Viewpoints: We Must Act Now To Boost Physician Workforce; US Should Use Tools It Has To Fight Tooth Decay
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics and more.
The CT Mirror:
A CT Doctor Shortage Made Worse
The United States is currently in the grips of a massive physician shortage estimated to be over 60,000. As the workforce ages, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the physician shortage will increase to over 86,000 physicians by 2036. Connecticut is not immune with almost 20% of residents already living in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) with fewer than one primary care physician per 3,500 residents. (Dr. Anthony Yoder and Ryan Englander, 5/27)
Stat:
My Dental Patients Lived With The Consequences Of Fluoride-Free Water
As a dentist trained in India and a global health researcher based in the United States, I have observed the fluoride debate from a broader, global lens. In many parts of the world, fluoride is not controversial — it is simply unavailable. Millions suffer from preventable tooth decay because they lack access to fluoride, and therefore the protection it provides against oral disease. (Mannat Tiwana, 5/24)
The Baltimore Sun:
How Community Health Outreach Makes A Difference
In an era when speed, efficiency and turnover have come to dominate the hospital psyche — just watch an episode of “The Pitt” — what role is left for human connection in our clinical toolbox? More than you might imagine. (Panagis Galiatsatos, 5/26)
Stat:
An AI-Simulated Bioterror Attack Is A Very Real Threat To Public Health
On the long list of ways that leading thinkers warn AI could end humanity is one that feels very comic-book villain: helping a rogue actor use modern biology tools to synthesize a lethal pathogen that would “cause more than a billion deaths in a matter of months.” While I am deeply concerned about the long-term existential threat of AI and synthetic biology to create new or modified pathogens, my extensive experience detecting and controlling outbreaks around the world makes me fear a more immediate threat: a rogue actor using existing AI tools to simulate a bioterrorism attack that would destabilize a region or the world. (Jay K. Varma, 5/27)
