Healthcare is top of mind for many voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. With significant cuts to healthcare spending on the horizon, what’s at stake for healthcare costs and access? Host Sophia Meador speaks with Leslie Dach about how a shift in congressional power could shape the future of healthcare and impact the health of the public.

What does the growing use of artificial intelligence in public health mean for the future of the workforce? Host Sophia Meador speaks with Onicio Leal-Neto, PhD, MSc, on how AI is being used in public health, what it means for jobs and what students, educators and practitioners need to know about the technology.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Automating Inequality — Virginia Eubanks, PhD

Weapons of Math Destruction — Cathy O'Neil, PhD

Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines — Joy Buolamwini, PhD

What do falling vaccination rates and growing vaccine exemptions mean for Americans’ trust in public health and science? Host Sophia Meador speaks with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, about what polling reveals about Americans’ views on vaccination, science and public health.

The U.S. is an outlier among high-income countries when it comes to health insurance. Rather than relying on a public system, employer-sponsored insurance is the nation's largest source of health coverage. What does that mean for workers, employers and public health? Host Sophia Meador talks with KFF's Matt Rae, MPH, MPA, about the costs, tradeoffs and history behind employer-sponsored insurance.

The nation's top doctor has been absent for more than 18 months as the Trump administration has advanced surgeon general nominees with limited public health and medical experience. Host Sophia Meador speaks with former Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, about what they expect from the nation's next chief health officer.

Recent outbreaks are raising concerns about the nation’s preparedness for the next pandemic. Host Sophia Meador speaks with Jay Butler, MD, and Colin Carlson, PhD, about what the next pandemic could look like — and why the nation is not prepared to respond.

Fluoride — one of public health’s most effective and equitable tools — is facing a growing wave of policy rollbacks, misinformation and public skepticism. Host Sophia Meador talks with Wade Rakes, MBA, CEO of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, and pediatrician Susan Fisher-Owens, MD, MPH, to unpack what’s at stake for oral health, who could be most affected by potential bans and how to build trust in fluoride.

As loneliness and isolation grow among U.S. teens, some are turning to AI chatbots for companionship, sparking new concerns for public health professionals. Host Sophia Meador talks to experts about what the trend could mean for teen mental health.