Succeed in Medicine

Ep467 - Spotting the Lies in Health News Headlines

35min | 05/27/2025

Description

Sponsored by: Set For Life

Set For Life Insurance helps doctors safeguard their future with True Own Occupational Disability Insurance. A single injury or illness can change everything, but the best physicians plan ahead. Protect your income and secure your future before life makes the choice for you. Your career deserves protection—act now at https://www.doctorpodcastnetwork.co/setforlife

____________

In this episode, Dr. Bradley Block interviews Dr. Nini Munoz, who shares strategies to help physicians effectively navigate and combat health misinformation. Known for her platform Nini and the Brain, Dr. Munoz rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic by demystifying complex clinical data. She explains common statistical manipulations, like base rate fallacy and absolute versus relative risk, using examples such as raw milk claims and fluoride debates. Dr. Munoz emphasizes the difference between risk (quantifiable likelihood of harm) and hazard (potential to cause harm), offering strategies to communicate these concepts to patients by aligning with their personal values. From addressing publication bias to advocating humility in science, this episode equips physicians to counter misleading headlines and foster trust with patients.

Three Actionable Takeaways:

Spot Base Rate Fallacy – Adjust for population size when comparing health outcomes (e.g., pasteurized vs. raw milk hospitalizations) to avoid misleading absolute numbers and reveal true risk.
Question Weak Effects – Scrutinize studies with inconsistent or marginal effects, like fluoride research, by checking for confounders, publication bias, or non-replicable results.
Tailor Risk Communication – Frame health advice around patients’ personal risks (e.g., vaccine benefits for individual healthcare access) to make data relatable and actionable.

About the Show:
The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring covers patient interactions, burnout, career growth, personal finance, and more. If you're tired of dull medical lectures, tune in for real-world lessons we should have learned in med school!

About the Guest:
Dr. Nini Munoz is a PhD-trained electrical engineer and data scientist who gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic through her platform Nini and the Brain. Specializing in risk assessment and statistical literacy, she breaks down complex clinical data in English and Spanish, combating misinformation. Dr. Munoz collaborates with virologists, immunologists, and clinicians to make science accessible and advises healthcare organizations like Kaiser Permanente on risk communication strategies.
Website: https://www.niniandthebrain.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@techingitapart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niniandthebrain
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@niniandthebrain

About the host:

Dr. Bradley Block – Dr. Bradley Block is a board-certified otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Garden City, NY. He specializes in adult and pediatric ENT, with interests in sinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Block also hosts The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast, focusing on personal and professional development for physicians

Want to be a guest?

Email Brad at brad@physiciansguidetodoctoring.com or visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to learn more!

Socials:

@physiciansguidetodoctoring on Facebook

@physicianguidetodoctoring on YouTube<...

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

Sponsored by: Set For Life

Set For Life Insurance helps doctors safeguard their future with True Own Occupational Disability Insurance. A single injury or illness can change everything, but the best physicians plan ahead. Protect your income and secure your future before life makes the choice for you. Your career deserves protection—act now at https://www.doctorpodcastnetwork.co/setforlife

____________

In this episode, Dr. Bradley Block interviews Dr. Nini Munoz, who shares strategies to help physicians effectively navigate and combat health misinformation. Known for her platform Nini and the Brain, Dr. Munoz rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic by demystifying complex clinical data. She explains common statistical manipulations, like base rate fallacy and absolute versus relative risk, using examples such as raw milk claims and fluoride debates. Dr. Munoz emphasizes the difference between risk (quantifiable likelihood of harm) and hazard (potential to cause harm), offering strategies to communicate these concepts to patients by aligning with their personal values. From addressing publication bias to advocating humility in science, this episode equips physicians to counter misleading headlines and foster trust with patients.

Three Actionable Takeaways:

Spot Base Rate Fallacy – Adjust for population size when comparing health outcomes (e.g., pasteurized vs. raw milk hospitalizations) to avoid misleading absolute numbers and reveal true risk.
Question Weak Effects – Scrutinize studies with inconsistent or marginal effects, like fluoride research, by checking for confounders, publication bias, or non-replicable results.
Tailor Risk Communication – Frame health advice around patients’ personal risks (e.g., vaccine benefits for individual healthcare access) to make data relatable and actionable.

About the Show:
The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring covers patient interactions, burnout, career growth, personal finance, and more. If you're tired of dull medical lectures, tune in for real-world lessons we should have learned in med school!

About the Guest:
Dr. Nini Munoz is a PhD-trained electrical engineer and data scientist who gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic through her platform Nini and the Brain. Specializing in risk assessment and statistical literacy, she breaks down complex clinical data in English and Spanish, combating misinformation. Dr. Munoz collaborates with virologists, immunologists, and clinicians to make science accessible and advises healthcare organizations like Kaiser Permanente on risk communication strategies.
Website: https://www.niniandthebrain.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@techingitapart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niniandthebrain
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@niniandthebrain

About the host:

Dr. Bradley Block – Dr. Bradley Block is a board-certified otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Garden City, NY. He specializes in adult and pediatric ENT, with interests in sinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Block also hosts The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast, focusing on personal and professional development for physicians

Want to be a guest?

Email Brad at brad@physiciansguidetodoctoring.com or visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to learn more!

Socials:

@physiciansguidetodoctoring on Facebook

@physicianguidetodoctoring on YouTube<...

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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