Health & Veritas

Harlan interviews Howie about his life as a doctor and teacher, including how a radiologist without a PhD got to teach economics at Yale, why he engages in the daily battles that come with speaking out on Twitter, and the extraordinary return on investment from time spent mentoring young people. Links: Arnold Schwarzenegger on deaths attributable to pollution “Intravenous Vitamin C in Adults with Sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit” “Climate Change, Fossil-Fuel Pollution, and Children’s Health“ Merriam-Webster on the origin of the word “doctor” Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at the Yale School of Management.  

Howie and Harlan are joined by Dr. Seth Trueger of Northwestern University, who was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder in 2020. They discuss his experience navigating the healthcare system as a patient and what he’s learned about the challenges facing people with complex medical issues. Links: 2022 Medicare Trustees Report  “A Cancer Trial’s Unexpected Result: Remission in Every Patient” “PD-1 Blockade in Mismatch Repair–Deficient, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer” Seth Trueger: “The Best Bad News” “Public Finance Balance of Smoking in the Czech Republic” Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at the Yale School of Management

Harlan explains what the research says about the immunity acquired from a COVID-19 infection, and suggests a framework for thinking about exposure risk. Then Howie and Harlan are joined by Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer at the Yale New Haven Health System. They discuss the financial and human capital challenges faced by hospitals in the wake of the pandemic. Links: “Protection and Waning of Natural and Hybrid Immunity to SARS-CoV-2” “Medical Education in the United States and Canada” (The Flexner Report) About Yale New Haven Health “Mass General Brigham says it will reduce spending by $70m annually” “US Mass Shootings, 1982–2022: Data From Mother Jones’ Investigation”

Howie and Harlan are joined by Dr. Amy Justice, a Yale clinical epidemiologist. They discuss the influential long-running studies she has conducted using the electronic medical record from the Veterans Administration Healthcare System.  Links: Basketball coach Steve Kerr on the shooting in Uvalde, Texas The Veteran Aging Cohort Study  “Comparison of Risk and Age at Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction, End-Stage Renal Disease, and Non-AIDS-Defining Cancer in HIV-Infected Versus Uninfected Adults”  “Covid-19 Testing, Hospital Admission, and Intensive Care Among 2,026,227 United States Veterans Aged 54–75 Years”  “At Yale, Arya Singh overcame her fears — and found a new side of herself”  Arya Singh's Class Day address  Student Spotlight: Hil Moss  Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at the Yale School of Management

Howie and Harlan are joined by Jason Schwartz of the Yale School of Public Health. They discuss what went wrong with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and how Schwartz’s background in history and ethics informs his research on vaccine policy. Links: ”Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake Among Adults With Overweight in Real-life Settings” “Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Visceral Obesity” “Impact of sleep duration on executive function and brain structure” “Mass General Brigham posts $867M quarterly net loss” Howie's Twitter exchange with Elon Musk  

Howie and Harlan are joined by Dr. Cecelia Calhoun ’21, a Yale sickle cell disease specialist and a recipient of Yale SOM's Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership. They discuss Calhoun's journey from growing up in Detroit to a clinical and research career focused on the health of the Black community. Links Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership “Heartstopper is dazzlingly brilliant TV – I wish my lonely younger self could have seen it” “The Secrets Ed Koch Carried”

Howie and Harlan are joined by Dr. Gail D’Onofrio, Yale's Albert E. Kent Professor of Emergency Medicine. They discuss the medications available for opioid addiction and the policy changes needed to allow those treatments to save more lives.  Links “Sex-Specific Risk Factors Associated With First Acute Myocardial Infarction in Young Adults” “Medication for Opioid Use Disorder After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose and Association With Mortality: A Cohort Study”

Howie and Harlan talk with Yale’s Melinda Irwin about her research investigating how lifestyle factors impact the prevention and treatment of cancer. Links “Intramuscular AZD7442 (Tixagevimab–Cilgavimab) for Prevention of Covid-19” “Neighborhood and Individual Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Survival Among Patients With Nonmetastatic Common Cancers” “Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General”

To do better in the next pandemic, Sherry Glied, dean of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, argues we must ensure that policymakers get answers to their most pressing questions. She joins Howie and Harlan in a conversation about incentivizing relevant research and systematically synthesizing data into actionable information.

Howie and Harlan talk with NYU’s Lauren Taylor about the “dirty hands problem” and other ethical dilemmas inherent in efforts to improve health.