Episode 153: Time Waits for No One

Episode 153: Time Waits for No One

Author: Population Health Exchange March 27, 2025 Duration: 24:54
Matt and Jess and guest host Harold discuss the ways that we experience time (with a slight diversion into our dental traumas) and Matt explains why we can’t have nice things. Study link: Memorability Study

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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 156

Free Associations
Podcast Episodes
Episode 134 - Did we have any effect on COVID? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:14
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a complex ecologic study on the effect of various interventions for COVID, they debate whether living evidence syntheses can save science, and Chris updates us on what killed Beethoven. Jour…
Episode 133 - Do masks work for COVID? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:02
Matt, Jess, and Chris examine a meta-analysis on whether masks reduce respiratory virus transmission, they discuss the peer review madness, and Jess tells us about vibrating pills. Journal club article: Masks to reduce t…
Episode 132 - Gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:12
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a study on the impact of gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes, they debate who should be an author on an academic publication, and Jess tells us whether fish can recognize themsel…
Episode 131 - Are magic mushrooms the answer to severe depression? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:33
Matt, Jess, and Chris discuss a phase 2 clinical trial on the use of psilocybin to treat severe depression, they lament the state of health literacy, and Chris finds out what happens when you give drugs to spiders. Journ…
Episode 129 - RSV during the COVID pandemic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
Matt, Jess, and guest host Leo Martinez discuss a study on the respiratory syncytial virus during the pandemic, they debate the value of the evidence in preprints, and Jess redesigns the urinal. Journal club article: Res…
Episode 128 - Effects of racism on health in New Zealand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:58
Matt, Jess, and guest host Collette Ncube examine a study using different types of measurement to look at the effects racism has on health outcomes in New Zealand, they discuss what makes for a good research question whe…
Episode 127 - Synergistic mindsets to reduce stress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:06
Matt, Jess, and guest host Sarah Lipson examine a study on synergistic mindsets to reduce stress in adolescents, they discuss what it’s like to study mental health, and Matt makes a friendly wager. Journal club article:…
Episode 126 - Redlining and preterm birth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:51
Matt, Jess, and guest host Jonathan Jay examine a study on the impact of historical redlining and structural racism on preterm birth rates in New York City, they discuss firearm research in the US, and Jess enlightens us…
Episode 125 - All the pretty COVID models [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:07
Matt, Chris (that’s right, he’s back for an episode), and guest host Brooke Nichols review one of the earliest COVID modelling papers, they discuss the importance and value of COVID models in general, and Brooke tells us…