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Cancer Answers is hosted by Dr. Anees Chagpar, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Francine Foss, Professor of Medical Oncology. The show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners questions. Myths, facts and advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are discussed, with a different focus eachweek. Nationally acclaimed specialists in various types of cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment discuss common misconceptions about the disease and respond to questions from the community.Listeners can submit questions to be answered on the program at canceranswers@yale.edu or by leaving a message at (888) 234-4YCC. As a resource, archived programs from 2006 through the present are available in both audio and written versions on the Yale Cancer Center website.

Stimulant Use Among Medical School Students

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Chion/do%20130312%20stimulants.mp3

Colleges have known for years that students use prescription stimulants to focus and stay awake while studying. But new research finds that the rate of stimulant use among medical school students is higher.

Jadon Webb says he and a colleague got the idea for their research while in medical school, listening to a professor’s lecture.  

"He was talking with us about life in medical school 50, 60 years ago. And in the course of talking about it, he was joking about how whenever exams came up, everyone had to use speed."

Webb is a fellow now at the Yale Child Study Center.

He says prescriptions to treat ADHD have soared in the past decade. Some people share or sell their ADHD medications and because they’re so widely available, colleges have been wrestling with growing stimulant use among students.

Webb wondered whether medical school students – who may have to function in very competitive environments with exhausting schedules –  also use the drugs.  

"What struck us the most was the amount of stimulant use was higher than virtually all studies of college students, which is probably the best studied population."

Roughly one in five medical students had used stimulants at some point in their lifetime. And about 15% admitted to using stimulants while in medical school.

Webb says the research is important because physicians are at the forefront of dispensing controlled substances.  

"Their attitudes toward stimulants will no doubt shape the way they prescribe to other patients."

Webb believes medical students may use stimulants as study aids, rather than party drugs. Students with very high standardized test scores reported nearly identical rates of stimulant use as those with lower scores.

The study is published in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 

Diane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here and Now; and The World from PRX. She spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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