More on episode 4: And coverage for all?
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Stephanie Woolhandler shares her views on universal healthcare
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Stephanie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at the HMS-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance, investigates disparities and inequalities in healthcare and medicine. In recent years, she has published studies on the relative cost and effectiveness of the Canadian healthcare system. In published editorials and on Capitol Hill, Dr. Woolhandler has argued for full-scale reform of the current system here in the U.S. Last year, she uncovered insurance shortfalls for American military veterans, and her most recent research found unexpected disparities in the way free prescription drug samples are distributed.
As part of her ongoing efforts to increase care for the underserved, Dr. Woolhandler helped found Physicians for a National Health Program in 1986. The group is a single-issue organization that advocates single-payer national health insurance for all Americans.
Woolhandler’s bio
Physicians for a National Health Program
Take a ride on the Family Van
Yvonna Reekie takes you for a ride on the Family Van, which provides free education, counseling, support and healthcare to Boston’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Family Van, a program of Harvard Medical School, is arguably the most effective and cost-efficient attempt to help bring healthcare to a high-risk population. It serves more than 7,000 people every year, but costs just under $500,000 to run.
Biology enters “The Matrix” through new computer language
A new computer language for modeling biological phenomenon can “think” like cells and molecular mechanisms think, thereby simulating the dynamics of biological phenomenon. Through incorporating basic principles of engineering, the new language, called Little b, surpasses current biological modeling software in that it goes beyond simply representing biological information. It allows biologists to create programs that can reason about biological knowledge and thereby help overcome the barrier of complexity.
These findings advance the field of in silico biology, that is, computer simulations of biological processes. It furthers the potential for researchers to discover particulars, for example, of drug interactions on the computer desk top.
