In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha shares a striking data point: 6.8 million veterans receive care each year through the VA Health System. He highlights a systematic review comparing the quality of care in VA versus non-VA settings, finding that VA care is generally as good or better compared to non-VA care. Senior Adviser to the Brown Pandemic Center Beth Cameron joins to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic and rapidly advancing technologies like AI and synthetic biology have elevated the urgency of biosecurity. She warns that despite the increasing risks of large-scale biological events—whether natural, accidental, or deliberate—the U.S. still lacks a cohesive, long-term strategy to address these threats.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Veterans Health Administration (VA) vs. Non-VA Healthcare Quality: A Systematic Review — Journal of General Internal Medicine

About the Guest

Dr. Beth Cameron is a Senior Adviser to the Brown Pandemic Center and Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. A national and global leader in health security, biosecurity, pandemic preparedness, biodefense, and combating bioterrorism, Dr. Cameron has worked at the highest levels over decades within and outside of government to facilitate change. She spent two tours as a Special Assistant to the President on the White House National Security Council staff, twice helping establish and lead the Directorate on Global Health Security and Biodefense, a role in which she served under three Presidents.

About the Host

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky