Healthy Dialogue

Medicaid provides health insurance for 1 in 5 Americans and plays a crucial role in US health care infrastructure. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is estimated to cut Medicaid spending by nearly $1 trillion by 2034 and cause millions of enrollees to lose coverage. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, Julie Donohue, PhD, professor and chair of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh, breaks down what Medicaid is, who it covers, and how proposed cuts in the OBBBA could have far-reaching effects on patients, clinicians, hospitals and communities. Related Content: Everyone Will Feel the $1 Trillion Cut in Medicaid

GLP-1 receptor agonists are one of the most revolutionary new classes of drugs in decades. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, host Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, sat down with Jens Juul Holst, MD, DMSc, and Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, DMSc, 2 pioneering scientists behind the discovery and development of GLP-1 RAs. Together, they traced the fascinating origin story of GLP-1 RAs and offered their thoughts on what comes next. Related Content: GLP-1s—From Gut Hormone Discovery to a Public Health Revolution

The United States has witnessed a staggering rise in obesity beginning in the early 1980s, leading to a wide array of important health consequences including heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, Host Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, talks with Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Paulette Goddard Professor Emerita at New York University and influential author on food politics, for a candid conversation about how society became ensnared in the current obesity epidemic and what might untangle it. Related Content: Food Politics, Obesity, and the "Wicked Mess" We Are In

This episode of Healthy Dialogue explores the history and future of science funding in the US in light of recent changes, and proposed changes, from the federal government. Host Derek Angus, MD, MPH, speaks with former editor in chief of Science and a former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the NIH, Jeremy Berg, PhD. Related Content: Why and How Should the Government Fund Biomedical Research?

In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, host Derek Angus, MD, MPH sits down with Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH, to discuss whether social media use disorder is a real phenomenon, the mechanisms behind it, and its consequences for young people. Related Content: Social Media Use by Children—Wonderful, Hazardous, or Something in Between?

A growing number of young adults are being diagnosed with cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, but the underlying cause remains unclear. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, and Ilana Richman, MD, MHS, discuss the increase in cases, potential causes, diagnostics, treatment, and more. Related Content: Unpacking the Rise in Early-Onset Cancer

Private equity investment continues to expand across US health care. Current estimates put private equity ownership at almost 10% of hospitals and more than one-fifth of for-profit hospitals nationwide. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, Sneha Kannan, MD, MS, assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, joins host Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, to discuss the complex role of private equity in health care and what it means for clinicians and patients. Related Content: Private Equity's Growing Presence in Health Care—Promise or Peril?

Dementia affects millions of people globally, causing profound memory loss and cognitive impairment and compromising the ability to function independently in day-to-day life. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, host Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, sat down with Gil Rabinovici, MD, a neurologist and director of the UCSF Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, to discuss the latest developments in dementia and Alzheimer disease research. Related Content: A New Era in Dementia—Advances in Diagnostic Blood Tests, Novel Drugs, and the Power of Lifestyle Changes

The rise in use and function of ambient AI scribes is arguably one of the fastest technologic changes ever seen in health care. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, host Derek Angus, MD, MPH, is joined by Vincent Liu, MD, MS, Chief Data Officer of The Permanente Medical Group in Kaiser Permanente, to discuss the rapidly changing world of ambient AI. Related Content: Ambient AI Scribes and the Quintuple Aim Changes in Clinician Time Expenditure and Visit Quantity With Adoption of Artificial Intelligence–Powered Scribes AI Scribes Are Here, but Is Health Care Ready?

What is behind the rise in autism diagnoses? Join Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD, professor of developmental neuropsychiatry at Columbia University, and JAMA Psychiatry Editor Dost Öngür, MD, PhD, as they discuss the history of autism spectrum disorder, the role that genetics and environmental factors play, the importance of early intervention in treatment, and more with JAMA Senior Editor Derek Angus, MD, MPH. Related Content: Autism—Understanding Diagnosis, Prevalence, and Treatment

Go beyond the latest discoveries with nuanced, in-depth conversations in Healthy Dialogue, a podcast from the JAMA Network. Host and JAMA Senior Editor, Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, sits down with the world's leading experts to explore the most pressing issues in health and health care.

In this episode, JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, and Medical News Director Jennifer Abbasi discuss the journal's inaugural Research of the Year roundup. Related Content: Research of the Year 2025

SOFA-2, validated in more than 3 million intensive care unit (ICU) patients, incorporates contemporary organ support treatments, showing strong predictive validity for ICU mortality in diverse international settings. Coauthor Mervyn Singer, MD, joins JAMA Associate Editor Christopher W. Seymour, MD, MSc, to discuss. Related Content: Rationale and Methodological Approach Underlying the Development of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)–2 Score Development and Validation of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)-2 Score A Revision to Organ Failure Assessment in Critically Ill Patients

Epidemiologist Brian Lee, PhD, discusses his study on acetaminophen use during pregnancy and children's risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in this interview with JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD. Related Content: Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy—Study Author Explains the Data

Delaying diagnosis of parkinsonism can mean delaying care. In a study recently published in JAMA Neurology, David Vaillancourt, PhD, and colleagues tested the ability of an AI model to differentiate between Parkinson disease and other neurodegenerative disorders when paired with MRI. He joins JAMA and JAMA+ AI Associate Editor Yulin Hswen, ScD, MPH to discuss. Related Content: A Large Proportion of Parkinson Disease Diagnoses Are Wrong—Here's How AI Could Help Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism

Dalbavancin, a long-acting IV lipoglycopeptide, may be an option for the treatment of complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia without requiring long-term IV access. Author Thomas L. Holland, MD, MSc, from Duke University School of Medicine discusses key points of the DOTS randomized clinical trial and more with JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ. Related Content: Dalbavancin for Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Management of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Interview with Sameer Jauhar, PhD, author of Incidence and Nature of Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Hosted by John Torous, MD. Related Content: Incidence and Nature of Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms

Interview with Dennis J. Rivet II, MD, author of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. Hosted by Cynthia E. Armand, MD. Related Content: GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Nationwide data are unavailable regarding changes in intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes over the past 10 years, limiting understanding of practice changes. Authors Emily Moin, MD, MBE, and Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD, MBE, of the University of Pennsylvania join JAMA Associate Editor Christopher W. Seymour, MD, MSc, to discuss how ICU care and outcomes have changed in the US over the past decade. Related Content: Use of Life Support and Outcomes Among Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units

The incidence of invasive group A streptococcal infections has risen in the US. Similar observations have been reported in other parts of the world. Authors Joshua Osowicki, MBBS, PhD, of Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Theresa L. Lamagni, MSc, PhD, of the United Kingdom Health Security Agency join JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, to discuss the public health challenge posed by group A strep. Related Content: Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease in the US Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections in 10 US States