Contagious Conversations

About Contagious Conversations

Curious about the people who are making the world healthier and safer for us all, and what set them on that path? Get inspired as the CDC Foundation interviews experts who share their unique perspectives on today's toughest health challenges, such as antibiotic resistance, global disease outbreaks, health equality and more.

Publisher

CDC Foundation

Category

health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Feb 2019

Latest episode

3 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Apr 2025

   50. Behind the Plate: Keeping Our Food Safe

   It’s easy to take for granted that the food we eat and the water we drink is safe and healthy.  Several recent high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, however, are a reminder of how critical food safety is. CDC estimates that nearly 48 million Americans contract a foodborne illness each year. Of those, 128,000 people are hospitalized annually, and 3,000 people die. So, who is tasked with keeping our food and water safe? And what happens when a foodborne outbreak does occur? In this episode, we hear from a food epidemiologist with Minnesota’s department of public health about how foodborne outbreaks are investigated and a personal story from someone who got sick from a foodborne illness. Join us! For more information and full episode transcripts, visit cdcfoundation.org/conversations. Episode Quotes “It's really a team sport, solving these outbreaks. And if you take out any piece of that team, you're not going to get to the answer.” -     —Joshua Rounds, MPH, senior epidemiologist in Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit “I was incredibly impressed with the level of care and the systems that were in place to obviously solve the mystery, beginning with the hospital who made the report and the sending off my samples and so forth. I didn't realize that was happening behind the scenes.” -    —Cindy Ligon, artist Episode Credits Claire Stinson: Host Maya Kroth: Producer David Snyder: Editor Emily Bucherati: Graphics and web design Erin Norvell: Social media Katie Johnstone: Social media Thanks to Our Guests Joshua Rounds, MPH, senior epidemiologist in Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit Cindy Ligon, artist Join the conversation on social: Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn View on Twitter View on Instagram

2. 

   16 Dec 2024

   49. On the Case with a Disease Detective

   Disease detectives Julia Petras, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, and Dr. Eric Pevzner share the tenacious investigation that solved a mysterious North American bacteria outbreak, highlighting the power of boots-on-the-ground detective work.

3. 

   28 Aug 2024

   48. The Costs of Getting Sick

   Have you ever asked yourself what routine auto repairs can teach us about how we think of our investment in public health? Listen in on our latest Contagious Conversations podcast as host Claire Stinson uncovers the answers and details how quick action quashed a recent outbreak of an illness long considered to be eliminated in the United States. In this episode, “The Costs of Getting Sick,” we explore the overlap between public health and the health of our economy with guests Dr. Dan Filardo of CDC, Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Dr. Alexander Sloboda of the Chicago Department of Public Health. Join us! Episode Quotes “Obviously, the rash, the fever, cough, red, itchy eyes, runny nose are the symptoms commonly you get with measles, but it can also be very dangerous, and it can be deadly sometimes.” — Dr. Alexander Sloboda, Medical Director of Immunization and Emergency Preparedness Programs, Chicago Department of Public Health “Because this case was in a large congregate setting, we were really in communication with Chicago right off the bat, anticipating that there might be an outbreak.” — Dr. Dan Filardo, a medical officer with CDC’s measles team “You have outbreaks in schools with these vaccine-preventable diseases, you interrupt education substantially. Now, what's the cost of that? What does that mean? What happens when kids fall behind? What happens when the teachers can't teach? And, unfortunately, we don't have a lot of these things qualified or quantified in terms of what they really mean, economically.” — Dr. Michael Osterholm, author and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Thanks to Our Guests Dr. Dan Filardo, a medical officer with the measles team at CDC Dr. Alexander Sloboda of the Chicago Department of Public Health Dr. Michael Osterholm, author and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy For more information and full episode transcripts, go to Contagious Conversations.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

130,609

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

67 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

69

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.