Perspectives

Daniel S. Ory, MD, of the School of Medicine, writes on The Hill’s Congress Blog that patients facing rare diseases, and their families, are crucial to making progress toward better treatments and earlier diagnosis. Hundreds of people are expected on Capitol Hill today to advocate for legislation toward that effort.

 Associate Provost Dedric Carter is holding a regular online discussion delving deeper into technology entrepreneurship as part of a course. The latest conversation on Fuse focuses on how to pitch an idea.

Counting down to Sunday’s Oscar award ceremony, Michelle Kelley, a postdoctoral fellow in film and media studies in Arts & Sciences, weighs in on the Center for the Humanities site about the controversy over the lack of racial diversity among Oscar nominees.

Why do we sometimes cry while watching a movie? Or flinch during action scenes? Neuroscientist Jeffrey Zacks, of Arts & Sciences, shares some reasons why for a “Hold That Thought” podcast. Zacks is the author of “Flicker: Your Brain on Movies.”

Economists Michele Boldrin and David Levine, of Arts & Sciences, write in a piece on The Hill’s Congress Blog that the nation’s patent system is failing, discourages innovation and “is in desperate need of reform.”

Melody Goodman, of the School of Medicine, writes on the Institute for Public Health blog about health disparities in the St. Louis region. She warns that where you live and work has major health consequences. “Your ZIP code predicts health outcomes better than your genetic code,” she said.

Three faculty members at the Brown School are co-editors of a book published this month, “Prevention, Policy, and Public Health” (Oxford University Press). The book, with work by Amy Eyler, Sarah Moreland-Russell and Ross Brownson, offers policy training for both students and professionals in public-health work.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Dredge Byung’chu Kang, a cultural anthropologist in Arts & Sciences, discusses national and global relationship trends and what does (or doesn’t) make us fall in love for “Hold That Thought.”

Jolijt Tamanaha, a recent alum and two-time startup founder, offers tips and writes about the advantages of starting a company while still in college.

Adia Harvey Wingfield, of Arts & Sciences, writes in The Atlantic about how expectations for workers in some fields, especially service jobs, can take a toll on women and reinforce gender inequality in the workplace.