Viewpoints: Defunding US Medical Research Has Deadly Consequences; AI Therapists Need Better Regulation
Opinion writers examine these public health issues.
The New York Times:
America First? Not When It Comes To Your Health.
These researchers and so many others worked to ensure that Americans had access to the best medical treatments available and that they had first access to those treatments. That is, they worked until Trump administration gutted funding to the National Institutes of Health and froze grants to universities across the country. You can put a dollar amount on how much has been saved, but the cost of what has been lost is incalculable. (Francesca Trianni and Adam Westbrook, 8/24)
The New York Times:
Teens Are Using Chatbots As Therapists. That’s Alarming.
Marketed as conversational agents, chatbots are becoming de facto digital therapists for many teens, for whom this technology now feels native. This raises the stakes for ensuring these tools are safe and governed by enforceable standards. Nearly half of young Americans ages 18 to 25 with mental health needs received no treatment last year — a gap that makes the appeal of 24/7, judgment-free companionship even stronger. (Ryan K. McBain, 8/25)
Stat:
What Will Define The Next Generation Of Drug Development?
Modern medicine has been historically characterized by a well-defined paradigm for drug discovery, centered around the goal of validating a target and developing molecules that interact with the target to alter the course of disease. This approach has fueled the development of therapies across many classes of molecules, from natural products and small molecules to peptides, antibodies, and oligonucleotides. (Sasha Ebrahimi and Milan Mrksich, 8/25)
The New York Times:
We Cannot Let America Abandon Female Veterans
The V.A. is one of the largest health care providers in America, and women are the fastest-growing population of veterans. Still, abortion was excluded from the V.A.’s health services until just three years ago. Now the Trump administration is attempting to reverse course on that long-overdue expansion of women’s care — at a time when abortion is less available than it had been in decades nationally because of the fall of Roe v. Wade. (Chelsea Donaldson, 8/25)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Lead Is The Silent Epidemic Poisoning St. Louis' Children
In the Black shadow of St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch, a silent epidemic is poisoning the children. Recent data shows that 6.3% of tested children in the city displayed elevated blood lead levels in 2022, approximately double Missouri’s statewide rate. Hotspots like 63106 zip code reports increased rates as high as 12.4%, with predominantly Black children bearing the brunt of this preventable crisis. Many St. Louis children remain at risk of irreversible harm from lead exposure in their homes, soil and water. (Summer Lander, 8/24)
Stat:
Online Testosterone Improved My Life — And Could Have Killed Me
Last year, I joined the millions of American men now on testosterone therapy — a treatment whose use has quietly tripled over the past two decades, often at doses far above Endocrine Society guidelines. Within weeks, I felt younger, stronger, and sharper. But within months, I was at serious risk of right-heart failure. (Jeffrey T. Junig, 8/25)
