In this episode of the AJPH podcast, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia interview four experts—Kimberly M. Nelson, Wendy E. Parmet, Kristen Underhill, and Ruqaiijah Yearby—on the intersection of law, policy, and public health. They discuss the importance of studying policies within their legal contexts, the trend of state laws disproportionately targeting marginalized groups, and the broader implications for health and equity. The conversation explores the reasons behind these legal shifts and how research can inform the creation of stronger, more protective policies that promote public health and social justice.

AJPH 2/2025: "THE RETURN OF JANE CROW: LAWS AFFECTING BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR"

In this AJPH podcast episode, recorded live at the 2025 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia speak with Adrienne R. Ghorashi and Ruqaiijah Yearby about their presentation, "Examining the Role of State Constitutions in Racism, Governance, and Health Equity." They highlight how state constitutions, rather than the federal constitution, play a crucial yet often overlooked role in shaping health inequities. The discussion explores how legal frameworks at the state level contribute to systemic disparities and how constitutional reforms could advance health equity.

AJPH 2A/2025: "ROLE OF STATE CONSTITUTIONS IN RACISM, GOVERNANCE, AND HEALTH EQUITY" (ENGLISH)

In this AJPH podcast episode, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia speak with Caroline R. Efird, Derek M. Griffith, and Jonathan Metzl about the often-overlooked concept of whiteness as a determinant of health. They discuss their article, 'Whiteness: A Fundamental Determinant of the Health of Rural White Americans,' exploring what whiteness is, why it should be considered a health determinant, and whether racism within whiteness can backfire. The conversation also addresses how public health professionals can navigate the current pushback against anti-racist health initiatives.

AJPH 2B/2025: "REDLINING AND WHITENESS: COLORS OF RACISM" (ENGLISH)

In this episode of the AJPH Vickie Mays, Alfredo Morabia and guest podcast co-host Susan Cochran offer reflections of a series of papers on the context of societal conditions that call out the need for public mental health. The interviews are of an author of 4 papers in a special AJPH issue on mental health. Margarita Alegria and her study of which primary care referrals actually enhanced both mental and physical health, Brea Perry and the impact of mental health in emerging young adults use of social media in building social cohension and bonding, Pualani Enos's reflection on the ways in which the land and water right fights are part of the mental health trauma of the Lahaina fires and from Cochran and Mays on their paper on the gendered language of mental health and its importance in assessing men's suicide.

AJPH 2C/2025: "SOCIETY’S ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH, GRIEF, AND BEREAVEMENT CRISIS" (ENGLISH)

In this series, What is Public Health?, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia interview Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, former Editor-in-Chief of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). They discuss the role of the MMWR, the day-to-day responsibilities of its editor, and the potential consequences of recent executive orders restricting its publication.

AJPH 3A/2025: "WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH: THE ROLE OF THE MMWR" (ENGLISH)

In this series, What is Public Health?, Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia speak with Dr. Craig Spencer from the Brown University School of Public Health. They explore the work of American public health professionals abroad—particularly in Asia and Africa—and discuss the real-world humanitarian impact of recent executive orders shutting down USAID and cutting the workforce of federal public health agencies.


AJPH 3B/2025: "WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH: GLOBAL HEALTH WORK" (ENGLISH)

In this episode Alfredo Morabia explores with Cynthia N. Lebron (Latino Caucus for Public Health), José Pérez-Ramos, (U Rochester), and Anna-Michelle McSorley, (U Connecticut) key health issues facing the Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S., We examine the adequacy of health data collection, questioning whether current tools provide an accurate picture of this diverse community. The episode also discusses the unique health challenges of undocumented immigrants, including barriers to healthcare access and quality. Through these discussions, the podcast aims to highlight critical gaps and opportunities for improving health equity within Hispanic/Latino communities.

AJPH 4/2025: "THE STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE HISPANIC/LATINO COMMUNITY OF THE US" (ENGLISH)

Alfredo Morabia and Vickie Mays (UCLA), editors at the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) conducted an in-person interview of Lauren Weber, who, at The Washington Post, is an accountability reporter focusing on scientific and medical disinformation. She presented her work at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the APHA in Minneapolis.

AJPH 4B/2025:"EMPATHY IN ACTION: TRANSFORMING PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGING IN A POLARIZED ERA" (ENGLISH)

2025P2 Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu and Dr. Tianchu Lyu, review highlights of the Jan to Mar 2025 Issues and Supplements. 
The Editor’s Corner features Dr. José Pagán, Professor and Chair of Department of Public Health Policy and Management, School of Global Public Health, New York University

2025 Second Chinese Podcast (January to March 2025)

Alfredo Morabia and Vickie Mays (UCLA), editors at the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) conducted an in-person interview of David Rein of the Atlanta Public Health Department focusing on improving vision and eye health using the CDC national Vision and Eye Health surveillance system to increase public awareness of affordable eye care.

AJPH 5A/2025:"DEVELOPING A CENSUS TRACT LEVEL VISION NEED INDEX FOR THE UNITED STATES" (ENGLISH)

"Our Bodies, Ourselves" was conceived in 1969 as a self‐help guide about health written by women for women. Most of the listeners who were at least teenagers in the sixties are familiar with the book but younger people are less likely to have ever read it, perused it, or even seen it. So is "Our Bodies, Ourselves" history or does it still have a role to play in today’s world? My interviewees are Judy Norsigian, Sally Guttmacher, and members of the 2019 AJPH Student Think Tank Jay Balagna, Shanae Burch, Emily Dalton, Jeremy Wang, and Caitlin Williams.

AJPH JUNE 2019: “1969-2019, IS "OUR BODIES, OURSELVES" HISTORY?” (ENGLISH)

AJPH Podcasts in English and Chinese
English-language hosts: Alfredo Morabia (Editor-in-Chief) and Vickie Mays (Associate Editor)
Chinese-language host: Jihong Liu (Associate Editor)

AJPH JUNE 2019: “1969-2019, IS "OUR BODIES, OURSELVES" HISTORY?” (ENGLISH)

American Journal of Public Health Podcast

Related tracks