Humans in Public Health

In this special commencement-season episode of Humans in Public Health, host Megan Hall welcomes Campbell Loi and Graham Huntington, two freshly minted graduates of Brown University’s intensive 5-year combined undergraduate/MPH program.As they transition from the classroom to professional practice in 2026, they reflect on the academic experiences and practical training that have shaped their careers — including Graham's background as an EMT— and that have shaped their commitment to global health.

What happens when private equity firms buy hospitals and doctor’s offices? In this episode of Humans in Public Health, host Megan Hall sits down with health care economist Yashaswini Singh to unpack how private equity is reshaping the American health care system—often behind the scenes. From rising costs to shifting priorities in patient care, Singh explains why the recent collapse of Steward Health Care is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you’ve heard the term “private equity” or not, this conversation will change the way you think about your next doctor’s visit.

They’re not just in your nail polish. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are everywhere—in our homes, clothing, the personal care products we use, and in our bodies. Postdoctoral researcher Amber Hall explains the dangers PFAS pose, especially to developing humans, and helps us learn how to avoid them. The burden of protecting our children’s health from toxic chemicals, she argues in the latest episode of Humans in Public Health, shouldn’t be borne by individuals. Regulation, Hall says, is needed to push through product-level change and protect the public’s health.Sound Effects in this episode from Freesound.org, courtesy of: TRPAtks_IngeosDeVernMentioned in this episode:Tell someone you know!And one last thing! If you enjoyed today’s episode, text a friend and let them know about the show.

Professor Alyssa Bilinski set out to answer a seemingly simple question: how often are pregnant people included in medical trials? Finding the answer, however, was anything but simple. With 90,000 records to analyze, she turned to AI for help—but ensuring the accuracy of the results required a creative approach. Discover how Bilinski tested and refined AI algorithms to deliver reliable insights and advance health policy research.Mentioned in this episode:Tell someone you know!And one last thing! If you enjoyed today’s episode, text a friend and let them know about the show.

Picture a coal power plant: a building with tall smoke stacks with big plumes of gasses coming out of them. By now, we know that those gasses aren’t great for our health or the environment. But how bad are they? That’s where Professor Cory Zigler comes in. He worked with a team of researchers to figure out where those gasses go and who they affect. Their approach was so specific, the team could point to a single power plant and say how many people it killed. Explore the ResearchScience: Mortality risk from United States coal electricity generationInteractive Map