Interviews

Michael McGuire, PharmD, reviewed Mental Health America’s recent publication on the current state of mental health in America and addressed socioeconomic barriers in access to care.

Ayodeji Adegunsoye, MD, PhD, MSc, highlights how the underrepresentation of minority populations in pulmonary fibrosis genetic studies hinders accurate disease risk prediction and broader clinical translation.

David J. Maron, MD, FASPC, president-elect of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC), previews hot topics of interest at this year's congress and how lessons he has learned from current ASPC president Michael Shapiro, DO, FASPC, will shape his presidency set to commence next year.

Hadar Avihai Lev-Tov, MD, asserts that advancements in teledermatology and artificial intelligence (AI)–powered diagnostic tools are crucial for improving health care efficiency and patient access within managed care.

Some hospitals in New Jersey may be eligible for part of the $50 billion CMS spending on rural health care, according to State Sen Vincent Polistina (R, New Jersey).

At the 2025 Society for Pediatric Dermatology conference, Karen Vo, DO, presented research analyzing popular TikTok videos about epidermolysis bullosa, highlighting the platform’s power in raising awareness through emotional storytelling, and used her findings to advocate for early school-based mental health support and stronger, more inclusive antibullying policies for children with chronic skin conditions.

Cory Simpson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Washington, spoke to the need for more treatment options in genetic skin conditions and the possibility of drug repurposing.

Virginia Sybert, MD, clinical professor of medical genetics at the University of Washington, discussed what dermatologists should know about molecular testing in clinical practice.

Pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa faces diagnostic delays and stigma, while adalimumab shows superior drug survival compared with infliximab in children.

A review highlights the need for better research on pediatric segmental vitiligo treatments, as current options show mixed results, and at SPD 2025, Hira Ghani, DO, emphasized the importance of recognizing often-overlooked skin conditions in children.

Making sure that glands around the eyes are not blocked by poor hygiene is a vital step in mitigating symptoms of dry eye.

At the recent regional Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Boston, Anasuya Gunturi, MD, PhD, Lowell General Hospital, was a panelist for the discussion, “Evolving Breast Cancer Care: Addressing Unmet Needs Across the Patient Journey.”

The efficacy of ruxolitinib cream in pediatric patients shows that nonsteroidal management of atopic dermatitis is feasible, said Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital.

Michael Hassett, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reflects on the impact of HER2 identification on the breast cancer treatment continuum.

State governments must have budgetary and regulatory flexibility to support health care innovation, says State Sen Vincent Polistina (R, New Jersey).

This Managed Care Cast episode explores how high costs and inconsistent insurance coverage for incretin mimetics impact obesity management and patient care.

David Nguyen, MD, medical oncologist with Tufts Medicine and Lowell General Hospital, discusses the evolving landscape of advanced cancer treatments like chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies

Amir Fathi, MD, discusses one of the biggest nonfinancial barriers to bispecific therapies: the expertise required to safely administer and manage them.

Seventy percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander women diagnosed with lung cancer were non- or never-smokers, highlighting a need to rethink lung cancer screening to reduce disparities.

Ayodeji Adegunsoye, MD, PhD, MSc, discusses how emerging genetic insights like telomere-related mutations may reshape disease management in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Lifestyle changes like drinking a lot of water and limiting screen time can help to alleviate symptoms of dry eye even outside of eye drops, says Karen Fernandez, MD.

There is a great need to streamline the process from the tissue sample to the diagnostic lab, whether it's genomic or immunohistochemistry, Robert Kratzke, MD, says.

Marilyn Glassberg, MD, emphasizes the need for improved community education and highlights promising new drug pathways for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Caroline Vovan, PharmD, CDE, emphasized the expanding role of ambulatory clinical pharmacists in value-based care.

María Díez Campelo, MD, PhD, concludes by highlighting imetelstat’s real-world quality of life benefits for patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and the need for improved patient-reported outcome tools and caregiver-focused research.

Revumenib is now the sole targeted therapy recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network for KMT2A-rearranged acute leukemia, which opens a path for payers, said Ivo Abraham, PhD, RN, of The University of Arizona.

Ambulatory clinical pharmacists improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs by providing hands-on chronic disease management, patient education, and medication cost oversight, according to Caroline Vovan, PharmD, CDE.

These interviews are the top episodes, by listens, from among the 21 podcast episodes The American Journal of Managed Care® produced over the first half of 2025. Give them all another listen, and perhaps learn something new.

Karen Fernandez, MD, discusses the different types of treatment currently being tested for use in dry eye disease, which affects millions in the US.

The symptoms of dry eye are multifactorial, says Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, making identifying and treating dry eye important for quality of life.