A Moment in Health with Dr. Ashish Jha – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights the impact of the Affordable Care Act's preventive services provision and a 2020 study linking proximity to major roadways to higher asthma rates in children. Academic Dean and Professor of Epidemiology Francesca Beaudoin joins to assess national progress in fighting the opioid pandemic and discuss policy recommendations to support those suffering with addiction.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Use of No-Cost Preventive Services Jeopardized by Kennedy v Braidwood — JAMA Health Forum
• Proximity to Major Roadways and Asthma Symptoms in the School Inner-City Asthma Study — Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Dr. Francesca L. Beaudoin is the academic dean of Brown's School of Public Health and a Professor of Epidemiology and Emergency Medicine. She is a board-certified practicing emergency physician and clinical epidemiologist with expertise in opioid use disorders and adverse post-traumatic health outcomes, particularly pain and substance use.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In the inaugural episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights two compelling public health studies: one showing that wealthy Americans have no survival advantage over poor Europeans, and another suggesting a link between shingles vaccination and reduced dementia risk. Distinguished Senior Fellow Stephanie Psaki joins to discuss how recent cuts to the U.S. health infrastructure threaten national security by weakening preparedness for biological threats.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Association between Wealth and Mortality in the United States and Europe — New England Journal of Medicine
• A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia — Nature
• Dropping U.S. Biodefenses: Why Cuts to Federal Health Agencies Make Americans Less Safe — Just Security

Dr. Stephanie Psaki is a distinguished senior fellow at the Brown University School of Public Health and served as Special Assistant to the President and U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security at the National Security Council.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights the importance of community health centers in serving 1 in 10 Americans and a new study modeling the impact of declining vaccination rates on measles and other preventable diseases. 2025 Barnes Lecturer and Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International Monica Medina joins to explore how connecting environmental action to human health can strengthen both movements and inspire broader public engagement.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US — JAMA

Monica Medina is an Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International and most recently served as the first woman President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. From 2021-2023, she was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the first U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources at the U.S. State Department. 

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha emphasizes the impact that Medicaid has on American children and discusses a new study detailing trends in maternal mortality. Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Irene Papanicolas joins to explore the factors behind increased life expectancy in Europeans compared to Americans and the relationship between wealth and health.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Trends in Maternal, Fetal, and Infant Mortality in the US, 2000-2023 — JAMA Pediatrics

Dr. Irene Papanicolas is director of the Center for Health System Sustainability and professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha discusses the worst flu season for kids in 15 years and highlights a new study showing how Medicaid has saved lives. Professor of Epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center Jennifer Nuzzo joins to explore how we can rebuild trust in health by putting the public back in public health — through listening and community engagement.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Saved by Medicaid: New Evidence on Health Insurance and Mortality from the Universe of Low-Income Adults — NBER

Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo is director of the Pandemic Center and professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. She is a nationally and globally recognized leader on global health security, public health preparedness and response, and health systems resilience.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha discusses the role Medicaid plays in treating adults with opioid use disorder and a new study comparing GLP-1 drugs tirzepatide and semaglutide. Graduating student commencement speakers Aliza Kopans and Akashleena Mallick join to reflect on entering a career in public health, exploring the mix of excitement, responsibility and hope they feel at this pivotal moment.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity — NEJM

Aliza Kopans is a graduating Brown University senior from Arlington, Massachusetts. She will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public health and a certificate in intercultural competency focused on Spanish. Kopans will speak directly to members of the Class of 2025 as one of two senior orators at the University Ceremony on Sunday, May 25.

Akashleena Mallick is a trained physician-researcher from Kolkata, India, who completed her postdoctoral training at Mass General Hospital. She will receive her Master of Public Health as part of Brown’s Accelerated MPH for Clinicians program. She has been selected by the Graduate Student Council to address the Class of 2025 at the Master’s Ceremony on Saturday, May 24.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha explores the global reach and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and reviews a new study on the consequences of removing fluoride from U.S. public water systems. He then answers a pressing question on why the U.S. should continue developing an mRNA bird flu vaccine, warning that abandoning such efforts may leave us dangerously unprepared for a future pandemic.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Projected Outcomes of Removing Fluoride From US Public Water Systems — JAMA Health Forum

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha discusses the rapid growth of private equity ownership in U.S. hospitals and highlights a study on the promise of gene editing to treat a rare genetic disease. 2025 School of Public Health Commencement speaker and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation Piyush Tewari joins to underscore the need for multi-stakeholder coalitions, data-driven solutions and community engagement to reduce road fatalities.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Patient-Specific In Vivo Gene Editing to Treat a Rare Genetic Disease — New England Journal of Medicine

Piyush Tewari is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), a nonprofit organization committed to saving lives on roads in India and beyond. SLF is best known for getting India a Good Samaritan Law and for developing an award-winning model for reducing fatalities on Indian highways.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha breaks down new data showing how many Miami-Dade County residents get their health insurance through Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act and what proposed federal cuts could mean for them. He also discusses a new study on claim denials from Medicare Advantage patients. Behavioral scientist Dr. Sweta Chakraborty joins to explore how we can better communicate risk in public health—from pandemics to raw milk—and why who delivers a message can be just as important as the message itself.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Medicare Advantage Denies 17 Percent Of Initial Claims; Most Denials Are Reversed, But Provider Payouts Dip 7 Percent — Health Affairs

Dr. Sweta Chakraborty is a behavioral scientist and expert on global risks ranging from climate change to COVID-19. She is a trusted authority on proactive preparedness to mitigate against the impacts of climate change and an advocate for clear, credible, evidence-based communication. She is also the CEO of We Don’t Have Time US and host of the Scientista podcast, which showcases the women and allies driving change across business, politics, and culture.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights the steep administrative costs of Medicaid work requirements and breaks down a new study estimating that U.S. foreign aid programs via USAID have saved 90 million lives in the past two decades, with an additional 14 million lives at stake by 2030 if funding cuts persist.

Professor of the Practice Stefanie Friedhoff joins to answer a timely question: How did we arrive at this moment of rampant public health misinformation? She explains how trust, online relationships, and unmet informational needs shape what people believe—and why traditional fact-based communication can fall short.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Recent Experience Shows National Medicaid Work Requirements Would Create Enormous Administrative Inefficiencies — Health Affairs
• Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis — The Lancet

Stefanie Friedhoff is co-founder of the Information Futures Lab (IFL) and Professor of the Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. She is a leading media, communications and global health strategist, and an expert at knowledge translation, information creation, and verification. From July 2022 to May 2023, Friedhoff served as a senior policy advisor on the White House Covid-19 Response Team, focusing on population information needs, health equity, community engagement, and medical countermeasure uptake. At Brown, Friedhoff studies information ecosystems and the relationships between information needs, information inequities, and health outcomes.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky