In this episode, Jessa and Kelly dive into the history of food safety, the efficacy of food labels, and their own dietary struggles. Tangents include conspiracy theories about a president's death, drinking too many cups of coffee, and the ways in which income inequality and other social forces hinder access to healthy food. 

Small notes: The FDA action approved by the Supreme Court in 1973 originally commenced in 1962, not 1972. See the FDA website for more:  https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-history/milestones-us-food-and-drug-law.

Here are the books we discussed in our podcast: 

Michael Pollan, The Botany of Desire

Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma 

Other sources:

Aubrey, Allison. “Does Subsidizing Crops We're Told to Eat Less of Fatten Us up?” NPR, NPR, 18 July 2016, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/18/486051480/we-subsidize-crops-we-should-eat-less-of-does-this-fatten-us-up.

Bittman, Mark, et al. “How a National Food Policy Could Save Millions of American Lives.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 7 Nov. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-a-national-food-policy-could-save-millions-of-american-lives/2014/11/07/89c55e16-637f-11e4-836c-83bc4f26eb67_story.html.

Long, Michael W., et al. “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Restaurant Menu CALORIE Labeling.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 5, 2015, doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302570.

Petimar J, Zhang F, Cleveland L P, Simon D, Gortmaker S L, Polacsek M et al. Estimating the effect of calorie menu labeling on calories purchased in a large restaurant franchise in the southern United States: quasi-experimental study BMJ 2019; 367 :l5837 doi:10.1136/bmj.l5837

“The FDA's Menu-Labeling Rule (Updated), " Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, July 13, 2015.DOI: 10.1377/hpb20150713.56602

This episode, Jessa and Kelly share their thoughts on America's unusually high maternal mortality rate, with Jessa offering a medical perspective and Kelly offering some legal and policy aspects to the discussion. We talked about how maternal mortality disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous women, the gaps in American healthcare, and even how hospitals are designed to make childbirth more high-stress. 

Please contact us if you have an experience to share!

Also, we are currently adapting to a new, bi-weekly schedule, so bear with us! Thank you so much for your support!

For additional information on how the state of California has reduced maternal mortality rate via "drills" and education about common signs of conditions that cause maternal death, read here: Renee Montagne, To Keep Women from Dying in Childbirth, Look to California, NPR (Jul. 29, 2018, 8:02 am.), https://www.npr.org/2018/07/29/632702896/to-keep-women-from-dying-in-childbirth-look-to-california#:~:text=To%20Keep%20Women%20From%20Dying%20In%20Childbirth%2C%20Look%20To%20California%20%3A%20NPR&text=Live%20Sessions-,To%20Keep%20Women%20From%20Dying%20In%20Childbirth%2C%20Look%20To%20California,rate%20by%20more%20than%20half.

Sources:

The Central Intelligence Agency, Country Comparison: Maternal Mortality Rate, CIA Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html (Retrieved Oct. 13th, 2020)

Collier, Ai-Ris Y, and Rose L Molina. “Maternal Mortality in the United States: Updates on Trends, Causes, and Solutions.” NeoReviews vol. 20,10 (2019): e561-e574. doi:10.1542/neo.20-10-e561

Metcalfe, A, Wick, J, Ronksley, P. Racial disparities in comorbidity and severe maternal morbidity/mortality in the United States: an analysis of temporal trends. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2018; 97: 89– 96.

Nina Martin & Renee Montagne, Black Mothers Keep Dying After Birth. Shalon Irving’s Story Explains Why, NPR(Dec. 7, 2017, 7:51 p.m.), https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why.

Nina Martin & Renee Montagne, The Last Person You’d Expect to Die in Childbirth, ProPublica & NPR(May 12, 2017)

Tara O’Neill Hayes & Carly McNeil, Maternal Mortality in the United States, American Action Forum (Sep. 9th, 2019), 

https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/maternal-mortality-in-the-united-states.

Pregnancy-Related Deaths, The CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/maternal-deaths/index.html (last updated May 7, 2019).

Report from Nine Maternal Mortality Review Committees, Reviewtoaction.org (2018) 

Susan Scutti, After Serena Williams Gave Birth, ‘Everything Went Bad.” CNN (Jan. 11, 2018, 2:20 p.m.)

What is the Fourth Trimester? Pregnancy, Birth, and Baby, The Government of Australia Health Direct(Oct. 9, 2019),

This week, a caffeine-deprived Jessa and Kelly discuss personal and professional failures. Tangents include Kelly's graduation and big move, and Jessa's new rotation!

We're switching it up (pun intended)! Join us as we interview Mihdi, another lawyer-to-be, about navigating the school transfer process.

In this interview with one of Jessa’s close friends from her year of service post-college, Kelly and Jessa learn about that he differences between a DO and an MD, and what med school is like from a DO perspective! Shows mentioned in this interview include the Curbsiders podcast and the Sawbones podcast, both of which Roshny and Jessa recommend. Roshny also mentioned two other favorite podcasts of hers called This Osteopathic Life and Rollin’ Bones.

This week, Kelly and Jessa discuss the importance of maintaining relationships while in grad school...while also discussing the challenges that come from a really overwhelming schedule.

'Tis the season to buckle down and study hard. Kelly and Jessa talk about finals during medical and law school--what they entail, how to prepare, and how to handle pre and post-test anxiety.

Get more study tips from our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdjdpod/

Resources: 

Armando Hasudungan physiology/pathology videos for med school: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCesNt4_Z-Pm41RzpAClfVcg

Osmosis physiology/pathology videos for med school: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNI0qOojpkhsUtaQ4_2NUhQ

Sample law school outlines: https://www.barristerbooks.com/emanuel-law-outlines/

Examples and Explanations: https://www.wklegaledu.com/study-aids/examples-explanations (also available on Amazon)

Kelly and Jessa talk about their favorite extracurriculars in law and med school, and how they can enhance your job/residency applications!

***Write On and Journal***

Note: while most schools use write-on as the primary means for deciding who earns a spot on law journals, some schools do allow students to grade on for eligibility, usually to law review. For instance, the top 5% of students at the end of 1L year might automatically be eligible for membership on Law Review. Read more here.