Diabetes is not just “a touch of sugar.” It is a serious disease that at the time of diagnosis has the same long-term implications as those for someone having a heart attack. But in order to manage and treat type 2 diabetes, we need to stop chasing high blood sugar. That doesn’t work. Instead, we Read more
Medicine
The deadly multistate fungal meningitis outbreak associated with the injection of tainted medications is unprecedented in scope. Injections associated with infectious diseases are well described in the literature, but fungal meningitis is singularly unusual. Laboratory analysis to date shows that 52 patients have confirmed meningitis due to the fungal strain known as Exserohilum rostratum (E Read more
In recent years, the introduction of new DNA-sequencing technologies has heralded a revolution in genetics. These new technologies have resulted in a precipitous drop in the cost of genome sequencing; a whole genome can now be sequenced for a few thousand dollars. As costs continue to fall, genome sequencing will become increasingly commonplace, enabling the Read more
With just a few days left in October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought I’d take some time to reflect on life beyond pink ribbons, pink balloons and pink t-shirts. For some women, October 2012 is the month they were diagnosed with breast cancer. This month, I have seen several newly diagnosed patients. As Read more
It’s flu season, time for my annual flu shot. It’s a must, not only because I want to protect myself from getting the flu and feeling miserable, but also because I want to make sure not to transmit the flu to my patients, many of whom are pregnant. I’m an OB-GYN and a geneticist, so Read more
You are a medical oncologist practicing in 2025 and your patient schedule for this sunny October morning includes two patients who present with different challenges. Improvements in cancer genomics have changed how physicians assess risk and how they diagnose and treat cancer. The first patient is a 60-year-old man with prostate cancer that was identified Read more
