First Opinion

Perspective and opinion on biotechnology, medicine, and the life sciences writ large, curated by Patrick Skerrett (@PJSkerrett). Please send submissions to [email protected]. View the Author Agreement here. Sign up for the weekly First Opinion newsletter here.

All Coverage

First Opinion Elizabeth Mitchell and Mike Thompson

As hospitals raise their prices, U.S. workers and businesses suffer

First Opinion Marc Rodwin and Alan Sager

The No Surprises Act: A Band-Aid protecting business as usual

First Opinion Lung-I Cheng

Five years after Kymriah: Ensuring the next cell and gene therapies reach patients

First Opinion Christopher Hartnick

‘Whose life do I prioritize?’ A choice no parent wants to make

First Opinion Mark R. Miller and Julia Haskins

Restoring trust in public health: There are no shortcuts

First Opinion Shiza Abbasi and Carrie B. Dolan

To improve children’s health in low-income countries, put pediatric surgery on par with preventing malaria or HIV

Opinions+ Preston Toole

How machine learning and automation can solve biomanufacturing scale-up challenges

First Opinion Susannah Baruch

The Biden-Harris administration needs to end fake abortion clinics

First Opinion Utibe R. Essien

The Inflation Reduction Act: One step closer to pharmacoequity?

First Opinion Amanda McClelland

Investing in health workers can help close the vaccination gap — and improve global health

First Opinion Ryan Prior and Kimberly Knackstedt

Biden’s long Covid plan is a good start. But it needs to go further

First Opinion Blair L. Sadler and Alfred M. Sadler, Jr.

Organ transplantation is at a crossroads. Major reform is needed

First Opinion Ofole Mgbako

History doesn’t have to repeat itself with stigma and monkeypox

First Opinion Antonio Dajer, Christie Lech and Lucy Willis

Medical error: An epidemic compounded by gag laws

Opinions+ Justin Norden

Clinical validation will save digital health’s reputation

First Opinion William G. Woods

As a pediatric cancer researcher, I admired the FDA. Then I got ALS

First Opinion Ned Calonge, Jane Hoppin and Alex R. Kemper

Report: More people should be tested for potential exposure to ‘forever chemicals’

First Opinion Holly Fernandez Lynch, Steven Joffe and Emily A. Largent

‘Is an abortion medically necessary?’ is not a question for ethicists to answer

First Opinion Krista Drobac

Medicare cuts would undermine the movement to increasing in-home care

First Opinion Michael Pollack

Psychedelics researchers and investors should focus on delivering therapy, not drugs

First Opinion Caitlin Rivers and Tom Inglesby

FDA needs to fully review ACAM2000 before allowing its widespread use as a monkeypox vaccine

First Opinion Mark S. Bauer

Why don’t they just do what the evidence says? The challenge and promise of implementation science

First Opinion Mandeep Dhaliwal

Decriminalizing HIV: Scientifically proven and morally correct

First Opinion Robert B. Darnell

PCR testing can help clarify confusion over Covid-19 rebound and isolation

First Opinion Elenee Argentinis

First Opinion

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Amazon and One Medical: Minding the data gaps

Polio in New York: A call to action for U.S. pediatricians and public health to work together

Monkeypox public health response is lagging for LGBTQ+ community

Surgeons fold against Medicare’s stacked deck

Dobbs decision is a huge setback for genetic counseling and the people who need it

The FDA is at a crossroads for reducing tobacco-related disease and death

Nazi-tainted Pernkopf’s Atlas: A case for acknowledgement, not removal

Genetic research provides new clarity about the ‘whys’ of autism