Talking to parents who are skeptical of vaccines

Plus: op-eds on medical aid in dying, hospital at home, and more 

January 11, 2026 Check out STAT+

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By Torie Bosch First Opinion editor

I recently had my second-ever mammogram. After getting ready, I walked into the room with the machine, where the tech, a little puzzled, asked me: "Why did you take off your shoes?" A great question. Why did I take off my shoes? Force of habit at the OB-GYN office, I guess? *** In First Opinion in 2026, you can expect more strong points of view on vaccine policy, challenges faced by doctors and other health care workers, drug development, and the other nitty-gritty topics. (Note: Please don't send me a straight pro or con piece on PBMs or 340B. I beg of you. It's all been done before. I need new angles on those topics!) But hopefully we'll find some ways to laugh, marvel, and reflect, too. In that vein, I highly suggest reading an essay from Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC, on a conversation he had 33 years ago as a young pediatrician — one he now regrets. Recommendation of the week: "Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age," by Leah Sottile offers an engaging look at the history and present of the New Age movement in America and how it intersects with political extremism. Sottile's podcast "Bundyville" is also a must-listen.

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Adobe The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left Four scientists and administrators who resigned in protest cite political interference, censorship of research, and a loss of integrity at the NIH. By Sylvia Chou, Paul Grothaus, Alexa Romberg, and Vani Pariyadath New York's aid-in-dying law is missing something: the doctors who can make it work New York state's new assisted suicide law assumes a clinical infrastructure that does not exist, especially for diseases like ALS. By Busi Mombaur The 30-year itch: Hormone promotion is back with a vengeance Roughly every 30 years, hormone therapy for menopause comes into vogue again. We're going through the cycle again. By Patricia Bencivenga and Adriane Fugh-Berman Adobe Do Americans expect too much from drugs? Pharma's hunt for a 'magic bullet' distracts from the fact that medicine isn't very good at treating the root causes of disease. By Thomas Goetz RFK Jr.'s war on antidepressants is coming — and it will cost lives Well-intended but mismanaged warnings about possible SSRIs have already cost several thousand lives, experts write. By Stephen B. Soumerai and Christine Y. Lu I oversaw the development of the 'hospital at home' CMS waiver. Congress must update the program If Congress wants a permanent national model for a more widespread implementation of hospital at home, it must adapt the program to the current moment. By Lee Fleisher Adobe What I got wrong 33 years ago as a new pediatrician talking to parents about vaccines Former acting CDC Director Richard Besser on how pediatricians need to listen to parents who are worried about vaccines. By Richard Besser Public health data should be as available as the weather forecast By localizing public health data, we can strengthen efficiency, rebuild trust, and improve outcomes, writes Deborah Birx. By Deborah L. Birx

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