Azita Emami: Educating Nurse-Leaders
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Azita Emami, dean of the Yale School of Nursing, to discuss the school’s approach to training nurses who can have a seat at the table of healthcare decision-making. Harlan reports on his new study showing the low levels of evidence required for medical devices in the FDA’s Breakthrough Devices Program; Howie provides some good news about infectious diseases including malaria and HIV. Links: Breakthrough devices? Azita Emami Infectious diseases .
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America’s Healthcare Paradox and Other News
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan discuss the alarming healthcare cuts proposed in the budget bill currently moving through Congress, recent breakthroughs in HIV prevention and diabetes treatment, and the stark contrast between scientific progress and the deep structural flaws in the U.S. healthcare system. Links: The Budget Bill The Budget Bill and Universities The 340B Drug Program A Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes Medicare Advantage and the VA A New HIV Drug Kennedy v. Braidwood The Big Picture for U.S. Healthcare Exercise and Cancer .
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Stephen Waxman: Easing the Horrors of Chronic Pain
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Stephen Waxman, a leading neurology researcher, to discuss the promise of new methods developed by his lab to treat the ravages of pain. Harlan talks about the importance of ratings for Medicare Advantage plans; Howie assesses two sobering new reports on the solvency of Medicare. Links: Harlan’s Section Interview with Dr. Waxman Howie’s Section .
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The ‘Big Beautiful BIll’ and Other News
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan discuss health and healthcare issues making headlines, including public attitudes toward the Medicaid cuts in the budget bill making its way through Congress, a one-time gene therapy that could cure high cholesterol, “ambient” AI in the exam room, and the replacement of the the CDC’s entire vaccine advisory board. Links: Remembering Atul Butte The Budget Bill Vinay Prasad Medicaid Cuts Gene Therapy to Prevent Heart Disease Anti-Vaxxers at the CDC Ambient AI
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Sarah DeSilvey: Creating Space for Healing
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Sarah DeSilvey to talk about her career as a rural nurse practitioner and her work to create a shared vocabulary for tracking social determinants of health. Harlan unpacks the research implications of the “big beautiful bill” in Congress, and reports on his new research about the link between state gun laws and deaths among children; Howie discusses the simple steps that can prevent syphilis from being passed from mothers to babies in utero. Links: Budget Cuts Guns and Kids Sarah DeSilvey Congenital Syphilis
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Dave Chokshi: Lessons from the Front Lines of the Pandemic
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Dave Chokshi, who led New York City’s response to COVID-19 as health commissioner and serves as chair of the Common Health Coalition, which is working to prepare for future crises by strengthening partnerships between healthcare and public health. Harlan reports on a trip to China; Howie says it’s time for a global effort to expand rubella vaccination. Links: Harlan in China Dave Chokshi Rubella .
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Live at the Yale Innovation Summit 2025
Health & Veritas
In a special episode recorded at Connecticut’s largest entrepreneurship event, Howie and guest host Megan Ranney, the dean of the Yale School of Public Health, welcome four Yale innovators: entrepreneur and YSPH lecturer Kaakpema “KP” Yelpaala; Basmah Safdar, incoming director of Women’s Health Research at Yale; Kayla Wooley, a YSPH graduate and the founder of two nursing home staffing companies; and Yale College student Laurie Jimenez, founder of FulcrumCare, a value-based dental provider for Medicaid and Medicare patients. Links: The Yale Innovation Summit Kaakpema “KP”...
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Rebekah Gee: Improving Health, One Family at a Time
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Rebekah Gee, founder and CEO of Nest Health, which provides in-home care to kids on Medicaid and their families. Harlan reports on the first personalized CRISPR gene therapy for a rare genetic disease; Howie untangles the FDA’s restrictions on the COVID-19 booster and what it will mean for your ability to get a shot this fall. Links: A Breakthrough CRISPR Treatment Nest Health Rebekah Gee on LinkedIn on Nest Health A New COVID Booster Policy .
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James Dodington: Protecting Kids from Gun Violence
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by James Dodington, a Yale pediatric emergency medicine physician and an expert in community-based violence prevention. Harlan reports on the remarkable financial results and sometimes questionable science of Hims & Hers Health; Howie discusses UnitedHealthcare’s faltering stock price in the face of anger over aggressive care denial and a lawsuit from shareholders. Links: Oscar Health and Hims & Hers James Dodington UnitedHealthcare
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Thomas Gill: The Secrets to an Active Old Age
Health & Veritas
Howie and Harlan are joined by Thomas Gill, a Yale geriatrician whose research tracks the factors that contribute to disability in older adults—and those that support continued independence. And they discuss the contrarian tapped to evaluate vaccines at the FDA, allegations of kickbacks against insurers, and the potential end of a loophole that has allowed states to collect additional Medicaid funding. Links: Vinay Prasad at the FDA Insurance News Thomas Gill Medicaid Cuts .
info_outlineHowie and Harlan check in on health issues in the news, including the big bet that went wrong for Walgreens, prohibited words at federal health agencies, the weaknesses of a much-discussed study suggesting that people age in bursts, and the long-term impact of the HPV vaccine.
Links:
Walgreens
“Walgreens to Be Bought by Private Equity Firm in $10 Billion Deal”
“Walgreens is heading down a risky path”
“Walgreens to Be Acquired by Sycamore Partners: Where Did the Retail Giant Go Wrong?”
“Amazon, CVS, and Walgreens went all in on primary care. Their bets are bleeding money.”
Cuts to the ACA
“Trump administration plans to restrict Obamacare enrollment period”
“DACA recipients worry about being ensnared in Trump's immigration crackdown”
Medicaid
“WATCH: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya testifies at Senate confirmation hearing for NIH director”
“Medicaid’s True Improper Payments Double Those Reported by CMS”
“Hundreds of Billions in Medicaid Savings from Financing Schemes”
Prohibited Words
“C.D.C. Suggests Terms Like ‘Race’ and ‘Health Equity’ Are Off-Limits, Then Backtracks”
“For Google, health equity becomes ‘health optimization’ as Trump targets DEI”
Aging
“Do We Age Steadily, or in Bursts?”
“Nonlinear dynamics of multi-omics profiles during human aging”
“What does it take to be a super-ager?”
The HPV Vaccine
“People Have Been Having Less Sex—whether They’re Teenagers or 40-Somethings”
Norovirus
The Measles Outbreak
CDC: Expanding Measles Outbreak in the United States and Guidance for the Upcoming Travel Season
“Texas measles cases grow to 223, mostly among children and teens”
“West Texas measles outbreak expands to three states”
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