Health & Veritas
Howard Forman and Harlan Krumholz, two Yale physician-professors, discuss the latest news and ideas in healthcare and seek out the truth amid the noise.
Health & Veritas is produced with the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Public Health.

Episodes
- PodcastEpisode 96Duration 36:29
Nita Ahuja: Epigenetics and Cancer
Howie and Harlan are joined by Nita Ahuja, a Yale surgeon and researcher, to discuss new methods in for detecting and treating cancers and the barriers faced by women surgeons. Harlan answers questions about an FDA panel’s finding that the decongestant phenylephrine is ineffective; Howie looks at the trends making hospital finances unsustainable.
Links:
“FDA clarifies results of recent advisory committee meeting on oral phenylephrine”
“Phenylephrine vs. Pseudoephedrine: What’s the Difference?”
“Why Has a Useless Cold Medication Been Allowed on Shelves for Years?”
“Surgeon Sex and Long-Term Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Common Surgeries”
“Age, Gender And Ability To Listen: Who Listens Best?”
“Women surgeons are punished more than men for the exact same mistakes, study finds”
“Board of Supervisors denies Greenwood Leflore Hospital’s $1 million request”
“Money and ambition split up Dana-Farber and Brigham”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 95Duration 34:52
Peter Hotez: Opposing the Anti-Science Movement
In a special episode, Howie and Harlan are joined by the virologist and advocate Peter Hotez to discuss his new book, The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning. This interview was recorded in late August.
Links:
Peter Hotez: The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning
Peter Hotez: Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism
“The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Continues: An Update"
“Swiss study finds connection between watching Fox News and vaccination rates going down"
“The Paranoid Style in American Plutocrats"
“Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent"
“Peter Hotez is not alone: Online harassment of doctors is a public health issue"
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 94Duration 30:46
Ted Long: A Model for Effective Primary Care
Howie and Harlan are joined by Ted Long, senior vice president of ambulatory care and population health at New York City Health + Hospitals, to discuss New York City’s remarkable success in providing care to its most vulnerable citizens. Harlan discusses the state of research into long COVID, including his own studies; Howie reports on the first round of drug-price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Links:
“Scientists look at the progress made toward understanding—and treating—long COVID”
National Institutes of Health “NIH launches new initiative to study ‘Long COVID’”
The Yale Paxlovid for Long COVID (PAX LC) Trial
Internal tremors and vibrations in long COVID: a cross-sectional study
“Burnout threatens primary care workforce and doctors' mental health”
NYC Health and Hospitals: Housing for Health
“NYC Health + Hospitals Wins Superbowl Of Reducing Blood Pressure Awards”
“Drugmakers Are ‘Throwing the Kitchen Sink’ to Halt Medicare Price Negotiations”
“The 4 Arguments You Will Hear Against Drug Price Negotiation”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 93Duration 31:24
Zhenqiu Lin: Measuring Quality, Improving Care
Howie and Harlan are joined by Zhenqiu Lin, senior director of analytics at Yale’s Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, to discuss how quality measures can make care more consistent and effective and improve outcomes for patients. Howie provides an update on research on repetitive head trauma among young football players; Harlan reports on new findings about the benefits of semaglutide for people with heart disease.
Links:
American Academy Of Pediatrics: “Tackling in Youth Football”
“Semaglutide in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastDuration 32:48
Best of Health & Veritas, Summer 2023
Howie and Harlan look back on some of their favorite moments from the first 92 episodes of Health & Veritas.
Featured episodes:
Ania Jastreboff: The Revolution in Obesity Medication
Josh Geballe: Turning Yale Innovation into Startups
Anna Kaltenboeck: Untangling Drug Prices
Akiko Iwasaki: Is Long COVID One Disease or Many?
Perry Wilson: The Formula for Medical Misinformation
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld: The CEO Whisperer
Harlan Krumholz, This Is Your Life
Megan Ranney: What’s Next for Public Health?
Michael Alosco: The Toll of Repetitive Head Impacts
Gil Addo: Building a Model for Virtual Specialty Care
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 92Duration 39:15
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Building a Culture of Health
In this special episode, Howie and Harlan are joined by Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, and a graduate of the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Medicine.
Links:
The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service
CDC: Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic
“How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health”
CMS: Delivering Services in School-Based Settings
U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
Surgeon General’s Advisory on E-cigarette Use Among Youth
Vivek Murthy: “U.S. surgeon general: I am concerned about social media and youth mental health”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 91Duration 34:13
Alan Friedman: To Err Is Human
Howie and Harlan are joined by Alan Friedman, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Hospital, to talk about the organizational and cultural changes that the hospital has made to minimize medical errors and unprofessional behavior that harm patients. Howie reports on a Yale study showing a gap in excess deaths between Republicans and Democrats after the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced; Harlan discusses the continued problem of financial toxicity for patients, and a new study casting doubt on the effectiveness of “neuroprotective” diets.
Links:
“State-Level Excess Mortality in US Adults During the Delta and Omicron Waves of COVID-19”
“To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System”
“The Safety of Inpatient Health Care”
“We’re Already Paying for Universal Health Care. Why Don’t We Have It?”
“Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 90Duration 35:14
Melissa Davis: Can a Radiologist Trust AI?
Howie and Harlan are joined by Melissa Davis, a Yale radiologist and a graduate of Yale SOM’s MBA for Executives program, to discuss the ‘whoa’ moments and the weaknesses she has encountered using artificial intelligence to help interpret scans. Harlan reflects on the slow progress toward a healthcare system that rewards value rather than volume; Howie reports on new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Links:
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people”
“The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Unethical Behavior”
“Vinod Khosla: Machines will replace 80 percent of doctors”
“Affirmative action ruling raises concerns over impact on medical school diversity”
Yale School of Management: MBA for Executives
Sepsis DX, co-founded by Melissa Davis
“Donanemab in Early Symptomatic Alzheimer Disease: The TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Randomized Clinical Trial”
“Editorial: Amyloid-Targeting Monoclonal Antibodies for Alzheimer Disease”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 89Duration 36:04
Julius Chapiro: Minimally Invasive Liver Cancer Treatment
Howie and Harlan are joined by Julius Chapiro to discuss advances in the use of machine learning and molecular imaging to understand and treat liver cancer and his work as the director of Yale’s Center for Minimally Invasive Therapies. Harlan reports on a medical journal paper that highlights positive outcomes while ignoring negative ones; Howie warns of the impact of private equity ownership of medical practices.
Links:
“Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin - Liver Cancer Minimally Invasive Therapies”
“Bempedoic Acid and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Statin-Intolerant Patients”
“Bempedoic Acid for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Statin-Intolerant Patients”
“Monetizing Medicine: Private Equity And Competition In Physician Practice Markets”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.
- PodcastEpisode 88Duration 32:17
Dawn Harris Sherling: What Food Additives Are Doing to Your Microbiome
Howie and Harlan are joined by Dawn Harris Sherling, an internist at Florida Atlantic University and the author of Eat Everything: How to Ditch Additives and Emulsifiers, Heal Your Body, and Reclaim the Joy of Food. Harlan provides an update on the dangers of the artificial sweetener aspartame; Howie reflects on the lessons from an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a plastic surgery clinic in Mexico.
Links:
“The WHO is about to declare aspartame can cause cancer. Here’s why you should listen.”
“Donald Rumsfeld and the Strange History of Aspartame”
Harvard School of Public Health: The Microbiome
“5 Food Additives You Should Avoid”
“The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing”
“A Shadowy Industry Group Shapes Food Policy Around the World”
“Joan Rivers Died From Complication in Treatment, Officials Say”
Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM.