Free Associations

Please enjoy this compilation of the best of Amazing and Amusing. Regular episodes will return in February.

Matt, Jess, and guest host Leo Martinez discuss a study on the respiratory syncytial virus during the pandemic, they debate the value of the evidence in preprints, and Jess redesigns the urinal. Journal club article: Respiratory syncytial virus study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Collette Ncube examine a study using different types of measurement to look at the effects racism has on health outcomes in New Zealand, they discuss what makes for a good research question when it comes to studying health disparities, and Jess teaches us how to hold a baby if you […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Sarah Lipson examine a study on synergistic mindsets to reduce stress in adolescents, they discuss what it’s like to study mental health, and Matt makes a friendly wager. Journal club article: Synergistic mindsets study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay examine a study on the impact of historical redlining and structural racism on preterm birth rates in New York City, they discuss firearm research in the US, and Jess enlightens us on the smellscape. Journal club article: Redlining and preterm birth study

Matt, Chris (that’s right, he’s back for an episode), and guest host Brooke Nichols review one of the earliest COVID modelling papers, they discuss the importance and value of COVID models in general, and Brooke tells us why we should care about losing our hats. Journal club article: SARS-COV-2 modelling study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine the impact of cyclones on mortality in the US, they discuss the uneven impacts of global climate change, and Jess tells us what we will be eating in the future. Journal club article: Cyclones and mortality study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Marcia Pescador Jimenez discuss the impact of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and their relation to cardiovascular events as adults, they review the benefits of vaccination after infection with COVID, and Marcia tells a spooky story. Journal club article: Childhood cardiovascular risk factors study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Junenette Peters examine a study on whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) increases blood pressure, they discuss what the best measure of the impact of the pandemic is, and Jess wonders what a world of all electric cars would be like. Journal club article: Acetaminophen and blood pressure study

Matt, Jess, and returning guest host Jacey Greece consider how well the NFL did with their COVID protocols, they discuss intervention mapping with respect to implementation science, and Jacey questions the rankings of math departments. Journal club article: NFL and COVID study

Matt and Jess go it alone this week and discuss a study looking at whether pesticide ingestion on fruit and vegetables increases the risk for glioma, they examine the rise in pandemic preprints, and Jess pays tribute to bringing your whole self to work. Journal club article: Pesticide residue and glioma study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jacey Greece examine a study looking at whether giving free fruit and vegetables to school kids in Norway reduces BMI, they discuss the COVID new normal, and Jess gives Matt nightmares about orcas and egg salad. Journal club article: School fruit and vegetable study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study looking at whether the very common Epstein-Barr virus is causally related to multiple sclerosis, they debate about a vaccine misinformation juggernaut, and Chris has the most random facts about Utrecht. Journal club article: Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study that looked at whether changes in reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System are linked to a vaccine exemption change in California (before COVID), they discuss the implications of poor vaccination coverage surveys, and Don shows us that computers can be used for plagiarism, but there are […]

Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a study looking at the relationship between livable space and hypertension, they consider what we have learned from the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US, and Matt has a quiz. Journal club article: Livable residential space study

Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study looking at whether giving pregnant women HIV self-testing kits can increase HIV testing and access to care for male partners in Zambia, they discuss using confidence intervals to judge null results, and Chris solves a musical medical mystery. Journal club article: HIV self-test kits study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of daily COVID-19 testing in the UK for school contacts to stay in school rather than isolate, they discuss issues of equity in the COVID-19 crisis, and Don has thoughts on how to clear your sinuses. Journal club article: Daily COVID testing study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of the UK’s HPV vaccination policy, they discuss the dangers of meta-analyses in relation to Ivermectin, and Matt gets catty. Journal club article: HPV vaccination study

Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a complex study of the effect of COVID-19 on heart attacks and strokes, they discuss the mild influenza season (or at least Matt and Jess do), and Chris tells us how many fish we need to catch to decide the color of the fish in the lake. Journal club article: […]

Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study of the effect of convalescent plasma on recovery from COVID-19, they discuss the implications of an increase in gun violence prevention research funding, and Matt gets lyrical. Journal club article: Convalescent plasma study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on whether or not Doppler ultrasound has played a role in declining fetal mortality in Norway, they talk about vaccine sharing, and Matt explains just how his getting older is preventing him from preparing for this show. Journal club article: Doppler ultrasound study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the role of cannabis in car crashes, they talk about something called “lay epidemiology”, and Chris gets mellow. Journal club article: Cannabis and car crashes study

Matt and guest hosts Lori Dean and Dustin Duncan discuss a study on how white privilege affects health, they talk through the role of neighborhoods and health, and Lori tells us about her new favorite TV show. Journal club article: White privilege and health study

Matt and guest hosts Michelle Caunca and Sarah Ackley discuss a study on a new treatment to stop migraines, they talk about stitching together multiple datasets to study lifecourse epidemiology, and Michelle tells us about how doctors react to observational epidemiology. Journal club article: Migraine treatment study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Erica Walker discuss a study on whether The Affordable Care Act reduced medical debt, they consider the role epidemiologists play in communicating information about COVID, and Erica fights off various wild animals. Journal club article: ACA and medical debt study