Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are popular. For a few hundred dollars, companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA promise information about disease risk for customers and their children, details about ancestry, and insights about personal characteristics—like why you may think cilantro tastes like soap. It’s a simple process. Customers just pay, sign a waiver, and send in a(...)
Research
From Pedometers to Precision Care
Posted by | Collaboration, Health Innovation, Medical Technology, Patient Care, Precision Medicine, ResearchBy Dr. James Aw The patient, in his early 20’s, was clinically depressed and struggled with sleep. His family physician prescribed him an antidepressant and medication to treat his insomnia. But his mood wasn’t lifting, and his sleep wasn’t improving. He had difficulty at school and was on a waiting list to see a psychiatrist.(...)
Waging All-Out War on Cancer
Posted by | Collaboration, Health Innovation, Middle East, Patient Care, ResearchCancer in the Middle East is on the rise. By 2030, experts predict that the incidence of cancer will double from 2012, thanks to factors such as comparatively limited access to quality health care and detrimental lifestyle choices. I had the honor earlier this summer of speaking at the War on Cancer Middle East 2018,(...)
Prologue to a Research Success Story
Posted by | Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Medical Education, Middle East, ResearchWhy do medical researchers report their findings? One primary reason is it promotes an exchange for ideas. When you read a research article or listen to a research presentation, you typically learn something new about disease diagnosis or management. And it’s a two-way street: Investigators often also learn something from the audience’s comments, which can(...)
Take Research Beyond the Ivory Tower
Posted by | Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Medical Education, Middle East, ResearchResearch at Johns Hopkins is a massive enterprise supported by physicians, nurses, pharmacists, technologists, coordinators and many others. We also are enriched by myriad research resources at the School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Bloomberg School of Public Health. We’re very fortunate: This academic ecosystem for research doesn’t exist at many other places in(...)
When Local Care Can’t Do It All
Posted by | Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Health Care Leadership Development, Health Innovation, Medical Education, Medical Technology, Nurse Development, Patient Care, Patient Safety, Precision Medicine, ResearchWhen you’re ill, it’s a struggle just to change out of your pajamas or heat up a cup of tea. Going into work is out of the question. For patients who are critically ill, traveling for care can feel unbearable. Patients would rather receive treatment locally, where they have family support and can recuperate in(...)
Unraveling Irrationality in Heath Care
Posted by | Health Innovation, Patient Care, Patient Safety, ResearchReasoning defines human intelligence, yet we all too often make choices that utterly defy logic. We’re impatient or irrational—or both—even when it comes to ensuring our own good health. An earlier post covered the huge risk of overprescribing antibiotics. Overuse exposes patients to potentially dangerous side effects, wastes resources, increases antibiotic resistance and spurs the(...)
Deadly Resistance
Posted by | Health Innovation, Patient Care, Patient Safety, ResearchDr. Sara Cosgrove The Scottish physician Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. Since then, antibiotics have transformed modern medicine and saved millions of lives by killing or slowing the growth of the bacteria that cause conditions such as bronchitis and pneumonia. However, shortly after winning the Nobel Prize in 1945, Fleming issued this warning in(...)
Fueling Medical Discovery
Posted by | Collaboration, Medical Education, Middle East, ResearchBefore Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) launched, medical research was not a key focus of Saudi Aramco’s health care division. However, a pioneering group of Saudi Aramco physicians took it upon themselves to advance research efforts. For years they performed investigator-initiated research—studying the diseases and analyzing the data they saw in their practice, publishing in(...)
Out Ahead
Posted by | Collaboration, Health Innovation, Patient Care, ResearchOver this series of posts, we’ve covered many factors and trends that are shaping the scene in international collaborative health. This is a motivating and exciting time in our field, and one thing is certain: Health care is changing faster than ever before. Can we keep up? Or better yet, can we get ahead and(...)