Howie and Harlan are joined by Atheendar Venkataramani, a physician, health economist, and director of the Perelman School of Medicine’s Opportunity for Health Lab. They discuss the powerful role of economic opportunity in population health outcomes.
Their conversation touches on several important topics in public health, including the impact of college affirmative action bans on smoking and alcohol use among underrepresented minority adolescents in the United States. They also explore the spillover effects of police killings on the mental health of Black Americans, as well as the link between officer-involved killings of unarmed Black people and racial disparities in sleep health.
In addition to these issues, they discuss the role that healthcare systems play in closing the wealth gap for Black individuals, the impact of mergers between hospitals and health systems in different markets, and the importance of affordable housing in hospitals. They also touch on some of the latest research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session & Expo, including studies on treatments for obesity-related heart failure, refractory angina, and early Parkinson’s disease.
Howie reflects on his experiences working with anti-obesity drugs in industry and shares insights into their business model and market response. Meanwhile, Harlan reports on two studies where treatments’ unexpected benefits jumped ahead of understanding why they work.
Overall, their conversation sheds light on a range of important public health issues from an economic perspective and offers valuable insights into how policy decisions can impact population health outcomes. For more information about these topics or to learn more about Yale SOM’s MBA for Executives program with Howie and Harlan, please email them with comments or questions.
