The hottest Medical education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health Politics Topics

The Rise and Fall of Youth Gender Medicine

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1706 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. A rapid rise in gender ideology changed language and policies across schools, media, and medicine, and many people felt they could be punished for using words like “male,” “female,” or “pregnant.”
  2. Activist enforcement pushed professionals to publicly endorse contested beliefs about biological sex, sometimes threatening jobs, careers, and classroom speech.
  3. Increased reporting and public pushback have started to reverse that influence, leading institutions to reevaluate policies and medical practices.

Beyond the black box: What women deserve to know about menopause hormone therapy

Your Local Epidemiologist • 1487 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. Menopause hormone therapy (MHT) has gone through a lot of changes in how it's understood and recommended. Early studies suggested big risks, but newer research shows risks depend on many personal factors.
  2. Women who start MHT soon after menopause may have better health outcomes compared to those who start later. The type of hormones and how they're delivered also matter a lot in terms of risk.
  3. There's still a lot of confusion about menopause care. Many doctors haven't kept up with new information, leaving women without the support they need during this transition.

An Invitation to Think Differently About Addiction Treatment

Culture Study • 3347 implied HN points • 10 Aug 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. Harm reduction is essential for helping people with addiction. It means meeting people where they are and supporting their decisions rather than judging them.
  2. Many healthcare professionals don't learn enough about addiction treatment in medical school. This lack of education can lead to stigma and inadequate care for those struggling with addiction.
  3. Dr. Marie Nyswander made significant contributions to addiction medicine but is often overlooked. Her work on methadone showed that there are effective ways to treat addiction beyond just abstinence.

Medicine in the Age of Social Justice

Heterodox STEM • 263 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Medicine is increasingly shaped by social justice and identity politics, and when doctors or policies prioritize group identity over clear clinical risk, it can lead to decisions that hurt patient outcomes.
  2. The idea that patient outcomes require race-matched doctors is often overstated or confounded by clinical factors, and most patients report that their doctor’s race usually does not matter.
  3. Doctors should focus advocacy on things that directly help patients, stay within medical expertise, and avoid actions that harm trust or education, while noting that many young elite physicians are not practicing where care is most needed.

Massachusetts Wakes Up to a Hospital Nightmare

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 679 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Private equity firms, like Steward Health Care, have been negatively impacting hospitals by cutting resources and making false promises. This has led to unsafe conditions for both staff and patients.
  2. Steward Health Care has a history of financial mismanagement and failed commitments, which has raised concerns among local leaders and health officials. They’ve been accused of prioritizing profit over patient care.
  3. Many hospital employees and doctors are frustrated with the situation, as it puts patient safety at risk. They feel helpless in trying to provide good care amidst the company's failures.
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DEI/Woke Medicine Forever

Who is Robert Malone • 20 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. DEI and 'woke' ideology are now deeply embedded in medical schools and professional organizations, shaping what is taught and how clinicians speak and act.
  2. That influence shifts admissions and hiring toward demographic and ideological criteria instead of pure merit, and it encourages obedience to protocol over independent medical judgment—critics say this helped spread problematic COVID-era guidance.
  3. Proposed responses include using legal and regulatory means to curb guild power and restore merit-based standards, while patients uncomfortable with current trends may need to seek alternative providers who reject DEI-driven practices.

When Doctors' Education Is Really Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing - Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 579 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Doctors' education can be heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, leading to potential biases in medical practices and treatments.
  2. Some educational conferences and seminars for doctors may actually be marketing events by pharmaceutical companies, promoting certain medications or treatments.
  3. It's crucial for doctors to be aware of potential conflicts of interest and maintain objectivity in their approach to patient care, especially in fields like weight management and diabetes.

A Substack update, MDs reinforcing failure and ill news about sugar (a clever study!)

Unsettled Science • 516 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. Medical schools might not be teaching the right nutrition information. It's important to examine if the problem lies in what is taught, not just how much is taught.
  2. New research suggests that reducing sugar in the diets of young children can lower their risk of diabetes and high blood pressure later in life. This raises serious questions about how we view sugar in our diets.
  3. Physicians should be more open about the uncertainties surrounding nutrition advice. Understanding that there's still much to learn can help doctors connect better with their patients.

When Doctors' Education Is The Best That Pharma Money Can Buy- Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 419 implied HN points • 08 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. Doctors' education can be influenced by undisclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, impacting the information they provide and recommendations they make.
  2. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is essential for doctors to maintain licensure, but conflicts of interest in CME material can lead to biased information and potential risks for patients.
  3. The influence of pharmaceutical companies in medical education raises concerns around the quality of information provided to healthcare practitioners and the potential impact on patient care.

Medical Heretics from Rome to COVID

Bastiat's Window • 235 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Western medicine has a history of stifling dissent and vilifying those who question medical orthodoxy.
  2. The intertwining of social action projects and medical practice has led to harmful consequences in history and is a growing concern, especially since COVID.
  3. Trends in medical education and public health are increasingly influenced by politics and ideology, posing threats to medical care quality and civil society norms.

The Association of American Medical Colleges is the Medical Guild driving DEI and Censorship

Who is Robert Malone • 13 implied HN points • 01 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. The AAMC and its partners effectively control who becomes a doctor and what doctors learn by dominating admissions, accreditation, exams, and licensing, functioning like a modern guild that enforces uniform standards.
  2. Diversity, equity, and inclusion and related ideological frameworks have been deeply embedded into medical curricula, funding, and accreditation through semantic rebranding and alternative funding, allowing these programs to persist despite political pushback.
  3. During COVID and afterward the AAMC–AMA–NBME–FSMB alliance centralized messaging and enforcement to suppress dissent, and those same control mechanisms are being repurposed for new areas like climate and AI amid close federal and corporate ties that critics say warrant legal scrutiny.

What is happening to medical students?

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 220 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Students shouting down speakers at the University of Chicago raised concerns about their behavior and the medical school's leadership.
  2. Debating whether the AMA should issue a statement on the war highlighted the complexities of making impactful statements and maintaining professional standards.
  3. The lack of courage in inviting diverse speakers and fostering debate in medical schools may contribute to a culture of protest among students.

UCSF has match day outdoors & plans on contact tracing... in 2024

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 132 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Medical education
  1. Population immunity to COVID-19 is high, making large outdoor gatherings unnecessary. Holding events outdoors may not significantly impact transmission and could be inconvenient.
  2. There is little evidence to support the need for contact tracing in 2024. The effectiveness of contact tracing for the virus is questionable.
  3. Medical school policies may sometimes prioritize perceived safety over rational decision-making, potentially impacting student experiences and learning.

Questions graduating med students can ask on residency interviews, and some they shouldn't

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 41 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. It's important to ask about successful graduates from the program to see what you can aspire to. Their stories can reveal what the program really values and how it helps its students.
  2. Asking about any past failures or who wasn't a good fit can give insights into the challenges of the program. This helps you understand what it takes to succeed there.
  3. Questions about unique strengths of the program and faculty engagement can show you how well the program supports its residents. Specific answers are more revealing than vague statements.

Find your Calling

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jun 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical education
  1. Representation matters in medicine - textbooks need to reflect the diversity of patients to improve healthcare outcomes.
  2. Physicians should address and confront their biases to provide better care for all patients.
  3. Access to healthcare should be equal for everyone, regardless of race, job status, or socioeconomic status.

The anatomist next door

The Quack Doctor • 0 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
💾 History Medical education
  1. The study of anatomy in Victorian London evolved from grave-robbing to a more regulated system with cadavers sourced from workhouses and teaching hospitals.
  2. Dr. Thomas Cooke's School of Anatomy faced challenges due to its location in a densely populated area causing complaints from neighbors about the unpleasant odors and disturbances from dissecting activities.
  3. Despite facing setbacks, Dr. Cooke was known for his innovative teaching methods and contributions to medical literature, emphasizing practical work in anatomy and advocating for hands-on dissection.