Podcasts.
What drives inequality in America, and how can we level the playing field?
In this episode of Ideas Matter, WashU’s Sandro Galea, dean of the Bursky School of Public Health, and Stanford University’s Lukas Althoff discuss socioeconomic inequality in the United States, and what efforts have the best return on increasing opportunity for all. Spoiler alert: enhancing the quality and accessibility of education is key.
How can India’s caste system inform our efforts to address racism and injustice globally?
In this episode of Ideas Matter WashU’s Sandro Galea, dean of the Bursky School of Public Health, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Suraj Yengde explore the historical foundations of caste and the ways in which it mirrors the social dynamics of our world today.
Journalism’s role in our daily lives has shifted dramatically in recent decades, so how can it best engage the public in this moment? For this episode of Ideas Matter, WashU’s Sandro Galea, dean of the Bursky School of Public Health and vice provost for interdisciplinary studies, and Lisa Gibbs, president and CEO of the Pulitzer Center, discuss what it takes for a news outlet to maintain public trust and adapt to new reporting methods.
As AI ushers in a fourth industrial revolution and universities face the onset of the demographic cliff, what does the future of higher education look like?
In this episode of Ideas Matter, WashU’s Sandro Galea, dean of the Bursky School of Public Health, and Stanford University’s Mitchell Stevens discuss how higher education reached this crossroads and what kinds of institutional changes need to take place in order to create a more equitable society.
In a post-pandemic era and with AI on the rise, restoring the public’s trust in science is critical—but what will it take to do so? In this episode of Ideas Matter, Sandro Galea, dean of WashU’s Bursky School of Public Health, welcomes Stanford Medicine’s John Ioannidis for a discussion of his famous paper, “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” and to explore how science can do better.
As a country, are we too far gone to heal our political divides, or is it still possible to change course? Professor Lilliana Mason of Johns Hopkins University joins WashU’s Sandro Galea to discuss why politics have become so personal and what polarization means for the future.
How is e-commerce shaping our global economy? And what role will it play in the future of U.S.-China relations? Professor Lizhi (Liz) Liu, of Georgetown University, joins WashU’s Sandro Galea to discuss the booming political economy surrounding e-commerce in China.
Did the scientific community’s response to the pandemic fall short of the reasoned pursuit of truth? Alex Broadbent of Durham University and Pieter Streicher of the University of Johannesburg—authors of a new book on science during the COVID moment—join WashU’s Sandro Galea to discuss what is still to be learned from the pandemic.
What does AI mean for the future of human creativity? Janet Rafner of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, an expert in hybrid intelligence and human–AI co-creativity, joins Sandro Galea to discuss AI’s role in the creative space.
What role do tariffs play in today’s global economy and how could tariffs shape the future of international trade? The University of Chicago’s Robert Gulotty, an expert in international relations and political economy, joins WashU’s Sandro Galea to discuss how systems of trade could contribute to global cooperation in the 21st century.
In the hotly contested debate surrounding U.S. immigration policy, what does it take to find common ground? Alexander Kustov, an expert in public opinion and democratic governance and a professor of global affairs at the University of Notre Dame, joins host Sandro Galea to discuss the factors driving this debate.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools in health care and public health can bring efficiency and new approaches that might improve health. These tools may also have implications for health equity. Kevin Johnson, MD, MS, of the University of Pennsylvania joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the opportunities and challenges of AI in health care and public health.
Pharmaceuticals are a central—and costly—element of the US health care system. Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the challenge and opportunity of delivering affordable drugs to as many people as possible.
Historically, there has been less focus on primary care than on specialist care in US health care. What are the challenges and opportunities in primary care today? What might it look like in the coming decades? Robert Phillips, MD, MSPH, of The American Board of Family Medicine joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the future of primary care in the US.
There is abundant evidence that sexual minority groups have worse health indicators than sexual majority groups. Gilbert Gonzales, PhD, MHA, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the current policy landscape and its potential impact on the health of LGBTQ+ populations.
Both sex- and gender-based factors influence the health of women. A fully realized population health agenda needs to center women’s health as an area of conceptual and pragmatic focus. Rosa M Gonzalez-Guarda, PhD, MPH, RN, joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss women’s health, inequities, and how women’s many and different identities shape their health.
About 1 in 5 adults in the US live with a mental health condition. In 2023, approximately 32% of US adults reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Ruth Shim, MD, MPH, of the University of California, Davis, joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss how national policy can better support mental health in the US.
The second Trump administration launched several actions in 2025 that directly affect the health of populations. Sara Bleich, PhD, of Harvard Chan School of Public Health joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the nonhealth policies that may matter most to health and warrant ever-more attention, particularly in a moment of policy turbulence.
The evolution of artificial intelligence technology has outstripped most health policy oversight in the US. Michelle M. Mello, JD, PhD, Professor of Law and Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, discusses this and more with JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH.
The US is an outlier in health system performance, spending more than other peer countries while performing worse. US economist David Cutler, who is the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics at Harvard University, discusses this and more with JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH.
This is the personal website of Sandro Galea. All photos are taken by Sandro Galea.
