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PODCAST

Public Health On Call

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Evidence and experts to help you understand today"s public health news—and what it means for tomorrow.

news medicine

All Episodes

14:36

916 - Childhood Asthma

Public Health On Call ·

2025/07/07

About this episode: Asthma can cause sometimes debilitating symptoms for children who have it, and some—particularly Black and Hispanic children—can experience higher rates of diagnoses, hospitalizations and emergency department visits. In this episode: pediatrician and immunology researcher Dr. Elizabeth Matsui talks about the known causes behind childhood asthma and how it impacts youths, and how factors like poor housing conditions and barriers to care and medication worsen conditions and

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15:28

915 - America's Caregiver Crisis

Public Health On Call ·

2025/07/02

About this episode: Caregivers—both paid and unpaid—are the silent backbone of the nation’s workforce, providing crucial support to America’s young, aging, and disabled populations. But 24 states stand on the precipice of crisis with looming threats to caregiver stipends, salaries, and other resources. In this episode: what led to this tipping point, how proposed cuts to Medicaid could make it worse, and how to build a more supportive system for caregivers, patients, and loved ones. Guest: Stacey B

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15:42

914 - Reducing Food Waste to Take Climate Action

Public Health On Call ·

2025/07/01

About this episode: American farms, restaurants, retailers, and households throw out nearly 30% of the food in our system, landfilling millions of tons of food each year and draining resources like land and energy. Households generate the most waste, with everyday cooks overbuying at grocery stores and throwing away a substantial portion of their purchases—but getting ahead of those scraps can make a big difference. In this episode: ReFED’s Dana Gunders covers the environmental costs of food waste

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22:05

913 - Uncovering America’s Decades-Long PFAS...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/30

About this episode: Since the 1950s, companies have been using PFAS—or “forever chemicals”—to manufacture everyday household items from waterproof mascara to shaving cream to Bandaids. Research and advocacy have not only linked these chemicals to certain cancers, liver disease, and fertility issues, but they have also posited that 97% of Americans have traces of PFAS in their blood. In this episode: guest host Tom Burke talks with writer Rachel Frazin about her new book outlining the dark history of

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16:00

912 - The Correlation Between Movement and Health As...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/26

About this episode: Consumer wearables like Fitbits track a lot of our activity, from time spent standing to estimates of calorie expenditure. What if they could also alert us to possible health issues as we age? In this episode: How movement patterns change with aging, and how researchers are examining ways to measure those patterns to determine what’s normal and what may be associated with cognitive decline and other neurological issues. Guest: Jennifer Schrack is the director of the Johns Hopkins

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18:01

911 - Book Club—We Are Eating The Earth: The Race to...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/25

About this episode: Growing and producing our food comes at an extreme cost to the environment. In this episode: a conversation about climate and agriculture with journalist and author Michael Grunwald, whose blunt new book looks at how the food system is wiping out wetlands, forests, and other carbon reservoirs that protect us from global warming. Guest: Michael Grunwald is a journalist and author who covers public policy. He’s written for Politico Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Washington Post,

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12:18

910 - Climate Change and Meteorology: 2025 Update

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/23

About this episode: What might be in store for the 2025 hurricane season? Meteorologist Brian McNoldy returns to the podcast to talk about how things are shaping up, a look back at how last summer’s unprecedented mix of heat and moisture played out in an extremely active season, and a zoomed-out look at climate change trends as larger patterns beyond individual events and year-over-year comparisons. Guest: Brian McNoldy is a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmosphere and

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10:40

909 - From the Archives: Reflecting on Juneteenth...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/18

About this episode: Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021 but many people don’t know the history or how to recognize the day. In this episode: a look back at a 2022 conversation with Janice Bowie about how to celebrate, reflect, and recommit to social justice this Juneteenth. Guest: Janice Bowie is a Bloomberg Centennial Professor in Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on health equity and disparities. Host: Dr. Josh

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14:44

908 - A Sharp Decline in Homicides

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/17

About this episode: Homicides in the U.S., particularly those involving gun violence, peaked in 2022 following a rapid rise during the COVID pandemic. In the years that followed, there were notable decreases and 2025, so far, shows one of the most dramatic reductions in homicides in decades. In this episode: A look at some of the reasons behind the rise and fall of deaths, and why staying the policy course may be key to avoiding another spike. Guest: Daniel Webster is a Bloomberg Professor of

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18:48

907 - Humanitarian Health in Gaza and Beyond

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/16

About this episode: Humanitarian health systems provide relief like food, water, and medicine in crisis situations. They operate within a carefully organized framework built on core principles including impartiality and neutrality. In this episode: what's happening with humanitarian aid in Gaza and the importance of a new framework for global humanitarian efforts. Guest: Dr. Paul Spiegel is a physician, epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins

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15:39

906 - Here To Understand: How Braver Angels Is...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/12

About this episode: In 2016, the nonprofit Braver Angels was founded to bring together diverse groups of people to try and figure out why productive communication has become so difficult. During the pandemic, the conversations got even harder. In this episode: How Braver Angels is bringing together questioners and supporters of public health to hear each other out with a goal of humanizing, understanding, and remembering that “everyone is worth listening to.” Guests: Dr. Leslie Lapato is a retired

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13:35

905 - Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, and Ear Tubes...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/11

About this episode: A recent MAHA report from the Department of Health and Human Services stated that a trio of common procedures for children—tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and tympanostomy tube (ear tube) placement—“cause harm without offering benefits.” In this episode: a look at what these surgeries are, the advantages and risks, and what the report said—and didn’t say—about the value of these procedures when properly indicated. Guests: Dr. Emily Boss is the director of pediatric otolaryngology

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14:21

904 - Tariffs on Pharmaceuticals

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/09

About this episode: Would it be a good idea to have tariffs on pharmaceuticals? In this episode: a conversation about the rationales for tariffs as well as potential downsides—like higher drug prices—and what could really help with supply and pricing issues. Guest: Dr. Mariana Socal studies the pharmaceutical market and is an associate professor in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice

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18:56

903 - Violence Against Health Care in Conflict: 2024...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/05

About this episode: A new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition documents incidents of violence against health care facilities and workers in conflict zones around the world. In this episode: why it’s important to track these trends, how incidents are reported and investigated, and a look at the 2024 report with examples from various conflict zones around the world including Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza. Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not

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15:26

902 - Gun Violence Awareness Month: Safe Storage...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/04

About this episode: June is Gun Violence Awareness Month with a focus on safe storage, a key factor in preventing gun-related injuries and deaths. In this episode: a look at how safe storage saves lives, evidence-based tools and tips for lawmakers, gun owners, parents, pediatricians, and more; and how to normalize conversations about safe storage in everyday life. Guests: Dr. Katherine Hoops, is a pediatrician and the director of Clinical Practice at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence

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19:29

901 - Changing Recommendations for COVID Vaccines

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/03

About this episode: Last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced that the COVID vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women. In this episode: a vaccine policy expert unpacks the announcement — how it differs from past policy changes, and its potential impact on Americans. Note: This episode was recorded on May 28, 2025. Guest: Sarah Despres has over 25 years of experience in public health policy and advocacy and is an expert on immunization

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18:01

900 - How To Be A Better Tourist With Cameron Hewitt

Public Health On Call ·

2025/06/02

About this episode: Travel can open our eyes to the world and make us better global citizens. But there’s no denying the environmental impacts of travel. Plus, with climate change happening everywhere, it’s becoming more difficult for tourists to predictably see and do some things without factoring in extreme weather. In this episode: how travelers can be more mindful and a look at how a travel company is thinking about the industry’s carbon footprint. Guest: Cameron Hewitt is a travel writer and

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13:48

899 - Pediatric COVID Vaccines

Public Health On Call ·

2025/05/23

About this episode: The approval of pediatric COVID vaccines during the height of the pandemic brought reassurance to many parents and pediatricians who were caring for children with severe infections and, sometimes, Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MISC)—a rare but extremely dangerous condition that could impact even the healthiest kids after a COVID infection. But what’s the picture of pediatric COVID vaccination now? In this episode: a discussion about the risks and benefits of

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16:12

898 - The Measles Response in Lubbock, Texas

Public Health On Call ·

2025/05/22

About this episode: A look inside the ongoing public health response to measles outbreaks in Lubbock, a city in West Texas. Guest: Katherine Wells is the director of Lubbock Public Health in West Texas. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department. Show links and related content: Lubbock’s

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13:49

897 - Interview With A Graduate: A Doctor of Health...

Public Health On Call ·

2025/05/21

About this episode: It’s graduation time at the Bloomberg School! Doctoral candidate Jeff Marr joins the podcast to talk about how an economics major and an early internship at a health care system led to an interest in examining how health care markets and public policy work. Soon-to-be Dr. Marr discusses his dissertation looking at how predictive algorithms lead to decisions about care coverage. Guest: Jeffrey Marr is a healthcare economist and doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg

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1,091 results

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