Who the Health Cares? with Prof Michael Sparer

About Who the Health Cares? with Prof Michael Sparer

America has 3,300 local health departments. They are the backbone of our public health system, yet they are agencies most of us never think about. Until there's a crisis. They respond to disease outbreaks, inspect restaurants, ensure safe drinking water, and coordinate emergency responses. Yet their work remains invisible, their budgets are perpetually squeezed, and their authority is increasingly questioned. Host Michael Sparer traces how we built this fragmented public health infrastructure, from Constitutional debates to 1866 garbage collection to today's vaccine controversies. He examines why healthcare spending dwarfs public health investment, why public health agencies vary so dramatically from community to community, and why understanding this system matters for everyone. This isn't partisan politics. It's about the public health infrastructure that protects us every day. Who the health cares? We all should.

Publisher

Center for Public Health Systems

Category

government · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Nov 2025

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

11 of 12 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Why Public Health Is Inescapably Political With Professor Larry Brown

   Host Professor Michael Sparer interviews Professor Larry Brown about how public health is inherently political, exploring rebuilding trust and navigating future challenges.

2. 

   13 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Former CDC Director Mandy Cohen on the Politics of Public Health

   Professor Michael Sparer interviews former CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen about navigating public health politics and fostering collaboration across sectors.

3. 

   2 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Public Health, Politics, and Money: Lessons from Kentucky and Indiana

   Professor Michael Sparer and guest host Rebecca Sale discuss how politics and relationships, not just budgets, shape public health funding in Kentucky and Indiana, revealing lessons for sustainable systems.

4. 

   19 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Former Health Secretary Umair Shah on AI, MAHA and Leadership Lessons

   Professor Michael Sparer interviews former Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah about navigating AI, workforce challenges, and leadership lessons in public health.

5. 

   5 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How Decisions Get Made During Public Health Disasters

   Professor Michael Sparer interviews Mitch Stripling, Director of the New York City Preparedness and Recovery Institute, about how public health decisions are made during disasters and what COVID-19 revealed about our systems.

6. 

   21 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Public Health, Lost in Translation

   Professor Michael Sparer interviews Chelsea Cipriano, Managing Director of the Common Health Coalition, about rebuilding trust in public health through clear storytelling and sustainable funding.

7. 

   7 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Public Health Finds a New Beat

   Professor Michael Sparer interviews Dr. Jide Williams about using music and storytelling to improve public health messaging and rebuild community trust.

8. 

   26 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Hidden Cost of Cutting Medicaid

   Professor Michael Sparer and Rebecca Sale explore Medicaid's evolution and the potential negative impacts of upcoming policy changes on public health.

9. 

   17 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Ep3-Who Knew? What Health Departments Do

   Professor Michael Sparer explores the diverse roles and responsibilities of public health departments, revealing how they address foundational services, clinical care, social determinants, and health strategy.

10. 

    17 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Ep2-Five Trillion on Medical Care, Pennies on Public Health

    Professor Michael Sparer explores why medical care receives vast funding while public health remains under-resourced, revealing historical and societal biases in this interview.

11. 

    17 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Ep1-Jefferson, Hamilton, and Your Local Health Department

    Professor Michael Sparer explores how early sanitation efforts shaped the nation's public health system, revealing why local health departments remain crucial today.

12. 

    1 Nov 2025

    Welcome to Who the Health Cares?

    Professor Michael Sparer from Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health interviews guests about the fragmented US public health system and its critical role in community well-being.

Inside a recent episode

Why Public Health Is Inescapably Political With Professor Larry Brown

Published 27 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] We can tell them descriptively and otherwise how the world works out there, what are the disparities and what are the numbers of people covered and where we stand in terms of health care outcomes and all that stuff, and that's useful to have. Secondly, we can give them explanations and interpretations. We can instill in them how the world works with respect to health care and broaden their knowledge and deepen their knowledge. We can also try to get them to understand why health care systems work the way they do. And you bring different perspectives to bear. That's where sociology, economics, political science, history, et cetera, et cetera, law, you can bring those perspectives to bear and that will enrich their thinking. […]

Who has been a guest on Who the Health Cares? with Prof Michael Sparer

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Larry Brown
• Mandy Cohen
• Umair Shah
• Mitch Stripling
• Chelsea Cipriano

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

32 ratings

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