Over 70% of Indigenous people in the United States live in urban areas. But urban Indian health makes up less than 2% of the Indian Health Service’s annual budget.While enrolled members of federally recognized tribes can access the Indian Health Service or tribally run health care on their reservations, Indigenous people who live in cities can find themselves without access to the care they're entitled to.“Even though we're living in urban areas now, that doesn't mean that our benefits should leave us,” said Esther Lucero, president and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board.The Seattle Indian Health Board is one of many urban clinics across the United States that opened to address the discrimination and lack of services Indigenous people face in cities. These clinics work to meet the cultural and ceremonial needs of the populations they serve.“We are much more than a community health center or place that provides direct service. We are a home away from home,” Lucero said.Episode 12 explores the barriers Indigenous people face to accessing quality health care in cities and the efforts of urban Indian clinics to meet the needs of this population.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode:Esther Lucero, president and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board Dr. Patrick Rock, CEO of the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis Douglas Miller, an associate professor of Native American History at Oklahoma State UniversityRichard Wright, a spiritual health adviser with the Indian Health Board of MinneapolisSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.To hear all KHN podcasts, click here.

Lanor Curole is a member of the United Houma Nation. She grew up in Golden Meadow, a small bayou town in Southern Louisiana. The impacts of repetitive flooding in the area forced her to move farther north.Louisiana’s coastal wetlands lose about 16 square miles of land each year. This land loss, pollution from the 2010 BP oil spill, and lingering devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Ida are pushing many Houma people out of their homes.Since 1985, the United Houma Nation has been seeking federal tribal recognition status. Without this status, the tribe has fewer resources to respond to the climate crisis.“Our people are on that front line, but we don't have a seat at that table,” Curole said.Gaining federal recognition would grant the Houma access to the Indian Health Service and would allow the tribe to work directly with federal agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency when storms strike.“It's not like Willy Wonka’s ‘golden ticket’ … but I think it does open some additional doors that are definitely closed to us right now,” Curole said.Episode 11 explores the Houma people’s efforts to preserve culture in the face of the climate crisis.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the episode:Lanor Curole, Houma tribal administratorThomas Dardar Jr., former chief of the United Houma NationShanondora Billiot, assistant professor of social work at Arizona State UniversityDaniel Lewerenz, assistant professor at the University of North Dakota School of LawSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.  Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

Mending broken trust may be a first step for investigators who want to increase the participation of Native people in medical research. “There's such a history of extractive research in Indigenous communities, such that ‘research’ and ‘science’ are sometimes dirty words,” said Navajo geneticist and bioethicist Krystal Tsosie.Poor communication and a lack of transparency are among the missteps that have eroded the trust Indigenous communities have in medical research. And that mistrust has contributed to the underrepresentation of Native people in clinical trials. In 2018, Tsosie co-founded the Native BioData Consortium, a research institute led by Indigenous scientists. The consortium is working to improve health equity by actively engaging community members in the research process. When the group collects biological samples from Native tribes, they are stored on sovereign Native American land and made accessible only to researchers who are prioritizing Indigenous health needs. “The benefits are directly rolled back into the people and their communities without a profit to outside entities,” Tsosie said.Episode 10 explores the history of exploitation of Indigenous communities by outside researchers and some of the health consequences of being left out of medical trials.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Dr. Dakotah Lane – Executive medical director of the Lummi Tribal Health ClinicKrystal Tsosie — Twitter – Co-founder and ethics and policy director for the Native BioData ConsortiumSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.To hear all KHN podcasts, click here.

Correction: This episode was updated on July 27, 2022, to accurately characterize Dr. Charles Eastman’s academic milestone.In 1890, Dr. Charles Eastman became one of the first Native people to graduate from medical school in the United States. Today, one of his descendants, Victor Lopez-Carmen, is a third-year student at Harvard Medical School. He described feeling isolated there.“I did feel alone. There wasn't any Native person around me I could turn to,” said Lopez-Carmen.Less than 1% of medical students in the United States identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. That’s according to a 2018 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of American Indian Physicians. Lopez-Carmen is working to change that. In 2021, he co-founded the Ohiyesa Premedical Program, which provides mentorship and support to Native American students as they navigate the medical school application process.While Lopez-Carmen is mentoring future medical students in Boston, in Oklahoma, Ashton Glover Gatewood has found community at the first medical school in the United States affiliated with a Native tribe. Gatewood attends Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation. “I told my husband about it, and he said, ‘That sounds like they're building you a medical school. You have to go,’" Gatewood said.  She’s noticed a “momentum” in medical training that she said could one day lessen the health care disparities Indigenous people experience. Episode 9 explores the barriers Indigenous people face to becoming physicians and includes the stories of two medical students working to join the ranks of Indigenous health care workers in the U.S.  Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Victor Lopez-Carmen — Twitter — Student at Harvard Medical SchoolMary Owen – Director, Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota; President, Association of American Indian PhysiciansAshton Glover Gatewood — Twitter, Instagram — Student at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee NationSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.To hear all KHN podcasts, click here.Listen and follow “American Diagnosis” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or Stitcher.

Abby Abinanti is chief judge of the Yurok Tribal Court and a member of the tribe. While previously working in the California court system, she was discouraged and angered by the number of cases in which Indigenous families were separated or tribal members were removed from their communities because of nontribal foster care placements or incarceration. The Prison Policy Initiative, a research and advocacy organization, found that Native people are overrepresented in jails in the United States.Abinanti said the Yurok Tribal Court is helping to address these disparities. The court is one of roughly 400 operated by federally recognized tribes in the United States. These courts reflect the values of their communities, and Abinanti said for the Yurok that means prioritizing restoration over punishment.“I don't think any human being is disposable,” she said. “Our system is designed to help you return to the community and be an asset in the community.” Episode 8 explores the intergenerational impact of historical traumas on the Yurok people and a local tribal court’s work to meet community needs.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Abby Abinanti –Chief judge, Yurok Tribal CourtUrsula Running Bear  – Assistant professor of public health at the University of North DakotaBlythe George – Assistant professor of sociology at University of California-MercedSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.To hear all KHN podcasts, click here.Listen and follow “American Diagnosis” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or Stitcher.

Rachael Lorenzo works to address reproductive health disparities in Native communities. In 2018, they founded Indigenous Women Rising, a fund that provides financial help for Native people seeking an abortion. Historically, the federal government has restricted Native people’s reproductive autonomy. Between 1973 and 1976, more than 3,500 Native people were sterilized without their consent.Today, the chronic underfunding of the Indian Health Service (IHS) and remote location of many reservations create barriers for Native people to access testing for sexually transmitted infections, prenatal care, and contraception. Lorenzo is determined to fight for their community.“My people deserve accessible health care, and I will make it happen no matter what, because this is our land,” they said.Episode 7 explores efforts to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care in the face of historical and contemporary efforts of the government to control Native people’s fertility.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode:Rachael Lorenzo — Twitter – Co- Founder, Indigenous Women Rising (Twitter, Instagram)Sarah Deer — Twitter – Distinguished Professor at the University of KansasSunny Clifford, Reproductive Rights Advocate Elizabeth Rink, Professor of Community Health at Montana State UniversitySeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

In 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Zoel Zohnnie was feeling restless. Growing up on the Navajo Nation, he said, the importance of caring for family and community was instilled at an early age. So Zohnnie wanted to find a way to help members of his tribe. One need in particular stood out: water.American Indian and Alaska Native households are 3.7 times more likely to lack complete plumbing compared with households whose members do not identify as Indigenous or Black, according to a 2019 mapping report on plumbing poverty in the United States. “Climate change and excessive water use is exacerbating these struggles,” explained George McGraw, CEO of DigDeep. “Much of the western United States has been in severe drought for years. Many rivers and wells on or near the Navajo land have dried up. As groundwater recedes, people are forced to seek water from unsafe sources.”To answer that need, Zohnnie began hauling water to people who were without, and he founded Water Warriors United. In this episode, listeners come along for the ride as he ― and his truck ― make one herculean trek across snow-covered roads in New Mexico.  Episode 6 is an exploration of the root causes behind the Navajo Nation’s water accessibility challenges and a story about the water rights that some communities have effectively lost.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Dr. Ernestine Chaco, emergency medicine physician and lawyer — TwitterBrianna Johnson, community health representative with the Naschitti Chapter, Navajo NationGeorge McGraw, CEO of DigDeep — LinkedIn, Instagram, TwitterJeanette Wolfley, assistant professor of law at the University of New Mexico — LinkedInZoel Zohnnie, founder of Collective Medicine and actor — TikTokSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.  Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

Editor’s Note: This episode includes descriptions of violence that some might find disturbing. Intimate partner violence, also known as domestic violence, can take the form of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, help is available.   StrongHearts Native Helpline provides culturally appropriate support and advocacy for Indigenous women. Call 1-844-7-NATIVE or text the corresponding number: 1-844-762-8483.  National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233.  —  Mary Kathryn Nagle is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, an attorney, a playwright ― and an advocate working to increase protections for Native women in the U.S. justice system.   Not long after the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, was reauthorized in 2013, she sat with fellow activist Lisa Brunner to talk about a new play Nagle was working on in response to the ruling.   Brunner said she told the playwright that VAWA is just a “sliver of a full moon” of the protection Native women need.  The metaphor resonated with Nagle, and “Sliver of a Full Moon” would become the title of her play. It shares the stories of Native survivors of domestic abuse, and exposes the gaps in the justice system that often let non-Native perpetrators commit crime without consequence. Critics say that over decades those gaps became an opportunity for abusers to flourish on Native land.  “Just imagine your own community,” said attorney Alfred Urbina, “where certain people weren't prosecuted or arrested for crimes. If you lived in an area where certain people didn't have to abide by the law, what does that do to a community?”  Urbina is the attorney general for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in southwestern Arizona, one of the first tribes to begin prosecuting non-Native offenders under the VAWA 2013 rules.   Among Native survivors of violence, more than 90% reported they had experienced violence from a perpetrator who was non-Native, according to a survey funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.   The Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized on March 10, 2022, reaffirming tribes’ authority to prosecute non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence and certain other crimes. It expands prosecution power for tribal nations in Maine and Alaska and offers funding to support law enforcement implementation of VAWA.   “It's not the totality of everything that we need. Right?” said Brunner. “But, you know, the full moon is bright. And we're just starting with the moon. I'm after the universe.”  Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the episode:  Lisa Brunner, founding member of the Violence Against Women Task Force, adjunct professor at the White Earth Tribal & Community College — LinkedInMary Kathryn Nagle, playwright, partner at Pipestem Law, specializing in tribal sovereignty of Native nations and peoples, executive director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program — Twitter, InstagramAlfred Urbina, attorney general for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona — TwitterSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.  Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

People living on and near the Navajo Nation have been grappling with the legacy of 40-plus years of uranium mining. According to EPA cleanup reports and congressional hearings, mines were abandoned, radioactive waste was left out in the open, and groundwater was contaminated. This episode is the second half of a two-part series about uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. Part I discusses the history and economic forces that brought mining projects to Indigenous land. It also explores working conditions uranium miners faced, and the response of the federal government when workers exposed to harmful radiation spoke out. Abandoned Mines, Abandoned Health – Part II continues the conversation with former uranium miners. It explores what a coalition of Indigenous leaders and non-Native locals are doing to force the cleanup of hazardous uranium mining sites and seek expanded recognition by the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provides remuneration to former uranium workers harmed by radiation exposure.The push for attention and recognition from Congress was difficult. Along the way, former workers and local residents formed advocacy groups focused on documenting worker health. Former mine worker Phil Harrison was among those who went to Washington, D.C., to push for a cleanup plan.“Seven of us testified,” Harrison recalled, “and, based on that, they gave a directive to federal agencies who said, ‘OK, EPA, BIA [Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs], nuclear regulatory commission. This is what we're going to do.’”Citizens have also served as volunteers helping to shape environmental research on the lasting effects of uranium mining on the land. Today, Indigenous groups say they continue to uncover pollution from the 1979 tailings pond spill near Church Rock, New Mexico. RECA is set to expire in June this year, unless Congress acts. Meanwhile, future uranium mining projects loom as a possibility.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Linda Evers, president of Post 71 Uranium Workers Committee and former uranium mine workerPhil Harrison, president of the Navajo Uranium Radiation Victims Committee and former uranium mine workerLarry King, activist and former uranium mine workerJudy Pasternak, journalist and author of Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People BetrayedBen Ray Luján, Democratic U.S. senator from New MexicoSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

On the morning of July 16, 1979, a dam broke at a uranium mine near Church Rock, New Mexico, releasing 1,100 tons of radioactive waste and pouring 94 million gallons of contaminated water into the Rio Puerco. Toxic substances flowed downstream for nearly 100 miles, according to a report to a congressional committee that year.In the 1970s, uranium mining was a good source of income, leading many Indigenous people and other locals to seek out jobs in the mines and the mills where uranium ore was processed in preparation for making fuel. The work was often grueling, but many young people didn’t have other options to support their families. Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today. It is the first in a two-episode arc of reporting about uranium mining.Working in the mills, people were exposed to a powdery radioactive substance, called yellow cake, that is produced as part of the uranium milling process.Larry King, who is Diné and a former uranium worker, said he worked in his street clothes.“So it was just usually one of my old shirts, my pants. No gloves. No respirator. Nothing. So everybody’s breathing all that dust.”Another former uranium worker, Linda Evers, said she wasn’t told about the dangers associated with uranium exposure.“When we had safety meetings, it was about regular first aid,” she said. “There was no mention of radiation — or any of the side effects from it.”The consequences of radiation exposure can build quietly in the body, over decades and generations. It can cause multiple types of cancer, birth defects, and other ailments.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the episode:Amber Crotty, Navajo Nation Council delegate, Window Rock, Arizona — @KanazbahLinda Evers, president of Post 71 Uranium Workers Committee and former uranium mine workerPhil Harrison, activist and former uranium mine workerLarry King, activist and former uranium mine workerJudy Pasternak, journalist and author of Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People BetrayedEdith Hood, activist and former probe technician for Kerr-McGee Corp.Cipriano Lucero, former uranium mine workerSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

Reagan Wytsalucy was looking for a lost orchard. Martin Reinhardt wanted to know more about and better understand the taste of Indigenous foods before European colonization in North America. They followed different paths, but their goals were similar: to reclaim their food traditions to improve the health and vitality of their communities.Native foodways of hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming have been under threat since the arrival of Europeans. Colonization, forced relocations, and, later, highly processed foods fundamentally reshaped the diet of many Indigenous people. The effects of those changes have rippled through generations. Now, Indigenous people are twice as likely to have diabetes as white Americans, according to a 2017 CDC report.In this episode, we’ll hear how the history of a scorched-earth campaign, and other disruptive policies, altered the landscape of Indigenous foodways and, in return, Indigenous bodies. History and food experts like Wytsalucy and Reinhardt are nurturing Native food traditions.One result: The Southwest peach has become a symbol of resilience. “So it's almost just a way of saying, you know, we're still here as a people. Despite everything that's occurred, we are still here,” said Wytsalucy.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the Episode: Reagan Wytsalucy, Extension Assistant Professor at Agriculture & Natural Resources, Utah State UniversityRoy Talker, Wytsalucy’s father who served as a Navajo translator and assisted with foodways researchMartin Reinhardt, Professor of Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University — on FacebookSeason 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

Travel to the forests outside the Grand Canyon to follow Dr. Sophina Calderon and other Navajo Nation leaders as covid-19 tests the Diné people. Roughly 30% of the homes on the Navajo Nation rely on wood-burning stoves for heat. Many of those households haul wood from nearby forests. That’s what Calderon was doing when she realized the pandemic’s reach wouldn’t stop at the hospital — it was going to create a heating crisis too. This episode explores root causes behind why some citizens of the Navajo Nation lack access to electricity and other infrastructure, and how so-called social determinants of health made the Diné so vulnerable to the first surges of the pandemic.Click here for a transcript of the episode.Voices from the episode:Dr. Sophina Calderón — @calderonsophinaJill Jim, Ph.D. — LinkedInDr. Ernestine Chaco — @Ernestine_ChacoEpisode 1 includes audio of pine siskin birds recorded in Coconino, Arizona, courtesy of contributor Parker Davis via the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML153777441).Season 4 of “American Diagnosis” is a co-production of KHN and Just Human Productions.Our Editorial Advisory Board includes Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Alastair Bitsóí, and Bryan Pollard.

In the years leading up to the pandemic, Dr. Celine Gounder, the host of the American Diagnosis and EPIDEMIC podcasts, had the opportunity to care for patients part-time at several Indian Health Service facilities around the United States. Working on the “rez,” one theme came up over and over: resilience.In this latest season of American Diagnosis, we’re going to share stories of Indigenous people who are taking action to protect the health and wellbeing of their communities in the face of incredible odds and we’ll ask hard questions about why they are confronting so many challenges to their health.Listen to new episodes of American Diagnosis Season 4: Rezilience starting Jan. 18, 2022. Subscribe to American Diagnosis wherever you get you podcasts.

"Science is harmed when scientists don't take into account the bias that comes along with inherently being a human." -Kafui DzirasaAs a result of centuries of discrimination, and lack of access to education and opportunity, African Americans comprise only 5% of active physicians in the United States today.  Former-Surgeon General David Satcher, who was also the first African American to lead the CDC, has been working to improve health equity in the United States since his days as a medical student in the 1960s. In this bonus episode of AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS, we’re going to hear about efforts to improve health equity in America from leaders like Dr. Satcher, former-NIH director Harold Varmus, and Kafui Dzirasa. We’ll see how they are seizing this critical moment for racial justice to improve health outcomes and professional opportunities for people of color in the sciences.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.9B5vrTmdYqXoaHwoEt34

"Nobody really wants to leave their community and I don't blame them because it's our culture and we shouldn't have to move just to have clean air to breathe. That should be God-given right to drink clean water, to breathe clean air.” -Hilton KelleyDuring the modern environmental movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s, landmark legislation was passed in the U.S. to ensure cleaner, safer air and water across the nation. But in recent years it’s been difficult for environmental policies to get through Congress. That leaves activists having to turn their energy away from Washington and instead focus on grassroot movements to create local change.In this bonus episode, we will hear from Ralph Nader, a consumer activist and former presidential candidate, and Hilton Kelley, who is fighting to clean up his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas by empowering the community to demand cleaner air.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.

"As we enter into a time of climate change, one of the things we're realizing is these communities that have been systematically oppressed are now the spaces people with money want to be in because all around us is sinking" - Nicole CrooksIn this bonus episode of AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS, we’re going to look at how climate change is impacting the health of people… and their communities in South Florida. We'll hear from a physician working to change the way her colleagues think about how climate impacts health, and we’ll talk to two people working to make sure that residents can keep their homes when developers start looking to higher ground as sea levels rise.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.

"This can't continue to go on and if I have to be the one to take up the mantle, then I'll do that because that's what my daughter would have done." -Wanda IrvingThe United States is the richest country in the world with some of the most advanced medical treatments available anywhere. But you’d never know it if you knew how many mothers die in — and after — childbirth here. The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world and the rate is staggeringly high for women of color, especially Black women. In this special bonus episode about maternal mortality we’re going to hear firsthand how this trend is affecting Black mothers and learn about one possible solution to this deadly disparity.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.

"We used to be a nation where people were one bad gene or one bad traffic accident away from bankruptcy. That's not true anymore." -Jonathan GruberIt's been 10 years since President Barack Obama  signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Some of its most popular provisions included protections for people with pre-existing conditions, allowing children to stay on their family’s health insurance until they turn 26, and expanding prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients. But the law remains controversial. On Nov. 10, 2020, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the latest constitutional challenge to the law. In this bonus episode of American Diagnosis, we look back at the surprising origins of the Affordable Care Act, see why it’s become so controversial, and what the latest legal challenge to the ACA would mean for the millions of Americans who depend on the law for their health insurance. This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.

Transcript“Despite all of those other cues, my white coat, my scrubs, you know, somebody just looked out the window and saw danger. And even the officers who came to talk to me couldn't override their biases that said danger.  And this is not a unique experience at all. I have friends, particularly black men who have trained at some of the best institutions in the country, that not only have these experiences with police, they have these experience with campus police as they're walking around, like going into research labs with their ID badges on. It is like this is a shared experience.”-Kafui Dzirasa, M.D., Ph.D.Today on "Epidemic," we will be hearing a bonus episode from our sister podcast, "American Diagnosis" about some of the issues around race and racism in medicine. In this episode, Dr. Celine Gounder speaks with Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, a psychiatrist and NIH-funded brain researcher at Duke University, about his journey climbing to the heights of biomedical research in the United States as a first-generation immigrant and a black man. We’ll hear how the legacy of slavery continues in science and medicine, Kaf’s advice on finding mentors, and how he’s handling the pandemic as a scientist and an African American.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #BlackInTheIvory

EPIDEMIC is a new, weekly podcast on the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19). Hear from some of the world’s leading infectious disease and public health experts. We’ll help you understand the latest science, the bigger context, and bring you diverse angles—from history and anthropology to politics and economics—depth and texture you won’t get elsewhere.Hosted by Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist who has worked on tuberculosis and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, and was an Ebola worker during the West African epidemic. And co-hosted by Ron Klain, the U.S. Ebola czar from 2014 to 2015.As we transition from regional epidemics to a full-on pandemic, we’re likely to see coronavirus spread here in the U.S. There are things we can do to prepare, to care for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Tweet your questions to @celinegounder and @ronaldklain. We’ll answer a couple on the show each week.#SARS-CoV-2 #COVID19 #coronavirus