Students

SPH Plugs In: Our Favorites This Fall

Members of the SPH community share recommendations for the books, films, podcasts, and other content that has resonated with them as they study, research, and practice public health.

Sometimes the atmosphere outside feels inhospitable and a moment of solitude—curled up with a good book, tuned into an engaging podcast, or plopped in front of the TV—is needed to recover one’s motivation and enthusiasm to do the formidable work of public health. For such times, School of Public Health students, alumni, faculty, and staff share their recommendations for content worth exploring.

Ear Hustle / Caroline Mcquade

Caroline McQuade (SPH’24), the faculty resources operations associate in the Faculty Advancement and Resources Administration Office at the School of Public Health, wholeheartedly recommends the podcast Ear Hustle. Launched in 2017, Ear Hustle was created by Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, who were incarcerated at the time in California’s San Quentin State Prison, in collaboration with Nigel Poor, a bay area artist. The podcast, of which there are more than 100 episodes and counting, shares stories about everyday life inside prison and the realities of reintegration after release. In fact, “ear hustle” is prison slang for eavesdropping.

“It is really honest, vulnerable, and often very funny,” says Mcquade, who takes class on a part-time basis towards her functional certificate in Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. “I like that each episode focuses on a different topic, whether that is running a marathon while being incarcerated, restorative justice, or how to get the good snacks.”

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones / Krista Idowu

Krista Idowu, an MPH student and a Boston University Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow, recommends the 2023 Netflix mini-series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. The four-episode series follows author and longevity researcher Dan Buettner as he traverses the globe to visit five communities where residents live especially long lives. Home to unusually high proportions of centenarians (people 100 years of age and older), these “blue zones” as they are known, would seem to hold the key to healthy living. The premise is “very encouraging,” says Idowu, who aspires to use her training in program management and global health to strategize with healthcare leaders, decision-makers, and providers to support holistic wellbeing, a vision of wellbeing that encompasses not only physical and mental health, but also spiritual and relational health.

Gulp / Beth Haley

Beth Haley (SPH‘24), a post-doctoral researcher with the Environmental Protection Agency and an alum of the PhD program in environmental health, recently enjoyed reading the New York Times bestselling book Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. Roach has written a total of seven New York Times bestselling books that dive into a variety of popular science topics, including Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003), Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (2005), Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (2008), Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (2010), Gulp (2013), Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War (2016), and Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law (2021). Haley appreciated Roach’s humor-infused approach to tackling death in “Stiff” and sex in “Bonk,” so she picked up “Gulp” hoping to be entertained while expanding her understanding of the human digestive system.

“Gulp is all about the canal that connects our mouths to our butts and everything that happens along the way,” says Haley. “[Roach explores] how we perceive taste, how much of that is tied to smell, how our nasal cavities work, how they connect with our brains, and how that translates to things as varied as wine and beer creation to cat and dog food development.”

Bodies / Kerri Sands

Kerri Sands, an MPH student studying epidemiology and biostatistics, found her passion for public health at the nexus of environmental and reproductive epidemiology. For peers who share her interest in women’s health, she recommends the documentary podcast Bodies. Created and hosted by Allison Behringer, Bodies combines powerful, personal stories with expert insight to explore the root causes of women’s reproductive health issues. The podcast covers topics that are often overlooked or broadly misunderstand, such as menstrual health, fertility, hormonal imbalances, and reproductive rights. With each episode, listeners can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges women face in the healthcare system.

“It is an excellent resource for those interested in the intersection of reproductive health and public health, shedding light on disparities and advocating for better health outcomes for women,” says Sands, who aspires to pursue a PhD focusing on the effects of environmental exposures on fertility after graduating spring 2025. Already, during her practicum this past summer, with support from the Center for Climate and Health, Sands analyzed the relationship between fertility outcomes and heat exposure using data from PRESTO, a large, web-based, preconception cohort study.

Freakonomics M.D. / Eddie Lai

Eddie Lai (SPH’19), who studied healthcare management and pharmaceutical development, delivery, and access while a student at SPH, recommends the podcast Freakonomics M.D. with Bapu Jena, a health economist, practicing internal medicine physician, and professor of health care policy. A riff off the popular economics-focused podcast Freakonomics, Freakonomics M.D. looks specifically at the intersection of economics and healthcare to try to answer questions such as: Are more expensive hospitals better? Do your doctor’s political views affect your care? Why do so many donated kidneys end up in the trash? Lai recalls being hooked from the podcast’s first episode, which digs into the indirect health effects of marathons, asking: What if someone needs an ambulance while a city’s major roads are all shut down—are overall health outcomes poorer on the day of a marathon?

After graduating from SPH, Lai’s interest in the business side of healthcare drew him south to Emory Healthcare, where he completed an administrative fellowship before assuming his current role as senior manager of life sciences and digital health at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. At the Chamber, Lai is responsible for attracting companies in pharma, biomanufacturing, med tech, biotech, health IT, medical devices, and more to the Atlanta area. He recognizes that he has a unique career for someone with an MPH, and he has often sought to support others in finding their own paths. Lai not only co-founded the Association of Asian Healthcare Leaders, an online community of 2,200 healthcare professionals and growing, but also took a page out of the Freakonomics playbook and started his own podcast, Asian Faces, Healthcare Places, to uplift the stories of other Asian healthcare leaders.

Volts / Jonathan Buonocore

Jonathan Buonocore, assistant professor of environmental health, did not have to think twice before recommending the newsletter and podcast Volts from veteran climate and energy journalist David Roberts. Through Volts, Roberts tracks the sprawling transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy sources currently underway across the U.S. economy. From interviews with politicians, analysts, and innovators to Robert’s own political and social commentary, Volts aims to provide a deep dive on all things clean energy.

 “[Roberts] is probably the best out there in terms of reporting on energy issues related to climate, environmental justice, and all the things that we should be worried about in a school of public health,” says Buonocore, who recently coauthored an editorial emphasizing the benefits of air pollution control devices to prevent the premature deaths and reduce healthcare costs. “A lot of my research is predicated on the idea that the energy system is responsible for about three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions and one out of five deaths worldwide is due to air pollution from fossil fuels, so I think intervening on the energy system is primary prevention of two very bad things, [but] in order to do that correctly, you have to know how the energy system works and he’s the best.”