First Opinion Podcast

Francis Collins and Marc Siegel say medicine is a gift from God

Religion and science can often seem in opposition, at least culturally. But they don’t have to be, say Marc Siegel and Francis Collins. Siegel, who is a physician and a senior medical analyst at Fox News, has recently published a new book, “The Miracles Among Us: How God's Grace Plays a Role in Healing,” in which he tells stories of unexpected — miraculous, he says —recoveries. On this episode of the “First Opinion Podcast,” host Torie Bosch speaks with Siegel and Francis Collins — former director of the National Institutes of Health and the author of “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.” They discuss the intersection of faith and science, particularly the ways that some Christian communities have increasingly become skeptical of medicine like vaccines.

The revolution in dementia care is just beginning

When Jason Karlawish started working with dementia patients in the late ’90s, there often wasn’t much he could offer them. “I gave them a diagnosis,” he told me on this week’s episode of the “First Opinion Podcast,” but had limited medications to prescribe. Now Karlawish — who is STAT’s Neurotransmissions columnist; a professor of medicine, medical ethics, health policy, and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania; co-director of the Penn Memory Center; and executive producer of the “Age of Aging” podcast — says a revolution is taking place in dementia care, thanks to diagnostics that are removing uncertainty and treatments that actually have some effect.

‘Where’s our CRISPR miracle?’

Celena Lozano's son Benny, who turned 5 in November, loves trains, trucks — anything that goes. He also has a rare disease, PURA syndrome. Earlier this year, when headlines announced that a child with a different rare disease, known as Baby KJ, had been treated using CRISPR in a major breakthrough, Celena, a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate, found that many in the PURA community had major questions, with comments like “This happened in just six months. When will this be available for our PURA kids?” appearing on Facebook groups. Celena and STAT reporter Jason Mast joined the podcast to discuss why CRISPR for PURA syndrome is particularly difficult, what it’s like to be both a rare disease parent and a scientist, and how crucial parents are to research.

Why beagles are the No. 1 dog for medical research

As science journalist Melanie D.G. Kaplan describes in her new book, “Lab Dog,” tens of thousands of beagles are used in the U.S. for medical research, testing chemical safety, and more. In “Lab Dog,” Melanie goes on a journey with her beloved adopted beagles, Hammy, a retired research dog, to find out where he came from. Along the way, she explores the ways that dogs contribute to medical research, the potential and limitations of substitutes for animals in the lab. In this episode, we discuss the ethics of animal research, Hammy’s story, the U.S. government’s attempt to move away from animal research, and why the number of beagles used in lab research has dropped from 70,000 when she adopted Hammy to 40,000 today.

Fighting anti-vax bills in a red state — and winning

In the wake of the pandemic, North Dakota, like many states, suddenly saw a splintering of opinion around vaccines. “Not only was I concerned about the decline of vaccinations, but I was even more concerned about the fabric of communities,” Sandy Tibke, executive director of the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, said on the this week’s podcast. So she teamed up with Josh Gryniewicz of Odd Duck, a communications consultancy. Together, they crisscrossed North Dakota, hosting listening sessions on health-related topics that went well beyond vaccines. On this episode of the “First Opinion Podcast,” host Torie Bosch spoke with Sandy and Josh about their work and the lessons it offers others in public health.