Hepatitis B Foundation senior vice president and board member speak on popular podcast
Dr. Chari Cohen and Dr. Su Wang were interviewed for This Podcast Will Kill You.
Doylestown, Pa., Jan. 27, 2022 – A leading science podcast currently is focusing on hepatitis B, and the two experts interviewed are Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation, and Su Wang, MD, MPH, FACP, a member of the Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and its Board of Directors.
This Podcast Will Kill You, has over 14,000 global followers and is one of “The best science podcasts for staying sharp and sounding smart,” according to Popular Science magazine. The first episode of a two-part series on hepatitis B came out on Jan. 25, 2022 and features Dr. Wang, who is medical director for the Center for Asian Health and Viral Hepatitis Programs at the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and outgoing president of the World Hepatitis Alliance. Along with her interview, the podcast’s current episode provides background on the science of hepatitis B, including its causes, treatments and history.
The second episode, which will be out on Feb.1, features Dr. Cohen and focuses on hepatitis B discrimination, stigma and quality of life. The discussion also covers the Hepatitis B Foundation’s mission and programs, and what it’s like to work in public health.
This Podcast Will Kill You was created in 2017 by Erin Allmann Updyke, PhD, a medical student, and Erin Welsh, PhD, a disease ecologist and epidemiologist. They continue to produce it, conducting the interviews and adding their commentary and insights about the subjects they examine.
“We’re extremely grateful that Dr. Updyke and Dr. Welsh decided to take a close look at hepatitis B because it’s not been getting the attention that’s necessary and because this is such a popular and well-done podcast,” Timothy M. Block, PhD, president, CEO and co-founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation, said. “I’m pleased they chose to interview Dr. Wang and Dr. Cohen, as they are two of the world’s leading experts on hepatitis B and both extremely adept at explaining to the general public the seriousness of the disease and the issues surrounding it.”
You can learn more about the podcast at thispodcastwillkillyou.com and listen wherever you access your podcasts.
About Hepatitis B: The most common serious liver infection in the world, it is caused by the hepatitis B virus, which attacks and injures the liver. Each year up to 1 million people die from hepatitis B worldwide, even though it is preventable and treatable. The number of adults living in the U.S. who have chronic hepatitis B infection may be as high as 2.4 million, which is nearly three times greater than the federal government’s official estimate, according to a new report by a team of public health experts, scientists and physicians. Hepatitis B is a “silent epidemic” because most people do not have symptoms when they are newly or chronically infected. Thus, they can unknowingly infect others and continue the spread of hepatitis B. For people who are chronically infected but don’t have any symptoms, their livers are still being silently damaged, which can develop into serious liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
About the Hepatitis B Foundation: We are the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.