Health Conversations with Anna Smith

Anna S. Smith

How do I understand research studies that I see in the media and whether it is sensational or crucial? How do I process the enormous amount of social media healthcare information and apply the essentials to my life? What are practical ways to live my life and protect myself and/or family during COVID-19? How do I start health conversations that are healthy with those around me while maintaining friendships and relationships? Most importantly, what are takeaways that I can apply every episode to my daily life each week courageously and generously? If you have ever asked yourself these questions, know that you are not alone. This is the show for you. Welcome to Health Conversations with Anna Smith. A safe place to honestly walk through these questions and more each week. We will talk with experts who are working daily in the trenches to figure out complex issues. Join our conversations weekly while you commute to work, work out, do the dishes, or mow the yard. Welcome! read less
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Episodios

When Ebola comes to town
25-03-2021
When Ebola comes to town
In 2014 many individuals in West Africa found themselves at the center of an ebola outbreak. They watched in some cases nine out of ten individuals who got ebola die. The CDC and other public health organizations sent out emergency teams to help these countries contain the outbreaks and begin vaccine trials. Join us this week as we dive in with Dr. Jane Seward into the world of infections diseases and particularly the ebola outbreaks. Just a few months ago we are hearing about another outbreak happening in many of these countries again. Dr. Seward will provide us with insight into how the previous outbreaks are impacting the current outbreak.    Dr Seward graduated with a medical degree from the University of Western Australia, did her training in clinical pediatrics at Tulane University in New Orleans and obtained her MPH in epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta.  Her background includes experience in maternal and child health, global public health and viral diseases with a focus on vaccine preventable diseases, vaccine policy and evaluation.  She worked for UN agencies while she and her family resided in China for 5 years in the 1990s.  After returning to Atlanta in 1996, she joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where her work was primarily related to varicella, measles, mumps and other vaccine preventable diseases.  She has considerable experience in other viral diseases and in infectious disease outbreak control and emergency response.  During the 2014-2016 West Africa ebola epidemic, she worked on the CDC-sponsored Ebola vaccine trial in Sierra Leone spending 8-9 months in the country leading the CDC vaccine field team work and otherwise working on the trial from CDC headquarters in Atlanta.  After retiring from CDC in late 2016, she worked at the Task Force for Global Health for several years on global influenza including vaccine policy and pandemic preparedness.  She is now a guest researcher at CDC.
When Malaria strikes!
12-03-2021
When Malaria strikes!
Many parents around the world face the devastating effects that Malaria has on their children sometimes more than five times before the child turns 5 years old. Dr. Chandy John shares about his labs collaboration and work to reduce the burden that malaria can have on these families. We explore about sickle cells disease and traits specifically how they impact malaria. On a large scale we talk about how everyday individuals can help to improve the lives of those suffering through malaria and the prevention. We dive into the link between malaria and the CDC as well as so many other topics. This podcast helps broaden our horizons in global health and to hear about the work that everyday heroes are doing.  All podcast links can be found at https://www.annassmith.com/forum Chandy C. John, M.D., M.S., holds the Ryan White Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and is director of the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health at Indiana University. Dr. John’s research focuses on malaria pathogenesis, immunology and epidemiology and infections in children with sickle cell disease. Key discoveries of his collaborative research team include: 1) the first prospective studies to establish that severe malaria is associated with long-term cognitive impairment in children, 2) identification of immunologic factors that increase risk of severe malaria and cognitive impairment after severe malaria; 3) determination of geographic and immunologic factors that affect risk of malaria in areas of unstable malaria transmission; and 4) pioneering studies on the efficacy, safety and optimal dosing of hydroxyurea for treatment of children with sickle cell anemia in malaria endemic areas. Dr. John conducts research and training programs in Kenya in collaboration with colleagues at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, and in Uganda in collaboration with colleagues at Makerere University. He is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and 30 book chapters. Dr. John is co-chair of the Thrasher Research Fund Scientific Advisory Committee, a member of the NIH Fogarty International Center Advisory Board, and has served on or chaired numerous NIH and national and international study sections and review boards. Dr. John’s awards include the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Young Investigator Award (2004), and the Bailey K. Ashford Medal from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene for contributions to tropical medicine research (2011). Dr. John is an active clinician, specializing in pediatric infectious diseases at Riley Hospital for Children. As an educator, Dr. John was director of global health residency tracks in pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Minnesota. Dr. John served as president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2019.