On Health,
Bioethics, and
Behavioral Science
As a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University, my research and writing explore the quirks in human nature that influence our lives — the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness, and the way our society functions.
Latest Publications
Who’s Deciding? A Study of Patient-Surgeon Discussions About Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy
In this study, we explore conversations about contralateral prophylactic mastectomy–about whether to remove a healthy breast when also removing…
When crowdfunding for medical expenses, who gets the money?
Led by a former Duke medical student, Steven Doerstling, we analyzed, oh, 90K online campaigns, where people (or their…
Health Care in an Evolving Immigration Landscape — Providing Care while Upholding the Law
Many clinicians and healthcare provider organizations are struggling to figure out how to do their jobs with all the…
Integrating Out-of-Pocket Costs Into Shared Decision-Making for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
Led by the amazing Neal Dickert, cardiologist at Emory, we conducted an RCT of an intervention designed to promote…
Physician Gender and Patient Perceptions of Interpersonal and Technical Skills in Online Reviews
Do patients’ on-line physician reviews reveal gender bias? In a study led by the marvelous Dr. Farrah Madanay, we…
Out of Pocket Getting Out of Hand
In this NEJM Perspective, my (awesome) co-authors and I argue that we need to reduce costs, to patients and…
Latest Blog Posts
A Suffocating Truth – Ban Research On Ethnic Bias In Healthcare And People Will Die
In the ICU, accurate and timely knowledge of patients’ oxygen levels is crucial. But some machines used to assess…
When The Doctor Is A Sieve, It Strains All Our Resources
In residency, we had a term for ER docs who always seemed to find an excuse to admit patients…
Four Steps To Saving Money On Hospital Care
The research team hunted for healthcare prices online at 60 US hospitals. Then they had “secret shoppers” call the…
The Most Expensive Medical Condition Is Not What You Think
In a minute, I’m going to ask you what the most expensive medical condition is in the American healthcare…
My Kidney Cancer Taught Me That Patients Aren’t Consumers
My cancer journey began when I went to the bathroom and noticed bright red urine. I remember feeling simultaneously…
Time To Abolish High-Deductible Health Plans
Euphemistically referred to as Consumer-Directed Health Plans, high out-of-pocket insurance is in theory supposed to incentivize people to scrutinize…
