Lown Institute

08/20/2026

"I think we’re at a similar point with AI, where there’s an opportunity for a 'bottom-up' maker movement to help shape how AI is employed on the front lines. By more intimately knowing patients’ needs and medicine’s current blind spots, I feel that clinicians are positioned to actively guide the development of these tools." — Board Member Nathan Wilson

Lown Institute Board Member Nathan Wilson, Ph.D., is an expert in artificial intelligence and its deployment for industry and government. In this interview, Wilson gives his takes on the potential impact of AI on healthcare access, quality, and equity.

Read the full interview @ https://lowninstitute.org/theres-an-opportunity-for-a-maker-movement-to-help-shape-how-ai-is-employed-on-the-front-lines-an-interview-with-board-member-nathan-wilson/

08/18/2026

Nominations for the 2026 Shkreli Awards are now open!

Private equity firms running rural hospitals into the ground; doctors performing unnecessary surgeries to earn more cash; device companies hiding their knowledge of using carcinogenic ingredients; these are just a few examples of previous winners of the Shkreli Awards. We want to hear about the egregious examples from this past year – tell us who you think deserves a 2026 Shkreli Award!

Submit your nomination by 10/31 at https://lowninstitute.org/shkreli-award-nominations/

08/14/2026

Safety net hospitals are known for serving high rates of Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients. Their patient populations are frequently lower-income and face higher chronic disease rates, making them some of the most vulnerable amongst us. Because safety net hospitals treat these patients when other hospitals won’t, they often struggle with finances and are often at risk of closure.

25 acute care safety net hospitals in the nation scored straight “A”’s across equity, value, and outcomes, earning them spots on the Lown Index Honor Roll.

See the full list @ https://lowninstitute.org/2026-lown-hospitals-index-safety-net/

08/12/2026

PRESS RELEASE: More heart specialists, more low-value stents: New study links interventional cardiologist supply to overuse of non-emergency heart procedures.

In parts of the country with the greatest concentration of physicians who perform coronary stenting and angioplasty, patients are more likely to receive those procedures for stable heart disease, a use that major clinical trials have shown offers little or no benefit over medication alone, according to a new study from researchers at the Lown Institute published in PLOS ONE.

Read the full release @ https://lowninstitute.org/press-release-more-heart-specialists-more-low-value-stents-new-study-links-interventional-cardiologist-supply-to-overuse-of-non-emergency-heart-procedures/

08/11/2026

On Thursday, August 27, at 12 pm (ET) join the Lown Institute and Cal Chengqi Fang, PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, for a discussion about hospitals outsourcing billing to private equity. We'll dig into how many hospitals outsource billing to private equity, what hospitals gain, and what the implications are for patients.

Register @ https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GQZBdzQ1SeGfi6FM2li24Q #/registration

08/04/2026

Academic medical centers are hospitals that provide patient care while also educating the next generation of healthcare providers. Check out the 2026 Lown Hospitals Index's list of the top 25 academic medical centers in the nation @
https://lowninstitute.org/2026-lown-hospitals-index-top-academic-medical-centers/

08/03/2026

This Thursday, August 6, at 12 p.m. (ET) join the Lown Institute and guest speaker Professor Michal Horný, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, for a Lunchtime Webinar on the timing of out-of-pocket costs and how it can impact affordability. Bring your lunch and hop in the discussion!

Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/T5pjD3AcSY6QIPwL2PL5hQ #/registration

07/29/2026

PRESS RELEASE: The Lown Institute Elects Renowned Trauma Surgeon and Public Health Leader Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr. as Board Chairperson.

The Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank setting the standard for social responsibility in healthcare, announces the election of Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr. as chairperson of its board of directors. Dr. Rogers, a board member since 2023, assumes leadership as the Lown Institute expands its impact as a trusted leader in advancing a U.S. healthcare system that is affordable, effective, and just. He replaces Patrcia Gabow, MD, MACP, who served as chairperson for the past five years.

Read the full release @ https://lowninstitute.org/press-release-the-lown-institute-elects-renowned-trauma-surgeon-and-public-health-leader-selwyn-o-rogers-jr-as-board-chairperson/

07/28/2026

"Every day I see people despite the challenges, despite the structural violence, despite the barriers, get up every day, love and take care of their kids, get them off to school, go to work, do a good job, smile, play, pray, and live a good life. If you can do that despite the challenges, how could I not be hopeful? (W)hen I see awful things happen to people and yet still at the end of it, they tell me, 'Thank you.' How could I not be hopeful? All I did was my job that I’ve been trained well to do. There are so many more good people in the world than there are bad people." - Lown Institute Board Chairperson Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr.

Check out our full conversation with Dr. Rogers @ https://lowninstitute.org/i-actually-have-pathological-optimism-and-everyone-can-be-redeemed-board-chairperson-dr-selwyn-o-rogers-jr/

07/21/2026

2024 BLASR winner Lilia Cervantes has co-authored the article "The Exam Room as Sanctuary — Caring for Undocumented Patients" in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Caring for undocumented immigrants at a time of heightened fear requires actionable frameworks guided by compassion and respect. Trauma-informed care is a vital approach for physicians."

Read more @

Caring for undocumented immigrants at a time of heightened fear requires actionable frameworks guided by compassion and respect. Trauma-informed care is a vital approach for physicians.