In the early 1860's the US was torn apart by war and opposing ideas. In the midst of the conflict, President Lincoln created the USDA, one of the first healthcare laws, and laid the foundations for what would now be known as the FDA.

To help me dive into President Lincoln's impact and explore the history of his presidency, I'm joined by Erin Carlson Mast, President and CEO of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation.

The Lincoln Presidential Foundation (“Foundation”), formerly known as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, is a 501c3 nonprofit with over two decades of experience leading and supporting efforts to share the story of Abraham Lincoln’s life, legacy, and leadership with the world. Learn more about the Lincoln Presidential Foundation here: https://www.lincolnpresidential.org/

How does something intended for good, cause harm? That's the topic explored in this episode. The concept is Externalities, which is a cost or a benefit that affects a third party who is not directly involved in an economic activity or transaction. These impacts can be either negative or positive.

This mundane-sounding concept can play out in big impacts. We explore how research meant to end a killer virus, resulted in an unlikely final victim, Janet Parker. This story is explored with our guest Dr. Mark Pallen, a retired professor from the Quadram Institute and author of the book: The Last Days of Smallpox.

We are also joined by Dr. Tom Dean, who served as a family physician, and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission member for Congress. He shares about externalities during his tenure on MedPAC.

To read Dr. Pallen's book and learn the whole story, find it here: Amazon

Read more from Dr. Tom Dean through his writings in South Dakota Searchlight here: SD Searchlight

On our first episode of this season, Tracey shares the story of her son Mac who lost his life to the opioids. Despite years of creating laws and regulations, we haven't been able to stop the destruction. Biology is partly to blame. I’m joined by Lee Baugh, Associate Professor at the University of South Dakota and neuroscientist and researcher Jamie Bushman (also from the University of South Dakota) to explore the biology of addiction and how opioids hijack our biology and better understand why we still fail to control these drugs.