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America Dissected

On America Dissected, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Dr. Katelyn Jetelina explore what’s really making us sick and what we’ll need to take on — be it racism, corporate capitalism, or snake oil salesmen — to keep all of us healthy. New podcast episodes every Thursday. Subscribe wherever you listen.

LISTEN: This made-up medical diagnosis has been used to justify police violence for decades

LISTEN: This made-up medical diagnosis has been used to justify police violence for decades

The concept of “excited delirium” has been used to justify extreme force from law enforcement and to cover up police violence. Coined by a medical examiner in Florida in the ‘80s, it has its roots in eugenics. Abdul reflects on the way that pseudoscience has too often been used by

LISTEN: Fat Joe thinks you should know how much your healthcare costs

LISTEN: Fat Joe thinks you should know how much your healthcare costs

Hospitals can charge you however much they want for healthcare — without telling you. Rapper turned healthcare advocate Fat Joe thinks they need to lean back. Abdul reflects on the fight for price transparency in healthcare, then sits down with the entertainer to learn more about his fight for healthcare transparency.

LISTEN: How Big Was the Hammer SCOTUS Just Took to Government as We Know It?

LISTEN: How Big Was the Hammer SCOTUS Just Took to Government as We Know It?

The Supreme Court is an unelected body–there was a time when the justices understood that. Not this court. In their most recent set of rulings, they took a hammer to the fundamentals of American government. Abdul unpacks the most important ruling. Then he sits down with Leah Litman, Constitutional

LISTEN: Scientists Argue that this Genetic Test’s Results are “no better than a coin flip.” The FDA approved it anyway.

LISTEN: Scientists Argue that this Genetic Test’s Results are “no better than a coin flip.” The FDA approved it anyway.

Episode Description: Recently, the FDA approved a genetic test for opioid use disorder despite clear opposition from scientists and the FDA advisory panel that had reviewed the evidence. The case demonstrates the space where Pharma’s incentive may drive innovation that may not help–or worse, cause harm. Abdul reflects

LISTEN: Public health 🤝 Healthcare

LISTEN: Public health 🤝 Healthcare

To the untrained eye, public health and healthcare are–if not the same thing–then two sides of the same coin. But to those of us who work in public health, healthcare is too often a giant vacuum of health dollars focused more on the bottom line than public wellbeing.

LISTEN: Our Institutions Have Long Covid with David Wallace-Wells

LISTEN: Our Institutions Have Long Covid with David Wallace-Wells

The pandemic didn’t change everything–it just made everything weird. From declining trust in institutions to the growing power of Big Tech on our lives, we are struggling to deal with the world as it’s become. Abdul reflects on the long tail of the pandemic. Then he sits

LISTEN: When Racism goes “Systemic”

LISTEN: When Racism goes “Systemic”

Racism is among this country’s most persistent original sins. Not only does it pattern access to everything from education to housing to jobs — but infant mortality, cancer, and life expectancy. Abdul reflects on the stickiness of racism. Then he interviews author and journalist Dr. Layal Liverpool, author of the

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