Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Med Schools Must Update Training On Old Diseases; Gen Z's Resistance To Talking Will Harm Them
Stat: Medical Schools Must Update Approach To Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
I went through medical school, residency, and a fellowship in the United States in an era when vaccine-preventable diseases were treated as history. Measles, tetanus, pertussis, and mumps appeared on exams, not in hospital wards. Vaccines — a victim of their own success — have worked so well that most clinicians in my generation have never seen these illnesses firsthand. But I have. (Krutika Kuppalli, 1/12)
The Washington Post: Gen Z’s Lack Of Talking Is Harming Their Cognitive Health
The problem isn’t just a matter of social awkwardness. Talking is important brain exercise, a desirable difficulty that enhances our cognition — in the moment of talking, and over our lifetimes. Young adults frequently listen to other people’s speech via podcasts, YouTube, TikTok and the like, but these activities don’t provide the same cognitive stimulation. The mental effort required to speak is much greater than what’s needed to understand someone else, and the cognitive benefits of talking exceed those of listening. (Maryellen MacDonald, 1/11)
Stat: NIH Resignations: Scientists, Administrators On Why They Left In Protest
We are National Institutes of Health scientists and administrators with more than 50 years of collective civil service. Or, more accurately, we were NIH scientists and administrators. (Sylvia Chou, Paul Grothaus, Alexa Romberg and Vani Pariyadath, 1/10)
Kansas City Star: NC Doctor: What You Need To Know About Hepatitis B Vaccine
Recently, politicians at the federal level have decided to delay the birth dose of hepatitis b vaccine unless there is maternal hepatitis b blood test evidence that the baby needs the vaccine at birth. Physician groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have agreed that this policy change is bad for children and that all children need to receive hepatitis b vaccine at birth if we are to prevent this uniformly fatal disease in at-risk children who might slip between the cracks under this new proposal. (David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, 1/12)
The Boston Globe: Can Mass. Lead The Way In Medical Cannabis Research?
Whether cannabis is used for recreation or to treat conditions ranging from chronic pain to sleep disorders, President Trump’s executive order initiating the process to reschedule cannabis is a pivotal step toward maximizing the benefits of cannabis while minimizing its risks. (Julie K. Johnson and Shannon O'Brien, 1/12)
