What we're reading

In this monthly blog post, members of the MATTER team highlight articles from across the web, and the occasional book or two, that cover some of the most relevant business and healthcare topics today.

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, Sam Quinones

“The U.S. life expectancy has decreased for the past three years in a row, the first time since the Spanish flu a century ago. Opioid overdoses account for a significant percentage of deaths due to unintentional injuries, the third leading cause of death (following heart disease and cancer). Dreamland takes an in-depth, honest look at the historical causes and many contributing factors that have led to the current state of the Opioid Epidemic. Moreover, it offers possible solutions that we can implement to address the crisis with the hopes of ending this cycle of addiction and overdose initiated by prescription medication, in addition to making recovery more attainable for those currently struggling.”

—Brynn Carlson, MATTER Intern

I’d blush if I could: closing gender divides in digital skills through education, UNESCO

“I recently found my way to this report published by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The report, which includes a policy paper and two think pieces, is an in-depth look at gender gaps in the technology sector. If you’ve only got a few minutes, the second think piece is an interesting read. It looks at the widespread use of AI-powered digital assistants through the lens of gender and examines the role that the rise of gendered AI (including ones like Siri and Alexa) might have in perpetuating existing (and even new) gender biases.”

—Liz Kennedy, Marketing Associate

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, Tracy Kidder

“Public health and the identification of unforeseen cost drivers are fascinating topics to me. Understanding the true breadth and depth of the disease states that generational segments face allow us to better understand how the healthcare space should respond. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association points out many of these factors in their recently published study looking at the health of the Millennial population.”

—Courtney Zhu, Program Coordinator