Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Dr Sherry Glied, Dean of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public and Dr Steven Woolf, Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor, VCU Center on Society and Health about the differences in excess all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic across the US states. How can we explain the greater excess mortality in states with more conservative governments? Were these deaths preventable and, if so, how? Should governments be accountable for preventable excess deaths?

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Profs Neil Pearce (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Andrew C. Stokes (Boston University School of Public Health), and Jan P Vandenbroucke (Leiden University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Epidemiology) in a compelling discussion about excess mortality and its significance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why might excess mortality be a more accurate measure than COVID-19-specific mortality? What is the theoretical foundation for using excess mortality as an evaluative tool? How can excess mortality help determine whether countries or regions performed ‘equally well’ during the pandemic? Can it provide insights into what strategies worked—or didn’t—during the crisis? Despite delays in obtaining mortality data, how can excess mortality be used to track health emergencies in real time? Finally, what key recommendations should guide those using excess mortality as an outcome measure? Join us for this insightful conversation to better understand the critical role of excess mortality in shaping public health decisions and pandemic evaluations.

2024 P4 Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu and Dr. Tianchu Lyu, review highlights of the July to September 2024 Issues and July Supplement. The Editor’s Corner features Dr. Lin Fang, Professor from Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Canada.

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Sarah Moreland-Russell, PhD, Associate Professor of Practice, and Caitlin McMurtry, PhD, Assistant Professor, both at Brown School, Washington University, Saint Louis. Why are local public health policies sometimes in conflict with federal policies? In some states public health officers downplayed the threat of COVID-19 and the benefits of the vaccine. In others, receiving reproductive health services requires crossing state lines. We discuss if there are ways to build bridges between state and federal government, whether political polarization impacted the response to COVID-19, and whether public opinion and political processes can impact how public policy addresses inequities.

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Admiral Rachel L Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and Elana Redfield, J.D., Federal Policy Director at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. HHS is to be applauded for its work in making visible the health, mental health, and data needs of the Transgender population in the US. Some of the foundation for this work has been accomplishments in states. Most of the federal governments targets particularly in public health come from population-based data. How have data about transgenders grown within federal data collection as well at other levels, what actions have been taken to provide evidence for policy development in transgender health? The Williams Institute is known for its data and its use for policy development: What are some of the worries that you have about this population? While there is a lot of progress what are two or three of the things still needing to be lifted up or improved in order to see even better outcomes?

Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu, Pengfei Guo, and Tianchu Lyu report on Dr. Alfredo Morabia’s interviews with the Deans of three schools of public health in China in July 2024.

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Masoomeh Faghankhani (Dr.PH student at Colorado SPH) and Alice Igisaro (MBA student, Washington University in St Louis). In this podcast, we explore how public health students can be equipped to respond to and prevent war. Massoomeh and Alice emphasize that foundational skills for this work can be developed by engaging with disadvantaged communities in the neighborhoods surrounding U.S. schools of public health.

In this episode of the AJPH Student Think Tank podcast, we focus on the social and political determinants of indoor air quality. We talk to Elaine LaFay and Paul Sampson about the drought history of ventilation. We hear from Jennifer Ahumada about community-based air filtration workshops with the USC Environmental Justice Research Lab. And we have a zine by WormyOrchids, read by our very own Mateo Frumholz. Links: Ventilation and Public Health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38843476/ Environmental Justice infographics: https://ejresearchlab.usc.edu/en/infographics/ Wormy Orchids zine: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2NgSI-LdFX/

Alfredo Morabia and Prof. Vickie Mays (UCLA) from AJPH interview Anna K. Hing (University of Minnesota), Jennifer L. Pomeranz (New York University), and Marian Moser Jones (Ohio State University) to discuss whether voting rights are a political determinant of health. Key discussion points include: What have been the political consequences of the US Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v Holder, which invalidated the Voting Rights Act’s preclearance provision? Which communities are most affected by the restriction of the right to vote? What is the mechanism by which voting rights translates into health? How relevant are these results for the present context and the coming 2024 presidential, senatorial, house, and state elections? What can be done to advocate for the reinstatement of preclearance?

Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu, and Tianchu Lyu review highlights of the April to June 2024 Issues and Supplements. The Editor’s Corner features Dr. Stella S. Yi, Associate Professor from the Department of Population Health, New York University.

AJPH Editors Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia interview Tamara Rushovich (Harvard), lead author of "US Voting Rights Act Impact on Black and Black vs. White Infant Death Rates in Jim Crow States, 1959–1980 and 2017–2021" (Am J Public Health. 2024; 114(3): 300–308), and Jesse H. Rhodes (UMass Amherst). We discuss the definition of "Jim Crow Laws" and states, the public health effects of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and its impact on infant mortality. We also explore whether current Supreme Court decisions are eroding voting rights and how to defend them. Podcast producer: Troels Drasbech. Journal Assistant: Keira McCarthy.