Side-Stepping the Smoke and Mirrors

Sign the petition please!

"Tell U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Stop Fighting Anti-Smoking Measures"

"As reported in a major exposé by The New York Times (06/30/15), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has taken a systematic approach to enriching the world's biggest tobacco companies by fighting life-saving public health policies worldwide. It’s shameful that the face of American business is defending a product projected to kill 1 billion people this century. And we won't stand for it."

Precisely

“Without minimizing the possible gains to clinical care from greater realization of precision medicine’s promise, we worry that an unstinting focus on precision medicine by trusted spokespeople for health is a mistake — and a distraction from the goal of producing a healthier population.” - Dean of Boston University School of Public Health and Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Re: "Public Health in the Precision-Medicine Era", R. Bayer, PhD & S. Galea, MD, DrPH, New England Journal of Medicine, 373:499-501, 08/06/15

Inside Amazon: All Signs Point to Cult

Learning about the Amazon workplace culture makes me sick to my stomach...

If this isn't a cult, I don't know what is. I feel sorry for these people, and for the many people whose employers emulate this style of dehumanizing their staff.

"[Employees] endure the hardships for the cause of delivering swim goggles and rolls of Scotch tape to customers just a little quicker." Sounds like it's totally worth it...

Re: "Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace", J. Kantor & D. Streitfeld, The New York Times, 08/15/15

So Misunderstood: Paleolithic Man & Diet

"I think evolutionary biology can have a lot to say about food and health,” said Dr. Thomas. “But nutrition is so incredibly complex, and we’ve only scratched the surface."

Re: "For Evolving Brains, a 'Paleo' Diet of Carbs", C. Zimmer, The New York Times, 08/13/15

Drugmakers & Their Shameless Plugs

Recent trend of celebrity drug endorsements through social media will be an interesting thing to keep an eye on - agree with the author that prescription drug marketing is shameless and should be heavily regulated, i.e. barred.

Re: "Kim Kardashian, Dr. Oz, and TV Drug Ads", J. LaMattina, Forbes, 08/13/15

Health > Healthcare | Hospital Aligns Vision & Mission

"Boston Medical Center has long understood that it takes more than just medicine to help patients get healthy. And now, with the creation of a vice president of mission, it will have a person dedicated to helping accomplish that goal.

Dr. Thea James, an emergency medicine physician, will take on the role of vice president of mission and associate chief medical officer, where she will be charged with coordinating programs outside the hospital to help patients overcome hurdles to health."

Expect to see more hospitals moving in this direction, if they haven't already. And that's a good thing! Health is way more than just health care.

Re: "Meet Dr. Thea James, Boston Medical Center's new executive on a mission", J. Bartlett, Boston Business Journal, 07/28/15

Teams Pitch Once More at Culmination of CIMIT/B-BIC Boot Camp, Sure to Not Be Their Last

The program ended as it had begun: with a pitch. Just as the teams had done on day one, except this time armed with loads more insight on the value of their innovative business concepts garnered from a combined 500 customer interviews, they assumed their place in front of a room full of strangers turned peers and mentors to present how, with their idea, patient care would be forever changed...[continue reading]