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 115 - HIV self-testing kits in Zambia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:06
Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study looking at whether giving pregnant women HIV self-testing kits can increase HIV testing and access to care for male partners in Zambia, they discuss using confidence intervals to jud…
Episode 114 - Daily COVID testing in schools [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:12
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of daily COVID-19 testing in the UK for school contacts to stay in school rather than isolate, they discuss issues of equity in the COVID-19 crisis, and Don has thoughts…
Episode 113 - Does HPV vaccination prevent cervical cancer in the UK? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:33
Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study of the effect of the UK’s HPV vaccination policy, they discuss the dangers of meta-analyses in relation to Ivermectin, and Matt gets catty. Journal club article: HPV vaccination study
Episode 112 - COVID-19, heart attacks, and stroke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:24
Matt, Chris, and Jess discuss a complex study of the effect of COVID-19 on heart attacks and strokes, they discuss the mild influenza season (or at least Matt and Jess do), and Chris tells us how many fish we need to cat…
Episode 111 - Convalescent plasma and COVID [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:09
Matt, Chris, and Jess examine a study of the effect of convalescent plasma on recovery from COVID-19, they discuss the implications of an increase in gun violence prevention research funding, and Matt gets lyrical. Journ…
Episode 110 - The Doppler Effect [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:55
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on whether or not Doppler ultrasound has played a role in declining fetal mortality in Norway, they talk about vaccine sharing, and Matt explains just how his getting older is prevent…
Episode 109 - Cannabis and car crashes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:40
Matt, Chris, and Don discuss a study on the role of cannabis in car crashes, they talk about something called “lay epidemiology”, and Chris gets mellow. Journal club article: Cannabis and car crashes study
Episode 108 - White privilege and health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:55
Matt and guest hosts Lori Dean and Dustin Duncan discuss a study on how white privilege affects health, they talk through the role of neighborhoods and health, and Lori tells us about her new favorite TV show. Journal cl…
Episode 107 - Migraine prevention AND treatment? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:32
Matt and guest hosts Michelle Caunca and Sarah Ackley discuss a study on a new treatment to stop migraines, they talk about stitching together multiple datasets to study lifecourse epidemiology, and Michelle tells us abo…
Episode 106 - Obamacare and medical debt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:50
Matt, Jess, and guest host Erica Walker discuss a study on whether The Affordable Care Act reduced medical debt, they consider the role epidemiologists play in communicating information about COVID, and Erica fights off…