Public Health On Call

About this episode: 
Previously on the podcast, we covered the emerging threat of bad actors using AI to create novel bioweapons. In this episode: how can we prepare countermeasures for if—or when—it happens? Johns Hopkins Professor Jeff Coller explains why mRNA vaccines can be quickly developed to serve as countermeasures to synthetic pandemics—and why the U.S. must invest in these tools before it's too late.
Note: Jeff Coller is a co-founder of Alliance for mRNA Medicines, a non-profit organization advancing mRNA technology; Rare REPAIRx, a public-private mRNA consortium building genetic medicines; and Tevard Biosciences, a tRNA-based therapeutics company. He receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University.
Guest: 
Jeff Coller, PhD, is a Bloomberg distinguished professor of biomedical engineering and the director of the Johns Hopkins RNA Innovation Center.
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: 
We Aren't Ready for the New Age of Biological Threats—The New York Times

How Cuts to mRNA Vaccine Development Will Set the U.S. Back—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Will AI Generate New Biological Threats?—Public Health On Call (October 2026)

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. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):
The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu. 
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. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:
@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

About this episode: 
The geographical footprint of the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak that began in DRC earlier this year has expanded, with imported cases appearing in Kenya and Nigeria. Experts fear that the case count could eventually surpass that of the 2014–2016 Western Africa Ebola epidemic—currently the largest outbreak in history. In this episode: an update on the outbreak, including the status of vaccine trials, how civil unrest is complicating response, and what this epidemic can tell us about the state of global health.
Guest: 
Dr. Daniel Bausch, MD, MPH&TM, is a physician-scientist trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, tropical medicine, and public health. He is currently visiting faculty at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
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: 
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Nigeria—WHO

Two new candidate vaccines to join Ebola trial as treatment research advances—WHO

The Race for a Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Vaccine—Public Health On Call (June 2026)

What We Must Learn from Ebola—"A Disease of Compassion"—Public Health On Call (June 2026)

An Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa—Public Health On Call (May 2026)

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. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):
The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu. 
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. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:
@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

About this episode: 
Seeing a primary care provider has benefits for long-term wellbeing and financial security. But workforce shortages and the rise of concierge medicine have left roughly 30% of U.S. adults without access to primary care. In this episode: Could changing how we invest in primary care connect more people with the services and guidance they need to live a healthy life?
Guest: 
Dr. Zirui Song, MD, PhD, is a professor at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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: 
Primary Care as a Public Utility: The Case for a Common Fund—JAMA

Primary Care — From Common Good to Free-Market Commodity—New England Journal of Medicine

Fee-based primary care is rapidly rising in U.S., hastening doctor shortages for public—The Hub

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. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):
The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu. 
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. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:
@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

About this episode: 
Pharmacists and community leaders are both on the frontlines of improving access to HIV prevention services, but often their efforts are siloed. What can it look like when they work together? In this episode: Host Lindsay Smith Rogers interviews Leisha McKinley-Beach and Natalie Crawford, two implementation scientists asking this question in Georgia and Louisiana.
Guest: 
Leisha McKinley-Beach, MPH, is a national HIV prevention expert and the CEO and founder of Black Public Health Academy. 
Natalie Crawford, PhD, MPH is an associate professor and the co-director of the Prevention and Implementation Sciences Core in the Center for AIDS Research at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. 
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: 
National Coalition Announces Initiative to Help Community Pharmacies Expand HIV Prevention Services—Emory Rollins School of Public Health

PharmacistInitiated PrEP and PEP—National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)

A Critical Moment in the Fight Against HIV—Public Health On Call (July 2025)

Voices in Print: Elevating Patient Perspectives in Medical Literature—Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

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. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):
The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu. 
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. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:
@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

About this episode: 
Families that have immigrated to the United States face financial, legal, and healthcare challenges. Health professionals often struggle to connect to their patients in office settings, especially today—but community health workers who can do home visits can bridge the gap. In this episode: Professor Kiara Álvarez discusses the indispensable role that community health workers play as navigators, connectors, and promotores in the healthcare system. 
Guest: 
Kiara Álvarez, PhD, EdM, is a Bloomberg associate professor in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a clinical psychologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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: 
Uniendo Voces – Uniting Voices: Community Health Workers Serving Baltimore's Latine Immigrant Community—CentroSOL
LaToya Ruby Frazier, More Than Conquerors: A Monument for Community Health Workers of Baltimore, Maryland 2021–2022—Baltimore Museum of Art

Mitigating The Health Impacts Of Exclusionary Immigration Policies: An Evidence Review—Health Affairs

How Community Health Workers Improve Research—Public Health On Call (April 2026)

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. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.
AI disclosure (as of September 2026):
The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu. 
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. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.
Follow us:
@‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

@‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.