Health & Veritas

Howie and Harlan are joined by Stephanie Sudikoff, an expert on using simulation to train healthcare professionals, to discuss her new venture working to expand treatment for neonatal jaundice and how simulating procedures can assist in quality control and ongoing training. They also look at new developments in AI in radiology and the economics of a powerful treatment for inflammation.  Links: AI...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Jerold Mande, a nutrition expert who has served in the FDA, where he led the graphic design of the Nutrition Facts label, and the USDA. Harlan reports on promising new therapies for sickle cell disease, high cholesterol, and hypertension; Howie reflects on the Thanksgiving holiday and the contributions of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died this week. Links:...

Howie and Harlan review the results of a new study testing the effects of anti-obesity medications on cardiovascular health. Then they're joined by Yale's John Morton, a leading bariatric surgeon, to discuss the state of weight-loss surgery and its long-term impact on patients' lives. Links: Obesity Drugs "GLP-1 agonists: Diabetes drugs and weight loss" "Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in...

Howie and Harlan are joined by the New Yorker 's Dhruv Khullar to talk about his life as a clinician, researcher, and journalist. Harlan looks at how direct-to-consumer healthcare companies like Hims & Hers Health are capitalizing on patients' reluctance to share sensitive issues with traditional providers; Howie reports on the health issues on the ballot in this week's election.  Links: The Loss...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Melinda Pettigrew of the Yale School of Public Health to discuss the changes needed in the prescription and agriculture use of antibiotics to address the crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Harlan reports on a survey underlining the scale of medical misinformation among Americans; Howie discusses a new tool for the treatment of unhoused people.  Links: Medical Misinf...

Howie and Harlan discuss current issues in healthcare, including burnout at the hospital, the downsides to Medicare Advantage, and how AI is helping radiologists catch tiny blood clots. Links: COVID-19 and Vaccinations  "Newborn and Early Infant Outcomes Following Maternal COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy" CDC: Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines "Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA CO...

Howie and Harlan are joined by health economist Katherine Baicker of the University of Chicago to discuss her career in academia and government, the landmark Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, and the optimal design for universal healthcare coverage. Harlan asks why life expectancy in the U.S. increasingly lags behind peer nations; Howie discusses the politics threatening the PEPFAR program, whic...

In the 100th episode of Health & Veritas , Howie and Harlan are joined by Peter Salovey, the president of Yale University and a pioneering psychology scholar. They discuss Salovey's tenure as president, which ends in 2024; the future of the newly independent Yale School of Public Health; and Salovey's influential research on emotional intelligence.  Links: "Statement regarding YSPH transitioning t...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Marc Auerbach, a professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Yale, to discuss his work using standards and simulation to improve the treatment of children in emergency departments throughout the United States. Harlan reflects on the importance of simple, well-designed clinical trials to make rapid improvements to care; Howie reports on a congressional study asking w...

Howie and Harlan discuss the inspiring story behind the Nobel Prize in medicine, the settlement in the Cigna false billing case, and new research providing more evidence for the effectiveness of statins in reducing cardiovascular risk.  Links: The Nobel Prize "Press Release: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine"  The Daily : "The Unlikely Pioneer behind MRNA Vaccines" "Halting Progress and Ha...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Mallika Mendu to discuss how innovations in operations can lead to improved inpatient care and her work as both a practicing nephrologist and associate chief medical officer at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Harlan highlights the Lasker Award in medicine; Howie reports on a promising $650 million pilot in North Carolina to comprehensively address the social determinan...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Nita Ahuja, a Yale surgeon and researcher, to discuss new methods in for detecting and treating cancers and the barriers faced by women surgeons. Harlan answers questions about an FDA panel's finding that the decongestant phenylephrine is ineffective; Howie looks at the trends making hospital finances unsustainable.  Links: "FDA clarifies results of recent advisory c...

In a special episode, Howie and Harlan are joined by the virologist and advocate Peter Hotez to discuss his new book, The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning . This interview was recorded in late August. Links:   Peter Hotez: The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning Peter Hotez: Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism "Red Covid, an Update" "The Red/Blue Divide in COVID...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Ted Long, senior vice president of ambulatory care and population health at New York City Health + Hospitals, to discuss New York City's remarkable success in providing care to its most vulnerable citizens. Harlan discusses the state of research into long COVID, including his own studies; Howie reports on the first round of drug-price negotiation under the Inflation...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Zhenqiu Lin, senior director of analytics at Yale's Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, to discuss how quality measures can make care more consistent and effective and improve outcomes for patients. Howie provides an update on research on repetitive head trauma among young football players; Harlan reports on new findings about the benefits of semaglutide for...

Howie and Harlan look back on some of their favorite moments from the first 92 episodes of Health & Veritas. Featured episodes: Ania Jastreboff: The Revolution in Obesity Medication Josh Geballe: Turning Yale Innovation into Startups Anna Kaltenboeck: Untangling Drug Prices Akiko Iwasaki: Is Long COVID One Disease or Many? Perry Wilson: The Formula for Medical Misinformation Jeffrey Sonnenfeld: Th...

In this special episode, Howie and Harlan are joined by Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, and a graduate of the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Medicine. Links: The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service CDC: Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic "How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health" CMS: Delivering Services in School-...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Alan Friedman, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Hospital, to talk about the organizational and cultural changes that the hospital has made to minimize medical errors and unprofessional behavior that harm patients. Howie reports on a Yale study showing a gap in excess deaths between Republicans and Democrats after the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced; Harlan dis...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Melissa Davis, a Yale radiologist and a graduate of Yale SOM's MBA for Executives program, to discuss the 'whoa' moments and the weaknesses she has encountered using artificial intelligence to help interpret scans. Harlan reflects on the slow progress toward a healthcare system that rewards value rather than volume; Howie reports on new treatments for Alzheimer's dis...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Julius Chapiro to discuss advances in the use of machine learning and molecular imaging to understand and treat liver cancer and his work as the director of Yale's Center for Minimally Invasive Therapies. Harlan reports on a medical journal paper that highlights positive outcomes while ignoring negative ones; Howie warns of the impact of private equity ownership of m...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Dawn Harris Sherling, an internist at Florida Atlantic University and the author of  Eat Everything: How to Ditch Additives and Emulsifiers, Heal Your Body, and Reclaim the Joy of Food . Harlan provides an update on the dangers of the artificial sweetener aspartame; Howie reflects on the lessons from an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a plastic surgery clinic...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Hil Moss, a graduate of Yale SOM and the Yale School of Public Health, to discuss her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer while a Yale student, the challenges facing cancer survivors after treatment, and the virtual clinic that she founded to help fill the void. Harlan reports on highly effective new obesity treatments on the horizon; Howie discusses the fa...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Sejal Hathi, a physician, podcaster, and social entrepreneur who recently left a White House role to become New Jersey's health officer. Harlan asks if ChatGPT's imagination is a bug or a feature; Howie discusses the toll of motorcycle accidents and makes the case for helmet laws.  Links: "Exclusive: 42% of CEOs say AI could destroy humanity in five to ten years" "Ar...

Howie and Harlan are joined by David Fiellin, a Yale internist and an expert in addiction medicine. Harlan reports on a new study showing a surprising benefit from a daily multivitamin; Howie explains how a 1994 law is fueling hype around an untested herbal supplement for weight loss.  Links: "Multivitamin Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial" Earlham Colleg...

Howie and Harlan are joined by Abbe Gluck of Yale Law School to discuss how law shapes the health of Americans. Harlan explains how flaws in data privacy affect patients; Howie gives an update on the millions losing their Medicaid coverage, often despite qualifying for the program. Links: Harlan Krumholz: "In the US, patient data privacy is an illusion" "Medical Legal Partnerships" "A prospective...