Lown Institute

10/14/2026

Pharma bro Martin Shkreli, the namesake of our annual awards for the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in healthcare, is back in the news and just in time for our 10th awards show!

The Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of seven states asked a federal court on Tuesday to punish Martin Shkreli for “flagrantly and repeatedly” violating a lifetime ban from being involved in the pharmaceutical industry. In a court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the FTC said Shkreli has traded in at least 60 pharmaceutical stocks since being released from prison in 2022.

A leopard, it seems, cannot change its spots.

Submit your nomination by 10/31 for this year's awards at https://lowninstitute.org/shkreli-award-nominations/

10/09/2026

Is science too siloed, too beholden to certain points of view? If so, should the feds be able to drive federal dollars towards different points of view? Brenna & Vikas get into it in this episode of The Lowdown.

10/09/2026

This Tuesday, October 13, at 12pm join the Lown Institute for a conversation with Dr. Patricia A. Gabow, former Denver Health CEO and immediate past chairperson of the Lown Institute board, to discuss her new book, The Women’s Guide to Healthcare Leadership. We'll talk about the persistent gender gap in top healthcare executive roles, insights from industry leaders, and practical exercises to help women navigate systemic barriers.

Get your virtual seat and join the conversation @ https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PofeyJcdQiGX9hFIuyoroQ #/registration

10/09/2026

The Trump administration just kicked 760,000 people off of public health insurance, claiming these enrollees were fakes and frauds. In this episode of The Lowdown, Brenna & Vikas try and figure out how we can provide insurance for legit patients in need while also stopping frauds from stealing from us.

10/09/2026

Following the uproar at a bar in Western Mass that tried a mask-optional policy for Saturday nights, Brenna asks Vikas - who has long COVID and chooses to mask in many settings - what his thoughts are on masking these days. Have we abandoned public health precautions, or should this be an individual choice? We get into it in this edition of The Lowdown.

10/09/2026

When traditional medical interventions fail, patients facing chronic pain and even end of life diagnoses often have few other places to turn. Should they have early access to untested drugs that may or may not help? Brenna & Vikas dig into this difficult question in this episode of The Lowdown.

09/30/2026

Shkreli Award nominations open through 10/31!

Private equity firms running rural hospitals into the ground; doctors performing unnecessary surgeries to earn more cash; device companies hiding their knowledge of using carcinogenic ingredients; these are just a few examples of previous winners of the Shkreli Awards. We want to hear about the egregious examples from this past year – tell us who you think deserves a 2026 Shkreli Award! Nominations will close October 31, 2026.

Add your nomination @ lowninstitute.org/shkreli-award-nominations

09/29/2026

And it’s clear that worries about medical expenses are no longer relegated to people with little or no financial cushion. Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, expects to see more people across the income spectrum facing medical debt burdens.

“Either the prices have to moderate and come down, or insurance has to cover more,” Saini said. The real fix, he said, involves addressing a wider problem. “We need to reorganize health insurance so that everybody’s covered and the question of how doctors and hospitals and everybody else gets paid doesn’t land on the lap of working people who are struggling,” Saini said.

Nonprofit hospitals are required to help those who can't pay, but as medical costs rise and health insurance coverage shrinks, some patient advocates say hospitals need to do more.

09/23/2026

A new report shows that preventable deaths from ectopic pregnancy have doubled since the overthrow of Roe V. Wade. In this episode of The Lowdown, Brenna & Vikas ask if it's time for hospitals to step up and protect their patients seeking care even in the face of lawsuits from the Feds.

09/22/2026

With rural birthing centers closing at a breathtaking clip and federal funds for ob/gyn services drying up, what's U.S. maternity care going to look like in five years? Brenna & Vikas try to predict the magnitude of this coming storm in this episode of The Lowdown.