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It’s not just that life expectancy in Mississippi (71.9) now appears to be a hair shorter than in Bangladesh (72.4). Nor that an infant is some 70 percent more likely to die in the United States than in other wealthy countries. (Nicholas Kristof and September Dawn Bottoms, 8/16)

Last year the C.D.C. issued new prescription guidelines intended, in part, to induce a course correction. But facing a confusing mess of federal and state laws, many physicians are still afraid to prescribe opioids to genuine pain sufferers. (Vishakha Barbha, Lucy King and Adam Westbrook, 8/16)

Several companies are trying to develop brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, in hopes of helping patients with severe paralysis or other neurological disorders. Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company Neuralink, for example, recently received Food and Drug Administration approval to begin human testing for a tiny brain implant that can communicate with computers. (Laura Y. Cabrera, 8/16)

In 1903, my grandfather Alex entered the United States from Bialystok, Poland, following a pogrom that saw his parents killed. Once in the United States, he did not enter right away, despite a brother who was already here. Instead, he first waited at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, not just to be processed but also so that he could be screened for tuberculosis as well as other contagious diseases. (Dr. Marc Siegel, 8/17)

There are people in your life who influence and shape how you see the world. For me, one of these people is Terry Moakley, a warm and welcoming family friend, a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a fervent advocate for people with disabilities. After he became a quadriplegic as a result of an injury, he began a decades-long career dedicated to improving disability access. (Liz Beatty, 8/17)

Precision medicine driven by genetic health care is knocking on the door. It offers hope that, sooner than later, we can address health problems like Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and heart disease that affect the lives of so many Americans. For many patients, the first step will be genetic testing and counseling by a board-certified genetic counselor. But for 65 million Medicare beneficiaries, genetic counselors’ services are currently behind a locked door. (Deepti Babu, 8/17)