While the world takes dramatic and costly steps to prevent the calamitous impact of climate change, preparations for a worldwide pandemic on the scale of …
Author: Beth Duff-Brown
It’s a no-brainer: Neuroscience should influence policy on psychoactive substances
Non-smoking campaigns that tell teenage boys that they'll get lung cancer in 30 years if they don’t stop smoking just don’t work. “But prevention programs that …
Small number of physicians account for many malpractice claims
A small number of physicians account for a disproportionately large number of malpractice claims in the United States, Stanford medical and law researchers found after …
Breast screening recommendations — finalized?
The simmering national debate over how often and at what age women should get mammograms has come to a full boil once again. This week, …
Overprescribing of opioids is not just limited to a few bad apples
More Americans are now dying of drug overdose each year than car accidents. And the biggest killer among those accidental deaths is prescribed opioids, according …
Excessive antibiotic use in flu season contributes to resistance
The cold and flu season is upon us — and with that comes the potential overuse of antibiotics. All too often, physicians prescribe antibiotics for …
Is a proposed ban on smoking in public housing fair?
Cigarette smoking kills nearly half a million Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. So the …
Stanford study: Medical procedures more expensive where physicians cluster in large medical practices
As more physicians move from solo and small practices, a dozen common medical procedures are becoming more expensive in areas where physicians are clustered into …
Diagnostic errors: “A complex problem that requires a many-pronged, multi-level attack”
A landmark Institute of Medicine report released last last month showed that despite dramatic improvements in patient safety over the last 15 years, diagnostic errors have been …
Stanford journalist returns to old post in India – and finds health care still lagging
Three Stanford seniors and a second-year School of Medicine student spent their summer investigating India’s complicated health-care system — and I got to go along …
Stanford physician provides insight on use of aspirin to help keep heart attacks and cancer away
Douglas Owens, MD, is on the panel of medical experts that just recommended a daily dose of aspiring to ward off heart attacks and cancer. But he …
Stanford India Health Policy Initiative fellows are in Mumbai – come follow along
Today, I'm on my way to India to join the 2015 Stanford India Health Policy Initiative fellows. These fellows are part of a program that designs and conducts …
Health aid may be allocated efficiently, but not always optimally
Foreign aid to the public-health sectors of developing countries often appears to be allocated backwards: The global burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes or …
Finding the sweet spot in public health law to regulate sugary drinks
Two Stanford public health law experts say one of the biggest culprits of the obesity epidemic - on top of fast foods and sedentary lifestyles …
Rosenkranz Prize winners devoted to innovative health care in developing countries
Marcella Alsan, MD, PhD, knows that the division of labor among men and women starts at a young age in the developing world. “Anecdotally, girls …
Exploring electronic health reminders’ effect on quality of care
It’s not every day that the director of the National Institutes of Health blogs about your research. But that’s the day that David Chan, MD, PhD, …