Shows
Petrie DishTrump's 'Big Bill' healthcare cuts may threaten the nation's entire health infrastructure: CBOThe Medicaid cuts add up to nearly a trillion dollars over ten years, and 12 million people could lose access to health care. Medicare also faces deep reductions in spending, even though it's not slashed in this legislation. It insures the elderly, and it may lose half a trillion dollars to sequestration. KFF Health News DC correspondent Julie Rovner told Bonnie Petrie that no one will be unaffected.2025-07-0705 minPetrie DishPsychedelics and the Texas Trip Part 3: The Road AheadIn the final installment of this three-part series, Bonnie Petrie and reporter Robin Berghaus go from an isolated stretch of desert along the Rio Grande, where wild peyote grows, to the exuberant rooms at SXSW, where they consider the future of psychedelics-as-medicine, and back to the hallowed halls of the Texas Legislature, where the future of the so-called Ibogaine Bill is uncertain.2025-05-1246 minPetrie DishDisease registries, 'individual tragedies,' and more with the Autism Society of TexasPetrie Dish host Bonnie Petrie has a wide-ranging conversation with the executive director of the Autism Society of Texas as Robert Kennedy's HHS focuses on the rise in autism diagnoses.2025-04-3007 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish: Q&A on mumps & rubellaHost Bonnie Petrie talks with Dr. Jason Bowling about the other two diseases in the MMR vaccine, mumps and rubella.2025-03-0406 minPetrie DishPsychedelics and the Texas Trip Part 1: Unlikely AlliesHost Bonnie Petrie and reporter Robin Berghaus explore the potential of psychedelic medication as a treatment for mental health diagnoses like depression and PTSD, particularly for use in the veteran population.2025-03-0132 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish: CDC purge of forbidden words online creates real-world fearHost Bonnie Petrie speaks with Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, CEO of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation.2025-02-1108 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish: Should the US leave the WHO? 'Your Local Epidemiologist' weighs inPresident Donald Trump has signed an executive order that would withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina and TPR's Bonnie Petrie talk about whether Trump's concerns are valid and what the U.S. could lose if it leaves.2025-02-0322 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish: Dr. Peter Hotez talks about anti-science activism, antisemitism, and RFK Jr.Texas vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez spoke with Bonnie Petrie about what it's like to be the target of anti-science activists, his continued commitment to fighting medical misinformation, and his thoughts on the nomination of anti-vaccine crusader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.2025-01-0835 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish: When COVID targets the heart, danger can lingerFor at least a year after being infected with the COVID virus, people may be at increased risk of developing a new heart-related problem. Those problems can range from blood clots to arrythmias to a sudden, catastrophic heart attack. In this episode of Petrie Dish, Bonnie Petrie talks with a Harvard cardiologist about why this can happen, and how to protect your heart.2024-10-0428 min
Petrie DishShould you take the plunge? Diving into the science behind cold exposure therapyWhat does the science say about ice baths and cold plunges? TPR's Bioscience and Medicine reporter Bonnie Petrie 'dives in'2023-12-2927 min
Petrie DishScience & Medicine: Early screening to prevent congenital heart diseaseCongenital heart disease can often be detected at the mid-pregnancy ultrasound, which dramatically improves outcomes. But too many people don’t get adequate prenatal care.2023-12-1702 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Alzheimer's and the inflammatory triggerA UT Health Science Center San Antonio researcher has discovered something really interesting about Alzheimer’s disease.2023-12-1002 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: The next Ozempic?Ozempic isn’t the only exciting diabetes medication out there on the market. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitorshave a multitude of potential health benefits.2023-12-0302 minPetrie DishCDC wants to fortify corn masa flour with folic acid to prevent birth defectsFor the last 25 years, the U.S. has required that grain and cereal products be fortified with folic acid — and the CDC is now urging manufacturers of products made using corn masa flour to add the B vitamin to minimize the risk of birth defects in the Latino population.2023-11-2520 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: The Brain BankAt the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the brain bank is accepting deposits.2023-11-1902 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Counter Long COVID with pacingDr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, chair of rehabilitation medicine at UT Health San Antonio, teaches her patients to practice what she calls pacing and other techniques to conserve energy.2023-11-1202 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Omega 3 fatty acids to fight Alzheimer’sIf you’re in your 40s or 50s, there may be something you can do right now to fight Alzheimer’s disease. It involves Omega 3 fatty acids – the good stuff in fatty fish and fish oil, which has been linked to lower rates of dementia for a while.2023-11-0502 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Using AI for brain health diagnosesWe’ve heard a lot about artificial intelligence lately, and some of it is unsettling. But AI also has great potential to improve and even save lives.2023-10-2802 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Brain healthy dietsResearchers have suspected that foods which cause inflammation speed up brain aging and cognitive decline, but UT Health San Antonio's Debora Melo van Lent wanted evidence.2023-10-2002 minPetrie DishScience & Medicine: Long COVID and the road to recoveryDr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, professor and chair of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has been running two long COVID clinics since early in the pandemic, and she says every case is different.2023-10-0702 minPetrie Dish'The bugs are winning' — Researchers are fighting drug-resistant tuberculosisThe antibiotics that only 80 years ago turned TB from a voracious killer of an estimated 1 billion people to a treatable disease just don’t work anymore.2023-09-3020 minPetrie DishInside America’s last remaining free standing tuberculosis hospitalDid you know there is still one tuberculosis hospital in the United States? There is just one: The Texas Center for Infectious Disease in San Antonio. Host Bonnie Petrie takes us there.2023-09-1420 minPetrie DishSummer ends in the shadow of new COVID-19 threatCOVID cases have been increasing for weeks nationwide, but a COVID expert says not to call it a surge just yet.2023-08-2924 minPetrie DishThousands of Afghans suffer from PTSD. Advocates are trying to find culturally competent ways to help'We've seen women who have not gone outside the door in six months,' said Margaret Constantino, executive director of the Center for Refugee Services in San Antonio. 'How does anybody stay healthy in that kind of environment?'2023-06-2420 min
Petrie DishReclaiming Henrietta LacksFamily members of a woman who changed modern medicine — without her knowledge and certainly without her permission — spoke at a gathering of scientists in San Antonio recently about ethics and equity in science and medicine.2023-06-0915 minPetrie DishCOVID-19 emergency declarations expire, and individuals bear the costs of fighting the virusWhile there are still tests, treatments like paxlovid, and vaccines in the national stockpile, those should remain easily accessible. Once the stockpile is depleted, though, all those things may become more costly to the consumer and more difficult to get.2023-05-0627 minPetrie DishHow misinformation became the leading cause of death in the U.S. and what can be done about itMedical misinformation is killing people, according to the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Robert Califf blames misinformation and disinformation about public health for the fact that life expectancy in the United States is between three and five years lower than it is in other high-income countries.2023-04-2116 min
Petrie DishKiller fungi may not be the last of us but scientists are concernedCan it turn us into murderous zombies? No, but it has killed between 30 to 60 percent of those it has infected.2023-04-0722 minPetrie DishCould Ozempic be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease?Some are calling it the Kim Kardashian weight loss drug. Ozempic related videos have more than 1 billion views on TikTok. The medication is taken to help control blood sugar levels in type two diabetes, and it has taken off for an off-label use — as a treatment for obesity. Now, Ozempic is being studied for yet another potential use — as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.2023-03-2423 min
Petrie DishSan Antonio researchers revive 1979 Heart and Mind StudySan Antonio researchers are getting the band back together, in a way. They’re reaching out to people who participated in a groundbreaking 1979 study on heart disease and diabetes in the Latino population to see if they’d like to enroll in a new study.2023-03-1128 minPetrie DishMarmoset microbiomes, human microbiomes, and the fountain of youthOne of humanity's great quests made microscopic in the aging intestines of tiny monkeys.2023-02-2024 minPetrie DishThe reality of long COVID in 2023Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez runs two long COVID clinics in San Antonio, is known for running marathons, and she partners in running a home as a mom to two children. But after recovering from COVID-19, she couldn’t walk around a mall. Host Bonnie Petrie speaks with Dr. Gutierrez about the realities of long COVID for millions of people three years into the pandemic.2023-02-0436 min
Petrie DishHow an old, rarely prescribed antidepressant was repurposed to treat breast cancerThe idea that there may be medicines already out there, safe and approved by the FDA and just waiting to be rediscovered is tantalizing for scientists, doctors, and patients.2023-01-2115 minPetrie DishIs immunity debt or immunity theft to blame for children's respiratory virus spike?Kids seem to be catching everything and getting sicker as the pandemic enters its third winter, leaving physicians and researchers to figure out what's going on.2023-01-0605 min
Petrie DishThe truth about SSRI antidepressantsTens of millions of Americans take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — SSRIs — to treat depression by addressing what was believed to be a chemical imbalance in the brain. While new research debunks this theory, there are a number of factors people should consider before getting off these medications.2022-12-1734 minPetrie DishPeter Hotez on the 'tridemic' and how to protect your familyFlu. RSV. COVID-19. This three car collision of respiratory viruses as winter approaches is causing some health experts to worry about what they’re calling a "tridemic."2022-11-2525 minPetrie DishWelcome to the golden age of the genomeWhole genome sequencing is now becoming cheap enough that doctors will be able to order it for everyone if they want. That could lead to truly personalized medicine. But it could be even bigger than that.2022-11-0437 minPetrie DishUvalde prompted Texas to start taking mental health in schools more seriously. Is it enough?The phrase 'mental health' has been used repeatedly in politics to avoid the gun control debate. But there was a significant lack of access to mental health care in Uvalde prior to the shooting.2022-09-261h 00
Petrie DishCan telehealth solve America's mental health crisis in schools?The kids are not alright. A CDC analysis released earlier this year found that in 2021— the second year of the pandemic — more than 37% of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health, and 44% reported they felt persistently sad or hopeless throughout the year. Before the pandemic, mental health was already getting worse — according to previous studies from the CDC. Bonnie Petrie guest hosted TPR's The Source to talk to experts about this issue and the telehealth program in Texas that hopes to help solve the mental health crisis.2022-09-1739 minPetrie DishPetrie Dish returns in SeptemberWhen Petrie Dish returns in September, we'll continue to bring you the latest on COVID-19 and also explore other topics with in-depth interview and reporting ... like a new study on depression that has people asking their doctors about their SSRI's ... or the idea that sequencing your genome may soon be affordable for almost everyone. Should you do it? And yes, we’ll dive into that other fast spreading virus: monkeypox. That’s all on Petrie Dish when we return in September.2022-08-0902 minPetrie Dish'It turns the amplifier on' — The impact of long COVIDAs waves of omicron and its extremely contagious subvariants burn through previously uninfected populations, it has become clear that people with mild or asymptomatic cases aren’t immune from long COVID. Host Bonnie Petrie talked to reporter Pablo De La Rosa about his experience with long COVID over the past two years, along with Dr. Monica Verduzco Gutierrez, professor and distinguished chair of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. They discussed what we know about post-COVID syndrome and what we need to do to prepare for the decades of disability that may remain lo...2022-05-1732 minPetrie DishWastewater testing could help control COVID's spread. Why isn't it happening across America?COVID-19 testing clinics around the country are closing, and federal funding for free clinical testing is drying up. But wastewater surveillance could step in to play a crucial role in keeping track of where the virus is and just how much is really circulating out there. In this episode, host Bonnie Petrie takes us to a wastewater treatment plant in Converse, Texas and talks to scientists trying to build a surveillance and sequencing program in South Texas.2022-04-2127 minPetrie DishCOVID and Pregnancy: Delivering a baby on heart-lung bypassAshley Savidge Hernandez, a Marine Corps spouse and mother of five, delivered a baby while critically ill with COVID-19. How did she and her healthy son Kyzon survive the worst that COVID has to offer?2022-03-1227 minPetrie DishPeter Hotez on the Texas-made COVID vaccine that could help billionsDr. Peter Hotez has become one of the faces of the pandemic. The bow-tied Texas scientist has been all over radio and television — and on this podcast, too — explaining viruses generally and COVID-19 specifically. Now Hotez and his partner, PhD scientist Maria Elena Bottazzi, have developed a vaccine that would be cheap and easy to produce.2022-01-2827 minPetrie DishAsk the experts: Long-haul COVIDIn this episode, Bonnie Petrie guest hosts The Source on Texas Public Radio to put listener questions about long-haul COVID to two leading experts2022-01-1550 minPetrie DishThe other Texas drought: Rural hospital closuresTexas has had 24 rural hospital closures since 2005, the most in the country, and the problem is being felt by the most vulnerable.2021-12-2051 minPetrie DishOmicron: The escape mutantNew research out of South Africa and the UK have found that the omicron variant dramatically reduces vaccine effectiveness in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. However, there are ways to minimize omicron's impact in the United States.2021-12-1522 min
Petrie DishParents' COVID vaccine questions, answeredChildren between 5 and 11 are now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Is the vaccine safe for people in this age group? Does it work? What are the potential side effects? We ask an epidemiologist and a pediatrician those questions and much more.2021-11-1537 min
Petrie DishIntroducing: When You Become Your Parent's ParentA new podcast from Texas Public Radio explores the confusion, heartbreak, and joy of moving back home to care for an aging relative. It's hosted by longtime NPR journalist Kitty Eisele, who chronicles her journey caring for her dad and the conversations she has with friends and experts along the way. You can listen to the first five episodes of "Demented" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.2021-10-2801 minPetrie DishWhat you need to know about vaccine booster shotsOn this episode of Petrie Dish, host Bonnie Petrie speaks with Dr. Tracey Baas of Texas Biomedical Institute about timing, mixing and matching, who should be getting the booster and more.2021-10-2126 minPetrie DishDelta And Disinformation: The COVID Surge We ChoseThe emergence of the delta variant has presented a daunting challenge in the fight against the COVID virus, made worse by a pandemic of bad information. Much of that bad information is being spread intentionally by people who know it's false; it's disinformation. People across the country consume that disinformation and — believing it's true — pass it on. In this episode of Petrie Dish, we explore the medical misinformation and disinformation that are fueling anti-mask and anti-vaccine beliefs that are driving the delta surge.2021-09-2152 minPetrie DishPregnancy During A Pandemic Is Scary — The Delta Variant Is Making It WorseCOVID-19 and pregnancy are not a good mix. In this episode of Petrie Dish, Bonnie Petrie explores the risks associated with getting COVID during pregnancy and why doctors are recommending that people who are pregnant get a COVID vaccine.2021-08-2028 minPetrie DishGoing Back To School Safely During The Delta SurgeIn this episode of Petrie Dish, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor outlines steps those who are around unvaccinated children can take to keep them safe.2021-07-3129 minPetrie DishSouth Texas ICU Doctor Says COVID Numbers Are ‘Trending In The Wrong Direction’In this week's Petrie Dish, we follow up with Hidalgo County’s health authority about the increasing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the area.2021-07-1720 minPetrie Dish'A Pandemic Within A Pandemic': Expert Urges People To Get Vaccine To Combat New Delta VariantAn increasing number of cases of the delta variant in the United States has many experts urging caution.2021-06-2815 minPetrie DishAn Expert Answers Teens' Questions About The Pfizer VaccineThe director of the Centers for Disease Control urged adolescents aged 12 and up to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after a recent increase in COVID hospitalizations for that age group. Many adolescents have questions about the vaccine. Petrie Dish asked an expert for the answers.2021-06-0832 minPetrie DishThe State Of The PandemicAs of May 13, nearly 120 million Americans are fully vaccinated, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance saying anyone who is fully vaccinated can take off their masks in most situations, outside and inside.For many in the United States it can feel like the pandemic is over, but many people across the country remain unvaccinated and COVID surges are still happening across the globe. This week's Petrie Dish takes a look at the state of the pandemic.2021-05-1457 minPetrie DishOne In A Million: What You Need To Know About The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine PauseThe Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control have asked vaccine administrators to stop using the Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The federal agencies called for this pause after six women experienced dangerous blood clots after getting the J&J shot. Dr. Ruth Berggren is an infectious diseases doctor and the director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at UT Health San Antonio. She says this recommended pause is appropriate, but stresses that the reports of blood clots in those who’ve received the J&J shot are exceedingly rare.2021-04-2027 minPetrie DishHow Can We Help Children Recover From The Trauma Of The Pandemic?The pandemic has not been easy on children. TPR's Bonnie Petrie spoke with a renowned pediatrician about how to help them overcome the individual and collective trauma of the last year.2021-04-0534 minPetrie DishOne Year Later: Postcards From The PandemicPeople who've been working on the front lines of the pandemic reflect on the one year milestone and the loss of 500,000 Americans.2021-03-1654 minPetrie Dish'Petrie Dish' Host Receives COVID-19 Vaccine, But Why Are Other Texans Missing Out?This week's Petrie Dish is personal: Host Bonnie Petrie receives her first dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.2021-02-1625 minPetrie DishHe's Been Dubbed 'The Fauci Of The Border' — Why Dr. Cigarroa Is Fighting For LaredoDr. Ricardo Cigarroa is a cardiologist in Laredo. He descends from a line of doctors in the city who have been serving patients there for 100 years.2021-02-0934 minPetrie DishCan We Get Vaccinated Before The Mutant COVID-19 Takes Over? The Race Is On.Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is an epidemiologist at UT Health’s School of Public Health in Dallas. She said there are about 12,000 strains of SARS-CoV-2 circulating around the world right now. One of them — the UK variant — is likely to become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March.2021-02-0231 minPetrie DishOvercoming Grief In The Worst Year Of Our LivesThe pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, but it's also stolen our normal lives and our sense of security. How do we go on when pressed under the weight of so much personal and collective pain? This week's Petrie Dish explores pandemic grief and also considers ideas about how to transform that pain into resilience.2021-01-2053 minPetrie DishA Disease Expert Explains The New COVID Mutation That's Shut Down BritainDr. Ricardo Carrion, a virologist at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, leads us on a deep dive into coronaviruses, this mutation, and what it may mean for the newly developed coronavirus treatments and vaccines.2021-01-0520 minPetrie DishOverwhelmed And Understaffed: Rural Hospitals Struggle With Texas' Worst COVID-19 SurgeTexas hospitals are struggling under the weight of the state's worst COVID-19 surge yet. This month the state has seen single-day records for the first, second and third most confirmed daily cases. Hospitalizations have reached the highest level since July. And the situation is likely to get worse. Rural parts of Texas are being hit especially hard.2020-12-2249 minPetrie DishThis Mathematician Projects Up To 1.2 Million COVID-19 Deaths In US By MarchA San Antonio mathematician who has modeled this pandemic since the beginning says more than 1 million people could die of COVID-19 by spring.2020-12-1523 minPetrie DishVaccine Expert Says There Isn't A 'Better' COVID-19 Immunization; Suggests Taking 1st OptionDr. Peter Hotez expects two COVID-19 vaccines to be approved before the end of the year, and possibly a half dozen by this time next year. He says he has no preference among the early offerings and will get the first one that's made available to him.2020-12-0824 minPetrie DishA Conversation With A Doctor From Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board On Their Plans To Fight The PandemicDr. Céline Gounder is on President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board. She said tracking the virus’ progression through the country as the number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths rise is extremely difficult.2020-11-2329 minPetrie Dish'It's Nonstop' — Texas Reaches 1 Million COVID-19 Cases And 20,000 DeathsRecent surges in El Paso, Armarillo and Lubbock have pushed Texas’ total case count over 1 million with about 20,000 deaths.How did Texas get here, and what lies ahead?2020-11-1753 minPetrie DishFormer CDC Director Explains What Joe Biden Should Do To Fight The COVID-19 PandemicDr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control, has advice for Americans about how to get through the holidays safely. He also has tips for President-elect Joe Binden on how to fight the pandemic going forward.2020-11-1030 minPetrie DishThe Long Haul: A Conversation With Diana BerrentDiana Berrent lives on Long Island. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early March and was among the first group of Americans infected with the novel coronavirus. She fought off the infection at home, treating herself with Tylenol and Gatorade.After 18 days in self isolation, she was fine, she thought.Turns out, like many people infected with COVID-19, she’s a long-hauler.2020-10-2729 minPetrie DishSmall And Rural Cities Reaching Hospital Capacity Could Cause Another COVID-19 SurgeCOVID-19 numbers across Texas and country are now being driven by areas outside the big population centers. What might that mean for the coming months?2020-10-2046 minPetrie DishTrump's FDA Commissioner Discusses COVID-19 Vaccine, Tensions With The PresidentOn this week’s Side Dish featuring extended interviews, Host Bonnie Petrie goes one-on-one with FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn.2020-10-1323 minPetrie DishOutbreaks And Open Campuses: Are Universities Able To Manage COVID-19?On this week’s Petrie Dish, we take a look at what universities are doing to accommodate COVID-19, how students are responding and how local communities are affected.2020-10-0551 minPetrie DishTwo People Who Lost Parents To COVID-19 Are Advocating For Other Grieving FamiliesOn this week's episode of “Side Dish,” TPR Bioscience Medicine reporter Bonnie Petrie speaks with Kristin Urquiza and Fiana Garza Tulip, each of whom lost a parent to COVID-19.2020-09-2320 minPetrie DishTwo People Who Lost Parents To COVID-19 Are Advocating For Other Grieving FamiliesOn this week's episode of “Side Dish,” TPR Bioscience Medicine reporter Bonnie Petrie speaks with Kristin Urquiza and Fiana Garza Tulip, each of whom lost a parent to COVID-19.2020-09-2220 minPetrie DishFLUVID: Flattening The Flu Curve During A Coronavirus PandemicThe worst time of the year for viruses is at our doorstep. During the winter there are surges in adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses — more commonly known as RSV — mild coronaviruses that cause colds, basically all the cold and flu-like illnesses you’d expect when the weather turns cold. And, of course, the actual flu, which can be an efficient killer in its own right.2020-09-0840 minPetrie DishFLUVID: Flattening The Flu Curve During A Coronavirus PandemicThe worst time of the year for viruses is at our doorstep. During the winter there are surges in adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses — more commonly known as RSV — mild coronaviruses that cause colds, basically all the cold and flu-like illnesses you’d expect when the weather turns cold. And, of course, the actual flu, which can be an efficient killer in its own right.2020-09-0840 minPetrie DishThe Impact Of Hurricane Laura Overflowed In States Already Facing COVID-19 DisastersOn this week’s Petrie Dish, we explore what happened in Louisiana and Southeast Texas when Hurricane Laura landed — and what other hurricane hotspots like Florida, Alabama and Mississippi can learn from the deadly storm.2020-09-0145 minPetrie DishThe Impact Of Hurricane Laura Overflowed In States Already Facing COVID-19 DisastersOn this week’s Petrie Dish, we explore what happened in Louisiana and Southeast Texas when Hurricane Laura landed — and what other hurricane hotspots like Florida, Alabama and Mississippi can learn from the deadly storm.2020-09-0145 minPetrie DishThe COVID-19 Vaccine: Inside America’s Race For An AnswerOn this week’s Petrie Dish, we dive into the COVID-19 vaccine. First we answer: what is a vaccine? We've all gotten them, but have you ever wondered how they protect you from disease? Vaccine expert Joanne Turner gets into the nitty gritty of how vaccines work and walks us through the history of the first-ever vaccine, which treated another vicious virus that ravaged the world.2020-08-1850 minPetrie DishThe COVID-19 Vaccine: Inside America’s Race For An AnswerOn this week’s Petrie Dish, we dive into the COVID-19 vaccine. First we answer: what is a vaccine? We've all gotten them, but have you ever wondered how they protect you from disease? Vaccine expert Joanne Turner gets into the nitty gritty of how vaccines work and walks us through the history of the first-ever vaccine, which treated another vicious virus that ravaged the world.2020-08-1850 minPetrie DishFighting A Depressive PandemicThis week on Petrie Dish we talk with experts about why you feel how you feel, and what happens inside your body when you start to feel overwhelmed.2020-08-111h 02Petrie DishCOVID-19 And Reopening Schools: No Easy AnswersThere's a lot of confusion and conflicting information about how COVID-19 affects kids and what that may mean for the safe reopening of schools. The lead researcher on a large study on how children experience COVID joined the show to sort out fact from fiction.2020-08-0450 minPetrie DishTragedy In The Rio Grande Valley: A 'Perfect Storm' For A COVID-19 OutbreakTexas is in the midst of a COVID-19 surge, but one area is in crisis. Hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley are near or at capacity, and EMS crews are stretched thin.2020-07-2749 minPetrie Dish'Why Can't I Breathe?' How Systemic Racism Makes COVID-19 Worse For Communities Of ColorCOVID-19 has exposed all Americans to an increased risk, even while doing the most mundane things: shopping at the grocery store, going to work, and taking walks. But it’s also exposed how communities of color are largely defenseless in the fight against an enemy that does not discriminate, but rather reveals to us our own discrimination.2020-07-1548 minPetrie DishThe COVID-19 Surge In Texas And Its HotspotsIn the last two weeks, some Texas counties implemented new face mask orders and Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all bars to shut down — before eventually issuing his own statewide mask order.2020-07-0421 minPetrie DishIs COVID-19 A Vascular Disease?At first, COVID-19 appeared to be primarily a respiratory disease. But patients have reported a much wider range of symptoms than most viral diseases, leading some researchers to wonder if COVID-19 might, in some cases, also be a vascular disease. On this episode of Petrie Dish, TPR's podcast about the science of the pandemic, we explore the evidence for this and hear from coronavirus survivors experiencing the vascular side effects of the disease.2020-06-2728 minPetrie DishDid Texas Reopen Too Soon?As restaurants reopened and businesses relaxed mask-wearing rules, coronavirus hospitalizations have spiked in parts of the country that previously escaped the worst of the pandemic. This week on Petrie Dish, Texas Public Radio's podcast on the science of the pandemic, we take stock of one such state, Texas, and ask whether reopening the economy worked the way it was supposed to.2020-06-1924 minPetrie DishLife After COVID-19: What Survivors Face After Beating The VirusCovid-19 survivors must adjust to a wide array of lingering symptoms — could those side effects last a lifetime? This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's podcast about the science of the pandemic, two survivors tell their stories of halting recovery, and experts weigh in on what we know — and don't know — about the impact of the coronavirus on the body.2020-06-1138 minPetrie DishMeet The Army of Disease Detectives Tracking COVID-19To rein in the invisible spread of the virus, a special branch of science has exploded: Contact tracing. It's the careful, sometimes intimate task of figuring out where the coronavirus might have spread in a community, and who is at risk. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's podcast about the science of the pandemic, we hear from the disease detectives who are tracking down possible Covid-19 carriers before they even get sick. We also dig into state-by-state plans to ramp up contact tracing to safely restart the economy, and compare U.S. contact tracing efforts with those across the world.2020-05-1840 minPetrie DishClocking in: Meet the Essential Workers Whose Jobs Never Stopped, Despite the RisksA huge swath of the American workforce is unable to work from home, and the repercussions of a crowded workplace, rather than one that is social-distanced, are gradually becoming clear. This week on Petrie Dish, Texas Public Radio's explainer podcast about the coronavirus, we hear from essential workers about their worries on the job and their struggle to stay safe.2020-05-1131 minPetrie DishWhat COVID-19 Means for PregnancyIn past viral outbreaks, pregnant women have been at heightened risk of severe symptoms, sometimes leading to birth defects and complications during delivery. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's weekly explainer on the coronavirus, we ask what COVID-19 means for pregnancy, and how women are adjusting to the new uncertainties this pandemic has created.2020-05-0435 minPetrie DishInside the Scramble to Treat CoronavirusCreating a brand-new drug is painstaking and tricky — under normal circumstances. In the age of coronavirus, drug researchers are working in overdrive. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's explainer podcast about the virus pandemic, we hear from the experts trying to balance safety and speed in their search for a cure, and from a woman who suffered the side effects from that search.2020-04-2733 minPetrie DishNurses: On The Front Lines of COVID-19If you’re diagnosed with COVID-19, one of your first conversations will likely be with a nurse. And during your journey to recovery, nurses will be stationed at your side every step of the way. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's weekly show on the coronavirus, nurses describe how they're adjusting to this sudden new role in the front lines of the crisis.2020-04-2040 minPetrie DishThe Hidden Consequences of Flattening the CurveAlmost overnight, "flatten the curve" became a national motto. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's weekly podcast about the coronavirus, we unpack the origins of that phrase with a public health expert who helped popularize it. And, we hear from reporters across Texas about some of the negative consequences of quarantine, from a spike in domestic violence reports to the relocation of migrants in camps along the U.S.-Mexico border.2020-04-1431 minPetrie DishBeyond Capacity: A Closer Look at America's Ventilator ShortageIn the span of a few weeks, a medical device most of us have never seen or used became a national concern, the signature shortage in our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This week on Petrie Dish, TPR's explainer podcast about the coronavirus pandemic, we explore how the coronavirus affects the lungs and how our government, our hospitals, and industrious YouTubers are responding to the vast shortage of ventilators.2020-04-0623 minPetrie DishWhat Exactly Is the Coronavirus, Anyway?The virus sweeping across the planet right now is frightening, in part, because there is so much we don't know about it. In the first episode of Petrie Dish, TPR's explainer podcast about the coronavirus pandemic, Bonnie Petrie talks to a virologist about what exactly the coronavirus is and how scientists are studying it.2020-03-3114 minPetrie DishPetrie DishStay tuned for a new podcast about how the coronavirus is changing our world, with Texas Public Radio Bioscience-Medicine reporter Bonnie Petrie.2020-03-2600 min