Rethinking opioids in cardiac surgery with David Mazer and Ahmad Alli

Rethinking opioids in cardiac surgery with David Mazer and Ahmad Alli

One in ten cardiac surgery patients develops persistent opioid use after their operation. Drs Ahmad Alli and David Mazer of St. Michael's Hospital join Taissa Vila to discuss EPOCH CardioLink-10 — their randomised trial testing whether a single targeted nerve block can change that and what a positive result means for clinical practice and public health. Click here to read the full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00138-9/fulltext [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00138-9/fulltext?dgcid=icw_podcast_acq-july26_lanam]

HPV vaccination in Colombia with Romina Tejada and Juliana Rodriguez

Dr. Romina Tejada (Montreal) and Dr. Juliana Rodriguez (Bogotá) join senior editor Maria Augusta Dario to discuss their new modeling study on switching from the quadrivalent to the nonavalent HPV vaccine in Colombia, and what it means for cervical cancer elimination. Click here to read the full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00113-4/fulltext  [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00113-4/fulltext?dgcid=podcast_acq-june2026_lanam]

Dr Brant and Dr Felisbino‑Mendes on Brazil’s changing burden of disease and the lasting impact of COVID‑19

In this episode, our editor Taissa Vila speaks with Dr Luisa Brant and Dr Mariana Felisbino-Mendes about their capstone Global Burden of Disease analysis for Brazil, tracing major health trends from 1990 to 2023. Together, they unpack Brazil’s gains in life expectancy, the years of progress reversed by COVID-19, and the stark inequalities exposed across Brazilian states. The conversation also examines the impact of pandemic management, emerging post-pandemic challenges such as non-communicable diseases, and what Brazil’s experience can teach other middle-income countries about health system resilience. Click here to read the full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00071-2/fulltext [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00071-2/fulltext?dgcid=podcast_acq-may2026_lanam]

Kevin L’espérance on the epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma

Dr. L’espérance, an early-career scientist at Stanford University, USA, will talk about the latest estimates on the incidence and mortality rates of renal cell carcinoma in California, USA, data published in the April 2026 issue of The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.   Click here to read the full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00060-8/fulltext  [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00060-8/fulltext?dgcid=podcast_acq-april-2026_lanam]

Richard Nahin and Anna Zajacova on Chronic diseases in US adults

In this episode, our editor Taissa Vila talks to Dr. Richard Nahin (NIH) and Dr. Anna Zajacova (University of Western Ontario) about their pioneering report on the incidence of chronic diseases and conditions in US adults. The conversation highlights the value of focusing on new cases of noncommunicable diseases rather than just mortality, discusses the role of social and behavioral interventions, examines the impact of ageing on chronic conditions, and considers key questions for future research in public health and epidemiology.