Medicine and Science from The BMJ

In this magazine episode, we talk about the forever chemicals in our blood, how to protect patients from cosmetic procedures gone wrong, and the long-standing dearth of LGBTQ+ data.   Per- and poly-fluoro-alkyl substances, also called PFAS or "forever chemicals", have become ubiquitous in our environment over the last 70 years. As the UK government launches a new epidemiological study into human exposure, we discuss the persistent biological effects of PFAS and what this means for long-term health outcomes.   Also this week, we turn our attention to the up-and-coming new restrictions in England targeting non-surgical cosmetic procedures. But will these proposed changes actually protect the public from unscrupulous providers? We discuss the problems with regulation in a profit driven market, and what it means for patient safety.   Finally, while health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people are known to be worse than the general population, the extent of that gap, and what’s causing it, are still difficult to study. Basic data collection is shockingly poor. We hear why that is, and what’s needed to fill the gap.   Guest List: Tony Fletcher – Honorary associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Alexandra Mullock – Senior lecturer in medical law at the University of Manchester Joel Bates – Research assistant at King’s College London   Reading: PFAS: the persistent problem of forever chemicals and health Delayed regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures threatens patient safety The NHS doesn’t routinely collect data on LGBTQ+ health, even though meaningful improvements can’t happen without it

In this episode of the Medicine and Science podcast, we dive into a cross-border public health mystery and hear about the loneliness of the resident doctor. Canada recently lost its measles elimination status following a major outbreak of over 2,000 cases that began in late 2024. It's essential that public health agencies can track the virus as it moves through a population - but how do they do it? Two public health physicians from Ontario join us to explain how they went into full investigatory mode. We discuss how genomic sequencing, contact tracing, and vaccination data came together to form a detective story that exposes the vulnerability of under-vaccinated populations, the porous nature of international borders, and what it will take to regain elimination status. Then, we turn to the ongoing retention and morale crisis among resident doctors in the UK. A new BMJ opinion piece points to a possible different fuel for the discontent: workplace loneliness. We explore how rotational placements are stripping away crucial support networks, isolating young doctors on the wards, and what must be done to restore vital connectedness to the profession. Guest List: Dr. Sarah E. Wilson – Public Health Physician in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Miriam Klassen – Medical Officer of Health in Stratford, Ontario. Alex Mafi – Resident doctor in London  Reading List: Impact of a large measles outbreak associated with transmission in the Americas and Canada’s loss of measles elimination status: descriptive cohort study  Loneliness at work: We need to restore connectedness for resident doctors 

In this podcast, we explore one of 2026's key issues - the way in which climate and conflict are interacting to endanger human health.  Neta Crawford, professor of international relations at the University of St Andrews has been studying how war contributes to climate change, despite the difficulty in obtaining clear information - as most military emissions are exempt from reporting under Kyoto-era rules, She explains why mandatory transparency, reduced reliance on military solutions, and a change to defense doctrines are necessary. Mohammed Aba Aji, post-doctoral research associate at Washington University argues that rising spending on the military - nearly $3 trillion and increasing for 11 years, is diverting resources from health, education, and climate adaptation. He explains why the only way to tackle this is to redefine defence away from property and infrastructure to human flourishing. Reading list War and military mobilisation are drivers of climate change Increasing defence expenditure may cost us our security Countering the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health     *This episode was republished on 24th of October, to correct the final mp3

In this episode of podcast we explore two clinical dilemmas - unrecognised drug side effects, and the outcomes from hip and knee replacements. When an unrecognised adverse drug effect is mistaken for a new symptom, the resulting prescribing cascade can end in polypharmacy and potentially preventable patient harm. New research on nearly 2.3 million adults in Ontario, has found 24 high-priority, potentially inappropriate prescribing cascades—including laxatives after iron, pain relievers following statins, and sedatives after cholinesterase inhibitors. Paula Rochon, Jerry Gurwitz, and Antonio Cherubini, three of the study's authors join us to discuss. Over 100,000 hip and, 100,000 knee replacements are performed annually in the NHS, and health systems are investing hundreds of millions to rapidly scale robot-assisted surgery, but is this expensive new tech delivering better patient outcomes? Two target trial emulation papers, using the UK's National Joint registry aim to find out if robots are better at join replacement. Hassan Mohammad, one of the papers' authors shares their findings, and Teppo Järvinen joins the conversation to discuss challenging orthopaedic surgery standard practice. Guest List Prescribing Cascades Discussion Paula Rochon, Geriatrician, senior scientist, and professor at Sinai Health and the University of Toronto. Jerry Gurwitz, Geriatrician, researcher, and professor of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School. Antonio Cherubini, Geriatrician and clinical eesearcher at Università Politecnica delle Marche and INRCA (Istituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani)  Robotic Hip & Knee Arthroplasty Discussion Hassan Mohammad, academic clinical lecturer in orthopaedics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Teppo Järvinen, orthopaedic surgeon and professor at the University of Helsinki, and Head of the Finnish Centre for Evidence-Based Orthopaedics (FICEBO) in Finland. BMJ.com Reading List Research Papers Exploring high priority potentially inappropriate prescribing cascades in older adults: population level retrospective cohort study Early national comparison of robotic versus conventional knee replacements for arthritis using National Joint Registry data: target trial emulation study Early national comparison of robotic versus conventional hip replacements for arthritis using National Joint Registry data: target trial emulation study Robot assisted hip and knee arthroplasty: It is high tech, but is it better?

Referrals for ADHD and autism assessments have reached unprecedented levels, leaving NHS waiting lists stretched into years and families struggling to access support. But is the rise driven by a genuine increase in neurodevelopmental conditions, increased awareness, or systemic overdiagnosis? This prompted the government to commission the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism; and we're joined by vice Chair of that review, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, Regis chair of psychiatry at King’s College London. In this episode, we discuss: Community prevalence vs. administrative prevalence, the roles of underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis. Why the current focus on diagnosis is a mistake, and why environmental factors are really key to the changes we're seeing. We also cover thecore recommendations of the report.   Read the full report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-final-report

Last year, in July 2025, the independent review of the physician associate and anaesthesia associate roles, carried out by professor Gillian Leng, was published. The review followed the contentious role out of PAs in the NHS - where their scope of practice differed across trusts, and GP practices, and concerns were raised about clinical safety. Some of the key recommendations were around seeing undifferentiated patients, training needs, and supervision - and we spoke to Gill at the time, and the government accepted her proposals. But questions remained about exactly how some of those recommendations might work. Today, with the publication of a draft clinical protocol - and we clarify some of those questions.

The VAERS system in the US monitors adverse events following vaccines, but a new investigation on BMJ.com has found problems with the data mining systems used to spot patterns - and more worryingly, that the agencies involved were alerted about the issues, and didn’t take steps to fix the problem. David Willman, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist, joins us to explain what he found.   Also this week, while the UK parliament still seems divided on assisted dying, in Switzerland it has been allowed for over 80 years - making it an normalised part of medicine. New research has asked patients why they have decided to seek help in ending their lives, and analyses those motivations.  Two authors of this work, Claudia Gamond, a palliative care physician who leads the palliative and supportive care department at the University Hospital in Lausanne, and  Solenne Blanc, a PhD student in sociology, join us to explain what they found.   Reading list US officials knew covid vaccine safety system was flawed—but turned aside the FDA doctor who alerted them   How patients explain and make sense of their decision for assisted suicide in Switzerland (the Exit Project): qualitative exploratory study

Something different for the podcast today: a live event. It’s the inaugural BMJ lecture, in partnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences and hosted at the historic Royal Academy of Arts. We want to talk about the big issues facing healthcare professionals around the world - and we’re starting with one of the biggest: how do we make decisions in the face of real risk and genuine uncertainty? Well, who better to talk through those big questions than the man who had to try to navigate those risks and uncertainties during the pandemic? Chris Whitty is England’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government, advising on all aspects of healthcare. He is also a professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he was director of their Malaria Centre. In his lecture, Professor Whitty argues that medical training must better prepare doctors to manage risk, highlighting that "higher risk decisions, and accountability for these, have moved to later in training", causing a "substantial and sudden step up" in risk for new consultants. He acknowledges AI’s potential to speed up clinical diagnostics, but warns against public-facing AI tools that present diagnoses with false certainty while ignoring medical risk and uncertainty. Read the related Opinion article: "We must be more systematic about risk holding throughout doctors’ careers" This recording is available to view on YouTube.

Back in 2024, the BMJ revealed how more than half of the members of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, had declared financial interests with food and drinks companies. A tightening of the rules followed, but two years after our initial investigation, we have returned - and we found that nearly a third of nutrition advisors still have significant ties to the food industry. Chris Van Tulleken, professor of infection and immunology at University College London, and author of the book “Ultra Processed People”, joins us to explain why he thinks ongoing industry ties are bad for the UK's health.   Also this week. We have tight regulation of medical tech in the UK, but new AI tools don’t fit neatly into that existing process - and so the government has set up a National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare,  Alastair Denniston, and Henrietta Hughes, who headed that commission, join us to explain how AI should be monitored, how we can ensure it's safety, and who should be responsible when something goes wrong.   Reading list: A third of UK government’s nutrition advisers are still paid by food industry, including Coca Cola and Nestlé National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare: Recommendations for a future regulatory framework

The next few months might be an inflection point for GPs in England and Wales  Our strong primary care system is often credited in the success of the NHS - But changes to how that system works are currently underway. Legislation is quietly proceeding through parliament that will reorganise the way in which local care is structured, and those changes are raising concerns for GPs. To talk about how we build a stronger primary care system, and stronger NHS we're joined by: Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners Sam Everington, a GP in East London, and a non-executive director of NHS England Kamila Hawthorne, GP in South Wales, and chair of National Academy for Social Prescribing We also take the opportunity to hear about where social prescribing fits into this new picture, and why our panel think it's important in changing the UK's health. Reading list Building a stronger NHS: an open letter from past and present presidents and chairs of the Royal College of General Practitioners