Thanks for “tuning in” on a Saturday.
For committed health policy nerds with a bit of time this weekend, here are a few articles and other media that are worth putting on your menu.
A. Bridging the partisan divide
Katelyn Jetelina (Your Local Epidemiologist) has a post about public health experts talking to members of the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement. Her conclusions are
Work hard to develop trust
Support autonomy
Remind people that public health is not big Pharma
Curiosity can be a bridge.
B. Treating transgender teenagers
The New York Times just started a six-part podcast called “The Protocol” about the origin and science of transgender care for teenagers.
C. Chemotherapy deaths preventable with pharmacogenomic testing
Arthur Allen of KFF Health News published “Two Patients Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test to See if it Was Safe.” This is a followup to his 2024 article “ Overdosing on Chemo: A Common Gene Test Could Save Hundreds of Lives Each Year.” Those getting infusions of 5FU or the oral drug capecitabine should have a pharmacogenetic test to be sure that they have the enzymes to degrade the chemotherapy. This is standard of care in Europe, but continues to be denied by a number of US carriers.
D. Curing multiple myeloma
The NY Times has a longform article about using CAR-T immunotherapy to treat (and occasionally possibly cure) multiple myeloma, which was previously incurable.
No guarantee I’ll do this every weekend, but if I do, I’ll add a bonus animal photo. Today, a Great Egret with chicks at Wakodahatchee Wildlife Reserve (and water filtration plant) in Delray Beach, FL in April, 2025. (Taken by me, with an iPhone 15 Pro Max camera)
