Episode 12 dives into the world of menopause. With special guests, Garnet Anderson PhD and Cindy Pearson, Pharmanipulation explores the evidence from and controversies about menopausal hormone therapy. Dr. Garnet Anderson is a biostatistician and clinical trialist at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center and is one of the Principal Investigators of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a set of federally-funded, long-term studies of the effects of menopausal hormone therapy on chronic disease...
Jul 31, 2025•30 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Episode 11 features Paul Offit MD, an international expert in virology and immunology. Dr. Offit is a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and director of the Vaccine Education Center; he is also the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He chats with PharmedOut about the current measles outbreak, the real risks and benefits of vaccines, RFK Jr., the medic...
Jun 16, 2025•33 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Episode 10 highlights examples of how patient advocacy groups influenced pharmaceutical decisions at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a conversation with health policy researcher, author and activist, Sharon Batt PhD, we explore regulatory decisions on Relyvrio (AMX0035), Avastin (bevacizumab), and Addyi (flibanserin) within the context of our latest report “What Needs to Change at the FDA?Protecting and Advancing Public Health.” Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project...
Mar 13, 2025•26 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Episode 9 features a conversation on opioids with Andrew Kolodny MD. Dr. Kolodny is a leading expert on the opioid crisis and serves as President of Health Professionals for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP). We chat about the opioid epidemic in the US over the years, the covert marketing strategies used to sell opioids, and opioid prescribing guidelines. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project at Georgetown University Medical Center that advances evidence-based prescribing. Ad...
May 23, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Episode 8 features an interview with Shahram Ahari MD, an emergency medicine physician and former drug rep, that explores the world of pharmaceutical samples. We chat about why samples are the most important marketing tactic drug companies have, how samples are used to manipulate prescribing choices, and discuss whether or not drug samples should be banned. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project at Georgetown University Medical Center that advances evidence-based prescribing. Addi...
Mar 06, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Episode 7 features an interview with Peter Whitehouse MD, PhD and Lon Schneider MD, MS exploring dementia and mild cognitive impairment. We chat about the medicalization of normal aging, the overdiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, problems with new drugs and tests for Alzheimer’s disease, and how to prevent dementia. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project at Georgetown University Medical Center that advances evidence-based prescribing. Additional Resources PharmedOut resources...
Dec 13, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Episode 6 invites Ragen Chastain, activist and author, and Joel Lexchin MD of York University, to discuss myths about weight and health, the hype around Ozempic and Wegovy, and the unclear connection between weight loss and health. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project at Georgetown University Medical Center that advances evidence-based prescribing. To learn more about Ragen Chastain and her work, please visit her website: https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/ Additional Reso...
Oct 26, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Episode 5 invites Tony Scialli MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive toxicologist, to talk about the overuse of gynecologic surgeries – namely hysterectomies and Cesarean sections. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center rational prescribing project. For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://georgetown.box.com/s/1bdbxvaezezlpu0qsm02q3101mmhsi3a To learn more about Dr. Tony Scialli, please visit his website: https://www.sciallic...
Jul 11, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Episode 4 invites medical anthropologist Sylvia Önder PhD and cultural psychologist Yulia Chentsova Dutton PhD to discuss the differences among disease, sickness and illness and explore the concepts of invented diseases, folk illnesses, and the social value of certain diseases. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center rational prescribing project. For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://georgetown.box.com/s/ufrrmreu5d26cbfvorbu863uz32qkih...
May 26, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Episode 3 of Pharmanipulation invites Gretchen LeFever Watson PhD and Robert Whitaker to question diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to critique drug treatment of behaviors associated with ADHD. Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center rational prescribing project. For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://georgetown.box.com/s/jjei0u9zhtezfqg2i5p83h9per8nzugc For a list of resources and studies mentioned in this episo...
Mar 29, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Episode 2 of Pharmanipulation invites Adewole S. Adamson MD, MPP, to discuss the relationship of sun exposure to melanoma, whether sunscreen actually prevents skin cancer, and the overdiagnosis of melanoma. Dr. Adamson is a board-certified dermatologist and an assistant professor in the department of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin where he studies skin cancer, evidence-based medicine, and health policy. He is also the Director of the Pigmented Lesio...
Feb 15, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Pharmanipulation is a new show created by PharmedOut, dedicated to the topics of evidence-based medicine and industry influence on medical information and public health. PharmedOut is a Georgetown University Medical Center rational prescribing project. Episode 1 covers pharmaceutical marketing tactics, industry influence on medical knowledge, and invented diseases. Join hosts Caroline Renko and Patricia Bencivenga as they interview Adriane Fugh-Berman MD, the Director of PharmedOut. Links Pharme...
Jan 05, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 1
