Causes or Cures
"For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots"
Causes or Cures is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Eeks—an independent, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a passion for breaking down complex health topics into bite-sized, easy-to-understand insights. Dr. Eeks works as a public health consultant, in the realm of epi/scicomms. She's all about making science relatable and often uses her blue-collar sense of humor to drive the message home.
On this podcast, Dr. Eeks talks with experts from around the world—doctors, researchers, public health pros, and more—to dive into the latest hot topics in health and research, all in a down-to-earth kind of way.
DISCLAIMER: Some topics are more controversial than others, so keep in mind that this is information only and not health advice. Dr. Eeks doesn't endorse any of her guests' views, and despite a strict health routine, nor does she endorse any products, supplements, oils, magic socks or potions. Causes or Cures is not a "news site." It's about having conversations, and Dr. Eeks is confident that she can have a respectful conversation with anyone, even people who think far differently than she does. (At least that's been her experience at hole-in-the-wall bars.) The point is to not take anything here as Gospel. Sometimes Dr. Eeks' dog Barnaby makes his opinion known, but the good news is that he's a smart dog. Most importantly, she hopes this podcast encourages folks to stay curious, empathic, hopeful, compassionate, honest, open-minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful thing, delightfully messy, and one that many take for granted.
The views on this podcast do not reflect the views of anyone she contracts with or consults for. You can contact Dr. Eeks through her website, bloomingwellness.com.
Causes or Cures
The Dominant Biomedical Research Agenda and Industry's Massive Influence on It
In this podcast, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Cecilia Rikap of Argentina, Dr. Marc-Andre Gagnon of Canada and Dr. Mercedes Garcia Carrillo of Argentia who, along with a few other researchers, conducted a study and wrote a paper titled: "Whose shoulders is health research standing on? Determining the key actors and contents of the prevailing biomedical research agenda."
In the podcast, they will discuss what the dominant biomedical research agenda is and why it's so important; what its chief contents are; the players that have the most influence over the dominant research agenda (including how much industry influences it), and what is not included in the agenda and why that is important. They will also suggest ways to improve the contents of the agenda and ensure that no one has a monopoly over influencing it. In addition, they talk a little about science, funding and vaccine access as it relates to the current pandemic.
Dr. Mercedes García Carrillo is a biologist and a CONICET postdoctoral scholar. Currently, she is part of the Cancer Systems Biology and Philosophy Laboratory at the Institute of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Translational Biology of the University of Buenos Aires. Her research is focused on studying the impact of commonly used herbicides on human cell lines and microbial soil communities. Mercedes holds a PhD in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires. Her PhD research was focused on the development of emergent food preservation techniques for the treatment of fruit and vegetable beverages.
Dr. Cecilia Rikap is a tenure researcher at the CONICET, Argentina’s national research council, and visiting professor of the IDHES, Université Paris Saclay. She is also an associate researcher of COSTECH, Université de Technologie de Compiègne and CEPED, IRD/Université de Paris, and a professor at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Her research is centered around the rising concentration of intangible assets, focusing on power relations and the distribution of data and innovation-related economic gains, resulting geopolitical tensions, and the effects on knowledge commons & development. She is the author of the book Capitalism, Power and Innovation: Intellectual Monopoly Capitalism Uncovered (Routledge, 2021). She holds a PhD in economics from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Dr. Marc-André Gagnon is Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada). He is a Research Fellow with the WHO Collaborating Center on Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector. His research focuses on pharmaceutical policy and on the political economy of the drug industry. More specifically, his on-going research focuses on comparative analysis of health care coverage (and pharmacare), on innovation policy and intellectual property in the knowledge-based economy, as well as institutional corruption in pharmaceutical research. He holds a PhD in political science from York University, a Diplôme d’études approfondies in economics from Paris-I Sorbonne and École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay/Saint-Cloud. His did his postdoctoral studies in Law with the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy at McGill University and in Ethics with the Edmond J. Safra Centre for Ethics à l’Université Harvard.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.
Or Facebook here.
Or