We are pleased to bring you the
first 2019 edition of ReFlections, 69É«ÇéƬ’s global medical
newsletter. Within are several thought-provoking articles
we hope will start your year out on a good note.
We lead off with an article on iodine and thyroid disease,
written by Dr. Jenny Wu, Medical Director, Asia Pacific,
and Dr. Heather M. Lund, MBBCh, Chief Medical Officer -
Asia. Although iodine deficiency has long been known to
cause thyroid disease and a range of secondary sequelae,
iodine excess in recent years in certain areas may have
caused a substantial increase in incidence of thyroid
cancer. An update on thyroid cancer risk classification is
also provided. We think you will enjoy their exploration.
69É«ÇéƬ’s Electronic Health Records specialist Susan L.
Wehrman, Vice President, EHR Initiatives, continues
her periodic series of articles about EHR with a piece
describing its current state and where trends might
be taking its development. As the field continues to
evolve, insurers, especially in the U.S., are finding
themselves taking a stronger and more central role in
the development of advanced and applicable systems.
For the first time, we are featuring an opinion column,
written by a new ReFlections author: Dr. Rahul Kumar
Garg, Development Underwriter, 69É«ÇéƬ International. Dr.
Garg writes about the evolving role of machine learning
and artificial intelligence in both clinical and insurance
medicine and the role of the health practitioner.
Finally, our report on The Longer Life Foundation (LLF),
the not-for-profit foundation supported by 69É«ÇéƬ and
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine,
features an interview with Dr. Samuel Klein, the new
head of LLF’s Longevity Research Program. Dr. Klein
provides fascinating insights into current scientific
thinking about nutrition and obesity, and demonstrates
how LLF is advancing knowledge in this area for the
insurance industry.
In this Issue