Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015): Harvard Medical Student Review: Issue 3 – September 2015

Issue 3 of the Harvard Medical Student Review showcases student- and trainee-led scholarship spanning health policy, clinical practice, medical history, and ethics. A featured health policy article makes a business case for “oral physicians,” arguing that dentists are well positioned to help address the U.S. primary care shortage through systematic screening and novel practice models. Clinical and historical reviews compare warfarin with newer factor Xa inhibitors for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and trace the centuries‑long discovery of viral hepatitis viruses from “campaign jaundice” to modern vaccines and antivirals. Viewpoint essays reflect on teaching obesity medicine abroad as a Fulbright scholar, scrutinize rising U.S. drug costs and the use of cost‑effectiveness in approval and coverage decisions, and propose a “harm principle” to safeguard donors in organ transplantation. Together, these pieces highlight how evolving science, economics, and ethics are reshaping the practice and policy of modern medicine.