A large number of public health podcasts launched during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic attract a large audience today.
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For virologist Maggie Bartlett, PhD, one concern was keeping her awake at night. Just a few years into the COVID-19 pandemic, he worried that the next global outbreak was already taking shape and that too few people were paying attention.
“I was really baffled that we weren’t doing more to prevent the next pandemic, especially when avian influenza was being detected in a new species of mammal,” Bartlett said. The Health of the Nation. “We had many of the same ingredients as SARS-CoV-2, but here in the United States”
While watching “The Trouble with Jon Stewart,” Bartlett heard about executive producer and showrunner Brinda Adhikari and reached out. The two began collaborating on a project focused on the lessons of COVID-19 and how to better prepare for the next crisis.
“One day in November 2024, Brinda called and said, ‘If we want to address this, we have to start a podcast,’” Bartlett said.
That idea led me to “Why should I trust you?” hosted by Bartlett, Adhikari, Mark Abdelmalek, MD, and journalist Tom Johnson. Since launching in January 2025, the podcast has appeared on Apple Podcasts’ “new and featured” list five times and was ranked in the top 5% of podcasts by Buzzsprout.
The series is part of a growing trend in public health. At a time of declining trust in the leadership of public health agencies, some professionals are turning to podcasts to provide accurate, accessible information and rebuild relationships with the public.
Podcasts have gained popularity among listeners and have become a primary source of information. One-third of American adults now get some of their news from podcasts, including nearly two-thirds of young adults and more than 60% of people ages 30 to 49, according to a September Pew Research Center survey.
The format’s conversational style contributes to its appeal, making complex topics easier to follow while fostering a sense of connection, according to Jingwen Zhang, PhD, MA, an APHA member and associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California-Davis. He described the dynamic as a “parasocial relationship,” in which listeners feel like participants in the conversation rather than passive consumers.
Journalist David Wallace-Wells (right) is interviewed during an episode of “Why Should I Trust You?” From left to right are hosts Tom Johnson, Brinda Adhikari and Maggie Bartlett.
Photo courtesy of “Why Should I Trust You?”
Among those taking part in that conversation is Mikhail Varshavski, DO. Better known as “Doctor Mike” on social media, Varshavski released “The Checkup with Doctor Mike” in 2022. The show now has a nearly five-star rating from over 5,000 reviews on Spotify and is among the top 50 health and fitness shows on Apple Podcasts.
“When the podcast market started exploding, I saw there was an appetite for longer, more nuanced conversations,” Varshavski said. The Health of the Nation. “I didn’t see great examples of this in healthcare, and we thought we could fill that gap.”
It aims to reach people who may be misled by health misinformation and engage with an audience that traditional medical messaging often fails to reach. As “scammers” and “snake oil sellers” increasingly profit from misleading and false claims, that mission has become more urgent, Varshavski said.
“It’s hard to grow a podcast by sharing good health advice,” he said. “But sensational guests attract larger audiences and profits. Once that cycle begins, hosts often continue booking misinformed guests and avoid challenging the misinformation.”
Recent polls show a major shift in who Americans trust when it comes to public health. A February survey found that less than two-thirds of Americans trusted information from top federal health agencies and only 43% expressed confidence in agency leaders, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Both Varshavski and Bartlett say reaching broader audiences can mean engaging with controversial voices, even when there are likely to be disagreements. For Varshavski, that approach means trusting the audience to evaluate what they hear.
“My goal is not to convince someone who disagrees with me,” he said. “It’s about asking probing questions and letting the audience decide whether that person is being honest and trustworthy.”
One-third of American adults now get some of their news from podcasts, including nearly two-thirds of young adults.
Photo by SDI Productions, courtesy of iStockphoto
Reaching new audiences is not easy. The sheer number of podcasts can make it difficult to stand out (Spotify alone is home to over 7 million podcast titles) and both hosts and listeners can fall into echo chambers where existing beliefs are reinforced.
Growing up in Nebraska has shaped Bartlett’s approach, prompting her to bring a broader range of voices into the conversation about “Why should I trust you?” – including those she disagrees with.
“This becomes a central topic at scientific conferences on public health,” he said. “Often it’s experts talking to other experts, which has value. But you need to broaden who’s in that tent to make sure it’s clear what we’re doing in public health and how that reaches people.”
Bartlett and Varshavski are part of a broader wave of public health voices turning to podcasting to open that tent.
Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, content strategist in public health communications, launched “Public Health on Call” from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a co-host in March 2020. Originally focused on COVID-19, the podcast has shifted to a variety of public health topics, attracting a wide audience.
“People listen to podcasts while they’re doing other things…while they’re making dinner, while they’re traveling, while they’re exercising,” Rogers said. The Health of the Nation. “Not only are you reaching a lot of people, but you’re reaching them in a unique way where you know they spend a lot of time with you… that builds relationships and builds trust.”
Early episodes garnered up to 20,000 downloads each, with many listeners tuning in from outside the public health community. The goal was to analyze complex issues in a way that would be accessible to a broader audience.
“We’ve tried to provide context for what’s happening and help people understand it,” Rogers said. The Health of the Nation.
In the face of misinformation, podcasters are working to share accurate and accessible news.
Photo courtesy of LaylaBird, iStockphoto
For Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke, who launched “This Podcast Will Kill You” in 2017, the show offered a way to talk about public health and disease education in an accessible way.
“We want every listener to take away something, whether they’re an expert in public health, medicine, or disease ecology, or someone whose last biology class was in high school,” said Welsh, PhD, MS. The Health of the Nation.
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the co-hosts produced more than 20 episodes examining the evolution of the virus. They then addressed current issues that are especially vulnerable to misinformation.
“I hope that what people take away from this is this broad appreciation for the wonder that is public health and medicine and, sometimes, how far we still have to go,” said Allmann Updyke, MD, PhD, MPH. The Health of the Nation.
One of the oldest public health podcasts is “The health of the nation Podcast,” which has been sharing episodes for more than a decade. Originally launched to complement newspaper news, the podcast now shares original public health news reports each month. Recent episodes have focused on AI chatbots and teens, building vaccine confidence among parents in the face of an erosion of trust in science and public health advocacy.
To explore more podcasts, visit The health of the nation directory of public health podcasts at www.thenationshealth.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
