The Infodemic with Dr. Seema Yasmin

Too many politicians are too beholden to the healthcare industry to propose any meaningful change. That’s not true of the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders. Since 2016, his ideas have animated some of the most important changes in healthcare policy. Abdul reflects on the need for big ideas–and why we don’t get them that often. Then he interviews Senator Bernie Sanders on the 32-hour workweek, his Long COVID moonshot, and the price of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic.  This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub Article who invites you to check out their spring and summer home collection at article.com/AD. Make sure to use promo code AD at checkout to save $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.

4 Juni 202435min

Trauma is all around us–and the word has come to dominate so much of our conversation about mental health. The common perception of trauma is that it lingers, devastating mental health over time. But what if the more common consequence of trauma was growth? Abdul reflects on the way we think about trauma. Then he interviews Prof. Richard Tedeschi, the psychologist who coined the term “post-traumatic growth” about the phenomenon, why it happens, and how we unlock it. This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub

28 Maj 202455min

Millions of Americans go without healthcare every year. Many of them turn to crowdfunding to support their needs. Abdul reflects on what that says about how we think about one another. Then he interviews Prof. Nora Kenworthy, author of the new book “Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare” about who wins, who loses, and how we build a healthcare system where Americans don’t need to crowdfund. This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub Article who invites you to check out their spring and summer home collection at article.com/AD. Make sure to use promo code AD at checkout to save $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.

21 Maj 202450min

The H5N1 Bird Flu has been circulating in cows for 5 months, spreading faster and farther than we had previously expected. Abdul reflects on the wake-up call it poses for the public health community. Then he interviews Dr. Kimberly Dodd, a veterinarian and former USDA official, about the risk of spread, whether or not the current regulations are enough to protect humans, and where this goes from here. This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub Lumen who invites you to unlock your metabolism. Visit go.lumen.me/AD for $100 off at checkout.

14 Maj 202450min

The Anti-Diet movement has helped us understand some of the downsides of a perpetual diet culture driven by influencers and advertisers selling us this or that fad. But what happens when the influencers behind that movement get co-opted by corporations too? Abdul reflects on the way that corporate interests too often interfere with sound science and public education. Then he sits down with Sasha Chavkin, Senior Reporter at The Examination and Caitlin Gilbert, Well+Being Data Reporter at The Washington Post to learn about their reporting on food corporations funding the anti-diet movement. This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub Article who invites you to check out their spring and summer home collection at  article.com/AD. Make sure to use promo code AD at checkout to save $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.

7 Maj 202450min

For so many Americans, pets are members of the family. And our interactions with animals — in our homes, on our farms, and in the wild — shape our health in some important ways. Abdul reflects on what he’s learned about health working in animal welfare. Then he sits down with Melissa Miller, an animal care expert, disaster field responder, trainer, and county animal care and control director to talk about how pets shape our health, how to do our best for our fur babies, and what can go wrong when we fail them.

30 Apr 202458min

Public health professionals are people, too. Too often, though, we don’t think about them that way — their needs, their hopes, and aspirations, their individual skills and areas of passion. But if we want a functional public health system, we really should. Abdul reflects on the experience of leading public health teams. Then he speaks with Dr. Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation and co-author of a new book, “Building Strategic Skills for Better Health: A Primer for Public Health Professionals,” about how to build a better public health workforce.

23 Apr 202448min

Last summer’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer” took home best picture for a stirring portrayal of the man behind the world’s most dangerous weapon. But there’s a part the story left out: the devastation wrought by nuclear weapons testing on communities here in the US. Abdul reflects on the broader fallout of producing weapons of war. Then he talks to Tina Cordova, co-founder and Executive Director of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, and Dr. Chanese Forté, a scientist with the Global Security Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists about the testing fallout — and what it spells for the future.

16 Apr 202448min