Viewpoints: Anti-LGBTQ+ Rhetoric Has Negative Health Consequences; AI Is Showing Up In Unexpected Places

The Boston Globe: How To Address LGBTQ Health Inequities
In the first half of this year alone, more than 500 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. Among many other goals, these bills would ban access to life-saving health care for transgender individuals and criminalize teachers for discussing the existence of LGBTQ people. (Brittany Charlton, 6/25)

Stat: AI And Rural Health Care: A Paradigm Shift In America's Heartland 
The use of artificial intelligence is happening in “unlikely places.” So says a recent working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. While much of the nation is debating the future of AI, health care providers in rural America are pioneering new uses of it in their practices. As the leader of the U.S.’s largest rural health care system, I predict the impact of AI on rural health care will be consequential. (Bill Gassen, 6/26)

Stat: CNN Debate Moderators Could Provide Cognitive Testing In Real Time
The two primary contenders for the presidency of the United States — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — will debate on Thursday, June 27, in front of a national television audience on CNN for the first of two presidential debates. If the past is any indication, millions of people will tune in. (Anand Kumar, 6/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: The Untold Story Of The Struggle Against HIV In Oakland
When people think of the history of HIV and AIDS on the West Coast, San Francisco is usually the first city to come to mind. Before the first case of HIV was discovered in the early 1980s, San Francisco had put itself on the map as the epicenter of California’s fight for gay liberation. The city held its first gay pride parade in 1970, and local activists successfully fought statewide anti-LGBTQ legislation. Supervisor Harvey Milk’s assassination and the subsequent White Night riots drew national attention. So, when news emerged that a disease was killing gay men, the media flocked to San Francisco. Across the water, however, Oakland was left in the dark. (Nuala Bishari, 6/24)

Stat: FDA: Take Time To Make Sure Your Diversity Guidance Is Solid
When Congress passed the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act (FDORA) in December 2022, it was hailed as a landmark step toward codifying diversity and inclusion in clinical trials. Under FDORA, sponsors of Phase 3 and other pivotal trials are required to submit a diversity action plan to the Food and Drug Administration along with their study protocol. The FDA’s goal is to ensure that enrollment goals include clinically relevant study populations. (Tamei Elliott and Maria Vassileva, 6/26)