New weight loss drugs are changing the narrative on obesity, with a push from pharma

Obesity has long been framed as a result of poor lifestyle decisions and a failure of willpower. But a new generation of highly effective obesity medications, and the overt and subtle messaging from the pharmaceutical companies making them, are starting to shift the narrative. Read more.

By Elaine Chen and Matthew Herper

UC Davis School of Medicine

How one medical school became remarkably diverse — without considering race in admissions

The diversity of medical school classes has barely budged in recent decades, but one school in California — the state with the country's longest-standing ban on using race in admissions — has defied the odds. What UC Davis shows is an alternative future for a post-affirmative action world. Read more.

By Usha Lee McFarling

Costanza Hevia for STAT

In Theranos' backyard, a health tech leader takes another crack at better blood tests

Stanford's Michael Snyder has developed a way to collect tiny samples of blood for more frequent testing. He has a wry, oft-repeated response to the inevitable comparisons to an infamous startup, which he says mostly come from lay people who aren't familiar with his academic research: "It's like Theranos, but it works." Read more.

By Mohana Ravindranath

More great reads from STAT this week

'Emotional hunger' vs. 'hungry gut': The attempt to subtype obesity and tailor treatments
How can states keep people insured after Medicaid protections lapse? Connecticut has an idea
With CRISPR cures on horizon, sickle cell patients ask hard questions about who can access them
Many doctors spend their days battling insurers. Why do some go to work for 'the dark side'?
Opinion: Does gatekeeping affect diversity in The Match?
'A different type of fatigue': One woman's Parkinson's diagnosis is a test of flexibility and gratitude
'Truth is losing the battle': FDA commissioner on grappling with a wave of health misinformation
Watch: The troubled history of BMI, the body mass index