Public Health On Call

About this episode:
In a first-of-its-kind program, the state of Utah is partnering with an AI health platform to offer prescription renewals to nearly 200 medications. In this episode: the director of the state's office of artificial intelligence explains how the program works, responds to concerns that have been raised, and discusses what's next.
Guest:
Zach Boyd, PhD, is the director of the Office of Artificial Intelligence for the State of Utah.
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:
Doctronic AI Regulatory Mitigation Agreement—Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medications in Utah—Politico

How Pharmacists Improve Community Health—Public Health On Call (October 2025)

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:
A recent study by the Rockefeller Foundation and ISGlobal estimates that cuts made to foreign aid last year could result in 23 million more deaths globally by 2030. In this episode: how researchers calculated this figure, why funding has slowed, and what global development leaders are trying to do about it.
Guest:
Eric Pelofsky, JD, MPP, is the vice president of international policy at the Rockefeller Foundation.
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:
93 Countries Worldwide at Risk of Losing Nearly 23 Million More People by 2030—Rockefeller Foundation

"Taxpayer Money Went to Buy Food to Feed People… Now It's Being Burned"—Public Health On Call (September 2025)

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—Public Health On Call (April 2025)

What Foreign Aid Means for National Security—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

@‌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:
Dr. Anita K. Patel emerged as a prominent online educator during the pandemic. Today, she's leveraging social media to advocate for the humane treatment of children in ICE detention. In this episode: her work to help detained children obtain much-needed medical attention and her advice for doctors on using social media to make a wider impact.
Guest:
Dr. Anita K. Patel is an attending physician at Children's National Medical Center and associate professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine.
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 Children of Dilley—ProPublica

Pediatricians send letter to DHS demanding release of children in ICE detention—Texas Public Radio

Medical Care in Immigration Detention—Public Health On Call (October 2025)

How Social Media is Changing the Way We Talk About Health—Public Health On Call (March 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.
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:
An outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship has triggered a global public health response to treat those infected and trace those exposed. In this episode: why this type of hantavirus is unique, what the symptoms and severity are, and why experts are assuring the public that the risk of pandemic-level transmission is low.
Guest:
Kari Moore Debbink, PhD, MEd, is a virologist 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 Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Show links and related content:
What Is Hantavirus, Which Is Linked to the Deaths of 3 People Aboard a Cruise Ship?—New York Times

In the News: Hantavirus—@johnshopkinssph via Instagram

Emerging Infectious Diseases—Johns Hopkins Medicine
Can Spillover—How Viruses Move From Animals to Humans—Be Prevented?—Public Health On Call (November 2021)

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

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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:
What would change if we thought of violence as an infectious disease? In this episode: a trailblazer in the movement for community-based solutions to violence, Dr. Gary Slutkin, explains how treating violence like an epidemic can point the way to solutions.
Guest:
Dr. Gary Slutkin is a physician and epidemiologist who founded the organization Cure Violence Global. He is also the author of the book "The End of Violence: Eliminating the World's Most Dangerous Epidemic."
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:
Estimating the Effects of Safe Streets Baltimore on Gun Violence—Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions

Interrupting Violence: How the CeaseFire Program Prevents Imminent Gun Violence through Conflict Mediation—Journal of Urban Health

The End of Violence: Eliminating the World's Most Dangerous Epidemic—Penguin Random House (book)

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.