First Opinion Podcast

In just two weeks, the brutality of the Israel-Hamas conflict has shocked the world. But one of its most heartbreaking aspects — the destruction of the already-struggling health care system in Gaza — is part of a decades-long pattern during war both in the region and around the world. Leonard Rubenstein is a distinguished professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and author of “Perilous Medicine: The Struggle to Protect Health Care From the Violence of War.” On this episode of the First Opinion Podcast, we spoke about health care in war, the Geneva Conventions, and why it’s so difficult to hold those who break international law accountable.

After physically debilitating cancer treatment, Laurie Brunner encountered another medical hurdle: She had developed lymphedema that required surgery, but her BMI was over the cutoff. To receive the necessary treatment, she would have to lose weight. I spoke with Laurie and her physician Jody Dushay about how the ongoing shortages of GLP-1 medications are creating logistical and medical problems. Our conversation was based on Jody’s recent First Opinion essay, “How the Wegovy shortage is making life impossible for my patients — and for me.”

We're popping into your feed on a Sunday because we wanted to share an episode of The Nocturnists: Post-Roe America. You may have already heard the First Opinion Podcast interview with Ali Block, an abortion provider and executive producer of The Nocturnists, and Nikki Zite, an OB/GYN in Tennessee. (If you haven't listened yet, please do!) On this episode of The Nocturnists, you'll hear more from Nikki, Ali, and other doctors trying to navigate reproductive health landscape after the end of Roe.

Physicians Alison Block and Nikki Zite knew what they were getting into when they became abortion providers early in their medical training. Family planning has long been a politicized, divisive area of medicine. And even though they knew that Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court case that protected abortion access across the country — was being threatened, it still hit them hard when that ruling was actually overturned in June 2022.

From our colleagues at Globe Opinion comes a new podcast: Say More. Say More, hosted by Globe columnist Shirley Leung, is all about exploring our backyard for the cultural trends, scientific discoveries, and breakthrough startups that are shaping the nation.

Stephanie W. Edmonds and Ginny L. Ryan are both doctors. Edmonds, a registered nurse, has a Ph.D., while Ryan is a traditional M.D. But as part of a fight over “scope creep” in health care, many medical doctors might bristle at the idea of calling Edmonds “doctor.” In the last episode of the season, Edmonds and Ryan speak about the health care hierarchy, why calling health care workers by their first names might help patients, the tendency for physicians to mock "noctors," and much more.

"You can't pour from an empty cup" is what registered nurse Tara Rynders learned the hard way after two decades of work and one heartbreaking, life-threatening experience of being a critical care patient herself. Before that experience, she'd always found found that dance, play, and other types of movement helped her express and heal from the trauma she encountered and held in her body every day. After recovering from her experience as a patient, she brought that to several other nurses in a workshop.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease and, until very recently, was one without much hope. When Hawken Miller was diagnosed at age 5, the physician told his parents to enjoy the time they had with him, as there wouldn't be much. Over 20 years later, Miller is a journalist and content strategist for CureDuchenne, an organization started by his mother when he was diagnosed, and new treatment is on the horizon. Last month, the FDA approved a new gene therapy from Sarepta Therapeutics that will provide hope for many patients and families. The new drug, however, has its limitations — it's only approved for children age 4-5, for example. Miller joined the podcast to discuss how this drug may change lives, what more needs to happen, and what his personal experience has been living with Duchenne.

Physician and professor Jason Karlawish argues that new promising drugs like lecanemab, an anti-amyloid antibody expected to be approved by the FDA July 6, will introduce complicated issues into the field of Alzheimer's care. These medications require a great deal of testing and patient monitoring, trained physicians, and other resources in a system that is already stretched thin.

Drug shortages are a growing problem in the U.S., and a shortage of live-saving cancer drugs has reached crisis levels. Oncologist Kristen Rice explains that drug shortages have been happening for several years but have been getting progressively worse in the last few months. Oncologists are facing critical shortages of common, generic cancer medications and have even begun to ration care for certain patients who are able to delay treatment, according to Rice.