Episodes

  • 848 - Vaccines 101: The Vaccines For Children Program

    848 - Vaccines 101: The Vaccines For Children Program
    Feb 7 2025
    About this episode: Today, in another episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics from the molecular level to global policy and everything in between: The Vaccines For Children Program is a CDC program that provides recommended vaccines without charge to about half of the nation’s children. In this episode: the program’s origins in a terrifying measles outbreak, how the program works, and what the evidence shows about its success. Guest: is the executive director of the , a nonprofit organization that helps state public health agencies operate immunization programs. 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: —CDC Website —The New York Times 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
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    17 mins
  • 847 - Vaccines 101: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

    847 - Vaccines 101: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
    Feb 6 2025
    About this episode: Today, in another episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics from the molecular level to global policy and everything in between: how compensation for most vaccine-related injuries works in the U.S. Serious vaccine injuries are rare, but when they do happen, people can bring their claims to a special court. In today’s episode, Judge Gary Golkiewicz, a “special master” of the United States Court of Federal Claims, talks about how the program works, how often it’s utilized, and what’s needed to help the program improve. Guest: Gary Golkiewicz is a litigator and the former for the . 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: —Public Health On Call (January, 2025) Vaccines 101: Vaccine Safety Science—Public Health On Call (January, 2025) —Health Resources & Services Administration —Health Resources & Services Administration —United States Court of Federal Claims 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
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    23 mins
  • 846 - Vaccines 101: Vaccine Safety Science

    846 - Vaccines 101: Vaccine Safety Science
    Feb 5 2025
    About this episode: Today, in the next episode in a series of podcasts exploring vaccine basics: the science of vaccine safety. In this episode, a look at what’s unique about vaccine safety compared to the safety of other medical products, and how experts tell the difference between an adverse effect that is "causal" and one that is "coincidental." Guest: is the director of the . 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: —Public Health On Call (January, 2025) —Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health —The Institute for Vaccine Safety 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
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    16 mins
  • 845 - Tuberculosis in the U.S.

    845 - Tuberculosis in the U.S.
    Feb 4 2025
    About this episode: A tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas City is one of the largest in recent history. Risk to the general public remains low, but the outbreak itself could be a signal of a seriously strained public health system. In today’s episode: an overview of tuberculosis including how it spreads and who is most at risk, and what the Kansas City outbreak means for public health. Also: How the U.S.’s departure from the WHO could impact the fight against the world’s leading infectious disease killer. Guest: is an infectious disease epidemiologist, a tuberculosis researcher, and the executive vice dean for academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 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: —Reuters —International Vaccine Access Center —Public Health On Call (December, 2023) 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
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    18 mins
  • 844 - The Changing CDC Website

    844 - The Changing CDC Website
    Feb 3 2025
    About this episode: On Friday, January 31, a number of important datasets and pages housed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website became inaccessible. In this episode: Dr. Nirav Shah, a member of the advisory committee to the director of the CDC and co-chair of the advisory committee’s data and surveillance workgroup talks about the critical work of the CDC and the value of its data sets, and the questions being asked about what’s going on. Note: Dr. Josh Sharfstein, producer and regular podcast host, is also a member of the advisory committee and a co-signer of the letter mentioned in this episode. As always, these podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University. Guest: is a senior scholar at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. He serves as a member of the advisory committee for the Director of the CDC and co-chair of the advisory committee’s data and surveillance workgroup. 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: —HuffPost —STAT 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
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    21 mins
  • 843 - The Native Biodata Consortium: Data Sovereignty For Good

    843 - The Native Biodata Consortium: Data Sovereignty For Good
    Jan 30 2025
    About this episode: Since the mapping of the human genome in 2003, scientists have sought data from Indigenous and isolated populations. But often that research doesn’t translate into better health care for the groups whose biological specimens informed it. In this episode: all about the Native Biodata Consortium, a research organization that collects, stores, and shares data from indigenous environments and communities. Guest: , is a biomedical researcher and the executive director of the . 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: —The National Institutes of Health —National Park Service —Data for Indigenous Innovations, Interventions and Implementations 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
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    15 mins
  • 842 - Polio and the Polio Vaccine

    842 - Polio and the Polio Vaccine
    Jan 29 2025
    About this episode: Thanks to vaccines, most people under a certain age have no memory of the devastation and terror caused by the poliovirus. Although widely eliminated, polio still poses a threat in certain countries around the world. Waning vaccination rates in pockets of the U.S. mean some communities are at risk of a resurgence. In this episode: a look back at polio before vaccines, and how technology has evolved—including a discussion about a previous version of the vaccine that did, in rare instances, actually cause paralytic polio. Guest: is the executive director of the at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 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: —The New York Times —Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 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
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    25 mins
  • 841 - The U.S. & The World Health Organization

    841 - The U.S. & The World Health Organization
    Jan 28 2025
    About this episode: President Trump’s executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO could have lasting implications on the health and wellbeing of the world, and on the American people. In today’s episode, the essential roles that the WHO plays both for the U.S. and around the globe, America’s imperfect relationship with the institution, and the potential consequences of a U.S. exit. Guest: is an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, and the chair of the department of 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 , the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: —Infection Control Today —Time Magazine 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
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    18 mins