Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Shoddy Sex Ed Causes Public Health Crises; Using AI For Drug Discovery Does What Humans Can't
The CT Mirror: Sex Ed Saves Lives. Why Are We Still Fighting For It?
As educators, our responsibility is to prepare young people for their futures by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to make informed, responsible decisions. Yet, in the realm of sex education, we face unprecedented challenges. (Jessica Duggan, 6/18)
Stat: “How Many AI Drugs Are In The Clinic?” Is The Wrong Question
In a time of relentless AI hype and mounting global economic uncertainty, the real winners will be those who think long-term. One of the most transformative opportunities lies in building AI that can decode biology, promising not just massive returns, but a profound impact on global health. (Brendan Frey, 6/18)
Stat: Is The U.S. Blood Supply Safe Under Trump And RFK Jr.?
Weeks after I held my husband’s hand as he drew his last breath, my 4-year-old son, Ryan, jumped into my arms and asked, “Why did they give Daddy the bad medicine?” (Kathy Seward MacKay, 6/18)
Stat: Bill Gates: I Lost My Father To Alzheimer’s. But I’m More Optimistic Than Ever About Fighting The Disease
My dad was a giant in every sense of the word. More than anyone else, he shaped the values of the Gates Foundation, and everything we have accomplished is a testament to his vision of a better world. Sadly, we lost my dad in 2020 to Alzheimer’s disease. Watching my brilliant, loving father go downhill and disappear was a brutal experience. (Bill Gates, 6/17)
The Boston Globe: The Healing Memory Of Lenny Zakim
Lenny Zakim spent his whole adult life bringing people together. He had no quit in him, despite battling bone marrow cancer for five years before his death in 1999 at 46-years-old. “To be told you have an incurable cancer means you’ve got to pull whatever strings you have. Some of it’s prayer and faith. Some of it’s very practical things like exercise and meditation and acupuncture. Certainly, some of it’s in the chemotherapy and radiation. I really believe it’s a failure of Western medicine not to integrate all of this.” The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute now does all of this under one roof. (Stan Grossfeld, 6/17)
