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Health & Veritas Podcast

Howard Forman and Harlan Krumholz, two Yale physician-professors, discuss the latest news and ideas in healthcare and seek out the truth amid the noise.

Health & Veritas is produced with the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Public Health.


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About the Hosts

  • Howard P. Forman (Co-Host)

    Professor Forman is a Professor of Diagnostic Radiology (and faculty director for Finance), Public Health (Health Policy), Economics, and Management. Professor Forman directs the Health Care Management program at the Yale School of Public Health and teaches healthcare economics in the Yale College Economics Department. He is the faculty founder and director of the MD/MBA program as well as the faculty director of the healthcare focus area in the School of Management’s MBA for Executives program. He is the co-founder and special advisor to the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership program. He co-hosts the Health & Veritas podcast with Dr. Harlan Krumholz.

  • Harlan M. Krumholz (Co-Host)

    Harlan Krumholz is a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. He is the Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine, and Professor in the Institute of Social Policy Studies, of Investigative Medicine, and of Public Health (Health Policy), and the Director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. He is a leading expert in the science to improve the quality and efficiency of care, eliminate disparities and promote equity, improve integrity and transparency in medical research, engage patients in their care, and avoid wasteful practices. Recent efforts are focused on harnessing the digital transformation in healthcare to accelerate knowledge generation and facilitate the delivery of care aligned with each patient’s needs and preferences.

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Browse and listen to some of our featured episodes below. Check out the links in the right-hand column for a full list of episodes.

Joshua Sharfstein: Policy and Health

Episode 139 - July 18, 2024

Howie and Harlan are joined by Joshua Sharfstein, a longtime public health official in federal, state, and local government, to discuss the state of the opioid epidemic, lessons from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and our readiness for a bird flu outbreak. Harlan reports on the summer surge in COVID-19; Howie remembers his mentor Gail Wilensky, a health economist who directed Medicaid and Medicare programs and led many other organizations over a 50-year career.

Joshua Sharfstein transcript download

Links:

COVID-19 Update

CDC: COVID Data Tracker

CDC: COVID-19 Current Wastewater Viral Activity Levels Map

“What to Know About COVID FLiRT Variants”

Joshua Sharfstein

Joshua Sharfstein: The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times

Joshua Sharfstein: The Opioid Epidemic: What everyone needs to know”

“How Can Over-the-Counter Naloxone Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths?”

CDC: H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation

“Millions of US Children Experience Range of Long COVID Effects”

Joshua Sharfstein: “The Role for Policy in AI-Assisted Medical Diagnosis”

“External Validation of a Widely Implemented Proprietary Sepsis Prediction Model in Hospitalized Patients”

“Epic’s overhaul of a flawed algorithm shows why AI oversight is a life-or-death issue”

Podcast: “Baltimore cut infant mortality and helped moms thrive, too”

Remembering Gail Wilensky

“In Remembrance Of Gail Wilensky”

“Gail Wilensky, Former CMS Administrator, Dies at 81”

“In Memoriam: Gail Wilensky, Renowned Health Economist & NORC Trustee”

Gail Wilensky: “The Health Care Quality Improvement Initiative”


An HIV Breakthrough and Other News

Episode 136 - June 27, 2024

Howie and Harlan catch up on healthcare headlines, including the politics of treating gun violence as a public health crisis, the growing evidence for the dangers of artificial sweeteners, and the latest on the bird flu outbreak.

HIV Breakthrough and Other News transcript download

Links:

Aspen Ideas: Health 2024

Harlan Krumholz: “The Next Era of JACC”

“First Issue of JACC Debuts Under Harlan M. Krumholz”

"U.S. clinical trials begin for twice-yearly HIV prevention injection"

UNAIDS: 2023 Fact Sheet

Rush University System: Dr. Omar B. Lateef

"Rush Signs on as First Partner for Local Laundry Service"

“Health Equity as a System Strategy: The Rush University Medical Center Framework”

"Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis"

Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence

"Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms"

“Patient Navigation for Lung Cancer Screening at a Health Care for the Homeless Program A Randomized Clinical Trial”

Vinay Prasad: “CT screening for lung cancer for homeless people: the new JAMA IM paper”

Supreme Court: Murthy v. Missouri Opinion

"US supreme court allows government to request removal of misinformation on social media"

Harlan Krumholz: “Why One Cardiologist Has Drunk His Last Diet Soda"

“Xylitol is prothrombotic and associated with cardiovascular risk”

"Is Xylitol Dangerous?"

CDC: A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update June 21, 2024

"Michigan stands out for its aggressive bird flu response. Will other states follow its lead?"

"Finland to offer bird flu vaccinations to at-risk residents in a world first"



Chima Ndumele: Reinventing Medicaid

Episode 131 - May 23, 2024

Howie and Harlan are joined by Chima Ndumele of the Yale School of Public Health to discuss his research on structural changes to Medicaid that could keep vulnerable populations healthier. Harlan reports on the remarkable abilities of Google's latest medicine-focused AI; Howie reflects on a study showing the impact of race-neutral measures of lung function.

Chima Ndumele transcript download

Links:

AI and Medicine

“Capabilities of Gemini Models in Medicine”

Medicaid

Medicaid.gov

“10 Things to Know About Medicaid”

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

“Long-Term Stability of Coverage Among Michigan Medicaid Beneficiaries: A Cohort Study”

“Unwinding And The Medicaid Undercount: Millions Enrolled In Medicaid During The Pandemic Thought They Were Uninsured”

Chima Ndumele: “Variation in Health Outcomes: The Role of Spending on Social Services, Public Health, and Health Care, 2000–09”

Chima Ndumele: “In Medicaid Managed Care Networks, Care Is Highly Concentrated Among A Small Percentage Of Physicians”

“N.C. developing plan to improve Medicaid participants’ job prospects”

“Yale School of Public Health Graduates Urged to Adopt a “Healthy Disregard for the Impossible”

Race and Lung Function

“Implications of Race Adjustment in Lung-Function Equations”

Harlan Krumholz: “Association of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities with Outcomes among Patients Hospitalized with Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia. An Analysis of Within- and Between-Hospital Variation”

“Q&A: Harlan Krumholz on hospital readmissions”

Health & Veritas Live on May 30

Join Howie and Harlan in person at the Yale Innovation Summit.


Zack Cooper: High Healthcare Costs: Who Pays, Who Benefits

Manisha Juthani: Solving Infectious Disease Mysteries

Episode 115 - February 1, 2024

Howie and Harlan are joined by Manisha Juthani, a Yale infectious disease specialist and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. They discuss her research, including a study casting doubt on the use of cranberries to prevent urinary tract infection, and her priorities for Connecticut. Harlan reports on a wave of study retractions from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Howie reflects on the progress made toward eradicating Guinea worm and malaria.

Manisha Juthani transcript download

Links:

Retractions from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

“Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Researchers Accused of Manipulating Data”

“Top Cancer Center Seeks to Retract or Correct Dozens of Studies”

Pubpeer: The Online Journal Club

Manisha Juthani

“An Outbreak of Domestically Acquired Typhoid Fever in Queens, NY”

Manisha Juthani: “Effect of Cranberry Capsules on Bacteriuria Plus Pyuria Among Older Women in Nursing Homes—A Randomized Clinical Trial”

“Reduction of Bacteriuria and Pyuria After Ingestion of Cranberry Juice”

Yale School of Medicine Medical Grand Rounds: “Debunking a myth: cranberry products for UTI prevention”

Connecticut Department of Public Health

Connecticut Department of Public Health: About the Commissioner

Connecticut Department of Public Health: Statistics and Research

“Court: CT can keep law that ends religious exemptions for vaccines”

“Congenital syphilis cases in the U.S. have skyrocketed, CDC says”

Eradicating Parasites

“Jimmy Carter took on the awful Guinea worm when no one else would—and he triumphed”

“Cape Verde reaches malaria-free milestone”


Melinda Pettigrew: The Battle Against Antimicrobial Resistance

Episode 103 - November 2, 2023

Howie and Harlan are joined by Melinda Pettigrew of the Yale School of Public Health to discuss the changes needed in the prescription and agricultural use of antibiotics to address the crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Harlan reports on a survey underlining the scale of medical misinformation among Americans; Howie discusses a new tool for the treatment of unhoused people.

Melinda Pettigrew transcript download

Links:

"Statement regarding YSPH transitioning to an independent school at Yale"

Medical Misinformation

Harlan Krumholz: “A prescription for the US FDA for the regulation of health misinformation"

“Vaccine Confidence Falls as Belief in Health Misinformation Grows"

Melinda Pettigrew and Antimicrobial Resistance

“Melinda Pettigrew—The next dean of SPH!”

“New Law Will Help Combat Growing Threat of Antibiotic Resistance”

“Short- vs Standard-Course Outpatient Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children”

"Gastrointestinal Microbiome Disruption and Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Children Receiving Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia"

“Two Yale alum tackle infection diagnostics”

“A Review of the Effectiveness of Current US Policies on Antimicrobial Use in Meat and Poultry Production”

FDA Fact Sheet: Veterinary Feed Directive Final Rule and Next Steps

“CDC: Measuring Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing”

Treating the Unhoused

“Housing Supply and the Drivers of Homelessness”

CMS: Place of Service Code Set

“New place of service code for treating unsheltered people”

Rough Sleepers

"'You Have to Learn to Listen’: How a Doctor Cares for Boston’s Homeless”

VA: VA Homeless Programs


Peter Salovey: A More Unified, Accessible, and Innovative Yale

Episode 100 - October 16, 2023

In the 100th episode of Health & Veritas, Howie and Harlan are joined by Peter Salovey, the president of Yale University and a pioneering psychology scholar. They discuss Salovey’s tenure as president, which ends in 2024; the future of the newly independent Yale School of Public Health; and Salovey’s influential research on emotional intelligence.

Peter Salovey transcript download

Links:

"Statement regarding YSPH transitioning to an independent school at Yale"

Peter Salovey: “Emotional Intelligence"

Yale School of Medicine: “Medical school and health system form a new affiliation”

“President's house will be a home”

For Humanity: the Yale Campaign


Hil Moss: The Gap in Care for Cancer Survivors

Episode 87 - June 29, 2023

Howie and Harlan are joined by Hil Moss, a graduate of Yale SOM and the Yale School of Public Health, to discuss her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer while a Yale student, the challenges facing cancer survivors after treatment, and the virtual clinic that she founded to help fill the void. Harlan reports on highly effective new obesity treatments on the horizon; Howie discusses the far-reaching effects of the Dobbs ruling, one year later.

Hil Moss transcript download

Links:

American Diabetes Association: “American Diabetes Association Highlights Novel Agent Retatrutide which Results in Substantial Weight Reduction in People with Obesity or Type 2 Diabetes During Late Breaking Symposium”

“Experimental Lilly pill, Mounjaro both lead to 15% weight loss in clinical trials”

VivorCare: The First Virtual Cancer Survivorship Clinic

Hil Moss: “Enough pink: We’re doing Breast Cancer Awareness Month all wrong”

“Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)”

“A National Survey of OBGYNs’ Experiences After Dobbs”

“Indiana board reprimands Dr. Caitlin Bernard over 10-year-old's abortion case”


David Fiellin: The Treatments Changing the Lives of People with Opioid Addictions

Albert Ko: A Journey in Public Health

Megan Ranney: What’s Next for Public Health?

Cary Gross: Effective Cancer Screening

Episode 76 - April 13, 2023

Howie and Harlan are joined by Cary Gross, professor of medicine and public health and director of the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale, to discuss his creative approach to research and his sometimes contrarian stances on cancer screening and not holding medical conferences in states that ban abortion. Harlan explains the nuances of new research about mortality risks tied to weight loss in older adults; Howie discusses his concerns over courts interfering with FDA drug approval processes arising from two cases tied to the medical abortion pill mifepristone.

Cary Gross transcript download

Links:

“The Relation between Funding by the National Institutes of Health and the Burden of Disease”

“Allocation of National Institutes of Health Funding by Disease Category in 2008 and 2019”

“Too Many Older Patients Get Cancer Screenings”

National Cancer Institute | National Cancer Act of 1971: “Holding Medical Professional Society Scientific Meetings Only in States That Protect Abortion Rights—Clinical and Ethical Considerations”

“Associations of Change in Body Size With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Healthy Older Adults”

“Judge Invalidates F.D.A. Approval of the Abortion Pill Mifepristone”

“Democratic state attorneys general sue Biden administration over abortion pill rules”


Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith: The Systemic Roots of Inequities in Health


Episode 55 - November 12, 2022

Harlan reports on three negative—but striking—trials presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting; Howie reflects on the victories for health in Tuesday’s election. And they’re joined by Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a Yale internist and nationally known expert on healthcare equity, to discuss her service in the Biden administration and the need for a broad approach to tackling racism in healthcare and systemic inequities in health.

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith transcript download

Links:

“Another Fibrate Fails to Show Cardiovascular Benefit”

“DCP: HCTZ vs. Chlorthalidone in Improving CV Outcomes in Elderly Veterans With HTN”

“TRANSFORM-HF: Loop Diuretics Show No Difference in Mortality and Hospitalizations for Heart Failure”

“Nunez-Smith to lead Biden health equity task force”

Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University

“Voters will have a say on abortion in 5 states with high-stakes ballot measures”

“South Dakota votes to expand Medicaid”

Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses—2021


Beating the Outbreaks


Episode 45 - August 4, 2022

Monkeypox, polio, and COVID-19 have all received the World Health Organization’s rarely used global health emergency designation. Howie and Harlan offer a needed sense of proportion alongside health information, updates on research, and policy developments for the grim trio of diseases.

Beating the Outbreaks transcript download


Dr. James Hamblin: Should You Stop Washing?


Episode 44 - July 8, 2022

Howie and Harlan talk with Dr. James Hamblin, a journalist and a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health. They discuss his approach to communicating about public health, his prescient February 2020 article on COVID-19, and why he’s quit taking showers.

Dr. James Hamblin transcript download

Links:

“You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus”


Teresa Chahine: The Social Entrepreneur's Guide to Making Change


Episode 43 - July 21, 2022

Howie and Harlan are joined by Teresa Chahine, the Sheila and Ron ’92 B.A. Marcelo Senior Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship at Yale SOM. They discuss how social entrepreneurs use an interdisciplinary, iterative, community-centric approach to innovation to create self-sustaining solutions to problems in public health and other areas.

Teresa Chahine transcript download

Links:

“Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity”

Teresa Chahine: “Toward an Understanding of Public Health Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship”

Teresa Chahine: Social Entrepreneurship: Building Impact Step by Step, 2nd Edition (December 2022)


Gregg Gonsalves: An Inspiring Nonlinear Path to Impact


Episode 39 - June 23, 2022

Howie and Harlan are joined by Yale epidemiologist and MacArthur ‘genius’ Gregg Gonsalves to discuss his non-traditional route to improving responses to global public health challenges.

Gregg Gonsalves transcript download

Links:

Eric Topol on COVID reinfections

Harlan’s Twitter thread on insurance debt

“Health Savings Accounts No Longer Promote Consumer Cost-Consciousness” Sherry Glied in Health Affairs

The Best Little Boy in the World