Trust + Messaging in Medicine
What does it take to trust medicine?
Not in theory, but in practice, where information is filtered, treatments are manufactured, and decisions are shaped long before they reach the patient.
In her investigation of generic drugs, Katherine Eban exposes how quality and oversight can quietly erode behind the scenes. Sanjay Gupta examines the role of media in shaping what the public understands—and misunderstands—about health. Pritpal Tamber challenges how systems of care are designed, revealing how trust is influenced not just by information, but by experience.
At the level of communication, James Hamblin makes the case for clarity without distortion, showing how simplifying health information can build understanding without sacrificing truth. And Heidi Larson explores how trust itself becomes the deciding factor in public health, especially when rumors move faster than evidence.
Across these perspectives, a common tension emerges: accuracy is not enough. Trust depends on transparency, accountability, and the ability to communicate clearly in moments of uncertainty.
Together, these Talks show that trust is not a fixed asset in healthcare. It is built, tested, and renegotiated at every layer of the system.
Explore how trust moves, where it breaks, and what it takes to rebuild it.
A dose of reality about generic drugs
Katherine Eban
12 years ago, Investigative Journalist Katherine Eban received a phone call that would be the start of the investigation of a lifetime. Katherine walks us through the horrifying truths of generics, validated by over a decade of whistleblower interviews, on-the-ground reporting across four continents, and the tracking of confidential files from the FDA, generic drug companies, and courts. Katherine’s investigation reveals a world of for-profit substandard drugs that are passed off as legitimate generics through defiance of FDA regulation and fraud. Katherine is on a public health mission to save the health of patients around the world. She insists that solutions to the overseas generic drug manufacturing problems lie in the hands of the FDA.
Solutions, Katherine says, can begin with “rigorous oversight including unannounced inspections and systematic testing of drugs”. Watch Katherine’s Talk “A dose of reality about generic drugs” to learn more.
More About This TalkAbout Katherine Eban
About Katherine
Katherine Eban is an award-winning investigative journalist known for her in-depth reporting on complex topics. She is a contributor to Fortune magazine and has been recognized as an Andrew Carnegie fellow. Her work has covered a wide range of subjects, from pharmaceutical counterfeiting to gun trafficking and CIA interrogation techniques. Katherine is the author of two highly-regarded books that expose serious issues within the pharmaceutical industry. Her 2019 book, Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, became a New York Times bestseller. Based on a decade of research, the book reveals widespread fraud and unsafe conditions in overseas factories that produce most of the world’s generic drugs. Her first book, Dangerous Doses: A True Story of Cops, Counterfeiters and the Contamination of America’s Drug Supply, was named one of the Best Books of 2005 by Kirkus Reviews. Her journalism has earned international acclaim and numerous awards, and she is widely respected for her dedication to uncovering hidden truths and holding powerful institutions accountable.
