America Dissected

Abdul and Katelyn discuss another inundating week in public health, which includes: * The sudden departure of the CDC Director, Susan Monarez, just weeks after her confirmation * The resignations of three other top leaders at HHS * FDA’s approval of the fall Covid booster, which limits the vaccine to seniors and people at high risk, as well as new alternative recommendations from major medical organizations * A Supreme Court ruling that puts a new legal wrinkle in the fight to restore NIH grants * The rise of radioactive shrimp and flying flesh-eating maggots Then as we look ahead to Labor Day, Abdul sits down with Dr. Taylor Walker, the president of the largest labor union representing physicians. We are dark next week for the holiday. Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com [http://store.americadissected.com] for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts! 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: Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DISSECTED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/dissected [https://incogni.com/dissected] OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code DISSECTED at https://www.oneskin.co/ [https://www.oneskin.co/] #oneskinpod

Abdul and Katelyn are energized by the first meeting of the Vaccine Integrity Project, which was founded to serve as an alternative to RFK Jr’s ACIP. They also discuss: * A new letter to Congress, signed by more than 700 CDC employees, which calls HHS Secretary Kennedy complicit in endangering the nation's health and the recent shooting at the CDC headquarters * The fallout from a draft report on childhood chronic disease, which suggests RFK Jr is folding on his promise to ban agricultural pesticides * The future of vaccines in the US without mRNA research, following RFK Jr’s decision to cut $500 million in research grants Then, Abdul sits down with Dr. Michael Osterholm, a founding member of the Vaccine Integrity Project Steering Committee, to discuss the goals, processes and future of the organization. To read and/or add your name to the CDC’s letter to Congress, click here [https://www.savehhs.org/letter/hhs-staff-response-to-the-august-8th-attack]. Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com [http://store.americadissected.com] for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Matter. Science Works.” t-shirts! 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: NPR Life Kit: Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.

Abdul and Katelyn condemn the violence at the CDC headquarters last week, and the startlingly weak response from lawmakers. Then they unpack Trump’s newest executive order, which seeks to give his own appointees the power to approve federal grants. They also discuss the future of the FDA as Vinay Prasad makes his return, following his resignation last month. Then Abdul talks to Sherrell Byrd, founder of SOWEGA Rising, which has organized in rural Georgia to bring fresh produce to rural communities that lack grocery stores. They discuss the health implications of food deserts, and how food justice can change lives. Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com [http://store.americadissected.com] for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts! 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: Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Abdul unpacks the week in public health, which includes: * Vinay Prasad’s exit from FDA * Susan Monarez’s confirmation to lead CDC * New childhood vaccination data * The EPA’s move to rollback the endangerment finding * Why more experts have been ousted from ACIP Then Abdul interviews professor Dr. Brian Willoughby about his research on porn use among young people, and what parents should know about modern porn content. Note: We recorded this episode before RFK Jr announced the cancellation of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development. However, Abdul and Katelyn discussed the threat of mRNA research cuts in our May 7 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-problem-with-do-your-own-research/id1480634141?i=1000706756118] and June 3 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boos-boosters-and-booboos/id1480634141?i=1000711316503]episodes. (their May convo begins at 00:11:00 / their June convo begins at 00:16:00) Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com [http://store.americadissected.com/] for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

Abdul and Katelyn unpack the latest headlines on RFK Jr and HHS, followed by some optimistic news on the spread of measles and Covid. Then Abdul talks to public health educator Dorian Johnson about the wild world of TikTok and Instagram - and how health professionals can harness it to build more trust and goodwill with the public. This episode was made in collaboration with our sponsor deBeaumont Foundation. You can follow Dorian Johnson on social media @thephuncle on TikTok and Instagram. Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com [http://store.americadissected.com] for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Matter. Science Works.” t-shirts!