Humans in Public Health Podcast

To learn from the various health systems across the globe, researchers must devise new methods of working with highly sensitive data despite vast organizational differences between countries. The newest episode of our Humans in Public Health podcast interviews Professor Irene Papanicolas.

MPH student Rosemelly Jimenez Medal's father has worked as a short-haul trucker for over 25 years, and she noticed that he was struggling to hear conversations at dinner. So Jimenez Medal teamed up with her father and noise researcher Erica Walker, RGSS Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University, to conduct hearing screenings on short-term truckers in California.

Liz Tobin-Tyler is a lawyer who combines law and public health to study reproductive justice, maternal and childhood health and domestic violence.

When humanitarian catastrophes erupt around the world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of suffering. How do aid workers navigate the immense challenges in order to jump into action—juggling safety, equipment and logistics?

We all understand the dangers of smoking—but the debate over vapes, nicotine pouches and other tobacco alternatives rages on: Can vaping really save lives? Or are nicotine alternatives a slippery slope: a dangerous gateway to lifelong substance use? Professors Jasjit Ahluwalia and Jennifer Tidey discuss their takes on a harm reduction and how it applies to the modern nicotine landscape.

Director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, Eric Loucks' work in the areas of mindfulness-based stress reduction and heart health are demonstrating how mindfulness can improve people’s lives and change their perceptions. We chat with Professor Loucks about his journey into this area of study and what the future holds for mindfulness.

In celebration of the School of Public Health’s 10th anniversary, we are joined by former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, and Dean of Brown’s School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha.

Our podcast interviews professor Omar Galarraga, who explains that everything from cash to coupons, to a simple redesign of a form, can make HIV treatment and prevention more accessible.