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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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.
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