Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Who actually owns our health data once it is stored in the cloud? And how do we balance the global push for open medical research with the need to protect local populations from data extraction? Kamran Abbasi sits down with Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford and David Strain, Associate Professor of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Exeter. Together, they dive into the complex ethical and legal landscape of data sovereignty - unpacking the loopholes that could allow the US government access to NHS data, and how medical research in resource poorer settings can be extractive of data. They set out the case for data sovereignty, and how it could practically work while not stifling essential international research collaboration Read the related articles on BMJ.com: The CLOUD Act: NHS data must be safeguarded from US interests by David Strain A commitment to act on data sharing by Kamran Abbasi Data sharing must evolve towards data sovereignty by Trudie Lang

Two NHS maternity reviews have been published over the past few weeks. The biggest ever conducted, involving nearly 2500 families, investigated services at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust. It was led by senior midwife, Donna Ockenden, and its findings on poor and avoidable harm to babies and mothers have reverberated throughout UK healthcare. This was followed immediately by publication of an independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England, conducted by Valerie Amos, which states that the UK's poor maternity care is "on a scale that shames our society". We speak to  Kate Duhig, clinical senior lecturer at  Kings College London, and Marian Knight, professor of of maternal and child population health at the University of Oxford, about why we keep having reports saying the same thing, but little action to solve the problem. As many wealthy nations have stepped back from previous aid promises, a new force has emerged to fill the gaps: private finance. David McCoy is professor of global public health at the United Nations University, and explains why turning to investment banks, wealth funds, and private equity in the pursuit of universal health coverage might cause more problems than it solves.   Reading list: Dangers of finance capital in healthcare Amos maternity review: Doctors must work differently as units “no longer fit for purpose,” but report is dogged by controversy Nottingham maternity review: 520 mothers and babies were seriously harmed on “toxic” ward, damning inquiry finds

Australia has been in the vanguard of legislation to try and reduce the influence of social media on children and young people - their ban for under 16s was introduced on the 10th of December 2025, to great fanfare, and a lot of interest around the world. But how effective are these bans at keeping children away from social media? New research just published on BMJ.com has looked at that question of efficacy - finding that children are using the most simple tactics to evade the ban. To dicuss what that means, we're joined by two of the authors of that research Courtney Barnes and Luke Wolfenden from the University of Newcastle, Australia. We’re also joined by Amrit Purba, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Louise Holly, from the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, in Geneva, who have written commentaries to go with that research.   Reading list Assessing early effects of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act on adolescents’ social media use  Learning from Australia’s social media age restriction policy   Early data from Australia indicate that social media companies can’t be relied on to protect children 

The US military’s Operation “Epic Fury” highlighted the devastating cost of using artificial intelligence for rapid military planning. Thomas Adamkiewicz, associate professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, and Zulfiqar Bhutta, Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, to discuss why international humanitarian law is lagging dangerously behind technology, and why we urgently need a new era of legal frameworks to govern AI use in war.   Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medicines is strictly illegal everywhere in the world except for the United States and New Zealand. Deborah Cohen, investigative journalist, joins us to explain how global social media platforms are making borders porous, allowing Hollywood celebrities and high-profile influencers to broadcast drug endorsements directly into the feeds of UK citizens.   Finally, Between 2020 and 2023, the UK government allocated £1.7 billion specifically intended for frontline doctor training. However, a deep-dive investigation has revealed that a staggering £400 million of that funding is completely unaccounted for - David Hutchison, paediatrics registrar, and Jonathan De Oliveira, GP trainee, join us to describe what they found. Reading List AI warfare demands a new era of humanitarian law Bad influencers: How social media imported US-style drug advertising to the UK “Black hole” of medical student funding

The heated debate on prostate cancer screening boils down to one question: should men be routinely screened? Two recent position statements from the UK’s national screening committee published in the BMJ show that screening decisions are steeped in complexity.  The benefits of screening may be easier to grasp, but the harms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment are given less attention. Can we close the divide between the public and academic discourse?   Guest: Sian Taylor-Phillips is professor of population health at the University of Warwick and a member of the UK national screening committee.   Further Reading: UK National Screening Committee position statement on surrogate outcomes in cancer screening trials Prostate cancer screening: Committee rejects calls for mass testing programme despite pressure More interviews from the BMJ on our Youtube channel.

New estimates of Global Patterns in Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Mortality have been published - and while there has been a huge improvement, those gains are in danger - and we’re seeing worrying trends.   Kate Strong, a Scientist at the World Health Organization and Lucia Hug, a specialist in statistics and monitoring for UNICEF, join us to explain the data - and why they are worried about our ability to measure this in the future.   Helen Sharman is the first British Astronaut to make it to space - this week she was at the Royal College of GPs giving the General Medical Council's annual Marx lecture. She joins us to discuss how research in space might impact healthcare on Earth, and what the NHS can learn from cosmonaut teamwork.    Finally, The government and doctors in England are not getting on well - we’ve had a series of strikes from the resident doctors, GPs are in dispute about the imposition of a new contract, and now consultants are being polled on industrial action.  BMA Consultants Committee co-chairs Shanu Dutta and Helen Neary explain why.   Reading list   Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Mortality Global, regional, and national levels and trends in under 5, infant, and neonatal mortality during 1990-2024 with scenario based projections to 2030 Global, regional, and national levels and trends in older child, adolescent, and youth (5-24 years) all cause mortality from 1990 to 2024: modelling study Systematic estimates of global causes of neonatal and under 5 mortality in 2000-24: secondary data analysis using bayesian multinomial logistic regression Estimates of global causes of death for children and adolescents aged 5-19 in 2000-24: secondary data analysis using bayesian multinomial logistic regression   Full interview on YouTube: Why NHS Senior Doctors in England Are Considering Strike Action

Does healthcare have a moral emergency? In this episode of the Medicine and Science podcast, Kamran Abbasi sits down with healthcare leaders Maureen Bisognano, president emerita of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Bob Klaber, director of strategy at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, to discuss why they're calling the lack of humanity in medicine an emergency. We ask why this dangerous imbalance between the rational (efficiency, data, and metrics) and the relational (human connection, empathy, and listening) has developed in modern medicine. We also learn how simple changes, like asking "What matters to you?" instead of just "What's the matter?, can help us put the humanity back into healthcare.   Reading list Read the BMJ Article: Healthcare's moral emergency: reconnecting healthcare with its mission and purpose Michael West on workforce kindness Amy Edmondson on psychological safety Len Berry on cancer care & kindness  

It has been a tumultuous time in UK health politics. UK Health Minister ,Wes Streeting, has freshly resigned. What does this mean for his newly introduced NHS Modernization Bill as it heads through Parliament? Together with Hugh Alderwick, Director of Policy and Research at the Health Foundation, we unpack the bill's sweeping centralization of power, the abolition of NHS England, and the contentious role for US tech firm Palantir in the new NHS. And, we explore a major milestone for women's healthcare. A condition affecting an estimated 170 million women globally has officially been renamed from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). Rachel Morman, Chair of the PMOS charity Verity, joins us to explain why dropping "cysts" from the name is a vital step toward recognizing this as a complex, multi-system condition, and how this co-designed change will fundamentally reshape diagnosis, treatment, and future research. Further reading: Health Bill brings NHS management back into government PMOS: What's in a name? Everything PCOS name change to PMOS must be managed to avoid confusing patients, says expert

Twitter was launched 20 years ago, followed quickly by the iPhone and Instagram. Today, nearly 60% of the world’s population uses social media. Medical experts are sounding the alarm on the potential for these platforms to cause systemic harm. This past year has seen large events in the legal and public health battle against tech giants, with millions of dollars awarded in damages to child victims. Why has pinning down these companies proven difficult? And, what are the parallels between the social media industry and the historical tactics of "Big Tobacco"? Guests: Matthew Bergman is a practicing attorney and the founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, as well as a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Ilona Kickbusch is an editorial board member of the BMJ and a visiting professor at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab at the University of Geneva, specializing in the commercial determinants of health. Further reading: From tobacco to TikTok: what public health litigation history tells us about holding social media accountable What is the evidence for social media addiction?

The BMA has released their long awaited review of the Cass report. The original report looked at the provision of NHS gender identity services for children and young people, and involved a review of the science underpinning those services. It also set out a plan to improve care for gender diverse young people.  We talk with David Strain of the BMA’s board of science to discuss their findings, and hear why they were critical of the Secretary of State, Wes Streeting's response to Cass’s review. And, we hear about new research published with The BMJ that aims to help children with autism. The researchers used a non-invasive magnetic stimulation technique to target specific regions of the brain, with the goal of promoting sociality. We discuss the benefits, and how this technique might translate to treatment plans for patients. Guests: David Strain is an associate professor in cardio-metabolic health at the University of Exeter and Chair of the BMA’s Board of Science. Benjamin Becker is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Hong Kong, specializing in brain-based interventions for mental disorders. Further reading: Puberty blockers: BMA critique vindicates Cass review but questions government “overreach” Accelerated non-invasive brain stimulation in childhood autism    

The new trade deal struck between the UK and US came into force in April.  The deal will double the amount that the NHS spends on new medicines, by the end of 2036 (from 0.6 - 0.6% of GDP).  increase the threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sets for drug approvals - which will allow more to be approved, but will also allow companies to charge more for their pharmaceuticals,  include a change to the rebate the NHS receives, to ensure that the extra drug spend occurs. Cumulatively this will increase our drug spend by £56 billion in the next 10 years, which will have to come out of current healthcare spending - which experts are calling a catastrophe for the NHS. Joining Kamran Abbasi to discuss are Sally Gainsbury, a senior policy analyst Nuffield Trust and Karl Claxton, professor of economics at the University of York. We also hear from Francis Ruiz, policy analyst at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Reading list The UK government must publish a detailed impact assessment of the costs and benefits of the US-UK medicines partnership A budget apart: the case for ringfencing medicines in the UK        

Covid 19 was the last Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Our guests in this podcast think that the Trump Administration should be declared the next one. Joining Kamran Abbasi are, Fatima Hassan,  human rights lawyer and Director of the Health Justice Initiative in South Africa, and Matthew Herder, Director of the Health Justice Institute at Dalhousie University in Canada explain why they think that the actions and consequences of the Whitehouse meet the bar for WHO to delcare an emergency We examine the global consequences of recent US policy shifts, including: The withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its implications for international health governance. Significant funding cuts to global health programs, including PEPFAR and the CDC, and how these disruptions affect life-saving HIV and TB treatments in the Global South. The rise of "unhinged nationalism" in health policy, from North American measles outbreaks to the extraction of trade concessions in exchange for medical aid. The role of US health leadership in fueling vaccine hesitancy and dismantling scientific research at the NIH.   Reading list: Trump and his administration as a public health emergency of international concern Why the expanded global gag rule is a deadly triple tripwire for recipients of US foreign aid The power of the markets: the scandal that keeps on taking

Coming up in this week’s episode: The 15th Strike: As the latest six-day walkout by resident doctors in England concludes, the BMJ's news team examines the state of the ongoing dispute over pay and training places. Iain Beardsell, consultant in emergency medicine in Southampton explain why he thinks reintroducing compassion could be the key to tackling the systemic issues facing emergency departments And finally, The BMA announces major changes to how it represents doctors in private practice - we hear why they think the US has some better legislation around health insurance than the UK.   Reading list: Resident doctor strikes: Streeting demands to “meet with the organ grinders” as latest action ends The BMJ interviews Jack Fletcher  Make compassion visible in emergency medicine again BMA boosts support for private practice as NHS failings prompt more patients to pay for care

The BMJ published a negative result this week. A new trial focuses on a peer support intervention for improving breastfeeding rates in the UK, but finds no major improvement. We hear from the lead author who tells us what went wrong, and the insights that can still be drawn from apparent ‘failures’. Next we turn our eyes to shisha smoking in the UK. With shisha or “hookah” cafes on the rise, we explore the smoking habit in more detail. What are the effects on health? And why are UK laws poor at regulating the practice?   Kate Jolly is professor of public health and primary care at the University of Birmingham. Zainab Hussain is a UK-based freelance journalist writing on behalf of The BMJ. Links: Peer support intervention (ABA-feed) to improve breastfeeding: UK based, multicentre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial Shisha tobacco’s availability is rising. Why does UK smoking policy fail to tackle it?

The UK Covid Inquiry released Module Three of its findings this month. It lays out in startling detail the lived experiences of NHS staff and patients who bore through the pandemic. In the report’s words: ‘healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, but only just’. The BMJ speaks to Kevin Fong, anaesthetist lead for major incidence planning at UCL hospitals, to break down Module Three’s most important takeaways. And, invasive surgical cosmetic procedures are on the rise in the UK, with regulation patchy at best. From botox and fillers, to tummy tucks and breast surgeries, we hear about the gaps in patient protections that leave space for harm. Kevin Fong is a consultant anaesthetist, broadcaster, and anaesthetist lead for major incidence planning at UCL hospitals. Danielle Griffiths is an author and lecturer at the University of Liverpool’s School of Law. Alexandra Mullock is an author and senior lecturer in medical law at the University of Manchester. UK Covid Inquiry Module Three Report Regulating invasive cosmetic procedures to reduce harm | The BMJ

The Gulf states are not large producers of pharmaceuticals or healthcare products - but the oil they supply, and the transport infrastructure they have built, are key components in a worldwide logistical network that underpin all of the pharmaceutical and other medical consumables we use. From critical NHS shortages like Bone Cement for orthopedic surgery, to persistent IV fluid supply crises plaguing Australian hospitals, we discuss how the conflict in Iran will affect fragile healthcare logistics. Joining us today are  Mark Dayan, Brexit programme lead at the Nuffield Trust) on NHS procurement problems  Anny Huang, doctor and journalist in Brisbane,on the three-year  IV fluid shortages in Australia. Prashant Yadav a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, on the potential global effects of the Iranian conflict on international supply chains. Reading list Global bone cement shortage: NHS could cancel or delay knee and hip operations How Australia survived a sudden shortage of IV fluids Where the Iran War Could Disrupt Pharmaceutical Supply Chains  

The lure of health influencers and AI chat bots is strong. More and more people are placing trust in them to answer their health problems, misplaced trust - as we know these AIs can misinform. At the same time, people are struggling to access the NHS, and when they do doctors have little time or the right tools to unpick complicated science, and challenge misunderstandings. So in this roundtable, we’re asking, are we in danger of the NHS making the problem of misinformation worse, and what can we do to combat that. Joining Kamran Abbasi, the BMJ’s editor in chief are: Deborah Cohen: Freelance Journalist; Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE Health Kamila Hawthorne: Chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing Nnena Osuji: Consultant haematologist and CEO of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust Chapters [00:00] The rise of health influencers [03:55] Patient satisfaction and the NHS [05:58] The "Infodemic" and clinical impact [11:04] Digital literacy and health inequalities [16:40] Questions from the audience   Reading list: Cohen D. Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked Our Health. Oneworld Publications; 2026. Satisfaction with NHS hits record low, but public still back founding principles - The BMJ

In this episode, Dr Katie Bramall, Chair of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, joins the podcast to discuss her concerns surrounding the new GP contract imposed by the UK government. GP contract overhaul: What's included and how has it been received? Helen Salisbury: Another imposed GP contract

As public health officials warn about rising emissions from urban wood burning, a BMJ investigation finds that just under a third of UK councils in high use areas have faced pressure from the stove industry to tone down or withdraw campaigns. Almost a third of UK children live in poverty. Leading expert Michael Marmot weighs in on the UK’s "steepest rise" in child poverty among OECD countries and why local government "Marmot Cities" like Coventry and Manchester are taking the lead where national policy falls short. And, a new BMJ collection has just been published on child mental health in conflict zones. 1 in 5 children globally live in conflict zones, creating a staggering mental health toll. We hear about community-led interventions.   Reading list: The growing threat of domestic wood burning stoves—and industry’s legal attempts to shut down clean air campaigns Michael Marmot: Labour has reneged on its child poverty promises Child mental health in conflict settings

In this episode, we investigate the alarming resurgence of measles across North America and the UK. While cases are falling across much of Europe and Asia, North America is seeing explosive outbreaks fueled by vaccine hesitancy and political shifts. We break down the 2026 crisis: Why London is the epicenter and how the UK lost its "Measles Elimination Status". An in-depth look at outbreaks in Ontario, Alberta, Texas, and Mexico. How returning travelers—not migrants—are actually driving the spread. The impact of "shared clinical decision-making" and current US health leadership on vaccine access. Kamran Abbasi is joined by: Angela Rasmussen - Virologist, University of Saskatchewan. Azeem Majeed - Professor of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London.

In this week’s episode, we challenge long-held medical narratives, starting with how the healthcare system manages life after a cancer diagnosis. While medical advancements mean more people are surviving cancer than ever before, many patients report a "cliff-edge" experience where coordinated care effectively vanishes once primary treatment ends. We are joined by Dr. Rosalind Adam, an Academic GP at the University of Aberdeen, who argues that it is time to stop viewing cancer as a discrete, one-off episode and instead integrate it into routine chronic disease management.  Next, we dive into a landmark study from Sweden that is overturning the conventional notion of autism as a predominantly male condition. Historically, autism has been cited as having a 4:1 male-to-female ratio, but new data suggests this gap may be a byproduct of timing rather than biology. We speak with Dr. Caroline Fyfe, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Natasha Marrus, a child psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis. They discuss their analysis of 2.7 million individuals, which revealed a significant female catch-up during adolescence, showing that by age 20, the diagnosis ratio approaches 1:1. The team explores why girls are so often missed in childhood and what this shift means for the future of sex-sensitive diagnostic practices. Reading List For more details on the research discussed in this episode, you can access the full papers on bmj.com: Cancer is a chronic disease: why don’t we treat it as one? Adam R, Hogg DR, Ritchie LD, Nekhlyudov L. BMJ 2026;392:e086624. Time trends in the male to female ratio for autism incidence: population based, prospectively collected, birth cohort study. Fyfe C, et al. BMJ 2026;392:e084164. Please subscribe to the Medicine & Science podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

The House of Lord's amendments to England and Wales assisted dying bill might be causing a constitutional crisis. Lords have tabled 1,277 amendments—which is a record for any equivalent bill in history - and over half of those came from just seven peers. This has led to accusations of "delaying tactics" or "filibustering" to run down the clock deliberately and run this bill off the road. Although some of these amendments have been described as unworkable, repetitious and unnecessary; others reflect serious, legitimate concerns, around the prevention of coercion, how to identify victims of domestic abuse and the broader impact on the disabled community, and whether it’s wise to introduce assisted dying while palliative and social care services are so stretched. 300 territories around the world, allow physician assisted death - so we asked experts from Canada and California to reflect on those objections, and if there is any evidence of this issues arising where they live. James Downer is Professor and Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University of Ottawa, and Catherine Forest is clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of California San Francisco.   Reading list: Scrutiny of the assisted dying bill is vital but obstruction in the House of Lords could mean it never becomes law

Deborah Cohen's new book "How the internet hijacked our health" explores the profound impact of the internet on our wellbeing. In this conversation with BMJ Editor, Kamran Abbasi, they discuss the ways in which online information can both empower and mislead, the role of big tech in shaping our wellbeing and the complex and disturbing ways wellness influencers are becoming more trusted than the NHS. With insights drawn from extensive research and a deep understanding of the digital landscape, Deborah Cohen sheds light on the critical issues at the intersection of technology and healthcare, and challenges anyone who consumes health information online to think differently about what they're doing.

We’re 18 months into the Labour government, and their changes to the NHS are beginning to be felt. In the 10 year plan that they launched last year, they announced three planned shifts for the health service.  Firstly, they pledge to move care from hospitals to the community, an increased focus on prevention rather than sickness, and shift from analogue to digital with an improved NHS app where patients can access records, seek advice and control some aspects of their care. However, accessing primary care and getting a GP appointment is still a key area of concern for patients and healthcare staff.  In a new research paper on bmj.com, a group of researchers have performed a qualitative study asking 70 patients about their experiences of accessing primary care in England. We're joined by Hugh Alderwick and Luisa Petigrew from the Health Foundation to discuss what the findings mean for the 10 year plan. Also this week, online gambling is a growing problem. The immediacy of access, combined with advertising and push notifications, and a proliferation of new gambling companies, undermines traditional ways of managing a gambling addiction. A new analysis argues that these new forms of online gambling requires new forms of regulation. Spencer Murch from the University of Calgery offers some ideas on how that could work.   Reading list Experience of access to general practice in England Policies to increase access to general practice may have unintended consequences Online gambling requires greater government regulation

This interview is available in video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yNO47EfuEM ​‪ @RichardJMurphy‬, political economist and tax campaigner, joins Kamran Abbasi, Editor in Chief of The BMJ. In the UK an ongoing dispute between resident doctors and the Labour Government saw doctors go on strike in mid-December. With Winter pressure piling on and cost-of-living on the rise, do doctors have a credible case of pay rises? And more broadly, how can the economic situation of the NHS be improved? 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Doctor Pay Claims 04:33 Inflation Measures 07:29 Affordability Crisis 09:48 Market Forces Arguments 12:52 NHS Affordability 15:00 Youth Unemployment 19:14 Political Priorities 23:10 Neoliberal Capitalism 27:35 Mixed Economy Alternative 32:32 Prescription for NHS

The class of GLP-1 agonist drugs including Ozempic gained a wide reputation for weight loss in 2025. However, it's well established that weight regain is a common result after people stop their doses. We report on new research which aims to quantify what is happening in the here-and-now for patients who stop using these and similar drugs. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis    Also, The BMJ reports on news from Gaza. The Israeli government has issued new directives to strip 37 NGOs of their licences to provide essential aid to the population. This includes Médecins Sans Frontières, the charity directly supporting many of the critically important hospitals in the territory. Gaza is experiencing an especially harsh Winter and MSF warn that this measure could leave Palestinians without lifesaving medical care. Gaza: Israel moves to ban dozens of aid groups in "cynical and calculated" move  Gaza in winter: 29 day old baby dies of hypothermia amid dire conditions   The BMJ’s annual appeal is supporting the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Around the world, MSF teams are providing maternity care, containing outbreaks, and performing vital surgeries. In areas overwhelmed by conflicts and natural disasters, more lives can be saved when we are in the right place at the right time. Donate today at https://msf.org.uk/bmj-annual-appeal-2025

This episode is available in video form on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1cGrD47eZSk  American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson joins Kamran Abbasi to discuss climate disaster, the need for political imagination, and science fiction's vision for health. Kim Stanley Robinson is the acclaimed author of a trilogy of novels, exploring the terraforming and settlement of Mars. His most recent novel, 'Ministry for the Future', was published in 2020. 'Ministry for the Future' sets out a vision for real solutions to our climate crisis, covering global finance, the animal kingdom, rising sea levels, energy production and much more. The book imagines a Ministry that begins its work in 2025. Five years after publication, with 2025 past and gone, The BMJ spoke to Robinson to explore how closely the novel's vision for the future has reflected reality. 01:00 BMJ's New Climate Change Initiative 01:21 Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future 04:02 The Role of Political Violence in Climate Action 10:50 The Concept of the Carbon Coin 12:51 The Importance of Global Collaboration 27:32 The Role of Medicine in Climate Change 32:33 Youth and Climate Activism 37:53 Hope and Despair in Climate Action 41:29 Conclusion and Future Works Read more about The BMJ's climate coverage in the latest issue: https://www.bmj.com/content/392/8479

It’s time for 2025’s festive fun! Practicing medicine can be a very visceral experience - and the English language can’t always adequately capture the sights, sounds, smells. So Matt Morgan, intensivist and BMJ columnist, is creating medical neologisms, and joins us to share a few. Madhvi Joshi, a GP in London, has written about longevity science, and we hear how the “biohacking” of internet influencers like Bryan Johnson is making its way into the consultation. Navjoyt Ladher and Tim Feeny take us though this year’s festive research, and are joined by Anupam Bapu Jena from Harvard, who has been looking at self censorship in the time of Trump, and Melanie de Lange, from the university of Bristol, who has been investigating the impact of daylight savings time. Reading list: A dictionary for medicine’s unnamed moments https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2476 Science of longevity medicine  https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2536  Changes in diversity language in National Institutes of Health grant awards https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-087222  Acute effects of daylight saving time clock changes on mental and physical health in England https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-085962 

In this episode, we hear how Generative AI is making it into the consultation room - but not through NHS endorsed routes - surveys suggest that ⅔ of doctors are using AI, for backoffice tasks - but also increasingly for information and diagnosis.   David Navarro, a research fellow in generative AI at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Charlotte Blease, associate professor at the Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group at Uppsala University, and Marcus Lewis, GP in London, reflect on what we know about the real way in gen AI is being used - and what “triadic care” (doctor, patient and AI) will mean for the future of the therapeutic relationship.   We also hear from Teppo Järvinen, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Helsinki University, about surgical subacromial decompression - a 10 year follow up of a double blinded placebo controlled trial, confirms that surgery is no more effective than standard care. Yet surgical interventions continue - we hear why.   Finally, we go to a Cholera clinic in Nigeria, where Médecins Sans Frontières are running cholera treatment centres, which you can help by donating to our Christmas appeal.   Links Generative AI and the clinical encounter   The BMJ appeal 2025-26: Inside MSF’s response to cholera in Nigeria: a day in the life of an emergency doctor   Arthroscopic subacromial decompression versus placebo surgery for subacromial pain syndrome

There is an enormous amount of research on treatment for ADHD - pharmaceutical and otherwise. But not all of those trials, or meta-analyses, are of high quality; and not many compare the whole literature.  Now a new umbrella review - a review of reviews - tries to give a broad overview of the whole evidence base. Corentin Gosling, associate professor at the Université Paris Nanterre, joins us to set out the benefits and harms of ADHD therapies.   Also, the BMJ’s been investigating the employment of doctors on “local” contracts in the NHS - and our latest look at this exposes what some have described as a “gig economy”, with doctors plugging rota gaps but missing out on training, development, and salary progression. Rebecca Coombes, head of journalism at The BMJ explains more.   Finally, Tom Frieden is former head of the US Centers for Disease Control, and current CEO of Resolve to Save Lives - he’s written a new book on public health. He joins us to talk about what actually improves health at a population level, and why the current US administration’s approach to staffing the CDC is leaving the country open to danger.   Reading list Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making Revealed: Thousands of NHS doctors are trapped in insecure “gig economy” contracts  

  "Damning” and “unforgivable failures” is how some papers headlines reacted to criticism of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson in the second of 10 reports from the UK Covid Inquiry. Under pressure, in 2001 Boris Johnson announced a covid inquiry led by a former judge, Baroness Hallett. Each report is examining a different area of the pandemic's impact, and module 2 is about decision making and political governance. The report describes inertia, toxic cultures, and an inability to learn lessons - disfunction that contributed to many extra deaths.  To dissect the report and discuss what needs to change, we're joined by; Rebecca Coombes - The BMJ’s head of journalism Kevin Fong - anaesthetist and lead for major incident planning at University College Hospital Matthew Flinders - Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Sheffield  

It’s the BMJ’s annual climate issue - and in this episode, we’ll be hearing about more ways in which climate mitigation is good for health.   Firstly, climate change is fuelling conflict, and exacerbating the impact it has on fragile healthcare systems. Andy Haines, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Barbora Sedova, from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, discuss how climate and conflict intersect, and what they think needs to be done to combat it.   “Car spreading”, the recent tendency for cars to become bigger and heavier is not only harming the climate, but it’s also harming pedestrians.  Anthony Laverty, associate professor of public health at Imperial College London, and trauma surgeon Cleo Kenington explain why SUVs are more lethal in accidents, and why France is bucking the trend in sales.   Finally, Jocalyn Clark, the BMJ’s international editor joins us to talk about women’s health innovation and why tech bros aren’t the people to be leading it.   Reading list:   The climate issue: Brazil and the climate crisis   Tackling the complex links between climate change, conflict, and health   Reducing the harms from ever larger cars   Transforming women’s health through innovation

Far right rallies have been held across the UK, culminating in a large parade in London where Elon Musk spoke. At the same time, politicians from across the political spectrum are following the talking points of far right parties - and shifting their policies rightward, even the Labour home secretary has said she wishes to double the period migrants have to be in the UK before they can become citizens. That has made a group of medics decide it’s time for doctors and other healthcare professionals to use their voice and speak up - against the demonisation of migrants into the UK, and for their fellow NHS staff. They are demanding that those in positions of power do so too.   Some of those medics join us on the podcast today; Alistair Stewart, consultant psychiatrist in Manchester  Omnya Ahmed, resident doctor in London  Jordan Rivera, occupational therapist in London   Also this week, doctor, researcher, comedian and Matt Hutchinson is adding author to his list, and has released the book “Are You Really the Doctor? My Life as a Black Doctor in the NHS” - he joins Shivali Fulchand to talk about balancing all of this bits of his career - and how standup comedy has helped him maintain his career in the NHS.   Reading list Everybody’s business: call to all NHS staff to oppose the influence of racism and the far right

This week on the podcast The BMJ investigates Q-COLLAR, an American device that distributors claim can reduce brain injury from contact sports. Investigators James Smoliga and Mu Yang take us through the evidence, and former NFL punter turned US bobsled team member Johnny Townsend explains what this means for sportspeople. Bin Wang from Zhejiang University School of Medicine explains what the new network metaanalysis finds is the best exercise options for knee osteoarthritis And, what our patient panel really think about “patient choice”.   links How an FDA cleared “brain protection” device built on shaky science made it to the NFL Comparative efficacy and safety of exercise modalities in knee osteoarthritis The BMJ's patient and public partnership

In this episode of the podcast; In July this year, the Government published their 10 year health plan for England - A new analysis just published on BMJ.com takes an in depth look at the chances of that plan succeeding, and where the government needs to focus time and resources. Bob Klaber, paediatrician and director of strategy, research and innovation at Imperial College Healthcare, and Helen Salisbury, GP and columnist for the BMJ join us to discuss. Journalist Chris Stoker-Walker's grandfather suffered from delirium at the end of his life, but the journey to that diagnosis was difficult - Chris joins us to talk about the impact that had on his family, and Elizabeth Sampson, professor of liaison psychiatry from Queen Mary University of London, explains why it's under-researched. Finally, we've been reporting from Gaza for 2 years, and it's been very difficult to get accurate information out of the region. However, new research published on bmj.com has surveyed medics there, to document the patterns of wounding in the civilian population - to improve the medical response to the conflict. Omar El-Taji and Ameer Ali, resident doctors in the NHS join us to explain what they found.   Reading list: Delivering on the 10 year health plan for England Why can’t we do anything about delirium? Patterns of war related trauma in Gaza during armed conflict  

In today’s episode: Assisted Dying moves closer to becoming UK law. The proposed legislation to allow people to end their own lives has moved through a second debate in the House of Lords. What do MPs and doctors think of the Bill as it stands? And, new ways to pull research findings from observation alone makes us question whether correlation really doesn’t equal causation. We find out - what is Target Trial Emulation? The BMJ’s Elisabeth Mahase speaks to Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, sponsor of the Assisted Dying Bill. Why did she propose the legislation? What has been her impression of its movement through Parliament and the opposition it has faced? We also hear from Jamilla Hussain and Gareth Owen, doctors who attended a BMJ parliamentary roundtable on the topic. Finally, the BMJ’s Duncan Jarvies talks to our research editors about new ways to develop evidence from observational studies. What are the limits to this new technique of causal inference? Reading list MP behind assisted dying bill warns that terminally ill people and their families are being failed, ahead of Lords debate Assisted dying bill: Lords debate concerns over lack of safeguards Transparent reporting of observational studies emulating a target trial: the TARGET Statement

In today’s episode: Rethinking how we measure the harm caused by the  arms industry The life long, and multigenerational, impact of starvation in Gaza What is the appropriate focus on prevention in general practice?   The BMJ's international editor, Jocalyn Clark talks about a new series we've just published - examining the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health. Jocalyn also speaks to Mark Bellis, from Liverpool John Moores university about why he thinks it’s time we take the impact of the arms industry on health seriously. The blockade on food reaching Gaza is in place again, risking more starvation. Elizabeth Mahase, clinical reporter for the BMJ, has been finding out about the acute, chronic, and generational impact on the palestinian population. She speaks to Jonathan Wells, professor of anthropology and paediatric nutrition at University College London, and Tessa Roseboom, professor of early development and health at the University of Amsterdam, Marie McGrath former head of the Emergency Nutrition Network, and Chris McIntosh, humanitarian response advisor for the charity, Oxfam. Finally, an analysis we published earlier this year made the case that "tsunami" of preventative care is destabilised the work of GPs. Helen Macdonald was at the Preventing Overdiagnosis conference and spoke to some of the authors - Minna Johansson, associate professor at University of Gothenberg, Stephen Martin, professor at UMass Chan Medical School, and Iona Heath, retired GP and former president of the RCGP.   Reading list Arms industry as a commercial determinant of health Starvation is a lifelong sentence: Gaza’s civilians must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law Sacrificing patient care for prevention: distortion of the role of general practice  

CRISPR technology has revolutionised biological research, and for the first time it’s out of the lab and into the NHS, as NICE has approved its use as cost effective. Kenneth Charles, senior lecturer in haematology at the University of the West Indies explains how the treatment works, and what concerns he has about it's implementation. Also this week, a new investigation on bmj.com has looked at a number of British companies who are offering to collect children's teeth for stem cell extraction and storage. Freelance investigative journalist Emma Wilkinson explains the "outrageous" claims she found them making. Finally - we’re finishing with the football. Team GB had a strong showing this year -  our over 25 men’s team brought the trophy home, and our womans team competed for the first time To explain more about the medical world cup we're joined by Minnan Al-Khafaji, captain of the women’s team, and Jamie Thoroughgood, captain of the men’s team.   Read more. Banking baby teeth: companies may be misleading parents with “outrageous claims” CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease Follow the British Medical Football Team on instagram

If you’ve been in a high street pharmacy or supermarket recently, chances are you’ll have seen home test kits for all sorts of indications; blood sugar level, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid function, and even some forms of cancer. A new series of article in The BMJ revealing serious concerns with the reliability of these home tests, and raises questions about their regulation. Jonathan Deeks, professor of Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, joins us to discuss what these tests are, and how his team have rated their usability. Also this week, the sad death of a child in Liverpool from measles highlights the growing outbreak in the UK - and this may be one of the first times many doctors have come across the infection. Frances Dutton, GP at the Small Heath Medical Practice reminds us how to recognise the sign of the infection.   Reading list Direct-to-consumer self-tests sold in the UK in 2023 How to recognise and manage measles

Professor Gillian Leng, President of the Royal Society of Medicine was asked to carry out an independent review into the role of physician and anaesthetic associates. She sits down with Kamran Abbasi, editor in chief of The BMJ, to discuss her findings. In the UK, the rollout of physician associates, NHS staff who took on some of the tasks of doctors, has been both haphazard and controversial. Originally copied from similar roles in the U.S., British PAs were introduced in the early 2000s. The level of clinical responsibility they were asked to take on began to vary around the country, driven mostly by the workforce needs of individual Trusts. The lack of clarity about their roles lead to disquiet with doctors, worry for patients, and an increasingly toxic debate on social media. 01.00 What is the Leng Review? 10:00 Recommendation one: Renaming 14:00 Recommendation two: Easier identification 16:00 Recommendation three: How to work? 20:00 Recommendation four: Diagnosis 25:00 Recommendation five: Oversight & Regulation 32:00 Prescribing and ordering ionizing radiation? 40:00 A failure of workforce planning and vision ? 49:00 The NHS 10 year plan

This week we’re focusing on the NHS. On the 3rd of July the UK’s Prime Minister, Kier Starmer finally announced the NHS’ 10 year plan. His Labour government laid out a vision for where the healthcare service should head over the next decade. The announcement has been met with mixed responses. The plan has some good ideas - but a lack of vision combined with scarcity of detail leave many questions about how well its aims can be implemented. In this podcast we're joined by 3 experts to dissect the details of this plan Jennifer Dixon is chief executive of the Health Foundation Katie Bramhall-Stainer is a working GP, and chairs the BMA’s General Practice committee. David Oliver is a consultant geriatrician, and a columnist for the BMJ Reading list News analysis: What is the NHS 10 year plan promising and how will it be delivered? Editorial: Government’s 10 year plan for the NHS in England David Oliver's column: The NHS 10 year plan—more a set of ambitions than a plan

Rebecca Coombes interviews Dr. Tom Dolphin, consultant anaesthetist and newly elected chair of the BMA Council. Watch this interview on our YouTube.    

Last December, The BMJ published an investigation into the 2009 PLATO trial - exposing serious problems with that study’s data analysis and reporting.  Our follow up investigation has shown that those data problems extend to other key supporting evidence in AstraZeneca’s initial application to regulators. Peter Doshi, senior editor in the BMJ’s Investigations unit, and Rita Redberg, cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at UCSF and former editor of JAMA Internal Medicine, join us to explain what this means for scientific integrity, and trust in the FDA's approval processes.   Also in this episode. A group of international authors are arguing that weightloss advice given in primary care might actually be doing more harm than good - it’s ineffective and potentially reinforces damaging stigma.  To explain why they came to that conclusion we're joined by Juan Franco editor in chief of BMJ EBM, and a practicing GP in Germany, and Emma Grundtvig Gram, from the Centre for General Practice at the University of Copenhagen Reading list Doubts over landmark heart drug trial: ticagrelor PLATO study Ticagrelor doubts: inaccuracies uncovered in key studies for AstraZeneca’s billion dollar drug Beyond body mass index: rethinking doctors’ advice for weight loss

In this episode, we hear about ketamine addiction. It's in the news, but the rise in addiction amongst young people in the UK has caused concern for some time.  Irene Guerrini and Nicola Kalk, both addiction psychiatrists from the National Addiction Centre, join us to explain why its become a problem. In November 2024 Wes Streeting, the UK’s health and social care minister, announced that he was planning to introduce league tables for hospitals - and would be linking managers' pay and continued employment to those outcomes.  Richard Lilford, from the University of Birmingham, Timothy Hofer, from the University of Michigan, and Ian Leistikow, an inspector at the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, join us to explain why this is a bad idea. Non-prescribed ketamine use is rising in the UK Hospital league tables, targets, and performance incentives should be used with care

Devi Sridhar's new book  “How Not to Die  (Too Soon) - The Lies We’ve Been Sold, and the Policies That Could Save Us” is focussing on the way wellness culture ignores the societal context in which health is really created. As a trained personal trainer and professor of global public health, Devi's straddling both of those worlds, and joins us to talk about how she would tackle our lowering life expectancy. Also, John Downey, from the Centre of Health Technology at Peninsula Medical School, and Martha Lee from NHS Devon Integrated Care Board, have written about Plymouth's "Living Lab" - which has been set up to test how health tech can actually work in the real world, but also (importantly, critically) how it can be properly evaluated and integrated into the NHS and social care. Reading list How Not to Die (Too Soon) Harnessing predictive prevention to shift elderly care from hospital to community in England

Recent escalations in the ever simmering tension between India and Pakistan brought us closer to conflict - conflict between two nuclear powers. For a long time doctors have campaigned for nuclear disarmament, and Chris Zielinski, president of the World Association of Medical Editors, makes the case for returning WHO's mandate to measure the potential impact of nuclear war. Also the militarization of the region is detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the populations in both India and Pakistan. co-chairs of The BMJ's South Asia editorial board, Sanjay Nagral and Zulfiqar Butta, explain why a focus on the daily material and health needs of citizens is the way to change political rhetoric in the region. Gordon Guyatt, distinguished professor at McMaster University, was one of the people responsible for starting GRADE - which is a structured system for assessing the quality of evidence in systematic reviews and clinical practice guideline. Gordon thinks that process has become too complicated - so he’s now championing “Core GRADE”. He joins us to explain why.   Reading list Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us Why Core GRADE is needed: introduction to a new series in The BMJ

China was declared malaria free in 2021 - and we'll hear how persistence was key to their success, and what new technologies are available to help the rest of the world become malaria free, from Regina Rabinovich, director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.  Sonia Saxena, professor of primary care at Imperial College London, and Miguel O’Ryan, dean of the medical faculty of the University of Chile join Kamran to talk about what broke academic medicine, and why it's time for a revolution. New research shows that data from retracted papers is still having an alarming effect on clinical practice. Chang Xu, Hui Liu, and Fuchen Liu from the Naval Medical University in Shanghai, and Suhail Doi from Qatar University, join us to talk about their study which has maped retracted papers impact on systematic reviews and clinical guidelines.    Reading list Malaria control lessons from China Vision 2050: a revolution in academic medicine for better health for all Investigating the impact of trial retractions on the healthcare evidence ecosystem (VITALITY Study I) - An example of the BMJ's approach to updating metaanalysis after a study retraction 

The UK government is debating legislation to allow assisted dying in England and Wales, which puts doctors at the forefront of deciding if their patient will be eligible for a medically assisted death - the key criteria being a 6 month prognosis. But is making a 6 month prognosis actually clinically reliable? To discuss we're joined by a panel of experts on end of life; Scott Murray, emeritus professor of primary palliative care at the University of Edinburgh Simon Etkind, assistant professor of palliative care at the University of Cambridge Nancy Preston, professor of supportive and palliative care, Lancaster University Suzanne Ost, professor of law, Lancaster University Reading list Assisted dying and the difficulties of predicting end of life Breaching the stalemate on assisted dying: it’s time to move beyond a medicalised approach   Also in this episode, we dim the lights and raise the curtains - there is a public fascination with doctors who kill and the stage show turned podcast, ‘An Appointment with Murder’, takes a deep dive into the crimes of GPs John Bodkin-Adams and Harold Shipman. Kamran is joined by Harry Brunjes and Andrew Johns to talk medical murder. An Appointment With Murder on Apple Podcasts    

Kamran Abbasi interviews Professor Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University and former COVID-19 pandemic advisor to President Biden. Watch this interview on our YouTube. Trump’s second term has touched everything in the US political sphere - and health is no exception. With research funding for medicine and science weathering under Trump’s storm of cuts, how can Americans who care about public health and data navigate a course through the swells? Professor Jha discusses how to resist an anti-vaccine resurgence, and comments on revisionist narratives that drive ill-conceived public health policies.   02:20 The MAHA movement and RFK Jnr. 07:40 Does evidence still matter? 13:35 Trump administration is helping China 15:10 Policymaking in Trump’s shadow 23:35 Where do universities go from here? 28:48 Censorship, research funding and academic freedom 33:35 Health inequalities within America 36:20 A resurgent anti-vax message 41:24 What Ashish’s got wrong about the pandemic response 45:31 When is enough for research data? 47:14 Future hope and how to pushback in smart ways   Reading list: Professor Jha’s December 2024 editorial on the Trump admin’s plans for American healthcare coverage 

The UK’s chancellor has announced a £5bn cut to benefits, much of which will be borne by those on long-term disability allowance. Gerry McCartney, professor of wellbeing economy at Glasgow University explains about why these cuts will not only hurt the most vulnerable, but will be counterproductive to the government's wish to get people back to work. Also, Suzanne O'Sullivan, consultant neurologist and author, joins us to talk about her new book "Age of Diagnosis". The book used clinical cases to explore the issues of medicalisation, and Suzanne explains why overdiagnosis doesn't mean that care isn't needed.   Reading list; UK welfare reforms threaten health of the most vulnerable Guardian edited extract from "The Age of Diagnosis: Sickness, Health and Why Medicine Has Gone Too Far"