Episodes

  • 921 - Is Bird Flu Gone for Good?

    921 - Is Bird Flu Gone for Good?
    Jul 21 2025
    About this episode: In early July, the CDC deactivated the United States’ H5N1 emergency response, citing lowered rates of infection among animals and humans. But fewer cases might not indicate an end to the years-long emergency. In this episode: Dr. Erin Sorrell of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security details the timeline of the virus, its impacts on American farmers, and how to prepare for the return of migratory birds later this year. Guest: , PhD, MSc, is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the . Show links and related content: —ScienceNews —Live Science —Public Health On Call (January 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    15 mins
  • 920 - Changes to the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee

    920 - Changes to the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee
    Jul 17 2025
    About this episode: The recent dismissal of all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has stirred questions about vaccine safety and immunization protocols. In this episode: Dr. Grace Lee—a former ACIP chair—shares insights on the committee's crucial role in recommending vaccines uses, the importance of transparent decision-making, and dangers of abandoning strong processes. Guest: is the Chief Quality Officer and the Christopher G. Dawes Endowed Director of Quality at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health (Quality and Safety) and Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. She previously served as the Chair of ACIP. Host: 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: —STAT —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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    14 mins
  • 919 - The Texas Floods and the Future of Forecasting

    919 - The Texas Floods and the Future of Forecasting
    Jul 16 2025
    About this episode: The deadly Fourth of July floods in Kerr County, TX are raising urgent concerns about flash flooding risks and the future of storm response. In this episode: Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry discusses what causes increasingly intense storms, details the significant strides made in forecasting, and outlines what’s at stake with potential cuts to NOAA. Guest: is a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert for WPLG-TV in Miami, FL. He previously served as a senior scientist at the National Hurricane Center and as disaster planning chief at FEMA. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the , an editor for , and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —Eye on the Tropics —Intelligencer —New York Times 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    18 mins
  • 918 - Should AI Be Your Therapist?

    918 - Should AI Be Your Therapist?
    Jul 14 2025
    About this episode: Artificial intelligence is changing everything about how we work, live, and study—and, now, AI therapy chatbots are poised to transform mental health care. In this episode: Stanford researcher Nick Haber details recent data that suggests that therapeutic AI has a long way to go in addressing biases and recognizing safety-critical situations in order to provide adequate care. Guest: is an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and by courtesy, Computer Science, where he researches AI implementation for learning and therapeutic tools. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the , the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —FAccT '25: The 2025 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency —New York Times —Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    15 mins
  • 917 - Why Some Moms Are Hesitant To Vaccinate

    917 - Why Some Moms Are Hesitant To Vaccinate
    Jul 9 2025
    About this episode: For mothers questioning whether or not to vaccinate their children, the decision can be complicated by an overwhelming and, at times, conflicting information environment. In this episode: Health communication researcher Melissa Carrion explores how an onslaught of messaging is informing how mothers decide to vaccinate their kids and how public health experts can better communicate on these key decisions. Guest: is an assistant professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she researches rhetoric and health communication. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the , an editor for , and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —ScienceNews —The 74 —Health Communication —Public Understanding of Science 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    22 mins
  • 916 - Childhood Asthma

    916 - Childhood Asthma
    Jul 7 2025
    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 undermine long-term lung development. Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Matsui is a pediatric allergist-immunologist and epidemiologist and a leading researcher on the connection between asthma and environmental conditions. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine —JAMA —The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology —Public Health On Call (June 2023) 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University
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    15 mins
  • 915 - America's Caregiver Crisis

    915 - America's Caregiver Crisis
    Jul 2 2025
    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: is a professor of Law and Ethics at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School, with , where she specializes in business law, health law, and negotiations. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management —HuffPost —Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health —Public Health On Call (April 2024) 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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    15 mins
  • 914 - Reducing Food Waste to Take Climate Action

    914 - Reducing Food Waste to Take Climate Action
    Jul 1 2025
    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 and shares immediate action items to better manage it. Guest: is a national food systems expert and the president of —an organization that researches and promotes evidence-based action to end food waste. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —ReFED —WYPR —U.S. Environmental Protection Agency —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 or . Follow us: Here's our Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
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    16 mins