
Intention to Treat
From the New England Journal of Medicine, welcome to “Intention to Treat,” a podcast exploring the most complicated, perplexing, and fascinating issues facing medicine today. From groundbreaking research, to clinical advances, to personal stories from doctors and their patients, we give you a behind-the-scenes look at discoveries that are changing medical practice and provide you with the knowledge to thrive on the front lines of health care.

Episodes
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Unleashing CRISPR on Cancer
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum explores the story of a teenager who’s now in remission from previously relapsed lymphoblastic leukemia and talks with the investigator who developed the “off-the-shelf” CAR T cells that made her treatment possible.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303851.
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
New Patient-Centered Options for Cancer Treatment
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
“Intention to Treat” host Rachel Gotbaum talks with patient Awilde Peña and oncologist Deb Schrag about a new approach to treating rectal cancer that sidesteps the need for radiation, thereby avoiding long-term side effects and preserving fertility.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303850.
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Lessons for a Pandemic
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Drs. Harvey Fineberg and Eric Rubin take stock of the failures and successes of the Covid-19 response and elucidate their lessons for combating the next major public health threat, whatever it may be.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303615.
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Race Relations and the First Paramedics
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
This episode of “Intention to Treat” tells the story of the Freedom House Ambulance Service — a group of Black laypeople in Pittsburgh who underwent intensive training to become the first paramedics in the United States.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303614.
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
Waiting on Prostate Cancer
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum talks with patient Robert Schlamberg and Doctors Oladapo Yeku and Oliver Sartor about the option of watchful waiting in the care of men with early prostate cancer.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2303613.
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Is Medicine Ready for AI?
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Maia Hightower and Isaac Kohane join host Rachel Gotbaum to explore the promise and hazards of artificial-intelligence and machine-learning tools for both clinical and administrative uses in medicine.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2301939.
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
The Fauci Phenomenon, Part 2
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” Anthony Fauci sits down with host Rachel Gotbaum to discuss his long career in infectious disease and public health, what has motivated him, and the lessons he has learned and taught along the way.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300938.
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
The Fauci Phenomenon
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” some of the people who have worked closely with “America’s Doctor,” Anthony Fauci, offer insights into his character, values, accomplishments, and adventures over his decades of service at the NIH.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300937.
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
The Promise and Perils of Psychedelics
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” a study participant and a long-time investigator of hallucinogenic drugs for psychiatric conditions illuminate the effects of psilocybin in patients with depression.
A full transcript of this episode is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300936.
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Post-Roe Realities
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
In this episode of “Intention to Treat,” host Rachel Gotbaum takes us to Tennessee and Ohio, where new abortion bans are already harming patients and threatening their physicians.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300935.

About the Host
Rachel Gotbaum, the host and producer of the NEJM podcast “Intention to Treat,” is an award-winning health care journalist with more than two decades of experience reporting and hosting audio documentaries, narrative features, breaking news, and podcasts. Rachel has worked as an editor, reporter, and producer on several national radio programs, including NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Weekend Edition,” and “Here and Now.” Her stories have aired on NPR, “Marketplace,” CBC Radio, and PRX’s “The World” and have been published by the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Kaiser Health News. She has frequently focused on the culture of medicine and its effects on all aspects of health care, from policy to patient outcomes.
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