Eating disorders affect a population the size of the state of Texas, cost the economy tens of billions of dollars, and kill 10,000 Americans per year. If eating disorders are so common, expensive, and deadly, why don't we talk about them more? Bryn Austin, director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED), says we need to start by getting rid of our "sticky" stereotypes about who is affected by eating disorders.Guest: S. Bryn Austin, professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Chan School, a faculty member at Boston Children's Hospital, and director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED).

Harvard Chan: This Week in Health

We're better off when we unstick the stereotypes around eating disorders

During the earliest days of the pandemic, younger people were told to protect the older adults in their lives from COVID-19 by isolating at home. Concerns about the virus and pandemic restrictions have taken a toll on everyone's mental well-being. But it turns out that when it comes to mental health, older adults might actually be faring better than their children and grandchildren. On this episode of Better Off, aging and mental health expert Oliva Okereke explains why.Guest: Olivia Okereke, associate professor in the department of epidemiology at Harvard Chan School, director of geriatric psychiatry in the department of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.For a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Read more about Mary Bassett's work, as well as the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news.Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – Willow BelleBlue Dot Sessions – Selena LeicaBlue Dot Sessions – Trenton ChannelKetsa – Onwards Upwards 

We’re better off when we age with resilience

In a special bonus episode, recorded a day before Juneteenth was made a federal holiday, we listen in on a conversation between Opal Lee, an activist and teacher often called the "grandmother of Juneteenth," and Harvard University professors Annette Gordon-Reed and Evelyn Hammonds.Guests:Opal Lee, ActivistAnnette Gordon-Reed, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard University; author, On JuneteenthEvelynn Hammonds, Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and Professor of African and African-American Studies, Harvard UniversityFor a full transcript of this episode or to watch the full conversation, visit our website. Subscribe via your favorite podcast app.Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreKetsa – Onwards Upwards

We're better off with Juneteenth

This spring, public health officials have been laser-focused on getting more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. So why do racial disparities persist around vaccination? And once more Americans are vaccinated, how do we ensure that Black and Latino families aren’t left vulnerable to future public health crises? In the latest episode of Better Off, Mary Bassett talks about the historical roots of health inequities, and the big changes needed to close those gaps.Guest: Mary T. Bassett, director of the François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.For a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Read more about Mary Bassett's work, as well as the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – LupiBlue Dot Sessions – The Caspian SeaBlue Dot Session – An Oddly Formal DanceKetsa – Onwards Upwards

We're better off with health equity

When Aaron (Ari) Bernstein met his first pediatric patient infected with COVID-19, he realized that this little girl's health was connected to an infected bat on the other side of the world. Climate change and deforestation have made it easier for new pathogens to spread across the globe. On this episode of Better Off, Ari Bernstein explains how protecting the environment could also secure the future of our own species.Guest: Aaron (Ari) Bernstein, Interim Director of The Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE).More about climate and healthHarvard Chan C-CHANGEClimate Optimist newsletter 

We’re better off when we stop pandemics before they start

In the 1980's, there were millions of cases of Guinea worm disease across the globe, mostly in rural Africa. Donald Hopkins, MPH '70, has spent 40 years working to eradicate this painful and debilitating disease – and he's had remarkable success. Last year, there were only 27 cases worldwide. In the latest episode of Better Off, Donald Hopkins talks about eradicating a disease that many people thought wasn't worth fighting.Watch the inaugural Donald Hopkins Scholars Lecture.Learn more about The Donald Hopkins Predoctoral Scholars Program.More about Donald Hopkins:Fierce Optimism, Harvard Public Health Magazine, 2018The Eradicator: Donald HopkinsGuest: Donald Hopkins, MD, MPH '70,  former director of all health programs at The Carter Center, currently the special advisor for Guinea worm eradication at The Carter Center.For a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed.Read more about the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. 

We’re better off when life-altering illnesses can be eradicated

The technology that is helping us combat COVID-19 is also poised to help us tackle tough infectious and non-infectious diseases. Immunologist Sarah Fortune explains how these vaccines work, and how the mRNA platform could transform the prevention and treatment of deadly diseases.In this episode of "Better Off," Harvard Chan School immunologist Sarah Fortune takes on common misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines, and discusses the ways that mRNA technology could be used to create vaccines for diseases like TB and cancer.Guest: Sarah Fortune, John LaPorte Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Chair, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Read more about Sarah Fortune's work, as well as the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – St. Augustine RedBlue Dot Sessions – Solear InterludeBlue Dot Sessions – Ewa Valley

We're better off with mRNA vaccines

When Antón Castellanos Usigli was asked to help bring younger LGBTQ people into a Brooklyn clinic for sexual health services, he thought it would be a piece of cake. But after his first attempts failed, Antón turned to the one place where young people talk about sex every day: dating and hookup apps.In this episode of "Better Off," DrPH student Antón Castellanos Usigli talks about creating positive conversations about sexual health, and the parallels between sex education and the public health messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic.Guest: Antón Castellanos Usigli, DrPH student, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Read more about Antón Castellanos Usigli's work, as well as the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabrePodington Bear – Am-TransBlue Dot Sessions – SylvestorKetsa – Onwards Upwards 

We're better off when we swipe right on public health

We’re better off when kids are resilientAre kids going to be okay when the pandemic is over? That’s the question on many parents’ minds as remote learning continues, and friends and family remain six feet apart. Better Off talks with psychologist and researcher Archana Basu about kids’ mental health and the COVID-19 crisis.Guest: Archana Basu, Research Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Read more about Archana Basu’s work on mental health as well as the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – TaoudellaBlue Dot Sessions - TopslidesKetsa – Onwards Upwards 

We're better off when kids are resilient

Better Off talks with Harvard Chan School's Howard Koh about lessons learned from the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, also known as swine flu, and how the incoming administration can use those lessons to respond to COVID-19.Guest: Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.What do you think of the incoming Biden administration's plan to respond to COVID-19? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more about Howard Koh's work on health policy, along with all the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – St. Augustine RedBlue Dot Sessions – Pxl EventuatKetsa – Onwards Upwards

We're better off when science leads the way

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us didn't think about indoor air very much, if at all. But healthy buildings expert Joseph Allen has been studying indoor air for years. He says that since we spend 90% of lives inside, we need to do more to make our offices, homes, and schools places where we can breathe easy.Guest: Joseph Allen, Associate Professor of Exposure Assessment Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. Subscribe to get new episodes of Better Off in your podcast feed every other Wednesday.Has your office, school, or apartment building made changes since the pandemic? How have those changes affected your health? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more about Joseph Allen’s research along with all the latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at hsph.harvard.edu/news. To read reports from Joseph Allen and his colleagues, visit ForHealth.org.Music in this episode:Ketsa – SabreBlue Dot Sessions – MilkwoodBlue Dot Sessions – CalissonKetsa – Onwards Upwards

We're better off when we can breathe easy

How can we make our families, communities, and our world a little bit better during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond?  That's the question we're asking on Better Off, a new podcast from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In each episode of Better Off, host Anna Fisher-Pinkert will introduce you to the people who are hunting down solutions to current public health challenges, and innovating to solve public health problems that we haven’t even imagined yet.Subscribe to Better Off wherever you get your podcasts. First episode coming soon!Visit our website for a transcript of this trailer.

Introducing: Better Off

What has the environmental movement accomplished since the first Earth Day in 1970? Where is the movement headed? Gina McCarthy, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council and chair of the Board of Advisors at the Harvard Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE), reflects on the strides we’ve made and the need to frame climate change as a public health crisis going forward. For full transcript, visit: https://hsph.me/earthdayat50

Confronting the Climate Crisis: Earth Day at 50

Could an app help scientists better understand menstruation, fertility, and menopause? On the latest episode of This Week in Health, Shruthi Mahalingaiah and JP Onnela talk about the groundbreaking Apple Women’s Health Study. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, an assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, and women’s health, and JP Onnela, an associate professor of biostatistics, are two of the Harvard Chan School researchers involved in a new study seeking to gain more insight into women’s health. Using an app on their Apple devices, women can share information about their monthly cycles, as well as certain behavioral factors such as physical activity and mobility, to help researchers advance understanding of menstrual and gynecological health. To learn more about the study, or to participate, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/applewomenshealthstudy. Full transcript available here: https://hsph.me/womenhealthpod

Gaining insight into women's health

Before Mary Bassett was director of Harvard’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, she was New York City’s Health Commissioner. Bassett talks about her experience dealing with the growing opioid epidemic in the city—what worked, what didn’t, and what New York can teach other cities coping with the same problem. She sat down with Kimberlyn Leary, an associate professor at Harvard Chan School and a psychologist at Harvard's McLean hospital who specializes in public health policy. Full transcript: https://hsph.me/nyc-opioid-pod You can subscribe to Harvard Chan: This Week in Health by visiting Apple Podcasts or Google Play and you can listen to it by following us on Soundcloud, and stream it on the Stitcher app or on Spotify.

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Lessons Learned from New York City

A community of leaders producing powerful ideas that transform the lives and health of people everywhere.