It is unacceptable that the United States, which prides itself on being a global power and proponent of democracy, deprives its citizens of the access to quality, affordable healthcare that all people deserve. Contrary to frequent arguments that national healthcare systems inherently contravene core American values, I argue that a system of universal healthcare must instead be constructed to fully realize these ideals — principally, innovation, quality, and liberty of choice.
Read MoreAfrican Americans with cancer face many challenges to their care. Clinical trials can offer these patients life-saving options, and their participation can provide researchers and clinicians with a better understanding of their disease and treatment strategies. However, Black patients only represent 5 percent of trial participants despite making up 15 percent of cancer patients. More needs to be done to connect them to current scientific studies. A diverse and inclusive policy strategy for recruiting these patients can lead to higher rates of enrollment in clinical trials and better overall outcomes.
Read MoreGenetic exceptionalism, or the long-standing belief that genetic information is superior in importance, influence, and privacy to any other type of personal information, even medical information, is inherent to our historical discovery and subsequent understanding of the human genome. However, as our technology advances and academic possibilities expand, genetic exceptionalism has become a largely outdated concept.
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