The initial fare at TEDMED 2012 whet my appetite for the sessions that followed.Howard-Yana Shapiro, a plant scientist wizard, focused on how to improve nutrition in crops, rather than just the volume of the yield, and the coming crisis in feeding the world’s population...
Innovation. Story telling. Discovery. Connections. Beauty. Heartbreak.TEDMED 2012 had it all. What seemed initially like disparate sessions later proved to be a carefully planned series that wove together important themes for making a healthier future.The three days of immersion were, at times, overwhelming, but the careful planning interspersed intense talks with music or dance, all illuminating different aspects of healing, well-being, resilience, and persistence.I was quite surprised that the conference began with an acrobatic/dance performance Traces by Les 7 doights de la main...
Innovation. Story telling. Discovery. Connections. Beauty. Heartbreak. TEDMED 2012 had it all. What seemed initially like disparate sessions later proved to be a carefully planned series that wove together important themes for making a healthier future...
The recent presidential candidate debates, fights over insurance coverage for contraceptives, and the Virginia and Texas legislatures' imposition of intrusive, unnecessary ultrasounds prior to any abortions are highlighting the fundamental issue of the role of religion in health care and the separation of Church and State...
The recent presidential candidate debates, fights over insurance coverage for contraceptives, and the Virginia and Texas legislatures’ imposition of intrusive, unnecessary ultrasounds prior to any abortions are highlighting the fundamental issue of the role of religion in health care and the separation of Church and State...
The struggle between conscience and refusal, or individual rights vs. that of the community good, goes far back, and is not limited to reproductive choices.
The struggle between conscience and refusal, or individual rights vs. that of the community good, goes far back, and is not limited to reproductive choices.
In my last post, I focused on flaws in the medical device approval process. The Union of Concerned Scientists' "FDA at a Crossroads" meeting also covered problems with drug approval.
In my last post, I focused on flaws in the medical device approval process. The Union of Concerned Scientists’ “FDA at a Crossroads” meeting also covered problems with drug approval.
I took a field trip to the big city last week, to attend the Union of Concerned Scientists' and George Washington University School of Public Health's conference, "FDA at a Crossroads."..
I took a field trip to the big city last week, to attend the Union of Concerned Scientists’ and George Washington University School of Public Health’s conference, “FDA at a Crossroads.” I have great respect for UCS and their efforts to keep science depoliticized, a topic that I have written and spoken about...
Pepper spray is all over the news, following the Occupy Wall Street protests, particularly following the widely disseminated images and videos of protestors being sprayed in NY, Portland, and UCDavis...
Pepper spray is all over the news, following the Occupy Wall Street protests, particularly following the widely disseminated images and videos of protestors being sprayed in NY, Portland, and UCDavis.Before that, I knew and occasionally used its main ingredient, capsaicin, as a treatment for my patients with shingles, an extremely painful Herpes zoster infection...
This past week, I was jolted out of my chair by news that a Pfizer-led group plans to buy access to patient data in hospitals. My initial reaction was anger, on a variety of levels: as a researcher, as one who is increasingly wary of the reach of huge corporations, and as an individual...
This past week, I was jolted out of my chair by news that a Pfizer-led group plans to buy access to patient data in hospitals. My initial reaction was anger, on a variety of levels: as a researcher, as one who is increasingly wary of the reach of huge corporations, and as an individual.Actually, it is not just Pfizer doing this—a new consortium called the Partnership to Advance Clinical Electronic Research (PACeR), includes Merck, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Hoffman-La Roche, Quintiles, and Oracle...
Just last week, I mentioned that Eli Lilly and Company, as a condition of approval for their blockbuster drug, was required to conduct post-marketing studies of Xigris.
Just last week, I mentioned that Eli Lilly and Company, as a condition of approval for their blockbuster drug, was required to conduct post-marketing studies of Xigris.
We looked briefly at why drug studies came into being; now let's look at how a drug is developed, from test tube to your tissues. Every government approved drug goes through the same sequence of testing anywhere in the world...
We looked briefly at why drug studies came into being; now let’s look at how a drug is developed, from test tube to your tissues.Every government approved drug goes through the same sequence of testing anywhere in the world...
Have you ever wondered about the medicines you take—how they are developed and produced? We'll explore that in "Molecules to Medicine." This new series could be described as "medicine for muggles," intended to take the mystery out of clinical research and drug development and to provide background information so that both patients and physicians can [...]..
