NCSD Real Talk

National Coalition of STD Directors
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  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

NCSD is excited to announce our new podcast: NCSD Real Talk! Tune in to explore pressing public health and disease intervention topics in a simple, engaging format. We'll touch on topics like public health trends, public policy, emerging issues, and NCSD initiatives.

Episodes

  1. FEB 12

    Centering Pleasure in Sexual Health

    Sexual education often focuses on the potential risks of unplanned pregnancies and STIs. But an approach to sexual health that includes frank discussions of what feels good could yield better health outcomes. In this episode: Sexual health expert Joshua O’Neal talks about the value of starting sexual health conversations with enjoyment and comfort. Note: This episode was produced in collaboration with John Hopkins University Joshua O’Neal, MA, is a sexual health educator and program director at the Southeast HIV/STI Prevention Training Center. Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. To learn more about NCSD and the work of the NCSD Learning Team, please check out our website: https://ncsddc.org/learning-center/

    15 min
  2. Introduction to UniversiDI with Melissa Boyette

    FEB 9

    Introduction to UniversiDI with Melissa Boyette

    In this episode of NCSD Real Talk, we’ll be discussing the Certified in Disease Intervention Program with our guest, Melissa Boyette from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)! We’ll be talking about why this certification is so important, what kind of content will be in the exam, useful information for future exam takers, and more!  Melissa Boyette, CPH (she/her) is the Director of Partnerships at NBPHE. She has 26 years of experience working in the field ofdisease intervention for HIV, STI, Mpox, and COVID-19 both at the national level at CDC and in health departments in Colorado and Alaska. To learn more about NCSD and the work of the NCSDLearning Team, please check out our website: https://ncsddc.org/learning-center/   Learn more about the Certified in Disease InterventionProgram at ThisIsDiseaseIntervention.org

    33 min

  3. 09/26/2025

    Pleasure As Tool For STI Prevention: Part 2

    In our second live episode of NCSD Real Talk, we'll be building on our conversation from our first episode. We'll be joined by Joshua O'Neal and Leslie Fowler to discuss condom fit, pleasure, and the implications these have on sexual health interventions. O'Neal is a sexual health content expert, with more than 15 years of experience in public health and community-based clinical settings, working as a tireless advocate for GBQ+ communities, people in the sex trade, and people who use substances. His professional and academic work related to condom-fit, HIV testing technologies, sex positivity and clinical best practices for GBQ+ communities have been published in peer reviewed journals. Fowler has been a registered nurse for over 30 years and is a long-time advocate for HIV and sexual health. She has provided HIV, STI, and hepatitis testing and education for many years. She, building off of O'Neal's Condom Fit work, designed the innovative Condom Bar intervention. To learn more about NCSD and the work of the NCSD Learning Team, please check out our website: https://ncsddc.org/learning-center/

    51 min

  4. 09/09/2025

    Pleasure As Tool For STI Prevention

    In our first live episode of NCSD Real Talk, we'll be discussing the role of pleasure in STI prevention with our guest, Frank Strona! Strona is a media coach, strategic trainer, and health advisor based out of San Francisco. His work over the past 30 years has often centered pleasure as a critical component of sexual wellness. His website is linked here: https://mentorsf.com/ To learn more about NCSD and the work of the NCSD Learning Team, please check out our website: https://ncsddc.org/learning-center/

    27 min

  5. 04/28/2025

    Reproductive Health in a Post-Roe America: What It Means for STI Prevention

    This episode of NCSD Real Talk is titled Reproductive Health in a Post-Roe America: What It Means for STI Prevention. In this episode, we examine how changing abortion laws impact access to STI services, contraception, and sexual health education. Link to resources and transcript on the NCSD Learning Center (login required): https://ncsdlearningcenter.myabsorb.com/#/resources/f3e4ba50-1fd2-4523-af92-179337dc168f Information from this podcast is pulled from the following article: Bossick, A. S., Brown, J., Hanna, A., Parrish, C., Williams, E. C., & Katon, J. G. (2021). Impact of State-Level Reproductive Health Legislation on Access to and Use of Reproductive Health Services and Reproductive Health Outcomes: A Systematic Scoping Review in the Affordable Care Act Era. Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, 31(2), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.11.005Article Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33303355/ Note: This is an AI-generated podcast.

    16 min

  6. 04/16/2025

    The Public Health Workforce Crisis: Burnout, Funding Cuts & The Future of STI Clinics

    In this AI episode of NCSD Real Talk, we cover the current state of the public health workforce crisis, the driving forces behind it, the impacts of the crisis, and what actions we can take to help. Link to resources and transcript (login to NCSD Learning Center required): https://ncsdlearningcenter.myabsorb.com/#/resources/787a7ae6-7d81-4fab-9569-087bdd3e1e7b *Though this podcast mentions "pregnant women", NCSD recognizes that people of all genders can be pregnant. Information from this podcast is pulled from the following articles:  Gift, T. L., Cuffe, K. M., & Leichliter, J. S. (2018). The Impact of Budget Cuts on Sexually Transmitted Disease Programmatic Activities in State and Local Health Departments With Staffing Reductions in Fiscal Year 2012. Sexually transmitted diseases, 45(11), e87–e89. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000894 Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6785808/  Leichliter, J. S., Heyer, K., Peterman, T. A., Habel, M. A., Brookmeyer, K. A., Arnold Pang, S. S., Stenger, M. R., Weiss, G., & Gift, T. L. (2017). US Public Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinical Services in an Era of Declining Public Health Funding: 2013-14. Sexually transmitted diseases, 44(8), 505–509. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000629 Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5642112/  Note: This is an AI-generated podcast.

    9 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

NCSD is excited to announce our new podcast: NCSD Real Talk! Tune in to explore pressing public health and disease intervention topics in a simple, engaging format. We'll touch on topics like public health trends, public policy, emerging issues, and NCSD initiatives.

Information

  • Creator
    National Coalition of STD Directors
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © National Coalition of STD Directors
  • Show Website
    NCSD Real Talk