The Wooden Teeth Show

Public Health's "Post-War" Moment

Jake speaks with Dr. Sandro Galea, who proposes how to address, or at least how to think about the American crisis of faith in public health in the wake of the pandemic i

Does Public Health Need MAHA?

Dr. Craig Spencer recently authored a piece in The Atlantic in which he contends that the field of public health must swallow its pride and admit where the insurgent MAHA

How Did New Mexico Make Child Care Free?

New Mexico recently became the first state in the nation to offer free access to childcare for all, regardless of income, saving the average family $12,000 per year. Jake

Better Health For Less Money In NC

North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) is a Medicaid program that addresses healthy food, housing, interpersonal violence, and transportation. By keeping peo

Phones in Schools

Can the real world compete with smartphones for our kids' attention? What is the goal and effect of policies that remove these devices from students' hands during the sch

Disagree Better

Political violence is becoming more common, and Americans report personal stress and dissatisfaction with the quality of our political dialogue. Disagree Better is an ini

Unhealthy Gamble

As legalized sports gambling has risen online, so has personal debt, bankruptcy, and even domestic violence. At least 8 million Americans now struggle with a gambling add

Regulating AI to Protect Kids

Youth are increasingly interacting with AI chatbots, and the risks to their wellbeing, including self harm, are becoming tragically apparent. Jake speaks with Amina Fazlu

Masculinity & Health

Jake speaks with Brian Heilman of Movember to discuss the unique challenges of men's health, including the role of masculinity. Movember is a global annual event in Novem

Red Flag & Donna's Law

In a suicide-prevention double header, Jake is joined by Nacole Palmer, Executive Director of Maine Gun Safety Coalition, who just led a successful statewide ballot campa

How Big Social Media Is Using the Courts to Thwart Efforts to Protect Kids

Across the country, tech companies are successfully suing to block laws aimed at protecting children online. Jake speaks with Holly Grosshans and Ariel Fox Johnson of Com

Mental Health Begins in the Womb

Our mental health is impacted way before middle school. Jake speaks with Dr. Ayelet Talmi about the relevant influences within the first phase of life, how they impact th

Finding Public Health Gold in Urban Greenspaces

Creating quality urban greenspaces isn't just a common sense way to adapt to climate change, it produces a range of documented benefits for both physical and mental healt

America Just Got Hungrier, Now What?

When President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" into law, 2.4 millions became destined to lose their assistance in securing the food they need. Jake speaks w

Why is Childcare so Expensive?

Jake speaks with Nicole Riehl about the business challenges of childcare and how they impact price and availability for families. Nicole is President & CEO of EPIC, where

The Health Impact of Microplastic Ubiquity

Dr. Tracey Woodruff chats with Jake about how drinking, eating and even breathing microplastics are impacting reproductive health, increasing cancer risk and more. They a

The Return of Yesteryear Diseases

Jake speaks with Susan Lontine about the public health implications of declining immunization rates, as well as new, regressive vaccine policies and what we can do about

Applying a Scientific & Political Lens to MAHA

Jake speaks with Dr. Jessica Knurick about the Make America Healthy Again agenda. They evaluate the existence of scientific evidence that supports the movement's signatur

How to Improve Suicide Risk Screening

Jake speaks with Jordana Ash and Dr. Megan Rogers about new research on suicidality that has implications for how we screen for risk. Drawing from Jordana's tragic family

The Stakes of the 'Medicaid Unwind'

Jake speaks with Phyllis Resnick, co-author of a new report on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Colorado. They address the effects of the so-called "Medicaid