Read article – Cites comments by Steven Woloshin, professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, medicine, and community and family medicine, in an article about biopharma company Amarin’s claims that its clinical trial results for the Vascepa show that it could transform heart disease prevention. Woloshin noted that the trial focused on patients who had high triglyceride levels, a history of heart disease or another elevated risk, and were already taking statins, meaning that the benefits of the drug are focused on a specific population.

Read article – Cites comments by Steven Woloshin, professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, medicine, and community and family medicine, in an article about biopharma company Amarin’s claims that its clinical trial results for the Vascepa show that it could transform heart disease prevention. Woloshin noted that the trial focused on patients who had high triglyceride levels, a history of heart disease or another elevated risk, and were already taking statins, meaning that the benefits of the drug are focused on a specific population.

Read article – Quotes Samir Soneji, associate professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, in an article about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently proposed sweeping new restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes in an effort to cut down on teenage vaping. The agency also said it would seek to ban menthol-flavored traditional cigarettes and flavored cigars. “If the vaping industry is serious, there’s no reason for Juul to sell watermelon, mint or fruit medley … because it attracts kids and we’re starting to learn it doesn’t appeal to adult smokers,” says Soneji.

Read article – Quotes Marcus Shaker, associate professor of pediatrics and of community and family medicine, about new cost-effectiveness analysis research he led to find the maximum price tag that the medical industry can hang on self-injectable epinephrine autoinjectors.

Read article – Themarge Small, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, recently joined the Southwestern Vermont Health Care Foundation board of directors.

Read article – A segment about a pilot program in the Upper Valley that sends paramedics into people’s homes before they need to go to the hospital. Doctors say it fills a crucial void that could ultimately lead to lower costs in healthcare. The Community Paramedic Program was created two years ago by medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine in partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Lyme clinic.

Read article – Features research led by Manish Mishra, clinical assistant professor of community and family medicine and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, that found that despite a push for more personalized medicine, the majority of physicians and assistants still fail to fully understand what patient activation and engagement means, and much less how to incorporate it into practice. “If patient engagement is the new ‘blockbuster drug,’ why are we not seeing spectacular effects?” say Mishra and his colleagues.

Read article – Continued coverage of a review of the posthumously published book, The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist, by Ben Barres, MED ’79.

Read article – A piece about a recent prescription-drug DUI case in Vermont mentions that the author described the case to Diane Roston, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Geisel and the medical director at West Central Behavioral Health, a nonprofit community mental healthcare provider. “It’s true that sedation is a possible side effect,” Roston said of the drug at the center of the case, Effexor, which treats depression. “But unless there was a recent dosage change, it’s not likely the medication was the cause of his drowsiness.”

Read article – A review of the posthumously published book, The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist, by Ben Barres, MED ’79. “Having inhabited both gender roles, Barres brings singular perspective to the question of how to create an even playing field for female and transgender scientists,” says the reviewer. “Barres’ most lasting legacy, however, may be his dedication to truth in an increasingly truth-averse era. Despite fearing he could lose the neuroscience career that had taken him so long to build, Barres decided that presenting as his real self trumped that concern (which, especially in the 1990s, was a significant one). His decision, in the months before his death, to record his struggles and triumphs means he will continue to inspire seekers in uncharted territory — scientific and otherwise.”