Your weekly roundup of STAT's First Opinion

Expert opinion and perspective, curated by Patrick Skerrett ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

Sponsored by   Boosting science in the Global South. The roots of physician burnout. Can genetic ancestry replace race in research? Those are just a few of the topics First Opinion authors took on this week. If you are a podcast aficionado, don't miss latest episode of the "First Opinion Podcast" on treating — or all too often undertreating — chronic pain. Building scientific talent in the Global South can help prevent future public health crises By Muhammad Ali Pate and Michelle A. Williams Jerome Delay/AP In an era of global challenges, all nations must help the Global South accelerate building its scientific infrastructure and capacity. Read More The roots of burnout start early. See: Applying to medical school By Anne N. Thorndike Adobe Burnout among physicians begins long before the first day of medical school, sparked by a stressful 12-month admissions process. Read More Substituting genetic ancestry for race in research? Not so fast By Anna C. F. Lewis Adobe Turning to genetic ancestry to understand biological differences between groups can perpetuate the same problems as relying on race. Read More Sponsor content by Johnson & Johnson MedTech How is medtech helping solve a surprising 'super social determinant' of care? Internet access has become vital to healthcare access — and as the pandemic shifted care to virtual spaces, this digital gap that disproportionately impacts minority and older populations grew even larger. Medtech is working to address this barrier by equipping healthcare providers and patients with tools and knowledge to access the care they need now. Learn more about why your health can't wait. Listen: How should doctors treat chronic pain in the wake of the opioid crisis? By Patrick Skerrett Clinicians walk a tightrope when trying to help people living with chronic pain. Two physicians describe what it's like. Read More Flawed FDA safety requirements are hamstringing a highly effective treatment for severe schizophrenia By Brian Barnett Alex Hogan/STAT Restrictive federal risk management rules keep many people with schizophrenia from taking a highly effective drug called clozapine. Read More Health care workers need rescuing. It's time for a Dunkirk moment By Andrew Morris-Singer and Brian Souza AFP via Getty Images Covid-19 has left health care workers exhausted, traumatized, and increasingly disengaged. They need a swift, bold rescue operation. Read More Exploitation in the name of biomedical innovation cannot be tolerated By Anand Kumar Adobe Innovation is part America's cultural and intellectual DNA. But it must be matched with strict checks and balances on accuracy and safety. Read More Should clinicians use emojis when they communicate with each other? By Rodrigo Martínez Adobe Emojis may be ubiquitous online, but their use in clinician-to-clinician interactions is not. Employing them could improve communication. Read More Global health should not be determined by pharma investors and shareholders By Els Torreele JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J investors decided they knew better than the WHO's director-general about how to tackle the continuing pandemic. Read More Medicare at 60 would have harmful unintended consequences By Tom Church and Daniel L. Heil Adobe Medicare at 60 — lowering the eligibility age of Medicare from 65 to 60 — would be costly for taxpayers, health care providers, and hospitals. Read More Sunday, May 8, 2022       1 Exchange Pl, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109 ©2022, All Rights Reserved. I no longer wish to receive STAT emails Update Email Preferences | Contact Us | View In Browser