‘This Is a Good News Story’: What We Heard This Week

— Quotable quotes heard by MedPage Today‘s reporters

by MedPage Today Staff May 14, 2023

“This is a good news story.” — Carol Mangione, MD, immediate past chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, on new draft guidance from the influential panel recommending biennial mammography screening starting at age 40 for women at average risk for breast cancer.

“They’re just charging these exorbitant rates to a very small population who have no choice.” — Sean Tu, JD, PhD, of West Virginia University, discussing how drugs approved for an “orphan” indication rake in just as much money as non-orphan counterparts despite targeting a much smaller patient pool.

“We are the ones on the front lines working 80 hours a week.” — Internal medicine resident Kendall Major, MD, discussing her and other University of Pennsylvania residents and fellows’ recent vote to unionize.

“He ended up with a totally disfiguring injury to his face. Now he can’t eat on his own or talk.” — Sue Bornstein, MD, head of the American College of Physicians’ new initiative to get doctors discussing gun safetyrecalling a former teenage patient with depression who tried to end his life with a handgun in his home.

“If you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside.” — Former first lady Michelle Obama, after launching a new line of low-sugar drinks for kids as part of her campaign against pediatric obesity.

“The cycle of panic and neglect is not the best way to be prepared for [a] public health emergency.” — Brent Ewig, MSPH, of the Association of Immunization Managers, on pandemic lessons about the nation’s ability to vaccinate large swaths of the public.

“It’s a collective policy and systems issue.” — David McCoy, BMed, DrPH, of the United Nations University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, explaining how clinicians alone won’t be able to maneuver the looming benefits and harms of artificial intelligence.

“I would like to see the individual data from this study.” — James Thomas, MD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, showing skepticism about the magnitude of benefit that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has for people with long COVID.