Public Health On Call, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, makes important public health topics accessible to all through quick, informative conversations. Hosts tackle complex topics through engaging interviews and real-world perspectives.

Our ever-growing list of guests have included researchers, public health commissioners, elected leaders, patients, clergy, ethicists, front line clinicians, and even former health officials who were fired for doing their jobs.

Since launching in March 2020 with the purpose of sharing credible expertise and debunking misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health On Call has covered a range of topics, including other viral outbreaks, reproductive health, gun violence prevention, international humanitarian crises, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, health equity, racial and environmental justice, the opioid crisis, and so much more. In 2023, the show's success was chronicled in The Journal of Health Security.

Meet the Hosts

Joshua Sharfstein, MD, is the vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and the former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

Stephanie Desmon is the director of public relations and marketing for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs and a former journalist.

Lindsay Smith Rogers is the director of content strategy for the Bloomberg School and producer of Public Health On Call.