Viral – Details, episodes & analysis

Public health is meant to protect us—but history shows it can also be used to control us. In the 20th century, tens of thousands of people, mostly women, were forcibly sterilized. In this podcast, we dig into the unsettling history of forced sterilization in the United States. From historical eugenics laws to the current realities of reproductive justice, we’ll explore how public health policies crossed the line, and why understanding this history still matters today.

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Music by Michael Conrad

You can't make me!!! Welp...sometimes we can. Join us as we talk about the legal framework for advancing public health. Our guest is Dawn Hunter: public health lawyer, health equity champion, and the rare policymaker who’s as comfortable with the legislature as she is in a microbiology lab. Dawn’s career is proof that the law isn’t just about statutes—it’s about systems, stories, and the social determinants that touch us all.

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad

Despite what you may hear, public health happens in Florida! We dive into the history of public health in Florida and the unique challenges the Sunshine State faces.

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad

Let's get silly! Cartoons have been used to communicate health behaviors (both good and bad). Let's revisit some of our favorite toons and how they've impacted public health.

Check out our Patreon for Linsey's Sailor Moon drawings from middle school!

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad

Ice, Ice, baby! We're talking about how ice changed the world and public health! 

References:

Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks -- A Cool History of a Hot Commodity

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad

Get your tin foil hats on! We're talking about the history of institutional mistrust in public health and how it impacts today's issues. 

References:

Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts

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Music by Michael Conrad

Join us for our final episode about anti-fat stigma! We interview and kiki with Christine Byrne (she/her), MPH, RD, LDN, a non-diet dietitian nutritionist, longtime journalist, and the founder of Ruby Oak Nutrition. She specializes in nutrition counseling for eating disorders and loves working with college students and adults.

Content warning: we do talk about disordered eating and eating disorders.

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad

An opinion piece in the New York Times caught our eye: A Paper That Says Science Should Be Impartial Was Rejected By Major Journals. You Can't Make This Up. by Pamela Paul. Can science be impartial and how do we address bias?

The reference article can be found here.

Other show notes:

Citation Justice: https://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/citation-justice 

References:

Abbot, D.; Bikfalvi, A.; Bleske-Rechek, A.; Bodmer, W.; Boghossian, P.; Carvalho, C.; Ciccolini, J.; Coyne, J.; Gauss, J.; Gill, P.; Jitomirskaya, S.; Jussim, L.; Krylov, A.; Loury, G.; Maroja, L.; McWhorter, J.; Moosavi, S.; Schwerdtle, P.N.; Pearl, J.; Quintanilla-Tornel, M.; III, H.S.; Schreiner, P.; Schwerdtfeger, P.; Shechtman, D.; Shifman, M.; Tanzman, J.; Trout, B.; Warshel, A.; West, J. In Defense of Merit in Science. Controversial_Ideas 2023, 3, 1.

Paul, P. (2023, May 4). A Paper That Says Science Should Be Impartial Was Rejected by Major Journals. You Can’t Make This Up. The New York Times.

Sjoding, M. W., Dickson, R. P., Iwashyna, T. J., Gay, S. E., Valley, T. Sl. (2020). Racial bias in pulse oximetry measurement. New England Journal of Medicine, 383: 2477-2478. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2029240

Obermeyer, Z., Powers, B., Vogeli, C., Mullainathan, S. (2019). Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations. Science 366: 447-453.

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad 

Now that we've discussed anti-fatness in public health, Megan and Linsey talk about anti-fatness in our policies. 

References:

Estimating Deaths Attributable to Obesity in the United States

The obesity wars and the education of a researcher: A personal account

CDC Study Overestimated Deaths from Obesity

Yes, You Can Still Be Fired for Being Fat

State and Local Backgrounders: Soda Taxes by the Urban Institute

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Music by Michael Conrad 

Megan and Linsey talk about their personal and professional experiences with anti-fat bias and stigma. If you struggle with disordered eating, please be aware that we will be discussing this and eating disorders. 

This is the first of a series of episodes where we talk about weight discrimination, anti-fat bias, and how public health has contributed to this phenomenon.

References: 

Belly of the Beast: the Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da'Shaun L. Harrison

Maintenance Phase Podcast

Sabrina Strings

The Body is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Economist Article: New drugs could spell the end to the world's obesity epidemic

Engineered by Dreamstate Productions

Music by Michael Conrad