Public Health On Call

About this episode:  
In August, Meta—the parent company of Instagram and Facebook—agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to 54 states and U.S. territories over claims that it harmed children by fostering unhealthy digital habits. In this episode: An addiction researcher and an expert in adolescent mental health explain the terms of the agreement, what comes next, and what parents should take away from the larger conversation on youth social media use.
Guest: 
Tamar Mendelson, PhD, MA, is a professor of Mental Health and Population, Family and Reproductive Health, as well as the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health.
Johannes Thrul, PhD, MS, is an associate professor of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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: 
Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims—New York Times

Mental Health in the Scroll Age—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

Social Media and Youth Mental Health—Office of the Surgeon General

A College Course for Digital Detoxing—Public Health On Call (February 2026)

Social Media and Adolescent Health—Public Health On Call (February 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. 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.
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:  
New research examines the relationship between the legalization of medicinal or recreational cannabis and patterns of alcohol, tobacco, and opioid use. In this episode: Lead author of the study, Sarah Windle, explains what her team's systematic review, published in the Milbank Quarterly, can tell us about whether legal cannabis is being used to substitute or to complement other substances.
Guest: 
Sarah Windle, MPH, is a PhD student in epidemiology at McGill University.
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: 
Impacts of Global Cannabis Policy Changes on Substance Use: A Systematic Review of Quasi-Experimental Studies—The Milbank Quarterly

Here's how cannabis legalization affected tobacco, alcohol and opioid use: McGill study—CTV News

The Hazy World of Cannabis Policy—Public Health On Call (February 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. 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.
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:  
Between the cyclosporiasis outbreak and other food safety issues, the ongoing measles outbreak, and the coming respiratory season, there's a lot going on in public health. In this episode: Dr. Josh Sharfstein, a pediatrician, former principal deputy commissioner of the FDA, and Public Health On Call host, covers these and other hot topics in public health.
Guest: 
Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. 
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: 
Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts—U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania mark first 2 US fatalities this year—CIDRAP

AAFP Announces Fall Immunization Recommendations to Protect Patients and Communities—American Academy of Family Physicians

The Executive Order on Childhood Vaccines—Public Health On Call (August 2026)

The Explosive Diarrhea Episode—Public Health On Call (July 2026)

An Update on Measles and the U.S.'s Elimination Status—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.
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:  
Malcolm Cunningham and Amelia Hulbert both work in local government, spearheading violence prevention programs and reducing barriers to food access, respectively. Through the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, they've supercharged their work with MPH degrees and instruction from leaders in their fields. In this episode: Malcolm and Amelia discuss their work to create better health outcomes in their communities and how programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have guided them.
Guest: 
Malcolm Cunningham, MPH, is the director of the Toledo, OH, Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and an alumnus of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
Amelia Hulbert, MPH, is the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) specialist with Boulder County Public Health and an alumna of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
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: 
The Cost of Gun Violence: The Direct Cost to Tax Payers—National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

To get fresh vegetables to people who need them, one city puts its soda tax to work—NPR

The Bloomberg Fellows Program—Bloomberg American Health Initiative

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.
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.
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:  
During the recent pandemic, low-income countries struggled to access the COVID-19 vaccine, despite a global framework that had been established for this purpose. In this episode: Tahir Amin, a leader in the access to medicines movement, shares his perspective on what failed during the pandemic and how this experience reflects larger challenges in the availability and affordability of critical medications.
Guest: 
Tahir Amin, DPLP, is a founder and CEO of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), a nonprofit organization working to address the inequities in how medicines are developed and distributed.
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: 
Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines—Polity Books (book)

Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costs—KFF

Patently imperfect—Science

Could Patent Reform Lower Drug Prices?—Public Health On Call (March 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 via email or visit our website.
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.