Season 14 • Episode 1061

What We Must Learn From Ebola—A "Disease of Compassion"

Jun 8, 2026

23:42

COVID-19 Emergency Medicine Emerging Infections Public Health Health Policy

Episode Description

About this episode:

Dr. Craig Spencer became sick with Ebola while treating patients in West Africa in 2014. He ultimately recovered at a treatment center back in the United States before returning to Guinea to continue his work. In this episode: he talks about what scares him about the current Ebola outbreak, what it's like to treat the disease on the ground, and what lessons he fears we still haven't learned about this "disease of compassion."

Guest:

Dr. Craig Spencer, MPH, is an emergency medicine physician, public health researcher, and associate professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University School of Public Health.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

I Survived Ebola. This Is What Scares Me Most About This Outbreak.—The New York Times
Is The U.S. Stepping Up In The Fight Against Ebola?—KFF
HHS confirms Americans with high-risk Ebola exposures will have access to experimental therapy—STAT
White House resisted letting doctor with Ebola return to U.S.—Washington Post
Guinea families transport bodies in public taxis—Associated Press
Protests against US Ebola facility in Kenya turn deadly—ABC News
An Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa—Public Health On Call (May 2026)
The Use of Investigational Drugs in an Outbreak: Separating Science and Politics With Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19—Public Health On Call (May 2020)

Transcript information:

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