In the Bubble: From the Frontlines

Dr. Bob calls up AIDS researcher Carlos del Rio and longtime AIDS activist Gregg Gonsalves to explore what the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the ‘80s and ‘90s can teach us about COVID-19 today. They discuss the politicization of both viruses, how the role of activism compares, and how the 30-plus-year quest for an HIV vaccine helped advance the COVID-19 vaccines. Plus, what HIV/AIDS can show us about what it means to return to “normal.”

Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for The New York Times, joins Dr. Bob to close out our three-part series marking one year of the pandemic. They discuss how journalism had to adapt to cover COVID-19, what she’s hearing from experts about a possible fourth wave, and what lessons she’s taking with her for the next pandemic. Plus, an Andy update from Lana! Be sure to check out the other two episodes in this series with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School Public Health, joins Dr. Bob in the second of our three-part series marking one year of the pandemic. They discuss why Ashish initially thought the US would fare well, what he makes of the variants circulating today, and where he thinks we’ll be with COVID-19 a year from now. Be sure to check out the first episode in this series with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and keep an eye out for the final episode with Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for The New York Times.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy joins Dr. Bob in the first of our three-part series marking one year of the pandemic. They remember where we were a year ago, assess where we are now, and look ahead to where we’ll be a year from now. Be sure to check out the next two episodes in this series with Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, and Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for The New York Times.

Dr. Bob calls up Hebrew University epidemiologist Ronit Calderon-Margalit to learn more about Israel’s best-in-the-world COVID-19 vaccine rollout. They cover how Israel did it, what the process of getting back to “normal” looks like now, and what lessons we can learn from their success. Plus, how the vaccines have held up against the so-called UK variant.

Dr. Bob learns how COVID-19 has affected the movie and live theater industries from Marc, Jonah, and Ben Platt. They discuss what it was like when everything had to shut down, how the arts have adapted, and what they think the return to normalcy will look like. Plus, Marc and Ben detail what it was like shooting the Dear Evan Hansen movie with the new COVID-19 protocols in place.