Free Associations

Latest Episodes:

Episode 75 - A new treatment for adolescent obesity? Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest Hailey Banack from The University of Buffalo discuss a study that looks at the effect of a new drug to treat adolescent obesity, they discuss the rise of armchair epidemiologists, and Jen reminds us of a past public health success.

Journal club article:

Adolescent obesity study

Episode 74 - Which is worse, social media or eating potatoes? Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest Kerry Keyes from Columbia University discuss a study that looks at the effect of digital media on health of adolescents, they debate whether COVID research is moving too fast, and Kerry warns us about taking medical advice from cartoons.

Journal club article:

Digital media and mental health study

Episode 73 - Is fish oil all that useful? May 19, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest Laura Sampson discuss a study that looks at the effect of fish oil on cardiovascular disease, they get into the weeds on the proportional hazards assumption (no hate mail please), and Matt sits down to do some coloring.

Journal club article:

Fish oil study

Episode 72 - Is it worth the risk to bike to work? May 05, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest Laura Sampson examine a study that looks at the risk of accidents from cycling to work, they discuss an impressive response to a mistake in a research study, and Laura gives us the skinny on doctors’ coffee consumption habits.

Journal club article:

Cycling and accidents study

Episode 71 - Are C-sections increasing BMI in kids? Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest Jennifer Weuve discuss a study that looks at whether elective and non-elective C-sections are leading to increased BMI in kids, they discuss a blog that asks whether bad statistical practices are crowding out good ones, and Matt breaks out his dance moves.

Journal club article:

C-section study

Episode 70 - Can kids with chicken pox protect you from shingles? Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Jen, and guest host Jennifer Weuve discuss a study that looks at whether exposure to kids with chicken pox protects adults from shingles, they ask whether blinding in randomized trials really matters, and Jen survives a podcast episode that feels like a year on Mars.

Journal club article:

Chicken pox and shingles study

Episode 69 - An informal chat about COVID-19 Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

The gang paused their usual format this week to discuss how they are all dealing with the changes that have come about due to COVID-19. We got Chris, Matt, Don, Jen and newcomer Laura (and even a guest appearance by Nick) all on Zoom. We’ll be back to our regular format in two weeks.

Episode 68 - Long-term follow up on a new prevention for breast cancer Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

Matt and Jen discuss a long-term follow up study of a drug to prevent breast cancer, they ask whether papers in predatory journals get cited, and Matt lets it all out watching guilty pleasure movies on planes.

Journal club article:

Breast cancer prevention study

Episode 67 - What is hotspotting healthcare and does it work? Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

Matt and Jen discuss a study on the hotspotting of healthcare, they raise a toast to the error detectors, and Jen instructs us on surviving encounters with wildlife.

Journal club article:

Hotspotting healthcare

Episode 66 - Social determinants of homicides in the US Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Jen examine a study on the social determinants of homicides, they discuss whether Mendelian randomization will save epidemiology, and Matt goes for the old BMJ Christmas edition.

Journal club article:

Social determinants of homicides

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