NEJM Interviews

Dariush Mozaffarian, a leading expert in nutrition and the Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, discusses the pressing issue of ultra-processed foods. He highlights the challenges consumers face with misleading labels and complex ingredient lists. The conversation reveals the alarming health effects linked to these foods and examines transformative policies aimed at promoting healthier diets. Mozaffarian advocates for initiatives like sugary product taxes and improved school meal standards to mitigate the obesity crisis.

I. Glenn Cohen is a Harvard Law professor and deputy dean, specializing in health law and bioethics. He discusses the growing impact of AI monitoring systems on healthcare, highlighting how they could reshape clinical workflows and patient care dynamics. The conversation also delves into the ethical implications of constant surveillance and the need for clinicians to assert their autonomy in implementing these technologies. Cohen advocates for their active role in governance to ensure patient-centered care and transparency.

Amanda Kallen is an associate professor in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Medicine. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. A.N. Kallen and Others. Undermining Women’s Health Research — Gambling with the Public’s Health. N Engl J Med 2025;392:2185-2187.

Amar Kelkar is a physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. A.H. Kelkar. U.S. Research Leadership at a Crossroads — The Impact of Reducing NIH Indirect-Cost Coverage. N Engl J Med 2025;392:2081-2084.

Watch the NEJM In Studio video of this interview at NEJM.org. David Jones is the Ackerman Professor of the Culture of Medicine at Harvard University. Harleen Marwah, the interviewer, is an Editorial Fellow at the Journal. W. Xue and D.S. Jones. Debating Race and the Diagnosis of Anemia — How Medicine Moved Away from Race-Based Standards. N Engl J Med 2025;392:2168-2173.

Zirui Song is an associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. Z. Song and J.M. Zhu. Primary Care — From Common Good to Free-Market Commodity. N Engl J Med 2025;392:1977-1979.

Alice Chen is a primary care internist in Washington, DC, and former executive director of Doctors for America. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. A.T. Chen and V.H. Murthy. The Power of Physicians in Dangerous Times. N Engl J Med 2025;392:1873-1875.

Christopher Duggan, the Director of the Center for Nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital and a Harvard professor, dives deep into the critical impact of U.S. foreign assistance on global health. He discusses the economic and political ramifications of cutting these programs, emphasizing their role in stabilizing communities and improving health in low-income countries. Duggan also highlights historical successes like oral rehydration therapy, revealing how intertwined our global health initiatives are and why maintaining support is essential for both domestic and international populations.

Arthur Robin Williams is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. A.R. Williams. Death and Taxes — Is Alcohol the Solution? N Engl J Med 2025;392:1665-1667.

Lauren Jatt is an infectious diseases fellow at the University of Washington. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. L.P. Jatt and Others. An HIV Vaccine in the Era of Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for PrEP — Essential or Irrelevant? N Engl J Med 2025;392:1561-1563.