Free Associations

Jess, Matt, and guest host Marcia discuss a study that sheds light on how babies may form and retain memories. Study link: Hippocampal encoding of memories in human infants

Jess, Matt, and guest Marcia discuss the efficacy of various methods of treating low back pain. Study link: Analgesic effects of non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomised trials

Matt and Jess discuss the ethics of probiotics for children and whether AI chatbots can help reduce misinformation. Study link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03971-5

Matt, Jess and guest host Jon discuss a study of the effect of experiencing gun violence and maternal morbidity. Study link: Fatal Police Violence and Maternal Morbidity Study

Matt and Jess and guest host Harold discuss the ways that we experience time (with a slight diversion into our dental traumas) and Matt explains why we can’t have nice things. Study link: Memorability Study

Matt and Jess and guest host Harold discuss whether dark chocolate is really good for preventing type II diabetes, or if the research isn’t there yet, and we discuss the challenges of turning research into practice and how we communicate research to policy makers. Study link: Dark Chocolate Study    

In an expansive, thought-provoking discussion ahead of the pivotal changes in Washington, DC, Matt, Jess and guest host Michael Stein discuss the role of advocacy and activism in public health and the changing views on the role of public health in society. (This discussion was originally part of the December episode, but we felt the […]

Matt, Jess and guest host Michael Stein discuss a paper that reviews the results of a series of trials that were highly influential in a move away from use of menopausal hormone replacement therapy, but newer analyses suggest the implications maybe be more nuanced than that. Study Link: Women’s Health Initiative Reviews In the second […]

In a new format for the “Free Associations” podcast, we split our usual podcast into two bite-sized morsels. In the first segment, Jess, Matt and guest host Salma discuss an article that examines the effect of nighttime ambient light on risk of Alzheimer’s disease.   Journal club article: Alzheimer’s Disease Study     In the […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla discuss a study of early discontinuation of oxytocin during delivery, they try to predict the future of journals alongside a mass editorial board resignation, and Matt and Salma reveal their love for octopuses. Journal club article: Oxytocin discontinuation study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study using tweets to see if there have been changes in racial sentiment over time, they debate whether in-person or remote work is better for paradigm shifts, and Allegra tells us how birds are smarter than people who don’t want birds nesting on their roofs. Journal […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study using cell phone data to see if living in cities gives us better economic integration, they explore whether AI will be developing our hypotheses in the future, and Matt naps with penguins. Journal club article: Human mobility and economic segregation study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study testing the effect of a workplace intervention for cardiometabolic health, they discuss mental health as a human right, and Amruta tells us about the power of Taylor Swift. Journal club article: Workplace intervention for cardiometabolic health study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla discuss a study testing the efficacy of a blood-based cancer screening tool, they debate the role of the workplace in mental health, and Salma sees if she can pronounce the word “bubbles” while sounding angry. Journal club article: Blood-based cancer screening study

Matt, Jess, and first-time guest host Allegra Gordon discuss a study of the effect of taxes and warning labels on purchases of red meat, they lament the impact of disinformation campaigns, and Matt tells us how AI is going to take our grant writing jobs. Journal club article: Taxes and warning labels on red meat […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay discuss a study on child opportunity in the built environment and physical fitness, they debate whether to get rid of discussion sections, and Jon invites us to consider the Golden Bachelor. Journal club article: Neighborhood child opportunity and youth physical fitness study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine a study of the effect of proximity to wildfires on medical visits, they discuss housing as harm reduction, and Matt goes to Olive Garden. Journal club article: Wildfire exposure and health care study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Salma Abdalla examine a study on the use of hearing aids to prevent dementia, they discuss whether loneliness is a public health problem (and, as usual, descend into talking about COVID), and Salma tells us the difference between coffee and concrete. Journal club article: Hearing aid and dementia study

Matt and Jess go solo and Jess hosts for the first time! They discuss a study of the effectiveness of a new meningitis vaccine, whether active shooter drills do anything more than scare kids, and debate the best movie candy. Journal club article: Meningitis vaccine study

We are taking a one-month break this summer. Please enjoy this “best of” episode celebrating Chris’ contributions to the podcast.

Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a crossover study of the effects of coffee consumption on heart health, they discuss the commercial determinants of health, and Chris gives a heartfelt goodbye to the podcast and to BU. Journal club article: Coffee consumption and heart health study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a complex ecologic study on the effect of various interventions for COVID, they debate whether living evidence syntheses can save science, and Chris updates us on what killed Beethoven. Journal club article: COVID-19 interventions study

Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a meta-analysis on whether masks reduce respiratory virus transmission, they discuss the peer review madness, and Jess tells us about vibrating pills. Journal club article: Masks to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a study on the impact of gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes, they debate who should be an author on an academic publication, and Jess tells us whether fish can recognize themselves. Journal club article: Gestational age and cognitive outcomes study

Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a phase 2 clinical trial on the use of psilocybin to treat severe depression, they lament the state of health literacy, and Chris finds out what happens when you give drugs to spiders. Journal club article: Psilocybin for major depression study

Please enjoy this compilation of the best of Amazing and Amusing. Regular episodes will return in February.

Matt, Jess, and guest host Leo Martinez discuss a study on the respiratory syncytial virus during the pandemic, they debate the value of the evidence in preprints, and Jess redesigns the urinal. Journal club article: Respiratory syncytial virus study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Collette Ncube examine a study using different types of measurement to look at the effects racism has on health outcomes in New Zealand, they discuss what makes for a good research question when it comes to studying health disparities, and Jess teaches us how to hold a baby if you […]

Matt, Jess, and guest host Sarah Lipson examine a study on synergistic mindsets to reduce stress in adolescents, they discuss what it’s like to study mental health, and Matt makes a friendly wager. Journal club article: Synergistic mindsets study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay examine a study on the impact of historical redlining and structural racism on preterm birth rates in New York City, they discuss firearm research in the US, and Jess enlightens us on the smellscape. Journal club article: Redlining and preterm birth study

Matt, Chris (that’s right, he’s back for an episode), and guest host Brooke Nichols review one of the earliest COVID modelling papers, they discuss the importance and value of COVID models in general, and Brooke tells us why we should care about losing our hats. Journal club article: SARS-COV-2 modelling study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Amruta Nori-Sarma examine the impact of cyclones on mortality in the US, they discuss the uneven impacts of global climate change, and Jess tells us what we will be eating in the future. Journal club article: Cyclones and mortality study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Marcia Pescador Jimenez discuss the impact of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and their relation to cardiovascular events as adults, they review the benefits of vaccination after infection with COVID, and Marcia tells a spooky story. Journal club article: Childhood cardiovascular risk factors study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Junenette Peters examine a study on whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) increases blood pressure, they discuss what the best measure of the impact of the pandemic is, and Jess wonders what a world of all electric cars would be like. Journal club article: Acetaminophen and blood pressure study

Matt, Jess, and returning guest host Jacey Greece consider how well the NFL did with their COVID protocols, they discuss intervention mapping with respect to implementation science, and Jacey questions the rankings of math departments. Journal club article: NFL and COVID study

Matt and Jess go it alone this week and discuss a study looking at whether pesticide ingestion on fruit and vegetables increases the risk for glioma, they examine the rise in pandemic preprints, and Jess pays tribute to bringing your whole self to work. Journal club article: Pesticide residue and glioma study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Jacey Greece examine a study looking at whether giving free fruit and vegetables to school kids in Norway reduces BMI, they discuss the COVID new normal, and Jess gives Matt nightmares about orcas and egg salad. Journal club article: School fruit and vegetable study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study looking at whether the very common Epstein-Barr virus is causally related to multiple sclerosis, they debate about a vaccine misinformation juggernaut, and Chris has the most random facts about Utrecht. Journal club article: Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study that looked at whether changes in reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System are linked to a vaccine exemption change in California (before COVID), they discuss the implications of poor vaccination coverage surveys, and Don shows us that computers can be used for plagiarism, but there are […]

Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a study looking at the relationship between livable space and hypertension, they consider what we have learned from the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US, and Matt has a quiz. Journal club article: Livable residential space study

Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study looking at whether giving pregnant women HIV self-testing kits can increase HIV testing and access to care for male partners in Zambia, they discuss using confidence intervals to judge null results, and Chris solves a musical medical mystery. Journal club article: HIV self-test kits study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of daily COVID-19 testing in the UK for school contacts to stay in school rather than isolate, they discuss issues of equity in the COVID-19 crisis, and Don has thoughts on how to clear your sinuses. Journal club article: Daily COVID testing study

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of the UK’s HPV vaccination policy, they discuss the dangers of meta-analyses in relation to Ivermectin, and Matt gets catty. Journal club article: HPV vaccination study

Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a complex study of the effect of COVID-19 on heart attacks and strokes, they discuss the mild influenza season (or at least Matt and Jess do), and Chris tells us how many fish we need to catch to decide the color of the fish in the lake. Journal club article: […]

Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study of the effect of convalescent plasma on recovery from COVID-19, they discuss the implications of an increase in gun violence prevention research funding, and Matt gets lyrical. Journal club article: Convalescent plasma study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on whether or not Doppler ultrasound has played a role in declining fetal mortality in Norway, they talk about vaccine sharing, and Matt explains just how his getting older is preventing him from preparing for this show. Journal club article: Doppler ultrasound study

Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the role of cannabis in car crashes, they talk about something called “lay epidemiology”, and Chris gets mellow. Journal club article: Cannabis and car crashes study

Matt and guest hosts Lori Dean and Dustin Duncan discuss a study on how white privilege affects health, they talk through the role of neighborhoods and health, and Lori tells us about her new favorite TV show. Journal club article: White privilege and health study

Matt and guest hosts Michelle Caunca and Sarah Ackley discuss a study on a new treatment to stop migraines, they talk about stitching together multiple datasets to study lifecourse epidemiology, and Michelle tells us about how doctors react to observational epidemiology. Journal club article: Migraine treatment study

Matt, Jess, and guest host Erica Walker discuss a study on whether The Affordable Care Act reduced medical debt, they consider the role epidemiologists play in communicating information about COVID, and Erica fights off various wild animals. Journal club article: ACA and medical debt study