Intention to Treat

Latest Episodes:

The Attack on Equity in Medicine Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

The ripple effects of U.S. anti-DEI policies extend far beyond individual labs: scientific discovery is slowing, early‑career investigators are reconsidering their futures, and the pipeline of medical school applicants is shifting in real time.

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601982.

Is Change Possible? Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

The use of race in medicine is harming patients. What is being done to move away from these practices and to change a culture of medicine based on the false premise that race is biological?

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601981.

The Myth of Race and Genetics Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

We now know that humans are more than 99.9% genetically alike. So why does medicine still link certain diseases to race? And what do genetics actually tell us about race, ancestry, and disease?

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601980.

BiDil — The Story of the Black Pill Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

How did a drug for congestive heart failure get approved and marketed for Black people only?

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601978.

When Race Matters May 27, 2026

Show notes

The story of the pulse oximeter demonstrates that sometimes consideration of race is critical to diagnosis and treatment — as came starkly into light during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601977.

Money and Misdiagnosis May 20, 2026

Show notes

Many Black veterans live below the poverty line, often struggling to manage their illnesses. As V.A. hospitals began to stop using race-corrected interpretation of Black patients’ spirometer readings, there was an epiphany: the race correction wasn’t just harming the health of Black patients, it was also hurting them financially.

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601976.

How Did Race Get Into Lung Testing? May 13, 2026

Show notes

The history of race-based correction of lung-capacity measures can be traced to a pre–Civil War belief among slave owners that slaves had naturally inferior lung capacity. Despite work to show that race-corrected spirometers mask lung-disease severity in Black patients, the majority of U.S. hospitals still use them.

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601975.

Meet the Equation May 06, 2026

Show notes

Many clinical algorithms, including the eGFR test for kidney function, have actually had race baked into them and produce different results for Black patients. Most of us assume these algorithms are based on science, but what if the science is wrong?

A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2601974.

Intention to Treat | Season 2: The Race Equation (Trailer) Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

What happens when medicine gets race wrong? In a new 8-week series, The Race Equation confronts harmful assumptions about race in clinical medicine, why they endure, and what it will take to change.

Follow “Intention to Treat” on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Brain Injury and Consciousness Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

New research using functional brain imaging reveals that many patients considered to be in a coma or vegetative state and who are unresponsive may actually be conscious and aware.

A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2408662.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected