A Catalyst Special: Three Co-Authors of “Buried” Alcohol-Cancer Study Share Findings

This is a special Catalyst podcast. First, because it’s the first one that includes a co-host, Ms. Cayla Epstein, a third-year medical student at the University of Miami, who brings a deep understanding of the issues we explore in this episode. It is also notable because of our three guests, who were among the co-authors of a study that was the subject of a recent Vox exclusive that received massive attention, RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer, which was amplified by contemporaneous stories in the New York Times, STAT, and other prominent media organs. Drs. Priscilla Martinez, Katherine Keyes, and Timothy Namei joined us to discuss their study, the Alcohol Intake and Health Study, which was commissioned in early 2022 by the US Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. The authors told Vox that they were informed last month that the Trump administration did not intend to publish the final draft of the study or its findings. Our conversation focuses on their study, its salient findings (including the link between alcohol and breast cancer), its ramifications for our nation’s public health, and the need to find alternative channels for disseminating important health information.Guests: * Dr. Priscilla Martinez, Scientist, Deputy Scientific DirectorAlcohol Research Group | Public Health Institute.* Dr. Katherine Keyes, epidemiologist at Columbia University. * Dr. Timothy Namei, Director, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research; Professor, University of Victoria. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecatalyst2.substack.com