I feel it’s honest to say that everybody anticipated 2024 to be just a little wild, given the U.S. presidential election. However what ended up transpiring this yr — significantly with regards to well being, medication, and the life sciences — grew to become extra dramatic than I, at the least, had anticipated: a resurgence of the dialog about vaccines, the capturing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the following backlash to the insurance coverage trade, upheaval round weight reduction medicine, and a lot extra.
The highest First Opinion essays of 2024 present these tales in addition to others, together with a couple of hits (human cloning, “Cali sober,” and autism) hanging on from 2023 and one from 2020. The No. 1 story shocked me a bit, but it surely’s one thing that, I believe, lots of people about to endure colonoscopies marvel about.
What I most love about this record is that these tales characterize the wide selection of authors who contribute to First Opinion: physicians, advocates, journalists, researchers, and extra, all of whom are writing from their very own expertise.
In 2025, I hope First Opinion will proceed to publish provocative, conversation-starting essays that make readers suppose, “Wow, I by no means thought of it that means.” We can even be launching a brand new debate collection. Yow will discover our submission tips right here, and make certain to enroll in the First Opinion e-newsletter.
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“The proof is obvious: A liquid-only food regimen earlier than a colonoscopy is pointless,” by Benjamin Lebwohl
“I used to do medical insurance firm PR. Right here’s what I feel the backlash is lacking,” by Wendell Potter
“Medicare Benefit is unhealthy for sufferers and unhealthy for traders,” by Wendell Potter and Philip Verhoef
“Human reproductive cloning: The curious incident of the canine within the night-time,” by Henry T. Greely
“I’m an anesthesiologist. Kenneth Smith’s execution by nitrogen gasoline was removed from ‘textbook,’” by Joel B. Zivot
“There isn’t a epidemic of autism. It’s an epidemic of want,” by John Elder Robison and Dena Gassner
“I’ve reported on the well being of each president since Reagan. Right here’s what I take into consideration Trump and Biden,” by Lawrence Ok. Altman
“Medical college students lose within the analysis arms race for residency slots,” by Anmol Shrestha
“In protection of being ‘Cali sober,’” by Peter Grinspoon
“Compounded semaglutide is an ill-defined public well being disaster,” by Vishal Khetpal
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“It’s time for a brand new medical specialty in asynchronous care,” by Muthu Alagappan, Rishi Khakhkhar, and Ben Kornitzer
“NIH wants reform and restructuring, key Republican committee chairs say,” by Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Robert B. Aderholt
“Q&A: Mark Cuban explains his beef with conventional PBMs — and why he thinks disruption is inevitable,” by STAT workers
“The required roughness of 2023 has arrange a really promising 2024 for biotech jobs,” by Christopher Palatucci
“A California court docket is setting a harmful precedent over drug growth (or lack thereof) legal responsibility,” by Dan Troy
“Beware hospital consolidation,” by Laura and John Arnold
“The Philips CPAP nightmare exposes shortcomings in medical gadget regulation,” by Kushal T. Kadakia, Joseph S. Ross, and Vinay Ok. Rathi
“A yr in, the U.S. remains to be not making the most of lower-cost biosimilars for Humira,” by Juliana M. Reed
“I’m a geriatric doctor. Right here’s what I feel is happening with Trump’s government operate,” by Joanne Lynn
