Best Phil Larson Podcasts (2025)

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The pitfalls of home test kits 27:58

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13m ago27:58

27:58

If you’ve been in a high street pharmacy or supermarket recently, chances are you’ll have seen home test kits for all sorts of indications; blood sugar level, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid function, and even some forms of cancer. A new series of article in The BMJ revealing serious concerns with the reliability of these home tests, and raises quest…

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The Future for Physician Associates? | Prof. Gillian Leng 52:53

4d ago52:53

52:53

Professor Gillian Leng, President of the Royal Society of Medicine was asked to carry out an independent review into the role of physician and anaesthetic associates. She sits down with Kamran Abbasi, editor in chief of The BMJ, to discuss her findings. In the UK, the rollout of physician associates, NHS staff who took on some of the tasks of docto…

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NHS 10 year plan dissected 42:26

14d ago42:26

42:26

This week we’re focusing on the NHS. On the 3rd of July the UK’s Prime Minister, Kier Starmer finally announced the NHS’ 10 year plan. His Labour government laid out a vision for where the healthcare service should head over the next decade. The announcement has been met with mixed responses. The plan has some good ideas - but a lack of vision comb…

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What are doctors demanding? | New BMA Chair, Tom Dolphin 34:35

18d ago34:35

34:35

Rebecca Coombes interviews Dr. Tom Dolphin, consultant anaesthetist and newly elected chair of the BMA Council. Watch this interview on our YouTube.By The BMJ

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Time to rethink GP's advice on weightloss, and ticagrelor data doubts 33:38

29d ago33:38

33:38

Last December, The BMJ published an investigation into the 2009 PLATO trial - exposing serious problems with that study’s data analysis and reporting. Our follow up investigation has shown that those data problems extend to other key supporting evidence in AstraZeneca’s initial application to regulators. Peter Doshi, senior editor in the BMJ’s Inve…

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Episode 135: On Courage 15:40

1M ago15:40

15:40

Courage isn't the opposite or absence of fear, apprehensiveness, or cowardice. It is moving forward in spite of them. Courage is when we step forward, full of what scares us. To be courageness is to make a choice to do hard things while scared. My wife was courageous and wrote a book called "Space Activities for Kids." It is here: kyleemakesit.com/…

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The plan for NHS league tables is bad, and will lead to unintended consequences 26:09

1M ago26:09

26:09

In this episode, we hear about ketamine addiction. It's in the news, but the rise in addiction amongst young people in the UK has caused concern for some time. Irene Guerrini and Nicola Kalk, both addiction psychiatrists from the National Addiction Centre, join us to explain why its become a problem. In November 2024 Wes Streeting, the UK’s health …

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Wellness industry lies, and preventative AI evaluation 38:53

2M ago38:53

38:53

Devi Sridhar's new book “How Not to Die (Too Soon) - The Lies We’ve Been Sold, and the Policies That Could Save Us” is focussing on the way wellness culture ignores the societal context in which health is really created. As a trained personal trainer and professor of global public health, Devi's straddling both of those worlds, and joins us to talk…

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Conflict in South Asia, and simplifying GRADE. 40:15

2M ago40:15

40:15

Recent escalations in the ever simmering tension between India and Pakistan brought us closer to conflict - conflict between two nuclear powers. For a long time doctors have campaigned for nuclear disarmament, and Chris Zielinski, president of the World Association of Medical Editors, makes the case for returning WHO's mandate to measure the potent…

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Malaria free China, an academic medicine revolution, and retracted data's impact 36:36

3M ago36:36

36:36

China was declared malaria free in 2021 - and we'll hear how persistence was key to their success, and what new technologies are available to help the rest of the world become malaria free, from Regina Rabinovich, director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Sonia Saxena, professor of primary care at …

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The problem of prognostication in assisted dying. 30:48

3M ago30:48

30:48

The UK government is debating legislation to allow assisted dying in England and Wales, which puts doctors at the forefront of deciding if their patient will be eligible for a medically assisted death - the key criteria being a 6 month prognosis. But is making a 6 month prognosis actually clinically reliable? To discuss we're joined by a panel of e…

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Trump is trying to destroy universities - Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University 50:19

4M ago50:19

50:19

Kamran Abbasi interviews Professor Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University and former COVID-19 pandemic advisor to President Biden. Watch this interview on our YouTube. Trump’s second term has touched everything in the US political sphere - and health is no exception. With research funding for medicine and science weathering under Tru…

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Reducing benefits will not get disabled people back to work, and explaining overdiagnosis 32:35

4M ago32:35

32:35

The UK’s chancellor has announced a £5bn cut to benefits, much of which will be borne by those on long-term disability allowance. Gerry McCartney, professor of wellbeing economy at Glasgow University explains about why these cuts will not only hurt the most vulnerable, but will be counterproductive to the government's wish to get people back to wor…

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What does the death of NHS England, and the western alliance, mean for health? 37:48

4M ago37:48

37:48

In the UK, the prime minister has announced the disbanding of NHS England, Nigel Crisp - former chief executive of the NHS, explains why he thinks that it’s important the health service is closer to the political decision makers, and why this could be the time to really acknowledge the healthcare emergency. On the international stage, the Trump adm…

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The data on physician associates in the UK, and speaking up in the NHS 47:02

5M ago47:02

47:02

We've just published a new rapid review on the safety and efficacy of physician and anaesthetic associates in the UK, which was commissioned to support the ongoing Leng review of these new roles in the NHS. Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, joins us to discuss the data she found. Habib Naqvi is director of the…

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Phil Banfield on the British Medical Association's plan to support doctors 29:23

5M ago29:23

29:23

From pay restoration, to making sure there are enough training posts for resident doctors, the BMA has been busy. In this podcast, Kamran Abbasi, the editor in chief of The BMJ, spoke to Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA’s council. They talk about the ongoing pay discussions, how the BMA is working with the new government - touching on both specialit…

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Combating disinformation, and time to stop spinal injections for chronic pain 31:10

5M ago31:10

31:10

In this episode of the BMJ's Medicine and Science podcast, editor-in-chief Kamran Abbasi discusses the urgent need to tackle disinformation in health, especially in the context of the US, with Heidi Larson and Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We also hear from Jane Ballentyne, professor of anaesthesia and pain m…

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Why compassion isn't just nice, it's essential 24:20

5M ago24:20

24:20

Providing quality healthcare is demanding, often stressful, and requires sustained effort. When resources are stretched and pressure mounts, compassion can slip - but compassion is an essential tool for leaders, who need to support their teams to continue delivering the best possible care. In this final episode of The BMJ’s podcast series on qualit…

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The industry playbook to combat public health, and FUTURE-AI 34:03

6M ago34:03

34:03

This week Rebecca Coombes is back with another big-food investigation, this time about fast-food giant MacDonalds subverting attempts to stop it opening stores near schools. Sticking with industry behaving badly, May van Schalkwyk, from the University of Edinburgh, wonders why we haven't learn lessons from the attempts to control big tobacco compan…

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Prehabilitation before surgery, alcohol's impact on clinical care, and life after a cardiac arrest 40:40

6M ago40:40

40:40

Exercise and a better diet, prior to surgery, can improve outcomes. Daniel McIsaac, a professor of anaesthesiology from the University of Ottowa and lead author of that research, joins us to talk about getting those results into practice. Julia Sinclair, professor of addiction psychiatry at the University of Southampton, explains how the NHS has lo…

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Can a deal be done to keep the US in the WHO? 29:31

6M ago29:31

29:31

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the US out of the WHO. This would cut funding for the UN’s medical agency by one-fifth. Will they really exit, or can a deal be made? Lawrence Gostin hopes so, and as a professor of law at Georgetown, and director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Center on National an…

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Conviviality and TV doctors, polar bear tales, and Christmas research 41:06

7M ago41:06

41:06

In the last podcast of 2024, Richard Smith, former editor of The BMJ and head of UKHACC will be making the case for being more convivial. Tina Korownyk, professor of family medicine at the University of Alberta is the ghost of Christmas past for TV doctors. Tim Feeny and Navjoyt Ladher take us through this year's Christmas research papers. And fina…

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Big food infiltration of UK Schools, and chocolate consumption and diabetes 32:56

8M ago32:56

32:56

Conflicts of interest harm health, and a new investigation uncovers the infiltration of big food manufacturers into UK schools. Emma Wilkinson reports on that investigation. Kamran and Rebecca Coombes, head of journalism, discuss moves to reduce industry's impact on food policy in the UK. A new research paper has identified a link between eating ch…

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Episode 134: On Wisdom 20:19

8M ago20:19

20:19

Wisdom is gained from personal experience and is often paired with pain because of it. This is our journey that is to be embraced. #YMH5 Support the podcast: https://PhilLarson.net/supportBy MakerBox Media LLC

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Episode 9: Polaris Dawn Touchdown with Astronauts Sarah Gillis & Anna Menon 33:04

8M ago33:04

33:04

Astronauts Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon share their incredible journey on the Polaris Dawn Mission! Listen in as they answer questions about testing space suits, medical experiments the Polaris Dawn team conducted, their first-ever commercial space walk 1,400KM above the Earth, whether it's easier to enter or exit our Earth's atmosphere, and what it…

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"Incredibly distressing and incredibly dangerous"- David Miliband on healthcare attacks, and staff turnover effect on patient outcomes 33:19

8M ago33:19

33:19

In today’s episode, new research, which has looked at the impact staff turnover is having on patient outcomes. Giuseppe Moscelli, associate professor at the University of Surrey joins Navjoyt Ladher to explain more. Also, every year the BMJ has a Christmas appeal - and this year we have chosen the International Rescue Committee as our partner. To t…

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How MSF maintains neutrality in conflict zones 32:14

8M ago32:14

32:14

This week we’re at the World Innovation Summit for Health, where we’re a media partner - the meeting is focussing on conflict, equity and resilience. In that vein, we’re joined by Christos Christou, international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to talk about attacks on healthcare staff, and the difficulty and importance of maintaining n…

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Episode 8: Space law, policy, and preservation with Michelle Hanlon 36:56

9M ago36:56

36:56

Co-founder, President & CEO of For All Moonkind & Executive Director of the Center for Air & Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, Michelle Hanlon, discusses the fast-growing field of space law, protecting heritage sites, and the complexities of humanity's race to the Moon in this golden age of space.…

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Conflict zones, women’s health research, and reimagining palliative care 37:41

9M ago37:41

37:41

In this episode, we speak to the doctor overseeing the WHO’s emergency response for the eastern mediterranean region - including Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen. Richard Brennan joins us to talk about protecting health services, and workers, in the escalating armed conflicts that are affecting the region. Menaka Paranathala and Emma Rourke, from The…

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Climate leadership - knowledge is power 41:08

9M ago41:08

41:08

It’s an often cited statistic that if healthcare was a country, it would be the fifth largest carbon emitter. At The BMJ we want to change that, and move healthcare towards a more sustainable future. In this week’s episode, we’ll hear about our annual climate edition from two of The BMJ’s editors, Sophie Cook and Juliet Dobson. We’ll be diving into…

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Episode 7: The Democratization of Space with Dr. Phil Metzger Ph.D. 34:25

10M ago34:25

34:25

Dr. Metzger discusses newly developing fields that combine Planetary and Space Science with engineering and economics and how YOU can plan your trajectory into the space industry.By Holly Melear and Chris Larson

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Getting science into policy for gun control and NHS reform 21:34

10M ago21:34

21:34

How science can be transformed into policy? One of the seemingly intractable issues when it comes to legislative change in the US is gun control. One reason policy change is so difficult, is the US specific evidence vacuum, but that’s beginning to change. We're joined by Louis Klarevas, an academic at the University of Colombia and author of the bo…

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Nutrition for health and conflicts of interests 21:49

10M ago21:49

21:49

Under-nutrition harms health, but so does over-nutrition. The Bill and Melinda Gate’s foundation has just released their Goalkeepers' report - highlighting the detrimental impact that poor nutrition is having on children’s health. Rasa Izadnegahdar, director of Maternal, Newborn, Child Nutrition & Health at the foundation joins us to explain how th…

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Episode 6: Space Medicine with guest Dr. Shawna Pandya 32:54

11M ago32:54

32:54

Scientist, Astronaut, Aquanaut, Martial Artist, and Space Medicine and Extreme expert Dr. Pandya discusses her upcoming suborbital launch with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and Virgin Galactic and how her research will benefit science and space medicine. We'll delve into her training and what specific life lessons sh…

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Improving data for quality care when resources are stretched 22:58

11M ago22:58

22:58

There's a real drive to strengthen quality of care in facilities around the world. However, no matter where you are, improving healthcare depends on quality data—and collecting and using that data can be challenging without the time and expertise. In this podcast, we explore how different healthcare systems, especially those with limited resources,…

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GPs' industrial action, and the olympians after the games 28:47

11M ago28:47

28:47

The news that GPs in England have voted for industrial action has spooked the healthcare system - Katie Bramall-Stainer, the chair of the BMA's General Practice Committee explains what's lead to this, and why trust in the government has gone. After the games, olympians and paralympians return to their normal lives - but what does that mean for thei…

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Episode 133: On Grief (with Carmen Callender) 19:04

11M ago19:04

19:04

Carmen tells us that we are significant and we can approach all areas of our life significantly. #YHM5 https://www.betterhelp.com/YMH5 Carmen's music: https://songwhip.com/carmencallender/doors-are-openingBy MakerBox Media LLC

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Multi-cancer detection and NHS HIT Lists 25:43

12M ago25:43

25:43

This week we're questioning the effectiveness of the Galleri Test for early cancer detection with investigation authors Margaret McCartney and Deborah Cohen. They delve into the decision-making and politics behind this test's introduction in the UK. The episode also covers the growing NHS waiting list crisis and how Imran Ahmed and his team at Guy'…

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Ensuring an Olympic legacy, and fixing primary care 38:55

1y ago38:55

38:55

The Paris games have just started - and France has made a concerted effort to ensure that this year's Olympics will have a legacy of physical activity for the whole population. However, mega sporting events don't always have that effect, and Fiona Bull, head of physical activity for the WHO, joins us to explain why it's increasingly important that …

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The patient issue 43:14

1y ago43:14

43:14

We celebrate 10 years of patient and public partnership strategy at The BMJ with a patient-centred podcast. We ask how should the new Labour government engage patients in shaping the future of the NHS. We also dive into the concepts of social care and peer support, and learn from Brazil's experience in social participation. Highlights: 01:52 - The …

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Extending access for breast cancer, and epidural outcomes 30:10

1y ago30:10

30:10

Women's Health, breast cancer screening, epidurals, and GP voices New U.S. guideline on breast cancer screening have been extended to women in their 40s - Katy Bell, from the University of Sydney, and Stacy Carter, from the University of Wollongong explain why the good intention of that change wont be mirrored in outcomes - and may even induce harm…

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Large, plausible and imminent - time to take H5N1 seriously 31:39

1y ago31:39

31:39

As increasing numbers of mammalian, and human, cases of H5N1 are documented we askShould we worry about a growing threat from “bird flu”? Wendy Barclay, from Imperial college London, and Christopher Dye, from Oxford University join us to explain why they think we should. Our commission on the future of the NHS has released a manifesto for a sustain…

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Episode 132: On Change 10:49

1y ago10:49

10:49

Change serves a purpose. We become aware of our current state and the new normal that blesses us with new wisdom. #YMH5 Support the podcast: BetterHelp.com/YMH5By Phil Larson - PhilLarson.net/support

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Elections and health in India, the UK, and the USA 30:16

1y ago30:16

30:16

In the UK, a general election has been called - and around the world, ½ the global population will be voting this year; so in this episode we’ll be talking about how elections and health intersect. Firstly, what are the UK parties’ plans for health? Abi Rimmer, The BMJ's UK features editor joins us with the latest information. The world’s largest d…

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Episode 5: What Makes A Crew? Interview With Astronauts Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon 40:17

1y ago40:17

40:17

Astronauts Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon of the Polaris Dawn Mission discuss their upcoming five day mission into our Earth’s outermost orbit. While in space, they and the rest of their four person crew will be doing the first commercial space walk, testing Starlink laser-based communications, and doing 40 research experiments for colleges and resear…

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The prospect of unemployed GPs 34:10

1y ago34:10

34:10

With the anticipation of a new government in the UK, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting will hit the ground running - with a winter season (and it's inevitable crisis) and ongoing industrial desputes with junior doctors. Elisabeth Mahase ask him about his plans to handle these challenges if elected. We also find our selves in the puzzling situat…