By Population Health Exchange
Mad musings from the messy world of science
Matt, Jess, and guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study using tweets to see if there have been changes in racial sentiment over time, they debate whether in-person or remote work is better for paradigm shifts, and Allegra tells us...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study using cell phone data to see if living in cities gives us better economic integration, they explore whether AI will be developing our hypotheses in the future, and Matt naps...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study testing the effect of a workplace intervention for cardiometabolic health, they discuss mental health as a human right, and Amruta tells us about the power of Taylor Swift. Music: "Duress"...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla discuss a study testing the efficacy of a blood-based cancer screening tool, they debate the role of the workplace in mental health, and Salma sees if she can pronounce the word “bubbles” while...
Matt, Jess, and first-time guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study of the effect of taxes and warning labels on purchases of red meat, they lament the impact of disinformation campaigns, and Matt tells us how AI is going to...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study on child opportunity in the built environment and physical fitness, they debate whether to get rid of discussion sections, and Jon invites us to consider the Golden Bachelor. Music: "Duress"...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study of the effect of proximity to wildfires on medical visits, they discuss housing as harm reduction, and Matt goes to Olive Garden. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla examine a study on the use of hearing aids to prevent dementia, they discuss whether loneliness is a public health problem (and, as usual, descend into talking about COVID), and Salma tells us...
Matt and Jess go solo and Jess hosts for the first time! They discuss a study of the effectiveness of a new meningitis vaccine, whether active shooter drills do anything more than scare kids, and debate the best movie candy....
We are taking a one-month break this summer. Please enjoy this "best of" episode celebrating Chris' contributions to the podcast. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a crossover study of the effects of coffee consumption on heart health, they discuss the commercial determinants of health, and Chris gives a heartfelt goodbye to the podcast and to BU. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa...
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a complex ecologic study on the effect of various interventions for COVID, they debate whether living evidence syntheses can save science, and Chris updates us on what killed Beethoven. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC...
Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a meta-analysis on whether masks reduce respiratory virus transmission, they discuss the peer review madness, and Jess tells us about vibrating pills. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a study on the impact of gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes, they debate who should be an author on an academic publication, and Jess tells us whether fish can recognize themselves. Music: "Duress"...
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a phase 2 clinical trial on the use of psilocybin to treat severe depression, they lament the state of health literacy, and Chris finds out what happens when you give drugs to spiders. Music: "Duress"...
Please enjoy this compilation of the best of Amazing and Amusing. Regular episodes will return in February. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Jess, and guest host Leo Martinez discuss a study on the respiratory syncytial virus during the pandemic, they debate the value of the evidence in preprints, and Jess redesigns the urinal. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Jess, and guest host Collette Ncube examine a study using different types of measurement to look at the effects racism has on health outcomes in New Zealand, they discuss what makes for a good research question when it comes...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Sarah Lipson examine a study on synergistic mindsets to reduce stress in adolescents, they discuss what it’s like to study mental health, and Matt makes a friendly wager. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay examine a study on the impact of historical redlining and structural racism on preterm birth rates in New York City, they discuss firearm research in the US, and Jess enlightens us on the...
Matt, Chris (that’s right, he’s back for an episode), and guest host Brooke Nichols review one of the earliest COVID modelling papers, they discuss the importance and value of COVID models in general, and Brooke tells us why we should...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine the impact of cyclones on mortality in the US, they discuss the uneven impacts of global climate change, and Jess tells us what we will be eating in the future. Music: "Duress"...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Marcia Pescador Jimenez discuss the impact of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and their relation to cardiovascular events as adults, they review the benefits of vaccination after infection with COVID, and Marcia tells a spooky...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Junenette Peters examine a study on whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) increases blood pressure, they discuss what the best measure of the impact of the pandemic is, and Jess wonders what a world of all electric cars...
Matt, Jess, and returning guest host Jacey Greece consider how well the NFL did with their COVID protocols, they discuss intervention mapping with respect to implementation science, and Jacey questions the rankings of math departments. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under...
Matt and Jess go it alone this week and discuss a study looking at whether pesticide ingestion on fruit and vegetables increases the risk for glioma, they examine the rise in pandemic preprints, and Jess pays tribute to bringing your...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Jacey Greece examine a study looking at whether giving free fruit and vegetables to school kids in Norway reduces BMI, they discuss the COVID new normal, and Jess gives Matt nightmares about orcas and egg...
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study looking at whether the very common Epstein-Barr virus is causally related to multiple sclerosis, they debate about a vaccine misinformation juggernaut, and Chris has the most random facts about Utrecht. Music: "Duress" by...
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study that looked at whether changes in reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System are linked to a vaccine exemption change in California (before COVID), they discuss the implications of poor vaccination coverage...
Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a study looking at the relationship between livable space and hypertension, they consider what we have learned from the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US, and Matt has a quiz. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under...
Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study looking at whether giving pregnant women HIV self-testing kits can increase HIV testing and access to care for male partners in Zambia, they discuss using confidence intervals to judge null results, and Chris...
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of daily COVID-19 testing in the UK for school contacts to stay in school rather than isolate, they discuss issues of equity in the COVID-19 crisis, and Don has thoughts...
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of the UK’s HPV vaccination policy, they discuss the dangers of meta-analyses in relation to Ivermectin, and Matt gets catty. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a complex study of the effect of COVID-19 on heart attacks and strokes, they discuss the mild influenza season (or at least Matt and Jess do), and Chris tells us how many fish we need...
Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study of the effect of convalescent plasma on recovery from COVID-19, they discuss the implications of an increase in gun violence prevention research funding, and Matt gets lyrical. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC...
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on whether or not Doppler ultrasound has played a role in declining fetal mortality in Norway, they talk about vaccine sharing, and Matt explains just how his getting older is preventing him from...
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the role of cannabis in car crashes, they talk about something called “lay epidemiology”, and Chris gets mellow. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt and guest hosts Lori Dean and Dustin Duncan discuss a study on how white privilege affects health, they talk through the role of neighborhoods and health, and Lori tells us about her new favorite TV show. Music: "Duress" by...
Matt and guest hosts Michelle Caunca and Sarah Ackley discuss a study on a new treatment to stop migraines, they talk about stitching together multiple datasets to study lifecourse epidemiology, and Michelle tells us about how doctors react to observational...
Matt, Jess, and guest host Erica Walker discuss a study on whether The Affordable Care Act reduced medical debt, they consider the role epidemiologists play in communicating information about COVID, and Erica fights off various wild animals. Music: "Duress" by...
Matt and guest hosts Hoda S. Abdel Magid and Geetika Kalloo discuss a study on whether a tax on sugar sweetened beverages reduces consumption in South Africa, they talk through ethical guidelines for peer reviewers, and Simone Biles makes a...
Matt and guest hosts Bertha Hidalgo and Rachel Widome review a study on whether COVID transmission was more likely after a birthday, they discuss teaching epidemiology online, and Matt is pretty shocked by how much a journal costs. Music: "Duress"...
Matt and Chris (in another summer two-person episode) review a new study on whether mandating the nurse to patient ratios can improve hospital outcomes, discuss what happened with the FDA approval of aducanumab, and Chris give us all the haikus...
Matt and Chris (in a rare two-person episode) examine a study that tested infecting mosquitos with Wolbachia to prevent dengue, discuss whether we should be training students in “legal epidemiology”, and Chris tells us what happens when we drink with...
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the effectiveness of MDMA for treatment of PTSD, they look at whether electronic passports for COVID vaccination are ethical and legal, and Matt goes into the history of peer review. Music: "Duress"...
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the effectiveness of ear tubes for ear infections, they consider the role of funders in international research, and Don goes cicada hunting. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study of using a diabetes medication for weight loss for obesity, they discuss whether Africa needs unique solutions to COVID-19, and Jess is a bit sheepish. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Matt, Chris, and Jess look at a study of whether or not a new microbiota-driven supplement does better at combatting malnutrition than traditional approaches, they discuss the importance of code review, and Matt looks to the future on mRNA vaccines....
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study that asks whether pets and humans get diabetes in pairs, they debate who got the best of the new deal between Elsevier and University of California, and Chris and Matt share a love...
Matt, Chris, and Don look at some new research on whether a saliva test can detect concussions, they discuss how to take down the anti-vaxx industry, and Matt gets saucy. Music: "Duress" by Ketsa under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
