Vax Talk Podcast
Vax Talk is the podcast for people who want to do something about outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and who understand that knowledge is power. We will discuss the latest news about vaccines and the impact they have on our communities, our families, and our friendships.
Vax Talk is also on Stitcher, iHeart Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Or, choose an episode below and start listening.
Episodes
The pandemic caused a lot of pain, from the loss of lives to COVID itself to the burnout and moral injury of people working on the front lines. Our world is more polarized and works on the presumption of fewer common facts. How do we heal? Scott Hamilton Kennedy, an award-nominated documentary filmmaker, went searching…
In this episode, we break down vaccine communication, from the days of "Let the Science Speak for Itself" to the political partisanship of the pandemic. To assist us, we invited Glen Nowak, former CDC comms chief and Mass Communication Expert! Links from this episode See what we are talking about: Get your updated COVID vaccine!…
Lately, Twitter has become a cesspool of the worst humans spreading the worst misinformation. Except for one bright spot: The Real Truther. We invited The Real Truther to our podcast to discuss his noble pursuit of The Real Truth and to talk with RFK Jr. (or a proxy for RFK Jr.) Links from this episode…
At the pandemic's beginning, small bands of scientists and doctors devised a plan: what if we got young people sick on purpose? What could possibly go wrong? Dr. Jonathan Howard's new book, We Want Them Infected, traces this ill-begotten quest and the inevitable pseudoscience that followed. Listen in to our conversation with him! Links from…
It feels like anti-vaxxers are bringing public health to court in droves. Does this spell the doom of people who don't like getting measles and polio? To explain why we shouldn't panic and how this litigiousness works, we invite our friend Dorit Reiss, legal scholar and all-around good person. Please note that this episode was…
At the end of 2021, everyone may have thought that had been the Year of the Vaccine, but 2022 came along and said, "Hold my vial of mostly saline." In this Vax Talk episode, Karen and Nathan review some of the most prominent vaccine-related news of the year. Links from the episode, in the order…
Because vaccines work better when we are all vaccinated, vaccine equity isn't about justice alone. It is also crucial to public health. Enter Julissa Soto, MPH. Fresh off her work with other forms of health equity, she has come onto the scene in Colorado to make sure Latino communities can get vaccinated and feel confident…
In many ways, mRNA vaccines are a game-changer, but not an unexpected one. For this episode, we talked to one of the scientists who has been pursuing mRNA vaccines for years: Melissa Moore, Ph.D. We discuss how mRNA vaccines have changed so much for us and what the future might hold. Links from the episode…
A new study seems to connect childhood vaccines to asthma. Or does it? We invited our friend and hero, Dr. Paul Offit, to the show to discuss this study and the other studies from the past investigating vaccines and aluminum adjuvants. Don't miss his take! Listen now! Find more episodes!
Remember the old refrain: polio is only a plane ride away. We invited the excellent Blima Marcus to talk to us about polio hitting U.S. shores.