One of the great minds in medicine, British GP Dr Iona Heath, is giving a free public lecture at the University of Sydney, August 5 at 6pm. You need to register, and you can find details here
Preventing Overdiagnosis conference at NIH
The 2015 international Preventing Overdiagnosis conference will kick off September 1 at the National Institutes of Health in the US. More info here
Overselling genetic testing – published in China Newsweek
Recommended Reading – The Circle
You can read Ray’s latest BMJ column – inspired by Dave Egger’s classic novel “The Circle” here
The BMJ column explores the critically acclaimed novel’s take on the future of medicine – and our obsession with measuring everything.
From the February BMJ column: “Leaving aside concern about government or corporate misuse of data, our obsession with quantification—unmodified by uncertainty and by clear awareness of limitations—carries its own tyranny. Our faith in medical numbers, sometimes little more than fabricated fictions arbitrarily interpreted, demands a reality check.”
Preventing Overdiagnosis – September 15-17, 2014, Oxford University
Ray helping to open the 2013 Preventing Overdiagnosis conference
Following the success of the 2013 Preventing Overdiagnosis conference, held at Dartmouth College in the United States, the second Preventing Overdiagnosis conference will be held at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. You can read the 2013 conference statement, view videos of conference plenaries and see details of the 2014 conference, here
Experts who define diseases often tied to drug companies
A new study published in the influential open access medical journal PLOS Medicine, has found that many of the experts who define diseases – and often widen those definitions – also work as paid consultants and speakers for drug companies which stand to benefit from their decisions. You can see the free full text of the study here
Controversy over Chronic Kidney Disease
An Analysis article by Ray and co-authors in the British Medical Journal investigates the controversy over the definition of “Chronic Kidney Disease” – and the risk of overdiagnosis. See the article here. See BMJ cover art based on this article.
Sharing decisions about the future of medicine
Ray’s latest column in the BMJ argues for greater citizen engagement in decisions about how to wind back the harms of too much medicine
Registration opens soon for Preventing Overdiagnosis conference
A registration fee of $475 has just been announced for the Preventing Overdiagnosis conference, taking place at Dartmouth College in the United States, September 10-12, this year. The conference is hosted by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, in partnership with BMJ, Consumer Reports and Bond University. Abstract submission is now open, until March 15, and registration will open soon. You can find more details here
Overdiagnosis series on ‘The Conversation’
The Australian academic media outlet “The Conversation” has just run an easy-to-read nine-part series on the problem of overdiagnosis – written by some leading doctors and researchers, with examples including ADHD, Alzheimer’s and Breast Cancer. Its all very accessible, free and full text on line here
