This month, a 12-year-old boy in Washington, D.C., became the first person in the world to undergo a grueling... more

In Dr. Joseph Betancourt’s vision for the future of U.S. health care, “any patient who goes to any health care... more

As a physician, researcher, and educator, Dr. Cheryl R. Clark wants her students to understand what vision, love, and... more

In medical school, students learning about illness, pathology, and disease are trained almost exclusively on images of white patients. Even... more

Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, is known as the birthplace of gynecology. It’s a brutal history, as the field’s “founding father,”... more

This year in the United States, an estimated 2 million people will receive a new cancer diagnosis, and a growing... more

Overtreatment is a big problem in American health care. The proliferation of unnecessary medical tests and procedures not only harms... more

Health care is a $4.3 trillion business in the United States, accounting for 18 percent of the nation’s economy. It... more

Nearly one in five Americans has medical debt. Black households are disproportionately affected, carrying higher amounts of debt at... more

Forty-four percent of U.S. women now live with some form of heart disease, a number that’s been climbing steadily... more

Even though the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country, federal programs that have been... more

Research shows that Black women and other women of color experience the worst health outcomes of any group in... more

This week on The Dose podcast, host Joel Bervell talks to Michelle Morse, New York City’s first-ever chief medical officer.... more

On this week’s episode of The Dose, host Joel Bervell talks with Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford about obesity: its history, including the... more

On this week’s episode of The Dose, host Joel Bervell speaks with Dr. Ziad Obermeyer, from the University of California... more

On this special season of The Dose, guest host Joel Bervell is hosting a series of conversations with experts and... more

Joel Bervell joins The Dose to host a special season examining equity in health care.  Joel has garnered hundreds of... more

The maternal mortality rate in the United States is more than double that of our peers – and it’s especially... more

What people eat, where they live, and how much they earn can impact their overall health more than the medical... more

In post-Roe America, many women seeking abortions are treading on landmines, particularly in states where access is banned or severely restricted.... more

The midterm elections are around the corner, and health care is likely to be a major factor in how Americans... more

Bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ+ people are under consideration in state legislatures across the country. Many aim to make... more

Earlier this week, President Biden declared the pandemic over. This tracks with public opinion: most Americans have long abandoned their... more

Among other things, the Inflation Reduction Act is being hailed as a potential breakthrough in making health care more affordable.... more

Social programs like Medicaid are supposed to help people, but often they reproduce racial inequities — and sometimes actually create... more

Climate change can have a devastating impact on our health. When people are injured or exposed to disease related to... more

The Dose will be taking a short summer break while our team works on brand-new episodes for the next season.... more

A well-functioning public health system is vital to keeping individuals, and the population at large, safe and healthy. Except that... more

Racial bias in medical care extends all the way to the prescription pad. Research shows that people of color are... more

Nurses in the United States are experiencing burnout at unprecedented rates. More than two years into the pandemic, they are... more

When a federal judge lifted the national mask mandate on airplanes, trains, and other public transportation, some Americans broke out... more

Access to health care is a constitutional right for the 2 million Americans in our criminal justice system. For some... more

  In the face of overwhelming demand for behavioral health services, the unmet needs of one... more

  In the face of overwhelming demand for behavioral health services, the unmet needs of one... more

Although primary care is the lifeline of a health care system, the United States spends less on it, and more... more

Americans pay more for prescription drugs than people in other countries do. As medicines become increasingly unaffordable — particularly for... more

Social programs like Medicaid are supposed to help people, but often they reproduce racial inequities — and sometimes actually create... more

Climate change can have a devastating impact on our health. When people are injured or exposed to disease related to... more

The Omicron variant is sweeping across the United States and the rest of the world, breaking previous records of COVID-19... more

A year after adults in the U.S. began getting vaccinated against COVID-19, children ages 5 and up are now eligible... more

The U.S. maternal health crisis has been well documented. Black Americans are three times as likely as white Americans to... more

Vaccines have saved thousands of lives and are an incredible tool in the seemingly endless battle against the coronavirus. But... more

The U.S. housing crisis and health care are inextricably linked. Compared to the general population, people experiencing homelessness have higher... more

When the pandemic hit last March, mental health care, which was typically delivered in face-to-face sessions, rapidly moved online. At... more

While rich countries are doling out booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, many poor countries have vaccinated less than five... more

Even as the Delta variant rages through the U.S., many Americans have not received a COVID-19 vaccine. The reasons are... more

The Dose is the Commonwealth Fund’s podcast that asks, What can the U.S. do differently when it comes to health... more

Many Americans have started to behave as if the pandemic is over, but large numbers of people remain unvaccinated. At... more

When the pandemic hit last March, the U.S. was still facing another major public health crisis —the opioid epidemic. Between... more

Many of us can recall a time we felt nervous about seeing a doctor. Maybe it was because we were... more