photo of Patrick J. Skerrett

Patrick J. Skerrett

Former Executive Editor, Harvard Health Publishing

Pat Skerrett is the editor of STAT's First Opinion and host of the First Opinion podcast. He is the former editor of the Harvard Health Blog and former Executive Editor of Harvard Health Publishing. Before that, he was editor of the Harvard Heart Letter for 10 years. He is the coauthor of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Guide to Healthy Eating; The Fertility Diet; and several other books on health and science. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Popular Science magazine, Science magazine, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. He earned a BA in biology from Northwestern University and an MA in biology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Posts by Patrick J. Skerrett

Mini-relaxations to ease holiday stress featured image

Staying Healthy

Mini-relaxations to ease holiday stress

Turkey: a healthy base of holiday meals featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Turkey: a healthy base of holiday meals

Doctors aren’t immune to addiction featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Doctors aren’t immune to addiction

Treatment for head lice effective with one dose and no combing featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Treatment for head lice effective with one dose and no combing

World Stroke Day: Emphasize prevention, early detection featured image

Heart Health

World Stroke Day: Emphasize prevention, early detection

Peripheral artery disease: often silent, sometimes deadly, potentially preventable featured image

Heart Health

Peripheral artery disease: often silent, sometimes deadly, potentially preventable

Puberty starts earlier in many American boys featured image

Child & Teen Health

Puberty starts earlier in many American boys

Daily multivitamin-multimineral may help protect against cancer featured image

Cancer

Daily multivitamin-multimineral may help protect against cancer

Tattoos and infection: Think before you ink featured image

Staying Healthy

Tattoos and infection: Think before you ink

Diabetes: steps forward, falling behind featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Diabetes: steps forward, falling behind

Safely dispose unwanted, expired drugs this Saturday featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Safely dispose unwanted, expired drugs this Saturday

Suicide often not preceded by warnings featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Suicide often not preceded by warnings

Rock Health startups offer a look at the future of medicine featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Rock Health startups offer a look at the future of medicine

Use glycemic index to help control blood sugar featured image

Staying Healthy

Use glycemic index to help control blood sugar

The Cheesecake Factory: a model for health care? featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

The Cheesecake Factory: a model for health care?

Trade sports drinks for water featured image

Staying Healthy

Trade sports drinks for water

Silent Spring at 50: Connecting human, environmental health featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Silent Spring at 50: Connecting human, environmental health

Memorial Day: Honor the dead by helping the living featured image

Cancer

Memorial Day: Honor the dead by helping the living

Panel says “no” to routine prostate cancer testing featured image

Cancer

Panel says “no” to routine prostate cancer testing

CDC wants all Baby Boomers to be tested for hepatitis C featured image

Cancer

CDC wants all Baby Boomers to be tested for hepatitis C

Antibiotics instead of surgery safe for some with appendicitis featured image

Diseases & Conditions

Antibiotics instead of surgery safe for some with appendicitis

Doctor groups list top overused, misused tests, treatments, and procedures featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Doctor groups list top overused, misused tests, treatments, and procedures

Join in on National Walking Day featured image

Exercise & Fitness

Join in on National Walking Day

FDA won’t ban BPA—yet featured image

Child & Teen Health

FDA won’t ban BPA—yet

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