Tackling Health Disinformation in the AI and Digital Age: Dr. Geeta Nayyar, Author, Dead Wrong

·27 min·1 clip

"What happens next really depends on us," Geetha Nair says about generative AI in healthcare.

1. The Real Chemistry Podcast episode centers on Dr. Geetha Nair’s book Dead Wrong and its focus on myths and disinformation in healthcare. 2. Aaron Strout hosts the conversation, and Nair appears as a medical doctor, former Salesforce chief medical officer, and current author. 3. The episode asks how healthcare can respond to disinformation in the era of AI, TikTok, and generative video and audio tools. 4. Nair says the hardest part of the vaccine era was not the science but the communication and the "last mile." 5. She points to mRNA vaccines as a major scientific achievement that still faced resistance because trust was fragile. 6. Strout raises current COVID concerns, including rising cases on the East Coast, booster fatigue, and long COVID. 7. Nair answers by saying misinformation is not new and has existed long before COVID or social media. 8. She connects the book to her George Washington University training during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in her twenties. 9. Nair describes a patient named Jerome, who said, "I can't possibly have AIDS," and ties that reaction to stigma and misinformation. 10. She references church messaging, public health messaging, Tuskegee, and Henrietta Lacks as reasons trust in medicine remained strained. 11. Nair argues that AI and technology are not the core problem; the real issue is how healthcare uses them. 12. She says trust is built when a clinician consistently shows up, especially when appointment waits can run three to six months. 13. Nair identifies prior authorization and documentation as low-hanging fruit where generative AI could reduce burnout and improve access. 14. She warns that without accountable healthcare voices online, "misfits take over" and "the troll farms take over." 15. Nair says hospitals, health systems, and life sciences companies need a digital presence and an ethical stance on AI. 16. She also says clinicians can misuse authority for supplements or "snake oil," making regulation and accountability necessary. 17. The conversation stays conversational and conference-driven, with Strout pressing for practical examples and Nair answering in a direct, prescriptive style. 18. The tone mixes professional urgency with light personal asides about Vegas, U2, Taylor Swift, and conference culture. 19. Listeners interested in healthcare strategy, AI, patient engagement, and medical communication will get the most from it. 20. Listeners wanting a pure product demo or a clinical deep dive may skip it.

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