‘Tech Is Not Good or Bad, But Neither Is it Neutral’: What We Heard This Week

“Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.” — Mishal Khan, PhD, of the UC Berkeley Labor Center in California, on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

“If someone wants to get mFlusiva, they’re going to have to use that website or call around.” — Amesh Adalja, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, commenting on the new mRNA flu shot.

“That’s just not how plastic surgery should ever be … it’s demoralizing.” — Kelly Killeen, MD, of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Beverly Hills, California, discussing the early 2000s extreme makeover show, “The Swan.”

“These findings are reassuring … but benzodiazepines are not risk-free.” — Krista Huybrechts, MS, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, on a study about early-pregnancy benzodiazepine use and congenital malformations.

“The goal isn’t to discard PVR [pulmonary vascular resistance], it’s to stop reading it in isolation.” — Ahmed Zayed, MBBCh, of Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health, New York City, discussing a study of PVR and outcomes after heart transplantation.

“The burden of proof remains to be shown.” — Vijay Sankaran, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, on data about cancer risk in patients with sickle cell disease.

“Advanced HIV disease is mostly a problem of disengagement, not late diagnosis.” — Fiona Cresswell, MBChB, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit in Entebbe, discussing research about long-acting therapy for people with HIV.

“Two adolescents with a similar BMI [body mass index] can have very different health profiles.” — Ligang Liu, PharmD, MPH, of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, on screening for pediatric obesity.