Public Health On Call

About this episode:  
Long flights at high altitudes can expose pilots and flight attendants to dangerous levels of cosmic radiation over their careers, potentially increasing their risk for a variety of cancers and posing special dangers to pregnant crewmembers. In this episode: a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges action on in-flight radiation exposure, including mandating airline safety programs and developing new ways to measure hazards.
Guest: 
Tom Burke, PhD, MPH, is an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins and a former top official with the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration.
Lindsay S. Fenwick is an accomplished pilot with over 21,000 flight hours spanning military, corporate, VIP, and major airline operations. He also has extensive experience in aviation safety management.
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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009. 
Show links and related content: 
Assessing Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies for Flight Crewmembers—National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Aircrew and Cosmic Ionizing Radiation—CDC

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

About this episode:  
Millions of children will experience sexual abuse before they turn 18, either in-person or online and often at the hands of people they know. The mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences can linger into adulthood. In this episode: Elizabeth Letourneau, director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, explains why child sexual abuse is one of the nation's most pressing public health crises and what can be done to prevent it. 
Guest: 
Elizabeth Letourneau, PhD, MA, is a professor of mental health and the director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. She is also the co-author of "One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—and What We Can Do to Stop It."
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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009. 
Show links and related content: 
One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis—and What We Can Do to Stop It—Hachette Book Group

What Would It Take to End Child Sexual Abuse?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau and Luke Malone (on child sexual abuse prevention)—Armchair Expert

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse—Public Health On Call (January 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:
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@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

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

About this episode:  
This summer, Merck & Co. settled more than 200 lawsuits alleging that the company's HPV vaccine, Gardasil, caused cases of autoimmune conditions and fertility issues in young women. But that $50 million settlement is not an admission of fault on the part of the company or the vaccine. In this episode: Vaccine law expert Dorit Reiss details the lawsuits, including why evidence isn't stacking up for plaintiffs and how headlines about the dollar amount can misconstrue the facts of the case.  
Guest: 
Dorit Reiss, PhD, is an expert on vaccine policy and a professor of law at UC San Francisco.
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: 
Merck to Settle Bulk of Gardasil Suits for About $50 Million—Bloomberg

Kennedy played key role in Gardasil vaccine case against Merck—Reuters

What VAERS Is (And Isn't)—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The HPV Vaccine, 20 Years Later—Public Health On Call (August 2026)

Vaccines 101: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program—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.
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

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@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

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

About this episode:  
In the latest move to alter the childhood vaccine schedule, the president has signed an executive order seeking to scale back and restructure routine immunizations. In this episode: what's in the executive order, what it means, and what comes next.
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. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009. 
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: 
Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans—The White House

HHS Changes Its Pediatric Vaccine Recommendations: What's Different, What Remains, and What It Means for American Health—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

What Exactly is in a Vaccine?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A Judge Rules on Vaccines—Public Health On Call (April 2026)

The Evidence on Vaccines and Autism—Public Health On Call (March 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 via email or visit our website.
Follow us:
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@‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

@‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

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

About this episode:  
Could applying a public health approach to issues like education, crime, and the environment help tackle some of society's most pressing challenges? That's what one researcher argues in a new book titled "Imagine Doing Better: Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything." In this episode: Author and professor Paul Fleming discusses his new book, a generational approach to policymaking, and the power of collective action.
Guest: 
Paul Fleming, PhD, MPH, is an associate professor of health behavior and health equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and co-founder of the Collaborative for Transformative 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: 
Imagine Doing Better: Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything—Johns Hopkins University Press

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.