Public Health On Call
Accessible conversations with public-health experts about evidence, policy and current health challenges.
- Host
- Joshua Sharfstein & Stephanie Desmon
- Published by
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Topic
- Health & Wellbeing
- Format
- Interview
- Orientation
- Systems Change
- Themes
- Resilience, Just Transition
- Made for
- Professional / Practitioner, General Public, Policymaker / Public Sector
Listen now
Latest episodes
Newest first
- Open episode
22 Oct 2026 · 21 min
How Can We Respond Better to Sexual Violence?
About this episode: Headlines about an alleged sexual assault at Cornell University provide a devastating reminder of how common sexual violence is in the U.S., particularly among high school and college students. In this episode: Michele Decker, whose research focuses on gender-based violence prevention and response, discusses the scope of sexual violence as a public health problem, misconceptions about how it's perpetrated, and evidence-backed methods for prevention, survivor support, and accountability. Note: This episode includes discussion of incidents of sexual assault. If you or someone
- Open episode
21 Oct 2026 · 15 min
Public Health and… Anesthesiology?
About this episode: We promise this episode won't put you to sleep. Adam Milam is a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist with a PhD in public health who leverages this unique background to improve the quality of care for his patients inside the operating room and beyond. In this episode: Dr. Milam shares how his public health training has allowed him to probe at larger questions about ethics and care as a clinician, and how his time in the operating room has given him a sense of urgency in solving population-level challenges. Guest: Dr. Adam Milam , PhD, MHS, is a professor of anesthesiology at Joh
- Open episode
19 Oct 2026 · 20 min
Kratom, the Opioid-Like Drug Available at Your Gas Station
About this episode: Kratom is an imported leaf containing opioid-like psychoactive compounds that can be found at your local convenience store or online. Recently linked to the deaths of two college students, the product sits at the intersection of burgeoning research, drug policy limitations, and harm reduction, leaving the potentially dangerous compounds found in kratom unregulated. In this episode: Drug safety expert Caleb Alexander and host Lindsay Smith Rogers discuss what kratom is and where regulation of the drug stands. Guest: Dr. G. Caleb Alexander , MS , is an internal medicine physi