In the second episode of this two part special episode, Dina interviews Dr. Rachel Robitz on the mental health impact of human trafficking on survivors. Dr. Robitz is the director of the Family Medicine/Psychiatry residency program at UC Davis. In this episode, Dr. Robitz also delves into the historical context around human trafficking in the US ..read more

In this episode, Case Confirmed interviews Andrew Cross, engineer and CEO of Everwell Health. We talk about tuberculosis (a bacterial infection of the lungs)and how Everwell Health is helping patients adhere to the TB treatment protocol. TB treatment involves a long-term antibiotic regimen under the observation of a healthcare provider, which can make adherence challenging. Andrew talks about some of Everwell Health's innovations, including 99DOTS. To learn more, visit 99dots.org ..read more

In this episode, Meera discusses antibiotic resistance with our guest epidemiologist Dr. Maya Nadimpalli. If we do nothing to change course, our future may involve millions of preventable deaths due to untreatable infections. Common infections that could become more difficult to treat include Staph infections, UTIs, and post-surgical infections. In this illuminating interview with Dr. Nadimpalli, she explains how antibiotic resistance emerges, such as antibiotic overuse in pig farms. Learn more about what we can do to avert our next big infectious disease disaster - antibiotic resistance - bef ..read more

In this episode, recorded in 2019, we talked to cardiologist Dr. Jason Wasfy of Massachusetts General Hospital. We discussed his recent research, and asked him how we can turn research insights into action that can improve health care. His research interests include evaluation of the patient impact of changes in health policy, variation analyses, novel forms of care delivery, and population health management. One of his interesting studies looks at public health and voting outcomes in the 2016 election. Join us for an intriguing conversation about health policy and his advice for aspiring heal ..read more

This interview explores the mechanisms of abortion-related legal frameworks in the United States, and the intersection between public health and abortion-related laws. A health law expert and professor of law, Nicole Huberfeld offers clear insight and perspective. This episode was recorded in May 2019, and is current to that date ..read more

Are modern human societies creating the perfect conditions for a major pandemic of bird flu? In this interview with leading physician and author Dr. Michael Greger, we explore how industrialized animal agriculture systems are a powder keg for new strains of avian influenza (bird flu). His book "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" discusses the inevitability of a serious pandemic of bird flu -- expected to lead to millions of deaths worldwide -- unless the public health world takes this threat seriously and works towards prevention. Dr. Greger discusses lessons learned from the 1918 flu pand ..read more

Meera asks Dr. Jagpreet Chhatwal about his COVID-19 simulator tool, which uses mathematical modeling to forecast the spread of COVID-19. In this episode, he also gives great career advice to public health students about their future careers. Dr. Chhatwal is the Associate Director of the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School ..read more

Microfluidics is a new frontier in science with the potential to vastly transform healthcare. Check out this Case Confirmed interview where Meera talks with Dr. Katharine Elvira, chemist and Canada Research Chair for New Materials and Techniques in Health Applications, and learn more about this disruptive and innovative field. Potential applications include drug discovery, cancer research, rapid diagnostics, and more ..read more

How has the COVID-19 pandemic shaped how we think about tracking infectious diseases? On this episode, Dina interviews Inder Singh, founder and CEO of Kinsa, a smart thermometer and data mapping software that can detect, in real time, where illness is spreading. Kinsa's data is verified to see illness trends over 2 weeks before the CDC. This conversation explores Inder Singh's motivations for founding Kinsa, how this innovative technology is being used, ethical considerations around in-home data tracking, and his vision for curbing the spread of infectious illnesses.   To learn more ..read more

On this episode, Meera and Vijeta interview Jessi Kneeland to discuss body image and public health. Jessi Kneeland is a certified life coach and clinical sexologist, on a mission to help folks break free from body image issues, body anxiety, and body hatred. By digging deep into the root causes of their body image issues, she helps people move toward body neutrality, radical self-acceptance, and a deep sense of self-worth and confidence that has nothing to do with how they look ..read more