Tuesdays with Tim

Don Hoagland's legacy

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 09:33

Don Hoagland’s legacy

Don Hoagland passed away on May 5th.  Don was an effective advocate for public health in Colorado, and a great friend of the Colorado School of Public Health. 

Don was a distinguished lawyer.  He practiced law in Denver from 1951 until 1987.  He was an iconic advocate for providing legal aid to the poor.  After his retirement in 1987, he became engaged in public health issues, creating the Caring for Colorado Foundation and the Colorado Foundation for Public Health and Environment.

In 1989 Don served on a Governor’s Blue

Extraordinary courage and a missing Teddy Bear

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 08:01

This week I attended a second grade musical at a local elementary school.  That was the third time I had seen that same musical because one of this week’s performers was my third grandson, and his two older brothers were in the same performance each of the last two years.  In that performance I saw a degree of courage I have not seen in a long time.

The Supreme Court and our new Dean

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 08:52

David Goff will become the Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health on June 1, 2012.  The search process for a new dean has been prolonged.  Although the School is in great shape for many reasons, including Judith Albino’s great leadership during the transition, it will be good to settle into a new routine with David.  I am thrilled about our future.

Tobacco and the decline of heart disease

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 10:15

In the January 5, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine Drs.

Four good wishes for 2012

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 14:51

This is the time when we make resolutions and wishes for the New Year.  I am not big on resolutions, but I do like wishes.  Here are four good wishes I will offer:

  1.  I wish for stability.  The World has enough challenges now, and we don’t really need any big bad surprises in 2012.  A year of unusual stability that could enable us all to move predictably forward would be good.
     
  2. I wish for a new attitude about health care.  The growing cynicism about our health care system has eroded public confidence to the point where effective

Criminal Indifference

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 15:39

You Seinfeld enthusiasts might be familiar with the crime of “criminal indifference.”  That was that charge against Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer in the final episode of the Seinfeld series.  They were convicted, of course, based on their many examples of self-indulgent indifference to others over the years.

The term “criminal indifference” came to mind to me today as I read a new report about how tobacco settlement and tax funds are being used in the United States.   That report (“A Broken Promise to our Children”, available online at

Drug Money

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 14:01

There are now historic shortages of many prescription drugs in the United States.  The reasons for these shortages are said to be complex, but really they are pretty simple.   It is about making money.  Here is the story in a nut shell:

Pharmaceutical companies make most of their money on brand-name drugs.

Humbled again by the second tail

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 08:07

In statistical testing of any intervention trial it is best to consider that either benefit or risk might result from the intervention.  With any set of possible outcomes from a trial, there is a distribution of possible values ranging from low-likelihood extreme benefits to low-likelihood extreme hazards, with the more likely outcomes of either no effect or only modest effects residing in the middle.

Unspoken Love

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 13:35

My favorite definition of epidemiology is that it is the story of human suffering with the tears wiped away.

A sketch on a napkin: visualizing the U.S. Prevention System

Submitted by Tim.Byers on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 09:56

There has been a lot of attention on the question of evolving the patchwork of systems we now have for health care in the U.S. into a more rational and coherent single system.  As we strain to visualize a more functional future U.S. Health Care System, maybe we should also take a stab at more specifically designing the U.S.

Syndicate content