Milken Institute
Showing 706–720 of 2094 transcripts.
- 1h 0m
Opioid Addiction: A Crisis Fueled by Stigma
Sarah Karlin-Smith, Kelly Clark, Gary Mendell, Andrey Ostrovsky, Nora Volkow, Ronnie Solomon, Michael Golinkoff
A panel of leading experts, including Dr. Kelly Clark and Gary Mendel, identifies deep-seated stigma as a primary driver of the opioid crisis that obstructs effective funding and policy implementation. To combat this, organizations like Shatterproof propose a seven-point strategy shifting addiction from a criminal justice issue to a chronic disease model, while researchers in Rhode Island demonstrate that medication access for released inmates drastically reduces overdose mortality. Despite these clinical victories, persistent structural barriers such as the X-waiver requirement, inadequate federal budget allocations, and restrictive privacy laws continue to hinder widespread adoption of evidence-based treatments.
- 1h 16m
Reducing the Cost and Risk of Dementia
Nora Super, Michael Belleville, Jennie Chin Hansen, Kevin Crain, Jeff Huber, Shari Ling, Sarah Locke, Ian Cramer, Orion, Alan Stevens, Jill Lesser
Leading health officials, financial institutions, and advocacy groups are collaborating to address the rising dementia crisis through CMS payment reforms, specialized geriatric emergency departments, and early detection strategies integrated into banking and home care services. Key initiatives include the ET3 transport model, the expansion of accredited GED facilities, and Bank of America's training of financial advisors to identify cognitive decline, all aimed at shifting from reactive treatment to proactive management. Despite these systemic efforts, significant barriers such as workforce shortages, late-stage diagnoses, and caregiver burnout remain critical challenges that require continued policy innovation and community engagement to resolve.
- 57 min
Making Influenza History: The Quest for a Universal Vaccine
Michael Specter, Rick Bright, Anthony Fauci, Bruce Gellin, Margaret Hamburg, Casey Wright
Annual seasonal influenza causes approximately 650,000 global deaths and imposes a $36.1 billion economic burden in the United States alone, yet current egg-based production methods and fragmented research efforts hinder the development of a universal vaccine. Although advances in structure-based design and synthetic mRNA technologies offer pathways to stabilize conserved viral targets and eliminate annual vaccination, commercial disincentives and outdated regulatory frameworks continue to stall progress. To overcome these systemic barriers, experts advocate for a dedicated global entity and sustained funding initiatives, such as a proposed $1 billion legislative package, to coordinate interdisciplinary collaboration and de-risk the shift toward rapid-response, long-lasting immunization platforms.
- 1h 0m
Flipping the Script: Designing the System to Deliver for Patients
Annie Kennedy, Gigi Hirsch, Marcus Schabacker, Andy Schmeltz, Jeffrey Shuren, Marcus Wilson
Leaders from patient advocacy groups, regulators, and industry convened to address critical misalignments between regulatory data standards, payer requirements, and patient outcomes, driving a shift toward patient-led research and value-based care models. Through collaborative frameworks like FDA's Patient and Caregiver Connection and MIT's learning health systems, stakeholders are overcoming data fragmentation by integrating real-world evidence into device approvals and reimbursement decisions. This collective effort establishes a new paradigm where patient preferences directly influence benefit-risk assessments, ensuring medical innovations effectively reach the right patients at the right time while promoting equitable access.
- 44 min
The Future of Brain Health
Meg Tirrell, Ruth Benca, Marie Bernard, Rod Hochman, Nora Super, Rudy Tanzi
The Milken Institute released a 2023 report highlighting the disproportionate burden of dementia on women alongside scientific breakthroughs in early detection and the re-evaluation of amyloid-targeting therapies like aducanumab. Experts are advocating for a multifactorial shift toward affordable oral medications, preventive sleep strategies, and age-friendly care systems that reduce reliance on hospital settings. While a total cure by 2025 remains unlikely, the field is converging on combining pharmacological interventions with lifestyle modifications to manage risk and improve outcomes for diverse populations.
- 26 min
A Conversation with Robert Wilkie, Secretary, US Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs leverages a legacy of six major medical breakthroughs and a 1.2 million patient network to transform veteran care through the transformative Mission Act and integrated digital health systems. By pioneering genomic research, artificial intelligence partnerships with institutions like Stanford, and a military-integrated nursing model, the agency addresses critical challenges such as prostate cancer and a daily suicide toll of 20 veterans. These efforts have elevated the VA's workforce ranking to sixth among federal departments while fostering broad public-private collaborations to expand access and improve long-term outcomes for the 10 million veterans receiving services.
- 47 min
Wednesday Lunch: Walking the Drug-Pricing Tightrope
Dan Diamond, Dan Leonard, Seema Verma, Matt Iles, Mark McClellan
Moderated by Dan Diamond, the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit panel "Walking the Drug Pricing Tightrope" featured Seema Verma, Matt Iles, and Mark McClellan debating the tension between innovation and affordability amidst record-breaking drug costs. While the group reached consensus on shifting to value-based payment models to address unsustainable spending in Part B and high-cost curative therapies, they diverged on whether government negotiation or private sector competition offers the most effective solution for lowering prices without stifling future research. With Nancy Pelosi absent, the panelists emphasized that any viable legislative path must satisfy strict bipartisanship requirements to avoid jeopardizing patient access or long-term drug development pipelines.
- 25 min
Wednesday Lunch feat. Bill Cassidy
Bill Cassidy, Esther Krofa, Dan Diamond
At the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit, Senator Bill Cassidy and Faster Cures' Esther Krofa discussed strategies to balance drug affordability with the financial incentives required for medical innovation. Cassidy defended the pharmaceutical industry against claims of excessive profitability while advocating for subscription-based pricing models and rejecting direct government negotiation as a threat to high-risk research. The dialogue highlighted specific legislative successes in closing rebate loopholes and ending gag clauses, concluding with a realistic assessment that a comprehensive drug pricing bill has a 60% probability of enactment by year-end.
- 57 min
Sexual, Reproductive, and Maternal Health in America
Christy Turlington Burns, Dr. Michael Liu, Dr. Lena Nguyen, Representative Lauren Underwood
In a session featuring Dr. Michael Liu, Christy Turlington Burns, Dr. Lena Nguyen, and Rep. Lauren Underwood, experts addressed the 50% rise in U.S. maternal mortality and the threefold racial disparity that leaves over 700 women dead annually. The panel detailed recent legislative victories by the Black Maternal Health Caucus, including $50 million in funding and a push for 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage, while emphasizing that half of these deaths are preventable through safety bundles and bias training. Despite concerns about technology exacerbating inequities, the speakers advocated for high-touch care models and systemic reforms targeting social determinants to secure bipartisan support for maternal survival.
- 58 min
Poised to Break the Bank: Paying for Chronic Disease
Allison, Anand, Tom, Nancy, Paul Davis, Eric, Michael Golinkoff, John Rother, Megan Golden, Jess Leifer, Stephanie Cousins
A multi-sector consensus addresses the $2.4 trillion annual burden of chronic U.S. diseases by implementing interventions like Geisinger's Food Pharmacy, which reduces healthcare costs by aligning patient acuity with intensive lifestyle support. While capitated payment models and digital innovations such as Omada Health improve scalability and outcomes, structural barriers including payer misalignment and low screening rates for prediabetes necessitate policy shifts toward sugar taxes and multi-payer funding. Concurrently, the medical landscape is pivoting from opioid reliance to holistic pain management and gene therapies, with academic institutions like Kaiser Permanente adapting curricula to prioritize prevention and address the mental health needs of 74% of employees.
- 58 min
Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis
Ed, Dan Diamond, Dr. Megan Ranney, Dr. Babak Sarani, Lina Wen, Dr. Mallory Williams, Maya, Chris Corey, Kenyatta Hazelwood, Josh, Bob
A panel of medical professionals and public health experts advocates for a public health approach to gun violence, emphasizing that current political narratives often overlook evidence-based solutions like high-capacity magazine restrictions in favor of ineffective symbolic measures. The discussion highlights a severe research drought caused by federal inaction since 1996, while profiling successful local interventions such as Baltimore's Safe Streets program and urging the integration of trauma centers into long-term community conflict resolution. Despite broad optimism for shifting discourse, the panelists warn that sustained progress remains contingent on overcoming funding gaps and addressing the social determinants of health that disproportionately impact minority communities.
- 1h 16m
Reducing the Cost and Risk of Dementia
Nora Super, Michael Belleville, Jennie Chin Hansen, Kevin Crain, Jeff Huber, Shari Ling, Sarah Locke, Ian Cramer, Orion, Alan Stevens, Jill Lesser
The Milken Institute's new report on reducing dementia costs sparked a multi-sector dialogue involving CMS officials, patient advocates, and industry leaders to address critical gaps in workforce preparedness and community support. Key initiatives highlighted include CMS's expanded billing codes for cognitive screening, the rapid growth of accredited Geriatric Emergency Departments that reduce hospitalizations, and innovative financial strategies to protect caregivers from retirement disparities. Panelists emphasized that effective intervention requires moving beyond isolated medical treatment to holistic models that integrate home care, fraud detection, and policy changes aimed at improving long-term quality of life.
- 35 min
A Conversation with Chef José Andrés
World Central Kitchen, founded by José Andrés, deploys a decentralized network of over 44,000 volunteers to serve millions of meals globally by prioritizing immediate on-site adaptation over rigid bureaucratic planning. In crisis zones ranging from the Bahamas to Haiti, the organization utilizes local food systems and improvised logistics to deliver fresh nutrition while transitioning to economic recovery initiatives that support local micro-businesses. This model, funded primarily by small individual donations, explicitly challenges traditional aid structures by focusing on preventing health crises through nutrition rather than treating illness after the fact.
- 59 min
Age-Forward 2030: The Intersection of Housing and Health Care
Susan Donley, Gretchen Alkema, Bechara Choucair, Tama Duffy Day, Christopher Herbert, Susan Donnelly
Driven by the urgent reality that half of middle-income seniors cannot afford both housing and care, this event convenes policymakers, healthcare leaders, and urban planners to address the rising demographic of adults over 80 who face severe social isolation and financial insecurity. The discussion highlights successful cross-sector initiatives, such as California's "Master Plan for Aging" and intergenerational housing models, which integrate affordable housing with health services to reduce costly hospitalizations and extend life expectancy. Participants outline a 2030 vision requiring federal and local governments to dismantle policy silos, reform zoning laws, and invest $200 million or more to create stable, age-friendly communities that leverage older adults as active societal contributors.
- 58 min
Gut Feeling: Food, Microbiome, and Disease Prevention
Julie DiBiase, Robynne Chutkan, Rob Knight, David Perlmutter, Karen Sandell Sfanos, Robin Chutkan, Mark Hyman
Leading experts in functional medicine and microbiome research convened to establish that diet and environmental exposure fundamentally dictate human health by shaping the trillions of symbiotic microbes governing metabolism and immunity. Their discussions highlighted critical interventions, ranging from plant-rich dietary protocols that promote beneficial bacteria like *Akkermansia* to germ-free animal studies proving that specific microbial strains can transmit diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Ultimately, the panel advocates for a shift toward personalized medicine that utilizes longitudinal microbiome data and holistic lifestyle changes to prevent chronic illness rather than relying on transient pharmaceutical fixes.