Podcasts by The Forum at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The 2016 US Presidential Election: Examining Possible Health Care Futures from 2023-12-13T17:51:51.004311

Health care has emerged as a hotly debated issue of the 2016 presidential election, with the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees expressing starkly different views on the Affordable ...

The Opioid Crisis: A Governors Roundtable from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.984743

Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this Forum event, four former governors offered candid insights into h...

Breakthroughs in Disease Treatment: The Landscape Moving Forward from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.967198

Cancer. Alzheimer’s. Precision medicine. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The opioid crisis. These are all areas that stand to benefit from boosted federal funding. On the other hand, other areas ...

The Health Data Revolution: Improving Outcomes, Protecting Privacy from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.952675

Will the next great medical insight come from a clinical trial, a laboratory study — or a database search? Today, health systems and insurers have access to a mountain of data about millions of ...

Extreme Hurricanes: The Challenges for Puerto Rico and Beyond from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.938401

Six months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, a panel of experts assessed persistent public health challenges on the island and the outlook for long-term recovery. Power restoration, ...

The Gun Violence Epidemic: Protecting the Public’s Health from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.900073

Inspired by students across the country, the gun violence prevention movement has gained new momentum. But can it last or lead to substantive change on the Congressional level? This Forum brough...

Self-Driving Cars: Pros and Cons for the Public's Health from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.893944

No longer the stuff of science fiction, driverless cars already are being tested in numerous U.S. markets. These autonomous vehicles may revolutionize the automotive world, potentially reducing ...

The 2018 Midterm Elections: Key Issues for Healthcare from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.884967

Healthcare has again emerged as a pivotal issue for American voters. Conversations around preexisting conditions protections, short-term health plans, drug costs and premium rates are as content...

The Health and Economic Concerns of Rural Americans from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.882387

What do rural Americans say are the biggest problems in their local communities? A new poll finds that drug/opioid abuse and economic concerns are the top challenges. When it comes to drug addic...

Being Seriously Ill in the U.S.: Financial and Healthcare Impacts from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.879313

What is it like to be seriously ill in America today? From heavy financial burdens — despite insurance — to varied hospital experiences, to impacts on caregivers, people with serious illnesses ...

The New Congress: What’s Next on Crucial Health and Education Issues? from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.877117

In this uniquely insightful Forum, experts examined key health and education policies — and their broad implications — that are likely to be enacted by the new Congress. The panelists discussed ...

Rare Cancers: Charting a Faster Route to Treatment from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.874711

Rare cancers present doctors, researchers, and patients with a unique set of challenges. Rare cancers often are diagnosed at later stages. Patients typically have limited treatment options, in p...

The Spread of Hate and Racism: Confronting a Growing Public Crisis from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.871777

In 2017, reports of hate crimes in the United States increased for the third consecutive year, according to the FBI. In addition to physical acts, such actions and other messages of racism, into...

Deaths From Pregnancy and Childbirth: Why Are More U.S. Mothers Dying and What Can Be Done? from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.868735

Maternal mortality dropped by almost half over the last 25 years around the world. However, in startling contrast, deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth doubled in the United States between...

Recreational Marijuana and CBD: Public Attitudes, Science, and the Law from 2023-12-13T17:51:50.852816

In the last decade, Americans’ relationship with cannabis has transformed: today, dozens of states have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use and American farmers can grow hemp on an ...

Unprecedented Natural Disasters in a Time of Climate Change: A Governors Roundtable from 2019-11-20T19:54:37

Hammered by unprecedented natural disasters, parts of the United States have coped with raging wildfires, catastrophic hurricanes, dangerous heat levels, blizzards and floods. In addition, climate ...

Drug-Resistant Infections: Confronting an Escalating Crisis from 2019-10-25T14:47:27

Antibiotics are a pillar of modern medicine. They have saved millions of lives. But as the use of antibiotics has increased, so has the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant microbes that have adap...

Mental Health and Wellness for Students of Color: Transitioning to College from 2019-09-20T16:57:11

Amid the bustle on U.S. college campuses, a growing challenge is causing concern. Many college students of color report mental health issues–including depression, anxiety and, among some groups, in...

The Measles Outbreak: Why Vaccines Matter from 2019-09-16T20:22:59

The U.S. officially eliminated measles nearly 20 years ago. Yet, this year, more than 1,100 cases have been reported, despite being preventable by vaccine. The CDC says the majority of cases are am...

Stroke: Successes and Setbacks with a Notorious Silent Killer from 2018-10-24T17:00

Stroke prevention and treatment is a remarkable success story — but strides appear to be stalling in some populations. Evidence suggests a dramatic increase in stroke incidence in people in thei...

Conflicts Over Science And Policy At The EPA: Where Are We Headed? from 2018-10-22T19:02

What is the status of evidence-based environmental policy in the U.S? Sweeping policy shifts, regulatory rollbacks, and decisions such as the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement prompt q...

U.S. Drug Prices: Why Are They So High? from 2018-09-27T19:58

Americans pay more money – sometimes much more money – for prescriptions than consumers in many other wealthy countries. Why? The drivers are many and complicated. Pharmaceutical companies, empl...

The Future of Wellbeing: A Conversation with Deepak Chopra from 2018-09-14T14:18

Globally, people are living longer. What are the most compelling ways to ensure a sustainably healthy life? In this exciting live-streamed event, world-renowned author and speaker, Deepak Chopra...

College Students and Mental Health: Confronting an Emerging Crisis from 2018-04-18T17:53

Mental health issues are alarmingly on the rise among college students, and a serious gap exists in campus services to help them. What can be done to meet this growing need, spurred by issues of...

Opioids and Addiction: A Governors Roundtable on State Approaches to Treatment from 2018-04-13T18:51

President Trump recently described a plan to tackle the opioid abuse crisis that includes tougher sentencing on dealers and expanding access to treatment. The President’s Commission on Combating...

Health in the LGBTQ Community: Improving Care and Confronting Discrimination from 2018-03-22T16:56

More than half of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans report that they have experienced violence, threats or harassment because of their sexuality or gender identity. Nearly ...

The Flu Outbreak: What You Need to Know from 2018-02-13T18:15

More than a half million deaths each year around the world result from flu-related respiratory illnesses. This year, flu has grabbed particular headlines, driven by an early start to flu season ...

Discrimination in America: Native American Experiences from 2017-12-12T18:15

How do Native Americans experience discrimination in daily life? A new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health illuminates Nativ...

The Diabetes Epidemic: The Latest on Treatment and Prevention from 2017-11-14T18:15

Despite decades of research and relentless messaging about the importance of diet and exercise, type 2 diabetes remains a major threat to the lives of millions of Americans. As new diagnoses in ...

Discrimination in America: African American Experiences from 2017-10-24T17:15

How do African Americans experience discrimination in daily life? A new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health illuminates repo...

Eradicating Polio: Reaching the Last Child from 2017-10-20T17:15

Once a global scourge, polio is tantalizingly close to eradication with only 11 wild poliovirus cases reported worldwide in 2017. In this Forum event — held in advance of World Polio Day — exper...

Climate Change: Responses from the Public and Private Sectors from 2017-10-13T17:15

Climate-related programs face challenges from federal regulation rollbacks and proposed spending cuts. In response, some members of the public and private sectors have stepped in, announcing var...

The Future of the Affordable Care Act: What Happens Next? from 2017-09-27T17:15

The future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unclear. Republicans have decided not to vote this week on the Graham-Cassidy bill, but promised to revisit ACA repeal-and-replace efforts. Democra...

Gene Editing: Promises and Challenges from 2017-05-19T17:15

In labs and in clinical trials, scientists are seeking ways to rewrite DNA, a building block of life. Tools such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) and, more recent...

Supplements and Health: Sorting the Facts from 2017-05-11T17:15

“Lose belly fat.” “Build muscle.” “Lower your cholesterol.” “Improve your sex drive.” Browse the shelves of any supermarket or pharmacy, and you will find dietary supplements that promise to do ...

Lead Contamination Beyond Flint: Drinking Water and Children's Health from 2017-04-20T17:15

On the whole, American drinking water is safe. However, more than a year after toxic lead levels forced a federal state of emergency in Flint, MI, 63 percent of Americans report that they worry ...

Race and Policing: State and Local Perspectives from 2017-03-27T17:15

Building on two previous Forums about race, criminal justice and health (from February 2015 and October 2015), this event examined specific approaches and models to address the complexities of r...

Marijuana: The Latest Scientific Findings and Legalization from 2017-03-24T17:15

California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada became the latest states to legalize recreational marijuana, bringing to 28 the number of states that have okayed the drug for medicinal use, recreat...

The 21st Century Cures Act: Implications for Research and Drug Development from 2017-02-27T18:15

The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act has drawn both applause and criticism. A sweeping bipartisan effort with multiple components, the law dramatically boosts funding for medical research, ...

Hormone-Altering Chemicals: Fertility and Health Implications from 2017-01-31T18:15

How can common chemicals affect our health? This Forum at HSPH was presented jointly with The Huffington Post.

Watch the entire series at ForumHSPH.org.

The Future of Food: Feeding the Planet During Climate Change from 2016-12-13T18:15

By 2050, a projected 9.7 billion people will inhabit the planet. How will we produce enough nutritious food to support this burgeoning population and ensure access to food resources, particularl...

The Chronic Pain Epidemic: What's to Be Done? from 2016-11-11T01:09

More than 100 million Americans struggle with chronic pain, according to one Institute of Medicine estimate, at an annual cost of as much as $635 billion in treatment and lost productivity. Furt...

The Domestic Violence Crisis: Mobilizing the Public and Private Sectors from 2016-10-24T17:15

According to the CDC, nearly 29 million U.S. women and 16 million U.S. men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. Most of those experie...

Child Care and Health in America: Today's Challenges for Tomorrow's Children from 2016-10-18T17:15

Quality child care can help children develop lasting social, emotional, and learning skills and can promote healthy eating and play. But high-quality care, whether it comes from a nanny, a sitte...

Zika in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Beyond: Risks and Response from 2016-09-30T02:31

With more than 23,100 cases of Zika in the continental U.S. and U.S. territories — including four newly reported non-travel cases in Miami-Dade County, Fla — this Forum continued a conversation ...

Eating Disorders, Mental Health and Body Image: The Public Health Connections from 2016-09-20T17:15

More than 30 million Americans — women and men, children and adults — grapple with eating disorders. These complex illnesses, which include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, severely...

Health in the American Workplace from 2016-07-11T17:00

Experts take on the concerns most expressed by American employees in a poll done by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The panelists also des...

Organ Transplantation: Medical, Technological and Ethical Challenges from 2016-05-20T17:15

People die each day waiting on lists for lifesaving organs, and the rise of chronic diseases such as diabetes only increases the demand. With the need for scientific innovation and donor support...

Asleep at the Wheel: Drowsy Driving and Public Health from 2016-05-10T17:15

Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol has long been established as a public safety hazard. But what about hitting the road while fatigued? An estimated average of 83,000 accident...

Building Resiliency in an Age of Terrorism: Public Health Perspectives from 2016-04-25T17:15

A series of terrorist attacks — including recent bombings in Belgium — has shaken the public’s sense of security as they go about the most mundane tasks of daily life. Images of carnage at subwa...

Health Care Inequalities in America: The Need for Continuing Reform from 2016-04-20T19:27

Over the last two years, we have seen major expansions in health care coverage through both federal and state insurance exchanges, as well as by expanding Medicaid coverage. This Forum examined ...