SpeakSooner.org

06/01/2026

If you missed our spring webinar, "Facing the Challenges of Healthcare Decisions: The Role of Patients, Families and Providers" you can also view the recording on YouTube Channel! Find the link below!

On Tuesday, May 6 at 6 pm the Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) hosted the latest in their SpeakSooner Community Education webinar series.A serious ...

05/29/2026

Did you miss our spring webinar, "Facing the Challenges of Healthcare Decisions: The Role of Patients, Families and Providers."

This program brought together experts who shared their perspectives on the role that patients, families and providers can play when navigating the complexities of difficult healthcare decisions.

View the recording now at speaksooner.org.
https://speaksooner.org/programs/facing-the-challenges-of-healthcare-decisions/

PANELISTS Zail Berry, MD, MPH, FACP Palliative Care Consultant & UVM lecturer Stephanie Davidson, PsyD, Clinical ManagerCouples Coping Together Against Cancer Program, City of Hope Matthew Loscalzo, LCSWAPOS Fellow and Professor Emeritus, Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope Pamela Simon, MSN, C...

05/25/2026

"In this pilot randomized clinical trial... psilocybin abstinence rates were higher than typical treatments, suggesting promise for to***co smoking cessation." Read more...

This pilot randomized clinical trial compares prolonged smoking abstinence rates in smokers receiving psilocybin with those receiving the ni****ne patch with both groups receiving manualized smoking cessation cognitive behavioral therapy.

05/22/2026

In case you missed it: A recording of the May 5 SpeakSooner webinar, "Facing the Challenges of Healthcare Decisions: The Role of Patients, Families and Providers" is available to view online at speaksooner.org.

https://speaksooner.org/programs/facing-the-challenges-of-healthcare-decisions/

PANELISTS Zail Berry, MD, MPH, FACP Palliative Care Consultant & UVM lecturer Stephanie Davidson, PsyD, Clinical ManagerCouples Coping Together Against Cancer Program, City of Hope Matthew Loscalzo, LCSWAPOS Fellow and Professor Emeritus, Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope Pamela Simon, MSN, C...

05/20/2026

"As the prevalence of obesity in the US continues to rise, so too does the number of cancer survivors with obesity. Obesity is now recognized as a leading cause of several major cancers—including endometrial, colorectal, and postmenopausal breast cancer—and affects more than a third of cancer survivors." Read more...

This Viewpoint examines the underutilization of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and bariatric surgery in survivors of cancer.

05/20/2026

"Findings of this study suggest that the use of complementary and alternative medicine instead of traditional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, endocrine therapy, and immunotherapy could be associated with a reduction in survival in breast cancer." Read more...

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2845669

This cohort study assesses the association of complementary and alternative medicine plus traditional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, endocrine therapy, and immunotherapy, with survival in female patients with breast cancer.

05/18/2026

"Even when the transcript is accurate, the A.I. tool can omit relevant information and introduce inaccuracies when drafting the note. In a test of five different A.I. scribes during simulated patient encounters, researchers found that, on average, every note had three potentially serious errors... For patients, it’s probably just best to check all the notes in your medical record for accuracy, because human-written notes can also contain errors." Read more...

Apps that record visits are becoming popular, but they come with privacy and accuracy concerns.

05/15/2026

On Tuesday, May 6 at 6 pm the Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) hosted the next in their SpeakSooner Community Education webinar series.

A serious diagnosis affects patients, families and providers. Studies in the medical literature show that effective communication can improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Yet, difficult decisions in the face of serious illness can sometimes be clouded by a well-intentioned desire to protect one another. At such times, family dynamics can play a role in how healthcare decisions are made.

This program brought together experts who shared their perspectives on the role that patients, families and providers can play when navigating the complexities of difficult healthcare decisions. View a recording of the webinar at https://speaksooner.org/programs/facing-the-challenges-of-healthcare-decisions/

05/13/2026

"Talking Buddy, a care call service​ developed by Naver Cloud and adopted by cities and counties across [South Korea],​ check​s on tens of thousands of seniors living alone in isolation or poverty. It holds tailored conversations that are two to five minutes long and designed to ease loneliness, detect emergencies and stimulate cognitive function to stave off dementia." Read more...

In the world’s fastest aging society, artificial intelligence is being used to make care calls to older adults who live alone and to fight dementia.

05/11/2026

"I’ve become a fierce proponent of facing your aging and mortality and planning for it — what we in the medical profession call advance care planning. Although my parents are supportive of my work, they don’t appear to have gotten the memo." Read more...

A few small changes to their home and habits will make it much more likely that they can age in their own home.