Best Public Health Podcasts
Public health focuses on improving and protecting the health of populations, rather than just individuals. It looks behind the confines of traditional medicine to understand the determinants of health, including the way we live, eat, and work.
If you want to geek out on public health podcasts, here are some of our favorite episodes providing valuable insights and information on public health issues.
Gun Violence is a Public Health Crisis
In this episode, emergency room physician Dr. Megan Ranney explains how gun violence is a public health crisis, and what she's doing to help end it. Dr. Ranney is a respected researcher, emergency physician, and advocate in the field of injury prevention and digital health. She is Dean of Yale’s School of Public Health, and the co-founder of AFFIRM, the American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine.
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Housing is Healthcare
In this episode, Dr. Margot Kushel explains the country’s rise in homelessness and the critical impact of housing on the health needs of vulnerable populations. Dr. Margot Kushel is the director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations. Her research focuses on reducing the burden of homelessness on health through examining efforts to prevent and end homelessness and mitigating the effects of housing instability on health care outcomes.
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Car Crashes Are No Accident
In this episode, we talk with transportation and safety expert Debbie Hersman about how car crash deaths increased during the pandemic and examine why women are more likely to die in car crashes. Could autonomous cars be our solution? Debbie Hersman was previously Chief Safety Officer to Waymo, Google's self-driving car project. Before that, she served as the CEO of the National Safety Council and Board Member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
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Health Predictors: Zip Code vs. Genetic Code
In this episode, Dr. Ebony Jade Hilton talks about her advocacy for a more equitable healthcare system. Dr. Hilton is an anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia and the first Black woman anesthesiologist at Medical University of South Carolina since it opened. Dr. Hilton’s work extends far beyond the walls of the hospital. She is a vocal supporter of health equity, advocating for underserved and marginalized populations.
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A Harm-Reduction Approach to the Fentanyl Crisis
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death in 18-45 year olds in the US, claiming more lives than car crashes and gun violence combined. After Dr. Beth Weinstock lost her son last year to what she calls “the most devastating health crisis this generation has ever seen,” she decided to do something about it. In this episode, we discuss a harm-reduction approach to protecting young people from accidental fentanyl poisoning.
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How E-Cigarette Makers Target Youth
Decades of public health efforts to curb teen smoking have unraveled since Juul and other e-cigarette brands came on the market in 2015. With sketchy ads targeting youth and flavor names like “gummy bear” and “cool cucumber”, vaping has skyrocketed amongst youth. In fact, 10%-24% of high school students are now addicted to nicotine. In this episode, Dr. Susan Walley, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Children's National Hospital, discusses her work developing effective healthcare and school-based interventions to reduce youth tobacco use.
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