2001 Programs

Interview: Dr. Mardge Cohen and Marta Santiago describe life with HIV in 2001, the 20th year of the HIV epidemic, highlighting the advances in treatment which have changed the lives of those who are infected. The interview focuses on the special problems that HIV-infected women face. Dr. Mardge Cohen is Director of Women's HIV/AIDS research at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, and the recipient of several NIH grants in the field. Marta Santiago is an HIV-infected patient who attends the Women's HIV Clinic at Cook County Hospital. Commentary : HIV IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH. Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance, contrasts the remarkable improvements in the well-being of HIV-infected individuals in the US with the alarming state of the epidemic in the Global South. He proposes significant changes in US policy.

Interview: Dr. Rex Archer discusses the resources needed for local health departments to mount an effective response to a bio-terrorist attack. He goes on to assess the current capacities of most health departments, pointing out major deficiencies. Dr. Archer is the Director of the Kansas City Department of Health, and Chair of the Bioterrorism Task Force of the National Association of County Health Officers. Commentary : TERRORIST ATTACKS ON HEALTH WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES Dr. Leroy Carhart points out the near reign of terror that has besieged providers of abortion services in the US for several years, and the relatively weak efforts by government officials to counter these terrorist attacks. Dr. Carhart is a practicing general surgeon. Abortion services are part of his current medical practice.

Interview: Dr. Steve Hyman enumerates the mental health effects of major disasters--earthquakes, tornadoes-and terrorist attacks. The prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is discussed. Dr. Hyman is the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Commentary : PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOREIGN POLICY. Dr. Malek discusses some effects of US foreign policy on public health, evaluating both the health impact and the attitudes our policies generate abroad. Part 1: Part 2:

Interview: EVALUATING CANCER CLUSTERS. Dr. Joseph Jarvis discusses the practice of public health at the state level, and the obstacles encountered in attempting to implement policies which can improve the public health. He also discusses an area in which he has extensive experience--the evaluation of possible cancer clusters. Dr. Jarvis currently works as a private consultant in the evaluation of environmental and occupational health problems. He is on the faculty at the University of Nevada/Reno Medical School, and is the former State Health Officer of Nevada. Commentary : SECOND HAND TOBACCO SMOKE: NEW POLICIES NEEDED Dr. Stanton Glantz discusses the harm caused by exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, and policies needed to minimize involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. Dr. Glantz is a Professor at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine in the Department of Cardiology.

Interview: four million Americans, but has received scant media attention. Modes of transmission and treatment are discussed. Dr. Alter is a nationally recognized expert in the area of viral hepatitis. For over a decade she has served as a research director in the field of viral hepatitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Commentary : PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS. Dr. Malek discusses the "Patient Bill of Rights" proposals, commenting on benefits and deficiencies in the proposed legislation. Part 1: Part 2:

Interview: problems yet to be solved. Dr. Schwartz is on the faculty at Harvard University's School of Public Health in the field of Environmental Health. He worked for several years at the Environmental Protection Agency. Commentary : THE ENERGY CRISIS AND PUBLIC HEALTH. Dr. Malek assesses the impact on the public health of the Bush energy plan, and discusses a number of policy alternatives.

Interview: Dr. David Himmelstein describes the causes and magnitude of the problems of lack of insurance coverage for medical care in the US, and how lack of universal coverage is related to the high cost of health care in the US. The types of solutions used in other countries are also discussed. Dr. Himmelstein is a practicing physician at Cambridge Hospital. He serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, where he has won several teaching awards, and is widely published in the field of health systems research. Commentary : US CONTRIBUTION TO THE GLOBAL FUND FOR AIDS Dr. Malek comments on the benefits of President Bush's announcement of a $130 Million US contribution to the UN's Global Fund for AIDS.

Interview: Dr. Richard Laing discusses the issue of pharmaceutical use and pharmaceutical pricing in the poor countries of the world, focusing especially on sub-Saharan Africa. He discusses recent breakthroughs in the negotiations between representatives of the governments of several affected countries and the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Laing is on the faculty of Boston University's School of Public Health in their International Health Program, and serves as a consultant to the World Health Organization. Commentary : PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, AND TRIUMPH IN PUBLIC HEALTH Dr. Malek discusses the years of work by AIDS activists, civic groups, global health advocates, human rights groups, religious organizations pressuring the pharmaceutical companies into making critically important drugs available to poor countries at a small fraction of the price they previously had charged.

(Not yet available Interview: llutants, the family of pesticides and industrial chemicals which includes DDT, dieldrin, dioxin, and PCBs. Remediation strategies, responses of government agencies, and other policy issues are also considered. Commentary : LANDMINES AS A PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT.Dr. James Cobey's editorial from the Journal of the American Medical Association provides a medical analysis of landmine injuries, emphasizing the intensive medical care these injuries require, and the high likelihood of long term disability among those who survive. Dr. Cobey recommends policies the Bush administration can take to address the problem.

Interview: THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH. In the inaugural airing of Public Health Radio, Victor Sidel discusses the spectrum of activities of those who practice public health, the underlying philosophy of public health, methodologies used to address public health problems, and the similarities and differences between public health and medicine. Dr. Sidel is the Distinguished University Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and co-founded the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the organization that won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Commentary : Dr. Malek discusses some of the implications of President Bush's tax proposal on short- and long-term propects for accomplishing national goals related to public health. Marvin Malek, Host of Public Health Radio.