Free Associations

Jess, Matt, and guest host Marcia discuss a study that sheds light on how babies may form and retain memories. Study link: Hippocampal encoding of memories in human infants

Jess, Matt, and guest Marcia discuss the efficacy of various methods of treating low back pain. Study link: Analgesic effects of non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomised trials

Matt and Jess discuss the ethics of probiotics for children and whether AI chatbots can help reduce misinformation. Study link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03971-5

Matt, Jess and guest host Jon discuss a study of the effect of experiencing gun violence and maternal morbidity. Study link: Fatal Police Violence and Maternal Morbidity Study

Matt and Jess and guest host Harold discuss the ways that we experience time (with a slight diversion into our dental traumas) and Matt explains why we can’t have nice things. Study link: Memorability Study

Matt and Jess and guest host Harold discuss whether dark chocolate is really good for preventing type II diabetes, or if the research isn’t there yet, and we discuss the challenges of turning research into practice and how we communicate research to policy makers. Study link: Dark Chocolate Study    

In an expansive, thought-provoking discussion ahead of the pivotal changes in Washington, DC, Matt, Jess and guest host Michael Stein discuss the role of advocacy and activism in public health and the changing views on the role of public health in society. (This discussion was originally part of the December episode, but we felt the […]

Matt, Jess and guest host Michael Stein discuss a paper that reviews the results of a series of trials that were highly influential in a move away from use of menopausal hormone replacement therapy, but newer analyses suggest the implications maybe be more nuanced than that. Study Link: Women’s Health Initiative Reviews In the second […]

In a new format for the “Free Associations” podcast, we split our usual podcast into two bite-sized morsels. In the first segment, Jess, Matt and guest host Salma discuss an article that examines the effect of nighttime ambient light on risk of Alzheimer’s disease.   Journal club article: Alzheimer’s Disease Study     In the […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla discuss a study of early discontinuation of oxytocin during delivery, they try to predict the future of journals alongside a mass editorial board resignation, and Matt and Salma reveal their love for octopuses. Journal club article: Oxytocin discontinuation study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study using tweets to see if there have been changes in racial sentiment over time, they debate whether in-person or remote work is better for paradigm shifts, and Allegra tells us how birds are smarter than people who don’t want birds nesting on their roofs. Journal […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study using cell phone data to see if living in cities gives us better economic integration, they explore whether AI will be developing our hypotheses in the future, and Matt naps with penguins. Journal club article: Human mobility and economic segregation study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study testing the effect of a workplace intervention for cardiometabolic health, they discuss mental health as a human right, and Amruta tells us about the power of Taylor Swift. Journal club article: Workplace intervention for cardiometabolic health study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla discuss a study testing the efficacy of a blood-based cancer screening tool, they debate the role of the workplace in mental health, and Salma sees if she can pronounce the word “bubbles” while sounding angry. Journal club article: Blood-based cancer screening study

Matt, Jess, and first-time guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study of the effect of taxes and warning labels on purchases of red meat, they lament the impact of disinformation campaigns, and Matt tells us how AI is going to take our grant writing jobs. Journal club article: Taxes and warning labels on red meat […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study on child opportunity in the built environment and physical fitness, they debate whether to get rid of discussion sections, and Jon invites us to consider the Golden Bachelor. Journal club article: Neighborhood child opportunity and youth physical fitness study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study of the effect of proximity to wildfires on medical visits, they discuss housing as harm reduction, and Matt goes to Olive Garden. Journal club article: Wildfire exposure and health care study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla examine a study on the use of hearing aids to prevent dementia, they discuss whether loneliness is a public health problem (and, as usual, descend into talking about COVID), and Salma tells us the difference between coffee and concrete. Journal club article: Hearing aid and dementia study

Matt and Jess go solo and Jess hosts for the first time! They discuss a study of the effectiveness of a new meningitis vaccine, whether active shooter drills do anything more than scare kids, and debate the best movie candy. Journal club article: Meningitis vaccine study

We are taking a one-month break this summer. Please enjoy this “best of” episode celebrating Chris’ contributions to the podcast.

Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a crossover study of the effects of coffee consumption on heart health, they discuss the commercial determinants of health, and Chris gives a heartfelt goodbye to the podcast and to BU. Journal club article: Coffee consumption and heart health study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a complex ecologic study on the effect of various interventions for COVID, they debate whether living evidence syntheses can save science, and Chris updates us on what killed Beethoven. Journal club article: COVID-19 interventions study

Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a meta-analysis on whether masks reduce respiratory virus transmission, they discuss the peer review madness, and Jess tells us about vibrating pills. Journal club article: Masks to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a study on the impact of gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes, they debate who should be an author on an academic publication, and Jess tells us whether fish can recognize themselves. Journal club article: Gestational age and cognitive outcomes study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a phase 2 clinical trial on the use of psilocybin to treat severe depression, they lament the state of health literacy, and Chris finds out what happens when you give drugs to spiders. Journal club article: Psilocybin for major depression study