Alex Iyer

MD student @HarvardMed via @NIHBioethics @BrownUniversity | he/him

[Ziad Obermeyer @oziadias]

Is this patient having a heart attack?

After 10+ years in the ER, it’s still an agonizing question for me

I turned the angst into a long paper with @m_sendhil in @QJEHarvard—https://t.co/oFYY9FTaba

Tl;dr—machine learning can have *huge* benefit, and help fix docs' errors

🧵

[Kayte Spector-Bagdady @KayteSB]

In this new paper, we took a deep dive into how to equitably provide patients with opportunities to participate in clinical trials, using COVID-19 as a case study. A research ethics 🧵 /1

[Leah Pierson @leah_pierson]

I argue here that the NIH's research agenda should better reflect public health needs.

To accomplish this, the NIH should address disparities in which diseases are funded, which researchers are funded, and the types of research that are funded.

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

tl;dr - Interested to know the science behind '3rd shot in the primary series,' but don't let this framing obscure real ethical trade-offs in how we allocate vaccines. Getting the latter right seems more important. /end

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

I'm curious whether this distinction is scientifically relevant, and struggling to see how it is ethically relevant.

Re: science - What criteria make a vaccine dose 'part of the primary series'? How do we know that these criteria apply to 3rd dose, but not 4th or 5th doses? /1

[Arthur Caplan @ArthurCaplan]

Getting the description right at last! #FDA FDA's top vaccine leader explains why Covid-19 'boosters' may really just be the 3rd shot in the primary series
Don’t call it a booster it’s the third dose of a three-dose vaccine, according to FDA’s top vaccine leader Peter Marks.

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

Re: ethics - Whatever we call 3rd doses, we should evaluate benefits/risks of using them in different ways & choose the best option.

Eg, if you think new vax supply should be used as *1st* doses abroad, calling boosters '3rd shot in the primary series' should not change this. /2

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

@GIMJournal @anetrid Please feel free to DM me with any thoughts on our paper! For a bit more info:

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

My paper with @anetrid and terrific colleagues @NIHBioethics @NINDSnews is out!

Ethical challenges for a new generation of early-phase pediatric gene therapy trials:

https://t.co/HF6n3juSLK

/1

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

Please feel free to DM me for a PDF!

Extremely grateful to @anetrid, #SaskiaHendriks, and #ChristineGrady for two years of tireless mentorship. And to all of our @NINDSnews colleagues for their collaboration, insights, and inspiring approach to clinical research.

/end

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

My paper with @anetrid and terrific colleagues @NIHBioethics @NINDSnews is out!

Ethical challenges for a new generation of early-phase pediatric gene therapy trials:

https://t.co/HF6n3juSLK

/1

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

-How should investigators engage with highly invested patient communities?

-How should investigators navigate disagreements with patient communities that are engaged in a trial?

/9

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

@KimmelmanJ “Benefits and potential risks” is my personal favorite. Although, to be fair, some (much?) of the responsibility for this may lie with c) how inconsistently risks and potential benefits are described in the research ethics literature & many actual research regs!

[udo schuklenk 🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦🇦🇺🇩🇪 @schuklenk]

‘We are witnessing a crime against humanity’: Arundhati Roy on India’s Covid catastrophe https://t.co/TP2Dyezl74

[Alex Iyer @AlexAIyer]

The Good Fit — Why Medical Applicants’ Personal Statements Are Anything but Personal | NEJM https://t.co/fDiCPQReqJ