In the News: Leading the Biomedical Revolution in Precision Health

Op-Eds by Dean Lloyd Minor

Fortune: Health Care's 'Rabbit and Duck' Problem: The Gap Between Public Health and Medicine – May 14, 2021
Physicians focus on precision and individually tailored care, but this pandemic underscores the inadequacies of a system focused almost exclusively on the medical treatment of individuals. 

Fortune: 5 Numbers That Reveal So Much About Racial Disparities in Health – July 8, 2020
Far more than our family histories or genetic code, ZIP code –the place we call home – remains the single greatest predictor of long-term health and life expectancy.

Fortune: How Virtual Care Can Make Medicine Even More Human – April 9, 2020
In a health crisis that demands physical distancing and conserving protective equipment, Stanford Medicine has provided vritual care that still remains high-touch.

WSJ: Why Medical Schools Need to Focus More on NutritionOctober 10, 2019
During four years of medical school, most students spend fewer than 20 hours on nutrition. That's completely disproportionate to its health benefits to patients.

WSJ: Why Your Doctor's Office Still Depends on a Fax Machine — September 19, 2019
Though the technology is largely passé, fax machines are ubiquitous in health care settings. There are many reasons why, and chief among them is the inadequacy of electronic health records.

Fortune: Why Google's Crackdown on Fake Medicine Is So Important — September 9, 2019
People are bombarded with unfounded claims of panacea treatment. The key to protecting patients from overhyped treatments involves personal interactions and large-scale action.

STAT: Electronic Health Records Are Still Waiting to Be Transformed — April 11, 2019
Today, anyone with Internet access can search their symptoms and find information about treatment. Yet electronic health records don't provide doctors the same compatibility. 

WSJ: One Doctor's Four Simple Steps for a Healthier Life — September 18, 2018 
When it comes to health, most people know to eat healthier and exercise. Consistently following these best practices is the challenge. To make a change for the healthier, try using these four science-backed steps.

Fortune: What the First Microscopes Teach Us About Electronic Health Records — June 5, 2018
It took 70 years before compound microscopes contributed to a scientific breakthrough. Like these microscopes, EHRs have the potential to transform health care but progress has been stunted.

WSJ: For Children in the Hospital, VR May Be the Cure — May 28, 2018
While a 9-year-old boy recovered last year from a go-karting accident, the bandages on his wounds need changing multiple times a day. It was a painful, anxiety-inducing ritual – until the boy was handed a virtual reality headset.

WSJ: ‘How Long Do I Have Left?’ AI Can Help Answer That Question — April 29, 2018
An algorithm isn’t going to make decisions for doctors or patients. But as we work to transform more terminal illnesses into treatable ones, artificial intelligence can help inform the difficult conversations about diseases that remain incurable.

Fortune: How Silicon Valley Can Help Fix Our Health Care System — March 19, 2018
Many are frustrated by the state of our health care system. However, partnerships with Silicon Valley companies are enabling providers to identify at-risk patients and map the transition from health to illness.

WSJ: How One Small Change Helped People Make Healthier Choices — October 20, 2017
Our health is affected by the decisions we make every day, and promoting healthy choices could dramatically stem the growing tide of chronic disease. Actually making healthier choices–as we all know–is an uphill battle.

WSJ: How Medical Schools Can Better Fight Burnout — September 12, 2017
Burnout is a worrisome crisis throughout the medical profession, but there is something uniquely troubling about the fact that medical students experience pressures so great that they burn out on the profession before they’ve even joined it.

Quartz: Doctors are Burning Out Because Electronic Medical Records are Broken — August 25, 2017
Too often, the realities of modern medical practice turn young doctors' idealism into despair. A major culprit is the electronic medical record, which prevents doctors from providing personalized attention and care.

Fortune: The Medical World Faces Revolution, but Must Change Its Mindset to Leverage It — April 26, 2017
Since the dawn of medicine, patient care has been reactive. Today's innovative technologies and research enable us to adopt a proactive approach that predicts, prevents, and cures disease – precisely.

WSJ: What Being a Doctor Did — and Didn’t — Teach Me About Leadership — April 12, 2017
The quick-acting, one-shot approach to getting things right in surgery is 180 degrees off when it comes to making decisions in a leadership position. My job today requires that I cultivate dialogue, build trust, incorporate feedback and move forward together.

WSJThe Secret to Getting Young Men to Go to the Doctor — March 3, 2017
In a recent study by ClickWell Care co-creators Sumbul Desai and Lauren Cheung, men were more likely than women to receive all of their care virtually – a finding that may affect how we engage with and deliver care to men going forward.

QuartzThe Immigration Ban Is Literally Bad for Your Health — February 27, 2017
I continue to be deeply concerned about recent efforts by the federal government to restrict immigration. Not only are such efforts antithetical to our values, but they also stand to impact the innovation we need to develop the cures of tomorrow. 

Forbes TechWe Don't Just Need Precision Medicine, We Need Precision Health — January 6, 2016
If the amazing scientific advances of recent years can help us more effectively treat disease based on individual factors, shouldn’t we also put them to work by helping us keep people from getting sick in the first place?

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Peering Inside the Brain to Study Mental HealthOctober 25, 2022
A Stanford researcher is pioneering a way to not only grow living neural tissue that replicates specific regions of the human brain, but that fuses these individual models together to mimic the brain’s development and diverse functions.

Confronting Our Mental Health Crisis: Insights from Two National ExpertsAugust 16, 2022
Through The Minor Consult podcast, Dean Minor discussed our nation's growing mental health crisis with two experts: Thomas Insel, MD, and Schroeder Stribling, CEO of Mental Health America.

What You Should Know About the Monkeypox OutbreakJuly 7, 2022 
With the WHO closely monitoring Monkeypox, Dean Minor puts the outbreak into context and warns against complacency in dealing with the disease.

Learning From Leaders as We Face an Uncertain FutureMarch 21, 2022
As the world has grappled with the turmoil and constant uncertainty of the past two years, the critical importance of good leadership has never been more apparent. Dean Minor explores what this looks like through his new podcast.

The U.S. Opioid Crisis and the Power of NowMarch 2, 2022
For the past two years, we have rightfully been focused on navigating a once-in-a-century global pandemic; but COVID-19, unfortunately, is not the only public health crisis that demands our attention.

Miraculous Molecule: What Comes Next for mRNAJanuary 13, 2022
The agility of the COVID-19 vaccines in the face of the Omicron variant is possible thanks to a powerful new tool in our evolutionary arms race against viruses: mRNA technology.

How Might the Pandemic Expand Equity Gaps, and What Can We Do About It?October 12, 2021
COVID-19 has been catastrophic for human health around the globe — and its repercussions will continue for years to come, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations. Dean Minor introduces a conversation that will produce possible solutions.

You're Invited: Stanford Conference Series to Examine Lessons from COVID-19August 30, 2021
Dean Minor introduces the Pandemic Puzzle, a four-part virtual event series examining the global response to COVID-19 so far.

AI in Medicine: How Physicians Can Tame the MachinesJuly 29, 2021
AI has come a long way in medicine, but there's a long way to go. Dean Minor explores how these systems can  be implemented in hospitals and clinics safely, fairly, and effectively.

Tackling Today's Challenges for Tomorrow's PhysiciansJune 11, 2021
Dean Minor reflects on how medicine has evolved since he graduated medical school and forecasts on how tomorrow’s physicians can navigate the challenging years ahead.

Is COVID-19 Herd Immunity Slipping Away? 3 Factors Will Decide May 13, 2021
Achieving herd immunity across the nation and around the globe will be a Herculean task, one further complicated by the rise of more infectious variants of COVID-19.

Why Rebuilding the Public Health System is Critical to Health Care's Future – April 7, 2021
The pandemic has underscored just how important it is for our system to focus on maintaining people’s health – at both the individual and community level.

The Critically Important Hunt for Coronavirus Variants – March 4, 2021
Mutations of the novel coronavirus could cause additional problems for reopening society if they prove more infectious or more likely to cause severe disease.

The Power of Music in Medicine – February 9, 2021
Beyond music's well-known impacts on emotion and spirit, music also has a profound ability to support phyiscal healing. Dean Minor reflects on its impact on his career and the Stanford Medicine community.

Mandatory Masking? What Smoking Bans Can Teach UsAugust 27, 2020
While misinformation continues to circulate around masking, the science paints a clear picture: wearing a mask is an effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19, primarily by preventing the wearer from infecting others.

These Five Numbers Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Racial Disparities in Health CareJuly 8, 2020
To understand disparities in health care, you need only five numbers: a zip code. Far more than our family histories or genetic code, our zip code—the place we call home—remains the single greatest predictor of long-term health and life expectancy.  

Life After Shelter in Place: Part IIJune 24, 2020
With COVID-19 still a present threat to our communities, "reopening" must be done with thoughtful planning and a robust system of people, processes, and technologies in place.

Life After Shelter in Place: Part IMay 26, 2020
Some patients are delaying preventive care during the COVID-19 pandemic. But if vaccination levels drop and patients only seek care when their conditions become life-threatening, we may soon be contending with a new health crisis.

The Myth of the "Spanish Flu" – March 31, 2020
In 1918, a third of the world's population became infected with the Spanish Flu. A century later, we can draw valuable lessons from this era – among them, that good information can be lifesaving.

Why We Created a 10-Year Plan to Eliminate Medical School Dept – February, 28, 2020
On average, graduates leave medical school with a debt load that exceeds $200,000. For many students, especially those from disadvantagd backgrounds, this extraordinary burden often influences important career decisions.

The Rise of the Data-Driven Physician – January 9, 2020
Today, people amass volumes of health data that could positively change the face of patient care. Stanford Medicine's Health Trends Report examines how this information is shaping doctors' attitudes about the future.

What I'd Recommend Doctors and Patients Listen ToNovember 25, 2019
Even the most voracious content consumers can't keep up with the reams of information produced every second. Dean Minor recommends three podcasts that he has found valuable.

Highlights from Stanford Medicine's 2019 EHR National Symposium – October 28, 2019
At the 2019 EHR National Symposium, Stanford Medicine convened some of the brightest leaders in health care and technology to address the criticial issue of improving electronic health records.

Welcome to the Post-Antibiotic Era. Will We Save Ourselves in Time? – August 27, 2019
The introduction of penicillin unlocked the age of antibiotics, but a century later bacteria have regained the upper hand. Here's what needs to happen to get ahead of this problem. 

Can Precision Health Transform Primary Care? Look to Stanford's Humanwide Pilot. – May 14, 2019
Through a promising demonstration program called Humanwide, Stanford Medicine has taken important steps to realizing its Precision Health vision in a clinical setting.  

Redrawing the Frontiers of Population Health and Medicine – April 29, 2019
Precision population health is a new frontier that is pushing medicine toward a near future in which medical professionals use data to predict and prevent public health crises before they strike.

A Glimpse at the Future of Health Care: High-Tech Enabling High-Touch – March 16, 2019
Stanford Medicine researchers published the preliminary results of the Apple Heart Study, which found that Apple Watches can help detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition that contributes to an estimated 130,000 deaths each year in America.

My Advice on Match Day: Don't Confuse a Detour for a Dead-End – March 14, 2019
As medical students learn where they will translate their med-school abilities into hands-on residency practice, Dean Minor addresses three of the most common questions he hears during this exciting time.

Interview: Chief Wellness Officer Tait Shanafelt on Physician Burnout – February 14, 2019
Today, nearly half of all physicians are experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. Dean Minor and Stanford Medicine Chief Wellness Officer Tait Shanafelt discuss this disturbing trend and what is being done about it.

Data is Democratizing Health Care — December 13, 2018
Stanford Medicine's second annual Health Trends Report examines how the world is harnessing a massive amount of data and explores the opportunities this creates for patients, researchers, practitioners, and companies.

A Nicotine Arm's Race: Talking with Stanford Medicine's Dr Robert Jackler about E-Cigarettes — November 13, 2018
Electronic cigarettes have become alarmingly popular among teenagers. As the FDA signaled its intent to regulate e-cigarette companies, Dean Minor spoke with Dr. Robert Jackler to better understand the issues.

Stanford Medicine and Apple: Exploring New Frontiers in Precision Health — November 1, 2018
Atrial fibrillation is responsible for more deaths than diabetes and influenza combined. Apple and Stanford Medicine have collaborated to see if continuously monitoring a person's heart rhythm can make a difference.

What It Will Take to Fix Electronic Health Records — September 17, 2018
Electronic health records hold enormous potential, but they have become a burdensome administrative tool. A Stanford Medicine white paper proposes an ambitious vision to fix EHRs within the next decade.

Three Pieces of Advice for Atul Gawande — August 15, 2018
As CEO of the joint health venture between Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and J.P. Morgan, Atul Gawande faces a daunting challenge. Success will require a focus on overall health, building meaningful partnerships, and maintaining a long-term view.

Science Needs Your Help – My Message to Stanford Medicine Graduates — June 19, 2018 
Science is on trial today. And physicians, surgeons, researchers, and scientists have a responsibility to come to its defense. Though a societal issue, there are things individuals can do to affect change.

We're Roughly 10 Years into the EHR Experiment – Here's a Vision for the Next Decade — June 4, 2018
When it comes to electronic health records, there is good news and bad. While seven in 10 physicians say EHRs have improved over the last five years, nearly 60 percent believe that EHRs need a complete overhaul.

Will Doctors Be Replaced by Algorithms — May 1, 2018 
With artificial intelligence flourishing, will physicians soon be out of work? Though technologies are capable of superhuman feats, they do not replicate a doctor's bedside manner and empathy.

Science is on Trial. We Need Doctors to Provide the Defense — April 2, 2018 
Nothing illustrates better the struggle between science and skeptics than vaccines. The CDC shows unvaccinated rates among kindergarten students have risen in 11 states. It's time for scientists to take action.

At JPM 2018: Three Challenges That Will Define Health Care's Future — January 8, 2018
Each year, thousands attend the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference to discuss innovative approaches to conquering longstanding challenges. Despite this progress, many more challenges exist. Here are three of the biggest.

Shifting the Mindset from High-Cost Health Care to High-Value — November 20, 2017
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, but ranks near last in many quality measures. Recent research indicates that adopting the best features within high-value practices could save $300 billion annually. 

Hard Cases: The Importance of Hearing Your Patients — October 11, 2017
It may be easy to dismiss vague and unusual symptoms, but listening closely to patients is the ultimate medicine. Every day, new medical technologies are employed, but their value is stunted without listening.

When Health Professionals Have Empathy, Patients Aren't the Only Ones Who Benefit — October 3, 2017
Doctors encounter patients at some of the most critical moments of their lives. This is why empathy and seeing the patient as a whole person is indispensable to Stanford Medicine's Precision Health vision.

Does Big Data Offer Big Promise or Big Hype? — July 17, 2017
Big data is leading the charge in the battle against cancer and other diseases, but it is not being used to its full potential. Stanford Medicine’s Health Trends Report identifies the progress and opportunities with big data in health care.

Recent Grads: Be Comfortable With Change — June 20, 2017 
The shortest distance from point A to point B is…under construction. When people, and especially doctors, recognize that their lives are in a constant state of change, it allows them to become stronger and smarter.

Breaking Down the Wall Between You and Your Doctor — June 8, 2017
When doctors stare at a computer entering patient information, it creates a wall between them and their patients. Despite all the good electronic health records have done, they need to evolve from a billing tool to a Precision Health resource. 

The Next Big Idea in Health Care — May 5, 2017
Every day, 1,650 Americans die of cancer. Despite great progress in fighting this disease, more work remains. Now, more than ever, big ideas are necessary, and the Cancer Moonshot initiative could be the key to this change.

Want to Solve a Health Challenge? Ask for Help. — April 26, 2017 
Insurmountable challenges often whither when examined through a different lens. That’s why collaborations between medical researchers and others outside their field are so crucial to advancing health care.

America's Newest Doctors Meet Their Match: Some Words of Advice from a Dean of Medicine — March 17, 2017
There's nothing quite like the excitement and anxiety of Match Day. As graduating residents learn where they will continue their training as resident physicians, here are some pieces of advice to consider.

The ACA Hangs in the Balance – All the More Reason to Stop Getting Sick — January 30, 2017
With the future of the Affordable Care Act now hanging in the balance, we have to double-down on our efforts to avoid getting sick altogether. This will require the incredible courage to create whole new approaches for overcoming disease.

Can the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Stanford Really Beat Disease? I Think So. — September 21, 2016
A collaboration between Stanford, UC San Francisco, and UC Berkeley, the new Biohub will engage in basic research projects with the aim of curing all diseases by the end of the century. Fundamental research is our most constant and reliable engine of discovery. 

Does Precision Health Sound Like Futuristic Hype? It's Not. Here's Why It's Way More Promising Than Many Realize. — July 14, 2016
The ultimate goal of Precision Health is to bring about a world where we use all relevant knowledge to prevent disease before it strikes and cure it decisively if it does. It’s a world in which we enable our bodies to be their best, from the start.

The Future of Health Care Must be Predictive and Preventive—Here's Why — May 3, 2016
By collecting and analyzing large and diverse datasets, we can break new ground on what it means to be a healthy human being, and explain why people get ill, how to prevent illness and which treatments work best for whom.

Dean and Precision Health Mentions

HIMSS: How Technology Is Shaping the Next Generation of Doctors – October 15, 2019
The data revolution and technological advances are changing medical school education and the potential of EHRs.

Becker's Hospital Review: Lack of EHR Interoperability Keeps Fax Machines Alive in Hospitals – September 23, 2019
Though advanced technologies such as the Apple Watch are being deployed in medical studies, health systems are still too reliant on fax machines due to siloes of information in health care.

Fortune: In Praise of 'Precision Health,' Not Just Precision Medicine – April 3, 2019
While precision medicine treats someone who is sick, Precision Health predicts, prevents, and cures precisely. Dean Minor explores the adoption of Precision Health and how it can help in areas like mental health.

Fortune: Want to Change Health Care? 'The One Thing that Doctors Respond to Is Data' – April 3, 2019
Though there is a wealth of health care data, it is not translating to better outcomes. To drive change, we must make data more accessible, take a more nuanced approach to what is collected, and be more willing to collaborate. 

Becker's Hospital Review: Stanford Medicine: 3 Trends Shaping the 'Democratization' of Healthcare – January 2, 2019
The second annual Stanford Medicine Health Trends Report identified three pillars shaping health care democratization between patients and providers: intelligent computing, data sharing, and data security, privacy and safety.

Healthcare IT News: Stanford Sees Healthcare Democratization a Big Trend for 2019 and Beyond – December 27, 2018
Stanford Medicine's 2018 Health Trends Report identified how technology trends are changing how physicians, researchers, and patients all share information.

FierceHealthcare: Healthcare Is Closer to Democratizing Data. Now It Needs to Figure Out What to Do With It. – December 17, 2018
As health care organizations share more data, the industry is grappling with new health challenges, including how ot make use of newfound data sources and engender trust among patients.

Financial Times: Can Wearables Transform Medical Research? – November 13, 2018
Dean Minor discussed how the Apple Heart Study demonstrates that clinical trials can be done in a more affordable way, monitoring signals from the human body just as a jet engine is monitored for routine maintenance.

Bloomberg: Apple Watch Heart Study With Stanford Signs Up 400,000 People – November 1, 2018
More than 400,000 people have signed up for a Stanford University study being sponsored by Apple in one of the largest heart screening studies ever to be conducted.

Conversations on Healthcare: Lloyd Minor on Apple Heart Study, Biomedical Revolution and Precision Health — July 2, 2018
Data, artificial intelligence, and telehealth are transforming the health care industry. Dean Lloyd Minor discusses how these factors will impact medical education in the future.

Modern Healthcare (Jackie Harris): Q&A with Stanford Dean Lloyd Minor on Harnessing Technology for Future Physicians — April 21, 2018
Technology has a greater role in health care than ever before, which changes not only how medical students are trained but also the relationships that academic medical centers form and how studies are conducted.

Fierce Healthcare (Evan Sweeney): Lloyd Minor on Expectations for the Apple Heart Study and Leveraging Silicon Valley Connections — February 1, 2018
What is the key to integrating technology into medical care? Ensuring that high-tech enables high-touch. Collaborations with Silicon Valley companies and the proliferation of consumer devices are making this possible.

San Francisco Business Times (Ron Leuty): The iPhone, Blockchain, and Other Themes for Biotech and Health Care — January 12, 2018 
What are the latest trends in health care? Dean Lloyd Minor discusses challenges facing the health care industry, how to stem return visits to the emergency room, and the Bay Area as health care entrepreneurship hub.

ZDNet (Jo Best): Could Your Apple Watch Save Your Life? — January 3, 2018
Around one in four people will experience atrial fibrillation in their lifetime. However, the true incidence of AFib is unknown becuase it can be intermittent. Using the Apple Watch, the Apple Heart Study is designed to identify atrial fibrillation. 

Financial Times (John Thornhill): Technology is the Tool to Spur a Healthcare Revolution — May 15, 2017 
Around the world, people cite the need to transition towards value-based health care. This shift places greater emphasis on prevention, precision, and personalization, and technology will play a big role in this evolution of health care.

Wall Street Journal (Steve Rosenbush): Algorithms Will Drive Future Health Gains, Dean of Stanford Medical School Predicts — April 21, 2017
Today's equivalent to the development of vaccines and antibiotics just may be the ability to synthesize massive amounts of data. Dean Lloyd Minor contends that innovation is at the algorithmic level.

Fortune Daily (Clifton Leaf): Why 'Precision Medicine' Isn't Precise Enough — April 10, 2017
If precision medicine is the wrong goal, what is the right one? Precision Health. More than semantics, Precision Health aims to predict, prevent, and cure – precisely. Precision medicine encompasses just the cure component.