Preview: This week in public hell. With Daskalakis, Rasmussen, and Faust.
Join us TODAY, for a live Q&A on Substack Live at 3 p.m. ET.
Today, Friday, December 19, at 3 p.m. ET, I’ll be joined in the Doctor’s Lounge on Substack Live by Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Dr. Angela Rasmussen to round up the latest in public health news.
We will inform. We will educate. We will vent.
The goal is for this session to be useful, and okay, a little therapeutic.
Topics on the docket include:
Updates on the CDC’s new Hepatitis B vaccine
debaclerecommendations.A discussion of HHS’s newly announced (and unethical) Hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau.
What is going on over at the NIH? We’ll discuss a new Atlantic piece by Katherine J. Wu.
Why are RFK Jr. and the Trump administration not supporting the UN’s efforts on non-communicable diseases?
Other ideas? Please drop them in the Comments section below!
To join us live, click this link (you can watch on any device, including the Substack app).
About Dr. Daskalakis:
Dr. Demetre C. Daskalakis, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized physician and public health leader in infectious diseases and emergency response. He received his BA from Columbia, MD from NYU, and MPH from Harvard, followed by advanced training at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess and Partners Healthcare.
Dr. Daskalakis is currently serving as the Chief Medical Officer of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, a leader in LGBTQ+ health locally and nationally. Prior to this role, he has held major leadership roles at the New York City Department of Health, overseeing HIV, TB, STD, immunization, and laboratory programs, and managing responses to measles, Legionella, and New York City’s initial COVID-19 outbreak. At the CDC, he directed the Division of HIV Prevention and later led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, where he managed strategies for influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and the transition of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine program to commercialization. He played a critical role in national responses to respiratory virus threats and managed high-profile outbreaks including measles and avian influenza, demonstrating trauma-informed leadership during challenging events like the August 2025 CDC shooting.
As Deputy Coordinator of the White House National Mpox Response, Dr. Daskalakis’s innovative approaches led to a dramatic reduction in daily cases. Throughout his career, he has championed health equity, LGBTQ+ health, and evidence-based policy, shaping national and global strategies in HIV prevention and vaccination.
About Dr. Rasmussen
I have a BA from Smith College, slung T cells at an immunotherapy startup for a few years after I graduated, got my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University in 2009 studying rhinovirus, did my postdoc at the University of Washington studying hepatitis C virus, and had faculty positions at UW in the Department of Microbiology, the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and (currently) the University of Saskatchewan studying highly pathogenic emerging viruses like Ebola, bird flu, coronaviruses, and assorted other infectious threats. I have expertise in experimental virology, systems biology and computational methods (AI/machine learning/predictive modeling), One Health (the idea that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked), biosafety, biosecurity, and biodefense research, vaccine and countermeasure development, and public health policy. I’m involved in various editorial or advisory roles for npj Viruses, Cell Reports, and mSphere. I am the co-Editor-in-Chief of Vaccine. My lab is currently supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the US National Science Foundation. Previously, my research was supported by the NIH (NIAID and NIDA), the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
I hope you will contribute questions for us in the Comments section below.
What's up with the attack on Trans Youth healthcare. Shouldn't those decisions be made between a doctor, youth, and parents? Whether I agree with the concept of "Trans Youth" or not, I am neither the doctor or parent of someone else's child. Why should I try to tell them what to do or not do?