Free Associations

Free Associations

Author: Population Health Exchange Language: English Episodes: 156
Ever wonder what happens when you let a group of curious minds wander through the tangled undergrowth of health, medicine, and human life? That’s the essence of Free Associations, a podcast from the Population Health Exchange. We ditch the sterile lecture format to embrace the beautiful, often chaotic reality of science as it’s actually practiced. Each episode feels like a lively conversation you might overhear in a lab hallway or a community clinic, where ideas connect in unexpected ways. You’ll hear explorations that weave together personal stories, the latest research, and the natural world, all while keeping a firm footing in evidence. This isn’t about delivering tidy answers, but about reveling in the questions that make health and science so profoundly human. The result is a series of discussions that are as much about fitness for the mind as they are about the body, challenging assumptions and drawing lines between disciplines we often keep separate. Tune in for thoughtful, meandering dialogues that aim to make the complex landscape of population health feel more accessible and a lot more interesting. We’re here to follow the threads wherever they lead, and we invite you to come along for the ride.
Episodes
Episode 24 - What is a "synbiotic" anyway and can it prevent sepsis? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:21
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a trial done in India using synbiotics to prevent neonatal sepsis, the gang discusses a study that looked at whether scientific productivity has been increasing over time, and Don gives us ju…
Episode 23 - A breakthrough for lung cancer treatment? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:48
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a new treatment for lung cancer (immunotherapy), the gang discusses a controversy that occurred when a large clinical trial decided to change its endpoint, and Chris dives into the world of l…
Episode 22 - An antidepressants do-over [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:51
Matt, Chris, and Don look at a case study of a drug company antidepressant trial in adolescents that was re-analyzed by different authors who came to different conclusions, the gang discusses the pre-registration movemen…
Episode 21 - People who live in glass houses... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:46
Matt, Chris, and Don finally take on one of their own studies on the effectiveness of outpatient pneumonia treatment in Pakistan and see how it holds up, the gang discusses what to do when your study has flaws, and Chris…
Episode 20 - The opioids vs non-opioids showdown! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:39
Matt, Chris, and Don tackle a study on the effectiveness of opioids vs non-opioids for treatment of back, hip, and knee pain, then the gang discusses the new NIH rules on how a clinical trial is defined, and Matt reads u…
Episode 19 - Antidepressants — our first in-studio guests! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:29
Matt, Chris, and Don are joined by Ludovic Trinquart and Mike LaValley from the BUSPH Biostats Department to discuss a massive meta-analysis on the effectiveness of antidepressants, then we talk about the pros and cons o…
Episode 18 - Is the HPV vaccine reducing infection? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:19
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study from Scotland on the introduction of the HPV vaccine and the impact on prevalence of HPV, the gang discusses what the goal of peer review is, and Matt gets on twitter to find out the…
Episode 17 - All about that gluten! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:25
Matt, Chris, and Don puzzle out whether a diet low in gluten has an effect on coronary artery disease, the gang discusses whether it is ok to have prior beliefs when critiquing a study, and Don explains how sandwiches ar…
Episode 16 - The jellyfish and memory edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:46
Matt, Chris, and Don look at the science behind a supplement aimed at improving memory, the gang debates whether industry has a conflict of interest in running their own research, and Matt explains why Don is to blame fo…
Episode 15 - Should I take my calcium/vitamin D supplements? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:49
Matt, Chris, and Don debate a new meta-analysis on the evidence behind calcium and vitamin D supplements for prevention of fractures, Matt once again explains why he hates null hypothesis significance testing, and Don al…