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Little Knowledge, Large Problem: Lack of Nutrition and Obesity Education in Medical Curricula

September 23, 2016
Little Knowledge, Large Problem: Lack of Nutrition and Obesity Education in Medical Curricula

By Alissa Driggin

Peer Reviewed

At almost every single one of my medical school interviews, each interviewer, noting my college major in nutritional science, asked some variation of the question, “What should I be eating to stay healthy?” Each time, I was left unsure of whether or not this question was aimed to gauge my ability to hold a conversation in a stressful environment, articulate my thoughts in a logical manner, or fulfill some other mysterious goal of the infamous medical school interview process. Or, …

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From The Archives: Reflections on Hurricane Sandy

September 22, 2016
From The Archives: Reflections on Hurricane Sandy

Please enjoy this post from the archives, dated, January 11, 2013

By Jessica Taff, MD

As the 3 major teaching hospitals that make up NYU Medical Center begin to come back online, we thought it was the right time to share some of our reflections on Hurricane Sandy.  It’s been a long strange journey for the faculty, housestaff, students and most of all our patients.  It’s time now though for us to come back home; to return with a renewed sense of purpose and a …

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Are We Too Clean or Too Dirty? The Hygiene Hypothesis in Asthma

September 21, 2016
Are We Too Clean or Too Dirty? The Hygiene Hypothesis in Asthma

By James Barger

Peer Reviewed

Asthma, an obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by bronchospasm and chronic airway inflammation, has afflicted mankind for millennia. In the 1st century AD, the Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia described an attack thus:

“the cheeks are ruddy, eyes protuberant, as if from strangulation…voice liquid and without resonance…they breathe standing, as if desiring to draw in all the air which they possibly can inhale, and, in their want of air they also open the mouth as if thus to enjoy the more …

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Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

September 19, 2016
Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

By Sara Stream, MD

Peer Reviewed 

A powerful explosion occurred in Chelsea on Saturday night, injuring at least 29 people, including one with a serious puncture wound. Authorities believe that a homemade bomb caused the explosion, referred to as “an intentional act” in a news briefing by Mayor Bill De Blasio. A second explosive device was later found several blocks away, which was removed by the Police Department bomb squad. Investigations are currently ongoing as New York City remains on high alert.

In national …

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Breaking the Cycle: Shining a Light on Physician Depression and Suicide for the Next Generation

September 16, 2016
Breaking the Cycle: Shining a Light on Physician Depression and Suicide for the Next Generation

By Andrew Hallett

Peer Reviewed 

For decades, surveys and public data have shown staggeringly high rates of suicide, suicidal ideation, and depression among physicians when compared to the general population.1-4 Male doctors are 40% more likely to commit suicide than other men, and female doctors are 130% more likely to do so than other women, according to a 2004 analysis in the American Journal of Psychiatry.5 With expanded access to care and new regulatory requirements under the Affordable Care Act increasing pressure on doctors, a …

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Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

September 12, 2016
Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

By Katherine Lawrence, MD

Peer Reviewed

Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Fifteen years later, emotions are still strong; it was a day of memorials and memories, a celebration of those who gave their lives and reminder of the challenges that remain.

One of the many powerful legacies of 9/11 has been the chronicling of its health impacts. Both the city of New York and the federal government (including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational …

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Primecuts – This Week In the Journals

August 30, 2016
Primecuts – This Week In the Journals

By Nancyanne Schmidt, MD

Peer Reviewed

As we enter the final weeks of summer, the peril posed by the tiny mosquito continues to grow to shark-sized proportions. The FDA now recommends that all blood donations in the U.S. be screened for the Zika virus, after the agency had earlier advised only testing in areas with an active outbreak . The FDA is recommending blood facilities in eleven states, including New York, to begin testing for Zika in the next four weeks.

On the other side …

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Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

August 22, 2016
Primecuts – This Week In The Journals

By Anne Press, MD

Peer Reviewed

As the Rio Olympics come to a close this week, we were presented with the best and the worst of the Olympic Games. The world’s focus is surrounding a current scandal related to controversies discussed prior to the Olympics, Brazil’s ability to keep the World’s best athletes safe in a city known for its crime. Last week United States swimmers, including gold medalist Ryan Lochte, came under the spotlight when they recounted a harrowing story of being robbed at …

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