Category: Public Health & Policy

Afghanistan, the Delta variant, and the limits of American short-term solutions

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to uphold its current Communist government. Opposed to the foreign invasion of their country, many rebel groups, collectively known as the Mujahideen, rose up in arms to fight the Soviets. Since it was the …

Doctors: You can increase voting in the U.S. [PODCAST]

“Our country is facing a voting crisis with multiple layers: chronically low overall voter participation, even lower voter participation among physicians and — to add insult to injury — an increasing number of laws that make voting more difficult…

What has leadership accomplished by asking for innovation?

Pick out any company’s mission, vision, and value statement, and you are very likely to find a call to innovate. Companies understand they must produce more high-quality widgets, ideally at a lower cost.  Adherence to the status quo will only get in th…

What has leadership accomplished by asking for innovation?

Pick out any company’s mission, vision, and value statement, and you are very likely to find a call to innovate. Companies understand they must produce more high-quality widgets, ideally at a lower cost.  Adherence to the status quo will only get in th…

Robert Pearl, MD on doctors and the 5 stages of grief [PODCAST]

“Physicians have had a rough century, so far. In addition to battling COVID-19, doctors have spent the past two decades fighting the health care industry’s fiercest players and losing, badly. Power in the industry now belongs to health insurance …

America as an outlier: Paying more for less

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States clearly stands out: we spend far more on health care per capita than any other country in the world, yet life expectancy is shorter than in other develope…

20/20 vision: empowering thoughts

I’m sure many people would agree that 2020 was catalytic for them. For me, it was the year I finally achieved 20/20 vision, and my eyes opened up to a world of reality. Up until this point in time, I had tried so hard to believe in hope. I found …

Why it is essential to prioritize universal coverage [PODCAST]

“Looking to other countries that provide universal coverage to see what works and what would fit well for the U.S. is an option. Countries like France, Australia, and England provide universal coverage and rank their health care systems very high…

Eradicate the disability tax, before it’s too late

A disability tax is the additional expense people with disabilities pay in society for accommodations that people who are able-bodied do not need, whose impact is often capitalized on top of the inability to perform at the level required by potential e…

Climate change is a public health crisis: a look into the Pacific Northwest heatwave

“Your zip code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code.” For residents in the Pacific Northwest who recently faced a record-breaking heatwave, this statement hits close to home. The World Weather Attribution initiative, …