Joshua Sharfstein

Thank you to Demi for such a powerful interview and such impressive advocacy for people with disabilities.

We are so fortunate she will be a doctoral student at @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social this fall.

Health officials confirm two more measles cases in Kent County, Michigan Health officials in Kent County, Michigan, announced on Wednesday that two more measles cases were detected, bringing the total to four in the county.

Health officials in Kent County, Michigan, announced on Wednesday that two more measles cases were detected, bringing the total to four in the county.

Progress under threat: The future of overdose prevention in the United States | Brookings Overdose prevention stands at an important crossroads as the Trump administration and Congress propose and implement policies that endanger recent progress.

New from @brookings.edu -- honored to collaborate with @reginalabelle.bsky.social on a look at current substance use policy issues:
www.brookings.edu/articles/pro...

Trump Isn’t Done Cutting Your Health Care Now it’s low-income kids that Republicans are targeting.

@citizencohn.bsky.social does an amazing job explaining how harmful a policy choice it was that the Trump Administration ended continuous coverage for babies and toddlers.

A truly terrible decision for America's families.

Trump Isn’t Done Cutting Your Health Care www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-isnt...

Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help - KFF Health News Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. I...

Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

FDA publishing the reasons why drugs are not approved is supported by ---86.2%--- of the US population.

Count this as a step forward for FDA -- and it would be even better for FDA to release all of these moving forward in real time.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Public Health On Call: 598 - A Court Decision Reducing Access to Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act A U.S. district court in Texas issued a ruling limiting the scope of the Affordable Care Act’s requirements for coverage of preventive services. On today’s podcast, Joe Palmore, a former assistant to ...

SCOTUS has decided to uphold an Affordable Care Act provision requiring health insurers to cover certain preventive services, such as cancer screenings and PrEP.

@drjoshs.bsky.social‬ spoke with @mofollp.bsky.social’s Joe Palmore about this case in 2023👇 podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/598-a-court-...

Chronic Absenteeism Is a Vital Sign for Kids’ Health. New Framework Seeks a Cure Sharfstein & Choucair: Health & education professionals can boost attendance with community-driven approach focused on data, partnerships, prevention.

How can a public health approach improve school attendance?

Some thoughts with Bechara Choucair of @kaiser-permanente.bsky.social

www.the74million.org/article/chro...

Medicaid cuts: What’s at stake | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Harvard Chan School's Benjamin Sommers and Adrianna McIntyre discuss how proposed cuts to Medicaid could impact tens of millions of low-income adults and families, people with disabilities, pregnant p...

Harvard Chan School's Benjamin Sommers and Adrianna McIntyre discuss how proposed cuts to Medicaid could impact tens of millions of low-income adults and families, people with disabilities, pregnant people, and seniors.

The Biggest Rollback in Federal Support for Health Care Ever Republicans are not talking about repealing and replacing the ACA anymore, and the budget reconciliation bill doesn't do that, at least not directly. However, the bill would restrict health insurance ...

I did the arithmetic. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would cut federal spending for Medicaid and the ACA by just over $1 trillion over a decade.
www.kff.org/quick-take/t...

Cassidy, Van Hollen Introduce Life-Saving Hepatitis C Legislation | U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced life-saving legislation to cure low-income and hard-to-reach Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Cassidy...

New today: Senator Bill Cassidy + Senator Chris Van Hollen introduce legislation to cure >1 million Americans with hepatitis C & save taxpayers *billions* -- according to the Congressional Budget Office (!).

Lives + money + bipartisan = can we do this?

www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...

Deep cuts erode the foundations of US public health system, end progress, threaten worse to come Americans are losing an array of people and programs dedicated to keeping them healthy.

Cutting public health makes us all worse off.

Terrific reporting by @lauraungar.bsky.social @mrsmithap.bsky.social of the Associated Press on the consequences of massive federal changes and cuts.

apnews.com/article/publ...

Secretary Kennedy's announcement that COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women could reduce vaccine access for millions of Americans.

IDSA urges insurers to maintain coverage for COVID-19 vaccines: bit.ly/4jjmwPV

ACOG is deeply disappointed by HHS’s move to drop COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in pregnancy. The science is clear: COVID-19 remains dangerous in pregnancy and vaccination protects both patients and newborns. The vaccine is safe and protects families. Read our full statement: buff.ly/OGue7sO

The recent MAHA Commission called kids in America "the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease"

It failed to mention the HUGE progress we have made in childhood mortality over the past 50 years

Deaths for every age group of kids down 50-75%

Here's CDC's Data

Public Health On Call: 899 - Pediatric COVID Vaccines About this episode: The approval of pediatric COVID vaccines during the height of the pandemic brought reassurance to many parents and pediatricians who were caring for children with severe infections...

Should parents vaccinate their children against COVID-19?

Dr. Erica Prochaska, who cares for children critically ill from Covid or its aftermath, has a view.

Hear her thoughts @publichealthpod.bsky.social

johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/899-pediatri...

Public Health On Call: 894 - Is There an Autism Epidemic? About this episode: Diagnoses of autism are on the rise, but is this the result of more children being affected by the condition, or is more of a consequence of broader criteria and more screening? In...

Is there an epidemic of autism?

I spoke to one of the top researchers studying the diagnosis of autism, on the @publichealthpod.bsky.social

johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/894-is-there...

Public Health On Call: 898 - The Measles Response in Lubbock, Texas About this episode: A look inside the ongoing public health response to measles outbreaks in Lubbock, a city in West Texas. Guest: is the director of in West Texas. Host: is vice dean for public he...

What's it like when measles shows up in your city ... and you run the health department?

My interview with Katherine Wells of Lubbock Public Health, on the @publichealthpod.bsky.social

johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/898-the-meas...

Times may be tough for public health, but that only makes #convocation that much more inspiring

@johnshopkinssph.bsky.social

Public Health On Call: 893 - “On Going Backwards”: A New HIV/AIDS Epidemic? About this episode: In 2003, George W. Bush’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was the largest commitment to a single disease in U.S. history. Renewed under every subsequent preside...

“Once you ramp up an infectious disease, it is ever harder to get control.”

The warning of Dr. Chris Beyrer on the coming surge of global AIDS and malaria on the @publichealthpod.bsky.social

johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/893-on-going...

The Domestic Consequences of Defunding Global Health This JAMA Forum discusses the recent funding cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the potential ramifications of these cuts on global health and the health of ind...

The defunding of global health is hurting people all over the world...

*It's also terrible for the health of people here in the US.*

With Joe Amon, our viewpoint in JAMA.com Health Forum --
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The Straight Shot: Federal vaccine updates - May 14, 2025 A regular update on emerging federal vaccine issues. On May 14, 2025, this list—drawn from news reports and other information—ranks the most significant changes to vaccination policy, with brief comme...

A group of well-respected public health experts -- including trusted CitizenCohn source @drjoshs.bsky.social -- has launched a blog/website on vaccines in the hopes of spreading facts instead of misinformation

Check it out here www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/st...

Promo graphic for episode 892 of Public Health On Call podcast, titled Health Policy in Trump's First 100 Days.

In this episode, @drjoshs.bsky.social looks back at health policy in the first 100 days of Trump's second term, including global health, vaccines, and HHS restructuring—plus a few things to keep an eye on for the future.

Listen: podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/892-health-p...

Judicial Invalidation of the FDA’s Laboratory-Developed Test Rule — Legal and Public Health Consequences | NEJM Recently, a federal judge struck down an FDA rule on laboratory-developed tests. If this invalidation stands, it will have consequences for clinical care and the FDA’s authority over medical devices.

Now out in @nejm.org: @rachelsachs.bsky.social, @drjoshs.bsky.social & me on the decision vacating FDA's LDT rule.

In short, there is good reason for FDA oversight of LDTs & the judge's reasoning could extend beyond LDTs - to the detriment of patients & public health.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Judicial Invalidation of the FDA’s Laboratory-Developed Test Rule — Legal and Public Health Consequences | NEJM Recently, a federal judge struck down an FDA rule on laboratory-developed tests. If this invalidation stands, it will have consequences for clinical care and the FDA’s authority over medical devices.

A terrible ruling on FDA's authority over laboratory developed tests leaves patients exposed to unnecessary risks of over- and under- treatment.

With @rachelsachs.bsky.social @pzettler.bsky.social, we explain the issue, the decision, and potential consequences.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Strategies for Communicating With Parents About Vaccines This JAMA Insights explores vaccine hesitancy among parents and offers effective communication strategies for clinicians to build trust, handle difficult conversations, and ultimately improve vaccine ...

How clinicians can communicate about vaccines with their patients.

From JAMA

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam....

Public Health On Call: 888 - A Conversation With Alabama’s State Health Officer About this episode: Dr. Scott Harris has worked as a leader in Alabama’s public health department for eight years and recently became that national president of the Association of State and Territoria...

A conversation with Alabama's health officer, Dr. Scott Harris, about the challenges facing public health in 2025.

On the @publichealthpod.bsky.social

johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/888-a-conver...

The FDA’s Crisis Is Everyone’s Crisis This Viewpoint discusses the Trump administration’s firings of thousands of US Food and Drug Administration employees and the ramifications of those actions on the agency’s congressionally given publi...

Out today in @jama.com, me and @nathancortez.bsky.social examine how the drastic staffing cuts at FDA run counter to FDA's many statutory obligations and the bargains embodied in user fee provisions - and put public health, innovation, and all of us at risk.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Analyzing the Effect of Per Capita Caps on the Medicaid Expansion Population In this paper, we make estimates of a policy that would impose per capita caps on the Medicaid expansion population created by the Affordable Care Act. Per capita caps limit the growth in federal spen...

New state by state estimates from @urbaninstitute.bsky.social on the impact of a per capita cap just on the #Medicaid expansion. States would have to kick in an additional $230 to $276 BILLION over 10 years of their own funds or would have to drop expansion. www.urban.org/research/pub...

Just how transparent is “radical transparency”?

(Spoiler alert: Not that transparent).