Category: Commentary

A man in a suit, labeled as "Secretary KENNEDY," speaks passionately into a microphone at a hearing. He sits between two men in suits, with an audience, cameras, and microphones visible in the background.

Senator Hassan Sets Secretary Kennedy Straight

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's reckless insistence on undermining confidence in vaccines and reckless elevation of the wholly unqualified David Geier to a potentially influential role at HHS

/ May 18, 2025
A shadowy figure manipulates strings connected to scientific symbols while anxious people wearing tin foil hats look on, surrounded by skeptical onlookers with smartphones.

Trust Me-I’m a Doctor

Trust is a fragile yet critical resource for any institution. At the end of the day, civilization is mostly built on a handshake and a mutual agreement to follow the rules. This includes trust that designated experts have the expertise they claim, are competent, and are acting appropriately in the interest of others, rather than exploiting their position for self-dealing. A critical...

/ April 30, 2025
Illustration of a smartphone screen against a yellow and blue background. The yellow side displays words like "fake," "minimize," "chaos," while the blue side shows "verified," "fix," "trust," and "reliable.

The Misinformation Wars

The core mission of SBM comes down to a few things – examining the complex relationship between scientific evidence and healthcare, exploring issues of how optimally to regulate health care and health products, and fighting misinformation. Over the years I think we have made some solid strides on the first category. The medical infrastructure has been trending increasing towards higher standards of...

/ April 9, 2025
AI humanoid head connected to a set of computer monitors displaying medical images, likely MRI scans. The setup suggests technology and artificial intelligence in medical imaging analysis.

Will AI Save Medicine

Modern medicine is facing many challenges. As the science of medicine advances, it gets harder and harder. We have, in a way, picked all the low hanging fruit. People are living longer, and their medical conditions are getting more challenging to understand and to treat. In order to continue making medical progress we need more advanced technology. This technology – like stem...

/ April 2, 2025
A woman in a red outfit speaks into a microphone with the text "DON'T EAT IT." A large text above reads "No More Peanut Butter ✘." The video appears on a TikTok interface with engagement icons on the right side.

On TikTok, Everything Is a Poison or Superfood

We have to face the fact that social media is now the primary way that many people get their information. More than half of people in the US get their “news” from social media at least some of the time. But I don’t think asking people where they get “news” captures the full phenomenon. People who watch TikTok videos might not consider...

/ March 19, 2025

BBC Takes On Appeal to Nature Fallacy

It’s always good (and frustratingly rare) to see the mainstream media get it right when it comes to pseudoscience in medicine. Too often the narrative is – scientists are baffled at this alternative “one easy trick” to improve your health. Most mainstream articles on pseudoscience in medicine frame their reporting around a positive anecdote, and at best throw in some token skepticism...

/ February 12, 2025
Woman holding baby away from doctor trying to give shot.

We are not antivaccine, we are pro unattainable vaccine

When it comes to vaccines: “If it exists we resist.” 

/ February 6, 2025

The Trashing of Science by Robert F Kennedy Jr

If confirmed, Kennedy will keep trashing science and will continue exploiting the trashed science he helps create for his own benefit.

/ February 4, 2025
A doctor in a modern medical office reviews electronic health records on a desktop computer. The room features medical equipment, an anatomical chart, and a digital tablet on the desk. The atmosphere is professional and clinical.

Can AI Reduce Doctor Burnout?

I lived and worked through the transition in medicine from completely paper-based documentation to completely digital-based – using an electronic medical record (EMR). There is no question, the EMR system is much better. Access to information, communication, ordering tests, tracking results, and documenting visits are all much easier with an EMR. But modern doctors and other health care providers are not exactly...

/ January 29, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.