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Wellness isn’t just about mindfulness, exercise, or the right skin routine. Science, politics, media, culture, tech — everything around us — interact to shape our health. On America Dissected, Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Katelyn Jetelina cuts into what really makes us sick — be it racism, corporate greed, or snake oil influencers — and what it'll take to heal it. From for-profit healthcare to ineffective sunscreens, America Dissected cuts deeper into the state of health in America. New episodes every Thursday. Want to know where to start? Here are some fan-favorite episodes to search: Cannabis Capitalism with David Jernigan; Weight Weight Don’t Tell me with Harriett Brown; Black Scientists Matter with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

America Dissected

To close out this season of the pod, Abdul and Katelyn record from the American Public Health Association’s annual convention. They discuss the current public health landscape, as the government shutdown threatens SNAP and WIC funding. Then, they are joined by Dr. Peter Marks, the former director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. They discuss the future of public health, and the road ahead.

America Dissected is taking an indefinite pause. We thank you for six amazing years. 

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now also available in Canada.ExpressVPN: Secure your online data today by visiting ExpressVPN.com/Dissected to find out how you can get up to four extra months FREE.

Where We Go From Here

In our penultimate episode, Abdul and Katelyn discuss the week’s public health news, which includes:

 Why Democrats are demanding Republicans extend healthcare subsidies

 How the shutdown has impacted funding to public health programs

 The new childhood vaccination schedule

 The CDC’s official approval of the Covid booster

Then they look back on the last 6 years, and play some of Abdul’s favorite moments from American Dissected.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

APHA: Listeners of this podcast get a 10% discount for the 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo using code: Dissected25.

Put Up Or Shutdown

Abdul and Katelyn discuss the latest news in public health, which includes:

 Trump’s $100,000 H1-B visa fee, which is could significantly hurt staffing in rural hospitals

 A new 100% tariff on certain imported brand-name drugs

 RFK Jr’s announcement that the FDA is re-evaluating the abortion medication mifepristone

 A new scientific breakthrough that’s giving hope to people with Huntington’s Disease

Then Abdul sits down with Dr. Aziz Rahman, an American physician who recently completed a medical mission in Gaza. Dr. Rahman offers a gripping account of the devastation in Gaza, and the heroic efforts of doctors serving there.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Boll & Branch: For a limited time get 20% off your first set of sheets plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/AD.

Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

APHA: Listeners of this podcast get a 10% discount for the 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo using code: Dissected25.

On The Ground In Gaza

Abdul begins the show with a major announcement about America Dissected. Then, he and Katelyn discuss:

 
RFK Jr’s Autism report, which points to an unproven link between autism and acetaminophen

 
Last week’s ACIP meeting, where RFK Jr’s new appointees approved new recommendations on the Covid booster and MMRV vaccines

 
The end of the Covid summer wave, and how it compared to last year

Then Abdul sits down with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who recently resigned in protest from the FDA. They discuss the chaos at the agency and the future of public health under RFK Jr.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Matter. Science Works.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code DISSECTED at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DISSECTED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/dissected

APHA: Listeners of this podcast get a 10% discount for the 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo using code: Dissected25.

Tylenol Needs A Tylenol

Abdul and Katelyn discuss the week in public health, which includes:

 Former CDC Director Susan Monarez’s Senate testimony, where she revealed a series of bombshell revelations about the chaos in the department

 This week's ACIP meeting, and how it might affect access to the Hepatitis B vaccine

 The good news that private insurers will be covering the cost of vaccines as normal

 The Trump Administration’s move to clamp down on pharmaceutical ads

Then Abdul sits down with Dr. Annette Campbell-Anderson, Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, to discuss why more schools across the country are implementing cell phone bans.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DISSECTED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/dissected

NPR Life Kit: Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.

ExpressVPN: Secure your online data today by visiting ExpressVPN.com/Dissected to find out how you can get up to four extra months FREE.

What Really Happened at the CDC

Abdul and Katelyn discuss the week in public health, which includes:

 RFK Jr’s MAHA Report, and why it fails to deliver meaningful change

 The leaked report that revealed RFK Jr will tie Tylenol use to autism

 The firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, and the mass resignations that followed

 RFK Jr’s Senate testimony, which included a grilling from top Republicans

Then Abdul talks to Natalie Foster, president of the Economic Security Project, about the power of guaranteed income in health outcomes.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

APHA: Listeners of this podcast get a 10% discount for the 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo using code: Dissected25.

Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DISSECTED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/dissected

About That MAHA Report…

Abdul and Katelyn discuss another inundating week in public health, which includes:

 The sudden departure of the CDC Director, Susan Monarez, just weeks after her confirmation

 The resignations of three other top leaders at HHS

 FDA’s approval of the fall Covid booster, which limits the vaccine to seniors and people at high risk, as well as new alternative recommendations from major medical organizations

 A Supreme Court ruling that puts a new legal wrinkle in the fight to restore NIH grants

 The rise of radioactive shrimp and flying flesh-eating maggots

Then as we look ahead to Labor Day, Abdul sits down with Dr. Taylor Walker, the president of the largest labor union representing physicians. We are dark next week for the holiday.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DISSECTED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/dissected

OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code DISSECTED at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Exodus at the CDC

Abdul and Katelyn are energized by the first meeting of the Vaccine Integrity Project, which was founded to serve as an alternative to RFK Jr’s ACIP. They also discuss:

 
A new letter to Congress, signed by more than 700 CDC employees, which calls HHS Secretary Kennedy complicit in endangering the nation's health and the recent shooting at the CDC headquarters

 
The fallout from a draft report on childhood chronic disease, which suggests RFK Jr is folding on his promise to ban agricultural pesticides

 
The future of vaccines in the US without mRNA research, following RFK Jr’s decision to cut $500 million in research grants

Then, Abdul sits down with Dr. Michael Osterholm, a founding member of the Vaccine Integrity Project Steering Committee, to discuss the goals, processes and future of the organization.

To read and/or add your name to the CDC’s letter to Congress, click here.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Matter. Science Works.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

NPR Life Kit: Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.

Public Health Punched Back

Abdul and Katelyn condemn the violence at the CDC headquarters last week, and the startlingly weak response from lawmakers. Then they unpack Trump’s newest executive order, which seeks to give his own appointees the power to approve federal grants. They also discuss the future of the FDA as Vinay Prasad makes his return, following his resignation last month.

Then Abdul talks to Sherrell Byrd, founder of SOWEGA Rising, which has organized in rural Georgia to bring fresh produce to rural communities that lack grocery stores. They discuss the health implications of food deserts, and how food justice can change lives.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

Quince: Go to Quince.com/AD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Bullets at CDC

Abdul unpacks the week in public health, which includes:

 Vinay Prasad’s exit from FDA

 Susan Monarez’s confirmation to lead CDC

 New childhood vaccination data

 The EPA’s move to rollback the endangerment finding

 Why more experts have been ousted from ACIP

Then Abdul interviews professor Dr. Brian Willoughby about his research on porn use among young people, and what parents should know about modern porn content.

Note: We recorded this episode before RFK Jr announced the cancellation of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development. However, Abdul and Katelyn discussed the threat of mRNA research cuts in our May 7 and June 3 episodes. (their May convo begins at 00:11:00 / their June convo begins at 00:16:00)

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts!

New Casualties on RFK Jr’s Chopping Block

As HIV/AIDS ravaged the gay community in the 1980s, the federal government was slow to respond owing to anti-LGBTQ stigma. ACT UP–the “AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power”–sprang up to hold government officials, pharmaceutical companies, and society at large accountable. One offshoot of that movement was Gran Fury, which weaponized art and graphic design in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Abdul speaks with Jack Lowery, author of the “It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful,” about Gran Fury and its legacy.

How AIDS Activists Weaponized Art to Fight a Pandemic with Jack Lowery

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