'I'm just disgusted': How alleged sexual misconduct stole one student's passion for academic science

A Washington University in St. Louis student says a postdoctoral mentor coerced her into an unwanted sexual relationship and pressured her to keep it quiet. The alleged misconduct, and the university's response, has roiled WashU's top-ranked medical school, surfacing concerns about the role of drinking in a renowned neuroscientist's lab, the school's handling of previous cases of harassment, and the treatment of trainees in academia. Read more.

By Jonathan Wosen

Adobe

ChatGPT in health care: 5 burning questions about the buzzy new tool

If the buzz is to be believed, ChatGPT seems poised to upend everything from high school essays and news articles to computer coding and scientific research. But even the early experiments in health care have medical ethicists and other onlookers worried about putting too much trust in a tool that still gets answers wrong. Here's STAT's guide to the technology, its potential in health care, and the guardrails that will be needed. Read more.

By Brittany Trang

Adobe

The unexpected alliance lobbying for Medicare to pay for new obesity drugs

It's not every day that the pharmaceutical industry, the NAACP, a cancer center, and a nonpartisan think tank are all lobbying to achieve the same policy goal. But an effort to expand Medicare coverage for obesity drugs has managed to unite them all, and many more groups across the health care industry, too. Read more.

By Rachel Cohrs

More great reads from STAT this week

A bellwether for biosimilars: Why the new competition for Humira matters to pharma, payers, and patients
The drug was meant to save children's lives. Instead, they're dying
Chatbots are creating thorny ethical questions about transparency in mental health care
Predictive biomarkers could ease the exhaustive trial-and-error of antidepressants
It's easy to buy flavored vapes in California, even in cities with longtime bans
Opinion: It's time to retire 'poor historian' from clinicians' vocabularies
Technology could improve pregnancy care for low-income patients — if health systems can pay for it
The 4 biggest questions about the FDA's forthcoming changes to accelerated approvals