Listener's Choice Episode

After serving as a US Army Officer for 14 years and completing 4 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rich has worked as both a defense contractor for Northrop Grumman; as well as an Air Force Federal employee with the US Space Command’s Academic Engagement Enterprise. On November 19, 2022, Rich and his family were at the scene of the Club Q mass shooting, where Rich was credited with helping subdue the gunman. For his efforts he’s received numerous awards such as the 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society's - Citizen Honors Award for Valor; the VFW Life Saving Award for Valor;  and the Veteran of the year National Able Network award. Additionally, Rich works with his wife Jessica to operate their own brewery—Atrevida—in Colorado Springs. Atrevida’s motto is “Diversity, it’s on tap!” and Atrevida strives to demonstrate diversity in everything it does. Atrevida has won multiple awards such as the 2019 Colorado Governor’s Minority Small Business of the Year award. Rich has his BA in Education from SDSU and earned his MBA from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 2021. Above all Rich is committed to serving his family and community. The following conversation includes some discussion of violence and deep personal loss. Please engage with this content in a manner that’s safe to you.

Dr. Wendi Gosliner works to improve population health and nutrition by eliminating health disparities and improving federal food programs. How did SNAP and WIC programs change during the COVID-19 pandemic? How do socioeconomic factors impact access to nutritious foods? What are common misperceptions about nutrition policy in the US? Find out, on this episode of If I Could Change One Thing, the Health Policy Podcast of San Diego State University.

Food insecurity is a major problem in the United States. How do public institutions such as food pantries and federal assistance programs relieve or exacerbate this problem? In what ways do food-insecure individuals experience stigma, and how do political-economic ideologies perpetuate that stigma? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Rebecca de Souza, expert on the political-economics on food-access, health, and social wellbeing.

While preventing an overdose death is possible if someone present knows how and when to intervene, there is often little knowledge about overdose first-aid, as well as limited access to the overdose-reversal medication called naloxone. Find out where to learn this live-saving skill, in this episode of If I Could Change One Thing, the Health Policy Podcast of the School of Public Health at San Diego State University.

Healthy communication between parents and adolescents is important for the well-being of young people, yet there is a shortage of research on ways to improve parental communication. In this episode, we ask Dr. Katrina Pariera--expert on sexual communication and family or interpersonal communication--about strategies for improving communication and ways to address this important Public Health topic.

One of the pioneering Public Health policy makers during his 40 years in the US Congress, Henry Waxman shares his insights as to how to get big policy changes enacted.  Learn about  important actions such as the Affordable Care Act and taking on Big Tobacco in this special episode.

Sleep deprivation affects performance in all aspects of life, including academics; operating cars, airplanes, and trains; in medical settings; in the workplace; and in athletics to name a few. How exactly does sleep deprivation affect our mental, emotional, and physical health? What is good sleep hygiene and how can we practice it in our own lives? What policy changes should be made on a societal level to promote proper sleep? In this episode, we discuss these sleep-related issues and more.

We have come a long way in the COVID pandemic, and we’ve certainly learned from it. How can we apply this new knowledge to the next pandemic in order to reduce morbidity and mortality? SDSU School of Public Health researchers discuss the Communities Fighting COVID studies and projects, and explain how they are working to increase access to testing, treatment and vaccines. What if we could decrease regulations and oversight around testing in this country?

How can we reduce preventable deaths on a population level? What are health outcomes research, precision population health, and big data; and how can we utilize these to improve the public's health? What do we hope to learn from the Yale Paxlovid for Long COVID Trial, and how will the finidngs improve patients' lives in real-time? How much of a problem is health misinformation and what can we do to reduce it? We discuss these topics and more with Dr. Harlan Krumholz, Professor and Director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation (CORE).

Could more lives have been saved in Uvalde? Emergency medical response and planning can benefit from the visual forensic reporting of the Uvalde mass shooting by the Washington Post team. We explore how this tool can provide information for evidence-based policymaking.