This week, I embark on a contemplative journey, sharing a unique perspective on patriotism that transcends conventional allegiance to country. Born in Mexico and residing in the United States, I dive into the complex relationship between patrio

Politics and Public Health

Jan 27th, 2024 8m 25s

In this episode, I share my thoughts following a conversation with fellow public health professionals. I talk about the challenges we face in urban public health, the relationship between socio-economic factors and crime, and the complexities s

My Chat With ChatGPT

Jan 20th, 2024 9m 8s

I'm an early adopter of technology, even the more controversial technology. I don't know why ChatGPT has awakened so many fears because it is clear to me that it is just another tool for us humans to use for good or evil. In this episode, I tal

I Like Flying, Except When I Don't

Jan 6th, 2024 6m 15s

You might not know that I am a big fan of aviation. But I'm also one who gets nervous in planes with turbulence. Go figure.

Back From The Sickness

Nov 26th, 2023 4m 16s

A quick 5-minute update about my recent illness, and how -- yet again -- I am promising to keep up this podcast.

Catching up with you on August 13

Aug 13th, 2023 4m 45s

Just a quick, five minute episode to get you caught up. I’ll do better next time. Promise.

I Don't Believe in Stuff Because I Know Stuff

Dec 13th, 2022 8m 27s

My parents made sure I knew stuff, so I wouldn't fall for stuff. Scammers have to work hard to get me, and they hate that. I can see through the web of lies of antivaxxers and people who try to sell me Supplements or Complementary and Alternati

We Need to Stand Up and Defend LGBTQ+ Rights

Oct 22nd, 2022 23m 12s

Experiences in high school led me to understand how LGBTQ+ people needed me to stand with them, defend them, and, most of all, love them. And now, we in public health need to stand up against policies from governments who are looking to hurt tr

A Walk On The C&O Trail

Oct 16th, 2022 17m 41s

I went for a walk to clear my head and start thinking of things to do for next week. Here are some of my thoughts.

That Time I Was The Greyhound And She Was The Rabbit

Oct 14th, 2021 7m 37s

After a bad breakup twenty years ago, I decided to take up running. I met some women and even went on dates because of running. But there was this one race where I made a fool of myself just in time to avoid being labeled a criminal.

It’s okay to listen to a podcast and cry

Oct 8th, 2021 11m 33s

My culture is kind of weird. We’re not allowed to do the things our bodies and minds ask of us, like crying. If you cry, you’re apparently not a man, or you’re less of a man. Of course, that is not the case. You need to be who you are, and who

Let’s Talk About Walking Away From Arguing

Jan 12th, 2021 9m 31s

When I was younger, getting into internet arguments was kind of fun, even when said arguments were not productive or had the possibility of becoming violent. As I’ve aged, one of the best things I’ve learned has been to know when to walk away f

Let's Talk About Religiosity

Dec 31st, 2020 15m 56s

I'm a scientist, so I get a lot of questions about my religion. Like others have said, many of those questions are more in order to pass judgment or to identify with me than to really get to know me. That's okay. It's how humans work.This year

Let's Talk About How We Justify Our Actions in This Pandemic

Dec 19th, 2020 9m 2s

Have you ever wondered why infectious diseases are a thing? I mean, why do people keep giving things like gonorrhea or HIV to each other? Why do we get colds? The reason here is that viruses and bacteria that cause disease have figured out that

Let's Talk About Faith With a Lowercase F

Dec 10th, 2020 12m 43s

Do you take apart your car engine and make sure that it is functioning at 100% before you take a drive? Do you check and double-check to make sure that your airplane pilot went to the proper school, knows what to do in an emergency and doesn't

A Long Walk in the Woods in the Middle of a Pandemic

Apr 22nd, 2020 6m 24s

I finally worked out a schedule whereby I can get more days off and get some rest before long hauls of long days fighting the pandemic. So I went for a long walk and thought about our mortality. Fun stuff... Creatives out there, listen and than

A Call from the Pandemic to Protect Our Source of Knowledge and Wisdom

Apr 4th, 2020 8m 14s

In which I tell you why it’s hurtful to say it’s okay for older folks to die during the pandemic. When they do, we lose knowledge. We lose wisdom. We lose valuable lessons that we could use right now to deal with all this. Don’t be okay with ol

Epidemiological Podcast S0E3: Hi, I’m a Doctor

Jul 5th, 2018 9m 18s

A quick 9-minute story of last Wednesday, the day I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation. It was quite a "day of days," and it ended very well. It brought together five years of hard work. So what's next? Listen to find out!

Epidemiological Podcast S0E2: The Weight of the Evidence

Jul 12th, 2017 33m 46s

On today's podcast, I talk to you about a recent tragedy in our family and how it helped me understand anti-vaccine parents a little more. Not completely, but just enough to realize that there is very little in the way of a debate that one can

Epidemiological Podcast S0E1: The Perfect Epidemiological Surveillance System

Jul 2nd, 2017 14m 50s

Today, I thought I'd share with you a 15-minute presentation I gave in Mexico City last about two weeks ago. It was on a paper I wrote based off a previous blog post. I talk about what I imagine to be the perfect system for keeping track of the

Talking Tuesday on a Friday: June Update!

Jun 2nd, 2017 7m 43s

A few minutes where I catch you up on the craziness around me. Nothing bad, mostly good... Thanks for your time. Hope you enjoy it.

Podcast: October 2016 Update

Oct 5th, 2016 12m 11s

Yeah, yeah… It’s been a while. I missed you too. Here’s 12 minutes of me catching you up on what happened this summer with dad getting cancer, me picking up cycling and swimming, and taking some exams. Also, there is something about Puerto Rico

Talking Tuesday: Spanish Interview on Flu Edition

May 24th, 2016 28m 46s

Back in 2010, right before the flu season started, the bosses at the health department allowed me to do an interview with an AM radio station out of Washington, DC. The interviewer was awesome, and she really did a good job of asking pertinent

Talking Tuesday: Catch-Up Edition

May 17th, 2016 12m

The best kinds of friends are those who you can lose contact with for months and then catch-up with quickly over some coffee or hot tea or hot chocolate... Or a beer. In this episode, I try to catch-up with you after being gone a while.

Talking Tuesday, On A Saturday, In A Blizzard

Jan 23rd, 2016 30m 8s

What else was I going to do while I waited out the great Northeast Blizzard of 2016 but do a podcast? And what is a better way to do it than to invite a couple of friends to chat with? I used a new app called ZCast to record a chat with Briana