2026, 10:00 am
13 minutes 13 seconds

1030 - An Endgame for the Tobacco Industry?
About this episode:
Despite sizable decreases in tobacco use in high-income countries, 7 million people around the world die every year from tobacco-related causes. In this episode: an approach that seeks not to manage the $880 billion tobacco industry but to end it.
Guest:
Eline Goethals is a communications specialist and a fellow at the School of Moral Ambition.
Host:
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.
Show links and related content:
- Making Tobacco Industry Elimination Inevitable—Action on Smoking and Health
- What does a tobacco "endgame" mean?—Truth Initiative
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
1 April 2026, 10:00 am
14 minutes 58 seconds

1029 - What We Know About CTE
About this episode:
A neurodegenerative disease that can only be diagnosed after death, CTE has made headlines for its prevalence in professional football players. But where does it stand as a public health issue? In this episode: Jesse Mez of the Boston University CTE Center gives an overview of what we know and don't yet know about CTE, as well as tips for parents of children who play contact sports.
Guest:
Jesse Mez, MD, MS, is the co-director of clinical research at the Boston University CTE Center and associate professor of neurology at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
30 March 2026, 10:00 am
22 minutes 18 seconds

1028 - Vaccine Policy in the States
About this episode:
As policy has shifted at the federal level, state legislatures are considering a broad range of vaccine-related bills. In this episode: Jennifer Herricks and Northe Saunders of American Families for Vaccines talk about the landscape of vaccine policy, from "medical freedom" bills to those seeking shore up vaccine access.
Guests:
Jennifer Herricks, PhD, is the founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines and the advocacy director of American Families for Vaccines.

Northe Saunders is a grassroots organizer and the president of American Families for Vaccines.
Host:
Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Show links and related content:
- Vaccine Policy Atlas—American Families for Vaccines
- Assessing the Impact of Changes to Federal Vaccine Recommendations on State Immunization Policies—International Vaccine Access Center
- States Weigh Their Options Amid Fed Changes to Vaccine Policy—National Conference of State Legislatures
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
26 March 2026, 10:00 am
14 minutes 39 seconds

1027 - The EPA's Approval of Two New Pesticides
About this episode:
In late 2025, the EPA approved two pesticides for agricultural use that opponents argue contain PFAS—"forever chemicals" that pose hazards to human health. In this episode: the debate around what constitutes PFAS and the EPA's role in regulating these harmful chemicals.
Guest:
Rachel Frazin covers energy and environmental policy for The Hill and is the co-author of the book "Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America".
Host:
Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Show links and related content:
- E.P.A. Moves to Weaken Limits on a Cancer-Causing Gas—New York Times
- EPA just approved new 'forever chemical' pesticides for use on food—Washington Post
- Trump EPA will defend Biden rule forcing polluters to pay for 'forever chemical' cleanup—The Hill
- Uncovering America's Decades-Long PFAS Contamination—Public Health On Call (June 2025)
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
25 March 2026, 10:00 am
14 minutes 38 seconds

1026 - A Mental Health Crisis for Adults with IDDs
About this episode:
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than those without IDDs. Barriers like cost, a lack of trained providers, and societal biases keep many from accessing the care they need. In this episode: what's fueling this crisis hidden in plain sight and what needs to change in order to fix it.
Guests:
Kayte Barton is a former Special Olympics Minnesota athlete, a founding member of the Athlete Leadership Program, and an Athlete Advisory Board member.

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, MPH, is the Chief Health Director for the Special Olympics and the George Adkins Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington.
Host:
Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:
- Anxiety, Depression, and Care Barriers in Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities—JAMA Network Open
- Strong Minds (Mental Health)—Special Olympics
- Young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who participate in Special Olympics are less likely to be diagnosed with depression—Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
- The Implicit and Explicit Exclusion of People with Disabilities in Clinical Trials—National Council on Disability
Transcript information:
Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.
Contact us:
Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
23 March 2026, 10:00 am
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