JAMA Author Interviews

Can a new ECG finding identify individuals at risk for dying suddenly? Jason D. Roberts, MD, of McMaster University joins JAMA Associate Editor Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS, to discuss A Clinical Diagnostic Test for Calcium Release Deficiency Syndrome (CRDS). CRDS is a recently described cause of sudden arrhythmic death. Until now, no clinical test has existed to identify those with the disease. Related Content: A Clinical Diagnostic Test for Calcium Release Deficiency Syndrome The First Clinical Test for Calcium Release Deficiency Syndrome?

Joel M. Dulhunty, MD, PhD, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, and Jason A. Roberts, BPharm, PhD, University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, join JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, to discuss the BLING trial that assessed continuous vs intermittent β-lactam antibiotic infusions in patients with sepsis or septic shock. Related Content: Continuous vs Intermittent β-Lactam Antibiotic Infusions in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis Prolonged vs Intermittent Infusions of β-Lactam Antibiotics in Adults With Sepsis or Septic Shock

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) frequently fail to generate knowledge relevant to practice, while practice patterns are frequently unsupported by RCT evidence. Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh, joins JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, to discuss The Integration of Clinical Trials With the Practice of Medicine: Repairing a House Divided. Related Content: The Integration of Clinical Trials With the Practice of Medicine

Forced nitrogen inhalation was used by the state of Alabama to execute Kenneth Smith on January 25, 2024. Some politicians, attorneys general, and health care practitioners support its use for capital punishment in the US. Philip E. Bickler, MD, PhD, and Michael S. Lipnick, MD, discuss the evidence indicating that forced nitrogen inhalation is inhumane with JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD. Related Content: Evidence Against Use of Nitrogen for the Death Penalty

Guidelines call for better evidence on the health outcomes after living kidney donation. Author Amit X. Garg, MD, PhD, London Health Sciences Centre, and editorialist Elizabeth C. Lorenz, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, discuss a new study that compares the risks of hypertension and other health outcomes in living kidney donors, with JAMA Associate Editor Wolfgang Winkelmayer, MD, ScD. Related Content: Hypertension and Kidney Function After Living Kidney Donation Prospectively Examining Outcomes After Living Kidney Donation Kidney Transplant Outcomes From Deceased Donors Who Received Dialysis Expanding the Overton Window in Deceased Kidney Donor Eligibility—Enough to Make a Difference?

What is the natural history and cardiovascular burden of the V142I transthyretin variant among US Black individuals who carry this variant? Senthil Selvaraj, MD, MS, MA, from Duke University, and Scott D. Solomon, MD, from Brigham and Women's Hospital, discuss this and more with JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD. Related Content: Cardiovascular Burden of the V142I Transthyretin Variant Addressing Health Disparities—The Case for Variant Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis Grows Stronger Heart Failure in African American Individuals, Version 2.0 Cardiac Amyloidosis Due to Transthyretin Protein

Between 2019 and 2021, pediatric mortality rates had the largest increases in at least half a century. Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, of Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health, joins JAMA Associate Editor Tracy A. Lieu, MD, MPH, to discuss how racial and ethnic disparities and specific causes have factored into these increases and what this means for policymakers and clinicians. Related Content: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among US Youth Injury Prevention Science and Firearm Injury in Pediatric Health

When initial treatment with varenicline or nicotine replacement doesn't work, does increasing dosage improve smoking cessation rates? Paul Cinciripini, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Behavioral Science, joins JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, to discuss guidance on the best strategies for smoking cessation following an initial quit attempt. Related Content: Smoking Cessation After Initial Treatment Failure With Varenicline or Nicotine Replacement

Extensive evidence documents health disparities for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women, including worse physical, mental, and behavioral health than heterosexual women. Sarah McKetta, ScM, MD, PhD, discusses these factors and their link to premature mortality with JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD, MS. Related Content: Disparities in Mortality by Sexual Orientation in a Large, Prospective Cohort of Female Nurses

Can real-time EHR–generated recommendations safely reduce antibiotic use in hospitalized patients with pneumonia or UTI? Shruti K. Gohil, MD, MPH, of the University of California-Irvine, joins JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, to discuss the INSPIRE randomized clinical trial. Related Content: Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Pneumonia Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Urinary Tract Infection Harnessing the Electronic Health Record to Improve Empiric Antibiotic Prescribing

Climate action is an urgent public health imperative. Climate change is causing excess morbidity and mortality and posing an increasing threat to mental health and well-being. The US health care sector is a significant contributor to this problem. A. Eugene Washington, MD, of Duke University, discusses accelerating climate action with JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS. Related Content: Accelerating Climate Action Through Academic Health Systems

The utility of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer detection is impacted by detection of cancers with low risk of mortality. Editorialist Jeffrey J. Tosoian, MD, MPH, discusses a pragmatic approach to prostate cancer screening with JAMA Deputy Editor Mary L. (Nora) Disis, MD. Related Content: A Pragmatic Approach to Prostate Cancer Screening Prostate Cancer Screening With PSA, Kallikrein Panel, and MRI Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening and 15-Year Prostate Cancer Mortality

Infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are difficult to treat with increased morbidity, mortality, length of hospitalization, and health care costs. Author Susan S. Huang, MD, MPH, from the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, joins JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, to discuss a new study that used a regional intervention to prevent MDROs. Related Content: Reducing Hospitalizations and Multidrug-Resistant Organisms via Regional Decolonization in Hospitals and Nursing Homes

The US Supreme Court will soon decide a case challenging the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval of mifepristone. Author Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBE, University of Pennsylvania, joins JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, to discuss the science and politics surrounding this significant case. Related Content: The FDA in the Crosshairs—Science, Politics, and Abortion Provision of Medications for Self-Managed Abortion Before and After the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Decision Understanding the Impacts of the Supreme Court Case FDA v Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine

How did GPT-4 Vision, a model that can work with images and text as input, perform when answering clinical challenge questions from medical journals? Daniel Truhn, MD, MSc, of the University Hospital Aachen in Germany, joins JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, to discuss this topic. Related Content: Comparative Analysis of Multimodal Large Language Model Performance on Clinical Vignette Questions

An observational study by Lin Li, PhD, and colleagues, published in JAMA, found that pharmacotherapy was associated with reduced mortality in individuals with ADHD. Frances R. Levin, MD, of the Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who wrote an accompanying editorial, joins JAMA Associate Editor Donald C. Goff, MD, to discuss the results of this article. Related Content: Treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Matters

Introducing JAMA's new Communicating Medicine series, JAMA Associate Editor Anne Cappola, MD, ScM, discusses strategies for delivering effective messages in the patient encounter with authors Joseph Cappella, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Richard Street, PhD, of Texas A&M University and Baylor College of Medicine. Related Content: Delivering Effective Messages in the Patient-Clinician Encounter

How will new study results inform HIV prevention in the US and globally? JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, and author Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, director of NIAID, discuss these study findings and more. Related Content: HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis With Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Among Cisgender Women

JAMA Associate Editor Romain Pirracchio, MD, MPH, discusses context and implications of the new pediatric sepsis criteria with authors Hallie Prescott, MD, MSc, of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor VA Hospital, and Roberto Jabornisky, MD, of Northeastern National Medical School in Argentina. Related Content: Context and Implications of the New Pediatric Sepsis Criteria Transitioning From SIRS to Phoenix With the Updated Pediatric Sepsis Criteria—The Difficult Task of Simplifying the Complex

Renters who received eviction filings experienced excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, discusses a recent study that underscores the importance of studying health outcomes among marginalized populations with author Nick Graetz, PhD, from Princeton University. Related Content: Examining Excess Mortality Associated With the COVID-19 Pandemic for Renters Threatened With Eviction

Childhood death rates remain high in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa, despite global reductions in childhood mortality. JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, and author Thomas Lietman, MD, University of California, San Francisco, discuss twice-yearly azithromycin to reduce childhood mortality. Related Content: Mass Azithromycin Distribution to Prevent Child Mortality in Burkina Faso

Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were recommended for children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years in the US, but were they effective? JAMA Associate Editor Tracy A. Lieu, MD, MPH, spoke with author Leora R. Feldstein, PhD, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in children and adolescents. Related Content: Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents Aged 5 to 17 Years

Following the Dobbs decision, females aged 18-45 years living in states with "trigger laws" that restricted access to abortion reported a greater increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression than those in states without trigger laws. JAMA Associate Editor Donald Goff, MD, speaks with editorialist Julia Steinberg, PhD, associate professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, about this topic. Related Content: Mental Health Symptoms When Abortion Access Is Restricted Anxiety and Depression Symptoms After the Dobbs Abortion Decision

JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, and author Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, University of California, San Francisco, discuss the importance of 2 new palliative care trials that were recently published in JAMA. Related Content: A Tale of 2 Palliative Care Trials Association of Receipt of Palliative Care Interventions With Health Care Use, Quality of Life, and Symptom Burden Among Adults With Chronic Noncancer Illness

Dialysis facilities in the US are financially rewarded for higher rates of home dialysis and kidney transplant, but facilities that serve patients with high social risk might have a harder time meeting these goals. JAMA Associate Editor Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, speaks with Amal N. Trivedi, MD, MPH, of Brown University, about how this plays out under the ESRD Treatment Choices Model. Related Content: Social Risk and Dialysis Facility Performance in the First Year of the ESRD Treatment Choices Model

Alpha-gal syndrome is a food allergy to red meat products that develops after affected individuals are bitten by a tick. JAMA Deputy Editor Kristin Walter, MD, MS, discusses alpha-gal syndrome with author Mariel R. Benjamin, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Michigan Medicine. Related Content: What Is Alpha-Gal Syndrome?

The effects of private equity acquisition of US hospitals on the quality of inpatient care and patient outcomes remain largely unknown. JAMA Associate Editor Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, spoke with author Zirui Song, MD, PHD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, about a recent study showing that private equity acquisition was associated with increased hospital-acquired adverse events. Related Content: Changes in Hospital Adverse Events and Patient Outcomes Associated With Private Equity Acquisition

Does reducing dietary sodium benefit patients already taking antihypertensive medication? JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, speaks with author Norrina Allen, PhD, MPH, from Northwestern University, about the effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure. Related Content: Effect of Dietary Sodium on Blood Pressure

Cannabis use is increasing among reproductive-age individuals. JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, discusses the associated risks of cannabis exposure during pregnancy with Torri D. Metz, MD, MS, University of Utah Health. Related Content: Cannabis Exposure and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Related to Placental Function

Bilateral renal agenesis results in lethal neonatal pulmonary hypoplasia. New evidence from an amnioinfusion trial is available. JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, discusses the results from the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy Trial with Meredith A. Atkinson, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins University, and Johnathan M. Davis, MD, Tufts University. Related Content: Neonatal Survival After Serial Amnioinfusions for Bilateral Renal Agenesis

Cervical cancer screening is effective when done as recommended. JAMA Deputy Editor Linda Brubaker, MD, speaks with Rachel L. Winer, PhD, MPH, of the University of Washington, about a recent trial in JAMA that compared cervical cancer screening strategies, including direct-mail and opt-in approaches for human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling. Related Content: Strategies to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening With Mailed Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling Kits

Small-volume blood collection tubes may decrease red blood cell transfusions in intensive care units without affecting laboratory analysis. JAMA Associate Editor Christopher W. Seymour, MD, MSc, discusses the results and implications of the STRATUS trial with Deborah M. Siegal, MD, MSc, of Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Related Content: Small-Volume Blood Collection Tubes to Reduce Transfusions in Intensive Care

Fitness trackers are a group of devices including watches, phones, and rings that track physical activity. JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, speaks with I-Min Lee, MBBS, ScD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about using fitness trackers to guide advice on activity prescription. Related Content: Fitness Trackers to Guide Advice on Activity Prescription

JAMA Senior Editor Kristin Walter, MD, MS, and Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, JAMA Legal and Global Health Correspondent and Faculty Director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, which for the first time allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate prescription drug prices with drug manufacturers. Related Content: Medicare's Historic Prescription Drug Price Negotiations

JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, speaks with Richard G. Bach, MD, professor of medicine and medical director of the cardiac intensive care unit at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, about the use of traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Related Content: Traditional Chinese Medicine Meets Evidence-Based Medicine in the Acutely Infarcted Heart

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a powerful imaging tool used across multiple clinical disciplines. JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, speaks with 2023 Lasker Award recipient James G. Fujimoto, PhD, professor of electrical engineering at MIT, about his role in developing OCT and OCT's advancements in clinical practice. Related Content: Optical Coherence Tomography—History, Evolution, and Future Prospects

Nasal mupirocin plus chlorhexidine baths in ICUs prevents methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections but raises concern about antibiotic resistance. JAMA Senior Editor Kristin Walter, MD, speaks with Susan Huang, MD, of University of California, Irvine, about a study comparing iodophor vs mupirocin with chlorhexidine bathing for ICU-attributable S aureus clinical cultures. Related Content: Nasal Iodophor Antiseptic vs Nasal Mupirocin Antibiotic in the Setting of Chlorhexidine Bathing to Prevent Infections in Adult ICUs

It's been unclear whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) with transient cycles of limb ischemia and reperfusion is an effective treatment for acute stroke. JAMA Deputy Editor Chris Muth, MD, speaks with author Rolf Blauenfeldt, MD, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, about the RESIST randomized clinical trial, which looks at the effect of RIC when initiated in the prehospital setting. Related Content: Remote Ischemic Conditioning for Acute Stroke

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of diabetes in childhood increased. JAMA Associate Editor Anne R. Cappola, MD, ScM, and Ezio Bonifacio, PhD, from the Center for Regenerative Therapies at the Dresden University of Technology, discuss SARS-CoV-2 infection and its association with islet autoimmunity in early childhood. Related Content: SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Development of Islet Autoimmunity in Early Childhood

Many premature infants with respiratory distress are now supported with continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, rather than intubation and ventilation, and those with CPAP can receive surfactant via a minimally invasive approach. JAMA Associate Editor Tracy Lieu, MD, speaks with author Peter Dargaville, MD, from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Tasmania, Australia, about Two-Year Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Surfactant Therapy in Preterm Infants: Follow-Up of the OPTIMIST-A Randomized Clinical Trial. Related Content: Two-Year Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Surfactant Therapy in Preterm Infants

There is an established link between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease, but the association between sedentary behavior and dementia is unclear. JAMA Deputy Editor Christopher C. Muth, MD, speaks with David A. Raichlen, PhD, University of Southern California, about a new study that investigates the relationship between sedentary behavior and dementia in older adults. Related Content: Sedentary Behavior and Incident Dementia Among Older Adults

In a new study, psilocybin showed promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). JAMA Associate Editor Donald C. Goff, MD, speaks with author Charles L. Raison, MD, from the Usona Institute, about the study, as well as Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial about the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies. Related Content: Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder Psychedelic Therapy—A New Paradigm of Care for Mental Health

Magnesium sulfate is widely recommended for neuroprotection in pregnancies at risk of preterm delivery. However, the optimal gestational age for use is unclear. JAMA Associate Editor Melissa Simon, MD, MPH, and Caroline Crowther, MD, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, discuss the use of magnesium sulfate at different gestational ages and potential benefit vs harms as reflected in the MAGENTA Trial. Related Content: Prenatal Intravenous Magnesium at 30-34 Weeks' Gestation and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Offspring

Anthracyclines are used to treat a variety of cancers, but treatment may be limited by cardiac toxicity. JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, discusses a new clinical trial on the use of atorvastatin to prevent anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity with authors Tomas Neilan, MD, MPH, and Marielle Scherrer-Crosbie, MD, PhD. Related Content: Atorvastatin for Anthracycline-Associated Cardiac Dysfunction

Cardiovascular health is essential to everyone, but especially important to address in individuals who can become or who are pregnant or postpartum. JAMA Associate Editor Melissa Simon, MD, MPH, and Sadiya S. Khan, MD, MSc, Northwestern University, discuss the importance of cardiovascular health in pregnancy-capable, pregnant, and postpartum persons, how to counsel such individuals, issues of access to care and health equity, and their impact on cardiovascular health. Related Content: Trends in Cardiovascular Health Counseling Among Postpartum Individuals

Bempedoic acid is an effective option for some statin-intolerant patients with an elevated predicted risk of cardiovascular events. However, as JAMA Executive Editor Gregory Curfman, MD, discusses with editorialist Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MSc, MS, bempedoic acid should not be considered a substitute for statins, which remain the first-line therapy for primary prevention. Related Content: Bempedoic Acid for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Statin-Intolerant Patients Bempedoic Acid for High-Risk Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

The performance of whole-genome sequencing in comparison with targeted genomic testing methods is not well understood. In this podcast, JAMA Associate Editor W. Gregory Feero, MD, PHD, interviews author Jill L. Maron, MD, MPH, of the Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island about a study of whole-genome sequencing vs a commercially available targeted genetic testing platform for diagnosing ill neonates with suspected genetic conditions. Related Content: Rapid Whole-Genomic Sequencing and a Targeted Neonatal Gene Panel in Infants With a Suspected Genetic Disorder

Valganciclovir is standard cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in high-risk kidney transplant recipients, but its use is limited by myelosuppression. JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti Malani, MD, MSJ, interviews Ajit Limaye, MD, from the University of Washington, about a multinational randomized trial of letermovir vs valganciclovir for CMV prevention in CMV-negative patients receiving a kidney from a CMV-positive donor. Related Content: Letermovir vs Valganciclovir for Prophylaxis of Cytomegalovirus in High-Risk Kidney Transplant Recipients

US hospitals report data on numerous quality metrics to government and independent rating organizations, but the cost of doing so is not well known. JAMA Associate Editor Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, discusses a new study that examines just how many quality metrics hospitals have to report, and attempts to quantify how much data collection and reporting costs in hours and dollars, with corresponding author Stephen A. Berry MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Related Content: The Volume and Cost of Quality Metric Reporting

Interview with Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, USPSTF chair and coauthor of Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults, and Screening for Anxiety Disorders in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statements. Hosted by JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS. Related Content: Anxiety Screening Depression and Suicide Risk Screening Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults Screening for Anxiety Disorders in Adults Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults Screening for Anxiety Disorders in Adults Are There Reasons to Fear Anxiety Screening? Reframing the Key Questions Regarding Screening for Suicide Risk