S3 Ep14 Mpox: Where are We Now? With Dr. Peter Chin-Hong (Season Finale)

In this week’s episode, host Tammy Kremer chats with UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong about the current state of the monkeypox/mpox outbreak: how this outbreak reflects contemporary health inequities, how stigma can be a barrier to people accessing treatment, and how lessons learned from past public health crises shaped the clinical and community mpox response. Dr. Chin-Hong speaks about his experience caring for mpox patients over the course of the outbreak, and how the stigma surrounding the virus has discouraged individuals from seeking out the necessary care, creating invisible populations of patients who are disconnected from diagnosis and treatment. Finally, he breaks down the social and behavioral interventions that have been effective in slowing the spread of the virus over the past months. They explore the role of public health education and messaging in the mpox outbreak and how Dr. Chin-Hong anticipates the outbreak may proceed.

Guest Bio :

Peter Chin-Hong, MD, is a professor of medicine and associate dean at UCSF. He specializes in treating infectious diseases, especially in immunosuppressed patients such as recipients of organ and stem cell transplants and HIV-positive recipients of organ transplants. He is regularly featured in the media discussing COVID and mpox.

Resources:

• Coming Together Season 3 Episode 8: Monkeypox in California: A Personal Story and Public Health Perspective
• Coming Together Season 3 Episode 3: Monkeypox What’s the Hype?
• CAPTC Monkeypox FAQ’s
• CDC Monkeypox Resource Center