Top of Mind with Julie Rose

People often assume that medical treatments prescribed by doctors and covered by insurance are safe and effective. After all, there’s a whole government agency – the Food and Drug Administration – to ensure that very thing. But most medical drugs and devices available in the U.S. were approved by the FDA through an expedited pathway that sped up the review or required less clinical trial evidence. In this episode of the podcast, we speak with a former FDA attorney about the debate over whether the FDA should prioritize safety and effectiveness or swift access to medical innovation. We hear from a mother whose daughter urgently needed an individualized treatment only available in Italy, as well as the Right to Try advocate who assisted her. And an ER doctor explains why it’s a problem that many drugs commonly prescribed to women were only been tested on men before being approved. Podcast Guests: Daniel G. Aaron, MD, JD, professor of law at the University of Utah’s SJ Quinney College of Law, former assistant chief counsel at the FDA Kendra Riley, mother “Right to Try” advocate Naomi Lopez, Senior Fellow at the Goldwater Institute Alyson McGregor, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of South Carolina’s School of Medicine Greenville, author of “Sex Matters” and “Why Women Aren’t Winning at Health (but can)” **This episode is part of Season 4 on Top of Mind: Assessing Assumptions. Could the systems we've built to keep our communities safe and thriving work better if we weren't so set in our ways?

Our “Stick With It” series on the Top of Mind podcast continues with playwright and producer Scott Carter. He was the long-time executive producer of “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO and is currently producing “Love & Respect with Killer Mike” on PBS. Carter is also the host of a new podcast called “Ye Gods!” where he talks with artists, actors, journalists and other public figures about the beliefs that shape their lives. In this “Stick With It” conversation, Scott Carter shares the strategies that helped him overcome fear and discomfort while becoming a standup comic. Similar strategies can help anyone learning to stay open and curious when confronted with challenging situations or perspectives. Top of Mind would love to hear your Stick With It story. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and, instead of getting defensive, you chose to lean into the discomfort – and you’re glad you did? Email your story to [email protected].

Our “Stick With It” series on the Top of Mind podcast continues with Milan Kordestani – tech entrepreneur and author of “I’m Just Saying: A Guide to Maintaining Civil Discourse in an Increasingly Divided World.” Kordestani was already preaching the importance of civil discourse when he tweeted something during the pandemic that went viral and caused him to realize he’d fallen short. He tweeted an apology and recommitted himself to approaching difficult topics with humility and curiosity. “Civil discourse doesn’t always mean agreeing or feeling comfortable,” says Kordestani. His new book, “I’m Just Saying” is a guidebook for learning to lean into the discomfort of challenging topics. Top of Mind would love to hear your Stick With It story. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and, instead of getting defensive, you chose to lean into the discomfort – and you’re glad you did? Email your story to [email protected].

Getting pulled over is the most common encounter Americans have with police, but how much do traffic stops really contribute to public safety? On a typical day, more than 50,000 of us see those flashing lights in our rearview, so we generally assume that enforcing traffic laws is an essential part of policing and public safety. Do traffic stops contribute to public safety as much as we expect? It’s clear the effects are not equal: across the nation, drivers of color are much more likely to get pulled over, and a troubling number of incidents where Black men are killed by police, start with a traffic stop. In this podcast episode, we’ll hear perspectives from both sides of the car window and explore how traffic enforcement could better ensure safety for all. Podcast Guests: Alexander Landau, founder and Director of Community Relations for Denver Justice Project. Valerie Castile, mother of Philando Castile and President of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. Officer Mark Ross, St. Paul police officer and President of the St. Paul Police Federation. Dr. Thaddeus Johnson, Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University, Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, and former Memphis police officer. **This episode is part of Season 4 on Top of Mind: Assessing Assumptions. Could the systems we've built to keep our communities safe and thriving work better if we weren't so set in our ways?  

We tend to view adoption in America as a win-win situation: a child in crisis is placed with new, stable parents who want to build a family. Everyone is finally in a position to thrive. That narrative tends to be fairytale-like. And it doesn’t resonate with many adoptees. In this episode, we hear adoptee perspectives on adoption and how we – as a society – can do better. We talk to a domestic infant adoptee from the baby scoop era, a person adopted out of the foster care system, and an international, transracial adoptee. And what we've come to find is that no matter when or how adoptions happen, assumptions about what's best can miss the mark. How can we do better by those impacted by the adoption process and create a system that enables children and families to thrive? Podcast Guests: Julie Ryan McGue, author of Twice a Daughter Jamerika Haynes-Lewis, journalist, child welfare advocate Astrid Castro, founder and CEO of adoption Mosaic **This episode is part of Season 4 on Top of Mind: Assessing Assumptions. Could the systems we've built to keep our communities safe and thriving work better if we weren't so set in our ways?  

Dying is inevitable. But medical advancements have made it possible to cheat death in many instances that would have been quickly fatal not so long ago. So it’s become easier to avoid thinking about death and default toward saying “yes” to whatever medical intervention will extend our lives. But when does living longer conflict with dying well? In this podcast episode we’re assessing the common assumption that we can extend life at all costs and still have a “good death” when the time comes. A hospital physician explains the complicated financial and emotional incentives that lead doctors and patients do too many tests, prescriptions and procedures that ultimately do more harm than good. An ICU doctor describes the risks of relying on a “living will” to guarantee a “good death” and what to do instead. If you’ve spent a life saying “yes,” by default, to everything medicine has to offer, it’s traumatic – and not at all straightforward – to know when to start saying “no.” We also hear how a man with terminal cancer navigated end-of-life decisions and what it took for his caregivers to deliver on his wishes for a good death in hospice. Podcast Guests: David Oliver (died 2015), retired gerontology professor, University of Missouri, co-creator of “Exit Strategy” video series Debra Parker Oliver, professor of hospice and palliative care research, Washington University St. Louis, co-creator of “Exit Strategy” video series, author of “Legacies from the Living Room: A Love-Grief Equation.” Christopher Moriates, MD, Assistant Dean for Health Care Value in the Department of Medical Education, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin Samuel Morris Brown, MD, ICU physician and vice president for research at Intermountain Health; professor of medicine, University of Utah; author of “Through the Valley of Shadows: Living Wills, Intensive Care, and Making Medicine Human” **This episode is part of Season 4 on Top of Mind: Assessing Assumptions. Could the systems we've built to keep our communities safe and  thriving work better if we weren't so set in our ways?  

Top of Mind Season 4 is focused on Assessing Assumptions. We tend to assume the best way to do things is the way it's always been done. But is that true when it comes to healthcare, child welfare, public safety or schools? On Top of Mind, we're out to become better citizens, kinder neighbors and more effective advocates by assuming less. Season 4 starts Aug. 7 anywhere you listen to podcasts.

As a final bonus to finish Top of Mind Season 3 “Finding Fairness” we’ve compiled the best insight from guests throughout the season on how to be a better citizen, kinder neighbor and more effective advocate for the things we care about. We're not a "how-to" podcast with checklists and action items. We probe for more clarity and empathy on the topic and let you decide where to go next. But our guests often do offer practical advice that’s pretty great. So here it is for you in one quick listen! Right now is a great time to binge all of Season 3 “Finding Fairness” because we’re taking a short break for the summer. We’ll be back in August with Top of Mind Season 4 “Assessing Assumptions.” Could the systems we've built to keep our communities safe and thriving work better if we weren't so set in our ways?

We’re wrapping up Season 3 of Top of Mind “Finding Fairness” with a look at some of the Stick With It moments it delivered for our team. One of our goals for each episode is to find perspectives that will challenge us to examine our own views more closely. Often that’s uncomfortable, but if we stick with that discomfort, it can lead to finding new empathy or greater clarity. In this podcast episode, Julie and other members of the Top of Mind team reflect on episodes during Season 3 that challenged them to examine their own views and behaviors more closely around topics including prison reform, pollution, gun violence, healthcare, and free speech. Did you have a Stick With It moment listening to an episode of Top of Mind’s Season 3 about “Finding Fairness?” We’d love to hear it. Email your story to [email protected]. Podcast Guests: Top of Mind producers Kimberly Beck, Cole Cummings, Vanessa Goodman, James Hoopes, and Madeleine McKenzie

Our “Stick With It” conversation series on the Top of Mind podcast continues with The Period Project founder Emily Bell McCormick’s story of realizing some common misunderstandings that prevented male legislators from taking menstrual public health policy needs seriously. Once she took the time to really listen to the concerns lawmakers had passing a law to make period products available for free in public schools and state buildings, she was better able to address their misconceptions and get the law passed. Podcast Guest: Emily Bell McCormick, founder of The Policy Project (Teen Health Centers and The Period Project) Top of Mind would love to hear your Stick With It story. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and, instead of getting defensive, you chose to stick with the discomfort – and you’re glad you did? Email your story to [email protected].