In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 66% of U.S. physicians now report using AI in their clinical practice, reflecting the technology’s rapid adoption across billing, documentation, and patient care. He reviews a new JAMA Network Open study showing that people with type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder who took semaglutide (Ozempic) had roughly half the risk of opioid overdose compared to those on other diabetes medications, adding to growing evidence that GLP-1 drugs may help reduce addictive behaviors. Dr. Brendan Saloner, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, joins to outline three key policy priorities for curbing opioid overdose deaths.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Semaglutide and Opioid Overdose Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Opioid Use Disorder — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Brendan Saloner is the Donald G. Millar Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University. One strand of his research focuses on access and quality of care for people with mental health and substance use disorders. A second strand of his research focuses specifically on health care for people in the criminal legal system. At Johns Hopkins University before joining Brown, he co-led the evaluation team for the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative, a $120 million investment in overdose reduction focused on seven states.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha spotlights a sobering data point: 40,000 estimated hepatitis A cases in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. He reviews a JAMA Network Open study on chronic disease care in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia, which found a dramatic decrease in the number of patients with conditions like diabetes who had access to treatment. Dr. Michael VanRooyen, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and founding director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, joins to outline what it takes to rebuild Gaza’s health system—beginning with stability and governance, clearing unsafe areas, sustaining emergency care, and gradually restoring long-term health infrastructure and workforce capacity.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• War and Health Care Services Utilization for Chronic Diseases in Rural and Semiurban Areas of Tigray, Ethiopia — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Michael VanRooyen is the founding director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), an interfaculty initiative at Harvard University dedicated to advancing evidence and professional development in humanitarian assistance. He has led complex humanitarian operations with numerous relief organizations in more than thirty countries affected by conflict and disaster, including Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan–Darfur, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, and Ukraine. Dr. VanRooyen is the Chair of Emergency Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as the Enterprise Chief of Emergency Medicine for the Mass General Brigham health system.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 70% of U.S. parents oppose removing public school immunization requirements, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll—even as Florida becomes the first state to end immunization requirements for public schools. He reviews a large French registry study published in JAMA Network Open finding no link between first-trimester COVID-19 vaccination and major congenital anomalies among more than 500,000 infants, reinforcing the safety of vaccination during pregnancy. Dr. Olivier Wouters, Assistant Professor at the Brown University School of Public Health, joins to unpack whether Americans truly gain faster access to new drugs—confirming that while the majority of medicines launch first in the U.S., complex barriers mean equitable access often comes much later than in other countries.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• First-Trimester mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination and Risk of Major Congenital Anomalies — JAMA Network Open

Dr. Olivier J. Wouters is an Associate Professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health and a visiting faculty member at Harvard Medical School He was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics. His research focuses on pharmaceutical economics and policy, particularly issues related to drug pricing and access to medicines in high- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that 51% of U.S. adults—about 125 million people—are overweight or obese with one or more chronic conditions. He reviews a new study examining the lifetime health effects and cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs tirzepatide (Zepbound) and semaglutide (Ozempic). Dr. Andy Ryan, Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, joins to discuss how to meaningfully reduce U.S. healthcare spending, emphasizing the need for a national strategy that aligns coverage and pricing with value and ensures that Americans get the greatest health benefit for the dollars spent.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Lifetime Health Effects and Cost-Effectiveness of Tirzepatide and Semaglutide in US Adults — JAMA Health Forum

Dr. Andrew Ryan is a professor in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University and Director of the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research. His research focuses on understanding and evaluating the effects of health care payment reform.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that private equity firms have invested an estimated $1 trillion into U.S. healthcare acquisitions over the past decade. He then reviews a new Annals of Internal Medicine study showing that private equity hospital buyouts are linked to staffing cuts in ICUs and emergency departments, with a 13% rise in mortality among Medicare patients. Dr. Yashaswini Singh joins to outline policy strategies to curb harmful effects of private equity in healthcare — calling for stronger transparency, updated guardrails for patients and workers and targeted antitrust enforcement.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Hospital Staffing and Patient Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition — Annals of Internal Medicine

Dr. Yashaswini Singh is a health care economist and Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University. Her areas of interest and expertise include health care consolidation and corporatization, including by private equity firms, and the downstream effects on health care spending, access, quality, and the clinical workforce.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that about two-thirds of pregnant women report taking Tylenol during pregnancy, reviewing a large 2024 JAMA study from Sweden which found no meaningful association between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability. Dr. Elizabeth Langen, professor of obstetrics at the University of Michigan, joins to share a practical framework for advising patients in pregnancy: weighing the risks of uncontrolled disease against the potential risks of medication and emphasizing the need for stronger, prospective research before considering changes to clinical guidance.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability — JAMA

Dr. Elizabeth Langen is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan. She is the Obstetrics Director of the Cardio-Obstetrics Program and Director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Langen specializes in cardiovascular disease in women, cardio-obstetrics, maternal congenital heart conditions and pregnancy, premature onset of labor, premature rupture of membranes, cervical shortening, and high risk pregnancies.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a sobering figure: 91,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year are tied to air pollution from burning oil and gas—roughly 3% of all annual deaths. He then revisits a 2019 study that followed seniors with diabetes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, finding a 40% spike in mortality in the month after the storms and lingering risk for years due to disrupted care. New York Times health policy correspondent Margot Sanger-Katz joins to reflect on what feels different about covering health policy under the second Trump administration: an unprecedented volume and pace of policy shifts, the challenge of helping readers navigate overwhelming change and the role of journalism as both analyst and explainer.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• The health burden and racial-ethnic disparities of air pollution from the major oil and gas lifecycle stages in the United States — Science Advances
• Long-term Effects of Disasters on Seniors With Diabetes: Evidence From Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — Diabetes Care

Margot Sanger-Katz is a Domestic Correspondent for the New York Times who writes for The Upshot on how government influences the American health care system. Her reporting focuses on health care policy and public health, as well as the federal budget and efforts to change it.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights a major shift in U.S. food safety: federal surveillance of foodborne pathogens is being scaled back from eight to just two, raising concerns about missed threats from oysters, raw milk, and other emerging risks. He then examines a new BMJ study on the No Surprises Act, which finds patients’ out-of-pocket costs dropped by an average of $567 per year after the law took effect. Finally, Dr. Jha is joined by Melissa Ponce, a first-year MPH student at Brown University, who reflects on her path into public health, her commitment to health equity and what inspires her to pursue change through policy and practice.

Dr. Jha discusses:

• The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses — NBC News
• Patient healthcare spending after the No Surprises Act: quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study — BMJ

Melissa Ponce is a first-year Master's of Public Health student at the Brown University School of Public Health. A first-generation college student, she graduated with a B.A. in Public Health with Honors from Brown University. She is passionate about translating research into practice to improve health outcomes for underserved populations. During her undergraduate studies, she worked extensively on research projects focused on Latinx behavioral health disparities.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky