How to solve big problems
Are kids born in August susceptible to a higher chance of ADHD? Can machine learning help us understand drug side effects? Would combining neuroscience and the legal system bring us closer to the truth? These are some of the fascinating questions answered in this playlist featuring experts dedicated to solving complicated problems across the fields of neuroscience, general medicine, genetics, and healthcare.
The profound difference between seeing and looking
Anupam B. Jena
Some say ‘seeing is believing’. Yet, Creative Investigator Anupam B. Jena argues that “seeing is not the same thing as looking”. Anupam believes that health care insights exist all around us, but we miss them because we are not trained to ask the correct questions. Why are there more fatalities on marathon days? Are kids born in August more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD? Do people drive faster after a Fast and Furious movie comes out? By asking creative questions about health, science, and economics on a broad scale, we can observe “natural experiments” that occur in plain sight. If those “natural experiments,” are measured and analyzed, they reveal insights that could guide systems level innovation across health care.
Learn how to unlock the “natural experiments” that exist in the world around you by watching Anupam’s TEDMED 2020 Talk, “The profound difference between seeing and looking“.
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About Anupam
Anupam B. Jena is a distinguished physician economist who uses a unique approach to study the U.S. healthcare system. Instead of controlled trials, he uses “natural experiments” and large datasets to understand what works and what doesn’t in medicine. This means he analyzes real-world events—like what happens to patient care when doctors are busy or on vacation—to draw important conclusions about healthcare. Anupam is the Ruth L. Newhouse Associate Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research focuses on key areas including physician behavior, the economics of medical innovation, and how to improve healthcare efficiency. He is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work, which has earned him several prestigious awards. In 2013, he became the first social scientist to receive the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award. His research has been highlighted in major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to his academic work, Anupam has endeavored to make complex healthcare topics easier for broad audiences to understand. He is the co-host of the popular podcast “Tradeoffs,” which explores the difficult choices and surprising effects within the healthcare system. Through his research and public-facing work, he provides valuable insights that help shape healthcare policy and improve patient care.
