Hello there. Today’s newsletter is 543 words-long, or a 2-minute read.
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🔎 The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is under the microscope for alleged research fakery, putting a spotlight on scientific integrity. Scientist-sleuth Sholto David waved the red flag on over 30 papers, leading Dana-Farber to request retractions for 6 and corrections for 31 others. Retractions, akin to a scientific mea culpa, are no joke in the research world. From career pressure to the quest for publication fame, motivations for research shadiness abound, casting a shadow on public trust in science. Other defenders of scientific virtue, like Californian microbiologist Elisabeth Bik, use technology to reveal manipulation, reshaping the scientific publication game and emphasizing the need for improved practices to uphold research integrity.
📚 The WHO just dropped its playbook on how to wrangle the unruly tech beast known as Large Multi-Modal Models (LMMs). Packed with over 40 savvy recommendations, this guide is the GPS for governments, tech gurus, and healthcare honchos navigating the AI highway. Concerns include "automation bias" and the potential erosion of medical professionals' skills, cautioning against over-reliance on AI. Privacy issues, emotional manipulation by chatbots, and the risk of dehumanizing clinical care are highlighted. However, a contrasting view suggests that generative AI could elevate healthcare by allowing professionals to focus on nuanced aspects and empowering patients. The guidelines emphasize the need for comprehensive regulations, ethical considerations, and ongoing scrutiny as generative AI integrates into global medical practices. For an in-depth analysis, read Lance Eliot’s take and this piece on healthcare AI developers’ response.
Scribe squad 📜
⚔️ In a quest to rescue physicians from the soul-sucking abyss of clinical documentation, The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) unleashed the cavalry on 10,000 of its physicians and staff—ambient artificial intelligence (AI) scribes, aka Nabla Copilot. Leveraging smartphone-based technology, this innovative approach transcribes real-time clinician-patient encounters without retaining audio recordings, showing early promise in reducing documentation workload. Within just 10 weeks, 3,442 physicians embraced the ambient AI tool, positively impacting over 300,000 patient encounters. Physicians lauded the technology for fostering more personalized interactions and sparing them from after-hours clerical nightmares. This pioneering endeavor signifies a transformative leap in healthcare technology, marking a promising trajectory toward alleviating clinician burnout and enhancing patient care.
Neat News 🗞️
💰 Swift Medical raised $8 million in funding to further enhance its AI-based wound care technology. Neat.
🌟 France-based Omena secured €800K in seed funding to advance menopause support app. Super neat.
💉 The world's first malaria vaccination program for children begins now. Ultra neat.
Clean Content 🧼
🩺 Dr. Eric Topol discusses eradicating medical diagnostic errors and the role of AI. Great charts, even greater points.
💭 Lana Feng gives us the 411 on the positive impacts and ethical considerations of generative AI in healthcare.
📈 Shania Kennedy chats about how data augmentation may improve LLM generalization on clinical notes. Very cool.
This is what you came for 🍑
🎯 Perfectionism isn't just a phony flaw one might humbly mention in a job interview; it's also a real buzzkill in the bedroom. A 2016 study dug into the nitty-gritty of sexual perfectionism and found it linked to higher sexual anxiety, personal guilt, and cringe-worthy discomfort during sex. Turns out, partner-prescribed perfectionism is the ultimate joy thief, leading to a nosedive in sexual esteem, desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasmic function. Seems like scrutinizing your performance might just dim the bedroom lights.
🙌 A massive shoutout to the brilliant minds who fueled the Hoagie this week - Carla K. Johnson, the CB Insights team, Lance Eliot, Katie Adams, Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, David Cox, Eric Topol, Lana Feng , Shania Kennedy, Michelle Bohon.
Byeeeee,