Intention to Treat

Welcome to “Intention to Treat,” a podcast exploring the critical issues shaping medicine today. In a new 8-week series, The Race Equation, we confront harmful assumptions about race in clinical medicine—from diagnostic algorithms to guidelines—exploring how these practices took hold, why they endure, and what it will take to change them.

Hosted by health care journalist Rachel Gotbaum, the “Intention to Treat” podcast from the New England Journal of Medicine delves into groundbreaking research and clinical advances while sharing the personal stories from doctors and their patients, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at discoveries that are changing medical practice on the front lines of health care.

Listen to The Race Equation and follow “Intention to Treat” on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Episodes

The Plight of Primary Care, Part 1

This episode of “Intention to Treat,” explores the crisis in primary care in the United States, as increasing numbers or primary care physicians leave the field — driven out by corporatization, growing time pressure, and the inability to form the relationships that enable good care. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303852.

Jul 05, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 12

Unleashing CRISPR on Cancer

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum explores the story of a teenager who’s now in remission from previously relapsed lymphoblastic leukemia and talks with the investigator who developed the “off-the-shelf” CAR T cells that made her treatment possible. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303851.

Jun 21, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11

New Patient-Centered Options for Cancer Treatment

“Intention to Treat” host Rachel Gotbaum talks with patient Awilde Peña and oncologist Deb Schrag about a new approach to treating rectal cancer that sidesteps the need for radiation, thereby avoiding long-term side effects and preserving fertility. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303850.

Jun 07, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 10

Lessons for a Pandemic

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Drs. Harvey Fineberg and Eric Rubin take stock of the failures and successes of the Covid-19 response and elucidate their lessons for combating the next major public health threat, whatever it may be. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303615.

May 31, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 9

Race Relations and the First Paramedics

This episode of “Intention to Treat” tells the story of the Freedom House Ambulance Service — a group of Black laypeople in Pittsburgh who underwent intensive training to become the first paramedics in the United States. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303614.

May 03, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Waiting on Prostate Cancer

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum talks with patient Robert Schlamberg and Doctors Oladapo Yeku and Oliver Sartor about the option of watchful waiting in the care of men with early prostate cancer. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303613.

Apr 19, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Is Medicine Ready for AI?

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Maia Hightower and Isaac Kohane join host Rachel Gotbaum to explore the promise and hazards of artificial-intelligence and machine-learning tools for both clinical and administrative uses in medicine. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2301939.

Apr 05, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6

The Fauci Phenomenon, Part 2

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Anthony Fauci sits down with host Rachel Gotbaum to discuss his long career in infectious disease and public health, what has motivated him, and the lessons he has learned and taught along the way. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300938.

Mar 22, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 5

The Fauci Phenomenon

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” some of the people who have worked closely with “America’s Doctor,” Anthony Fauci, offer insights into his character, values, accomplishments, and adventures over his decades of service at the NIH. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300937.

Mar 08, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4

The Promise and Perils of Psychedelics

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” a study participant and a long-time investigator of hallucinogenic drugs for psychiatric conditions illuminate the effects of psilocybin in patients with depression. A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300936 .

Feb 22, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3

Post-Roe Realities

In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum takes us to Tennessee and Ohio, where new abortion bans are already harming patients and threatening their physicians. A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300935.

Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Covid Vaccines — Playing the Long Game

In this first episode of “Intention to Treat,” NEJM editor-in-chief Eric Rubin and his colleague at the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee, Paul Offit, consider the achievements, limitations, and expectations of Covid vaccines. A transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300222.

Jan 25, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer: NEJM Group Presents “Intention to Treat”

From the New England Journal of Medicine , welcome to “Intention to Treat,” a podcast exploring the most complicated, perplexing, and fascinating issues facing medicine today. From groundbreaking research, to clinical advances, to personal stories from doctors and their patients, we give you a behind-the-scenes look at discoveries that are changing medical practice and provide you with the knowledge to thrive on the front lines of health care.

Jan 11, 2023•3 min

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