Emily Oster, PhD: Breastfeeding Recommendations, Rising C-section Rates, and Other Controversies

In this interview, Mitch Belkin and Daniel Belkin speak with Brown Economics Professor Emily Oster about the studies behind breastfeeding recommendations, the dramatic increase in the U.S. C-section delivery rate over the last half century, and how she approaches analyzing studies.

Who is Emily Oster?

Emily Oster is the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Economics at Brown University where she studies health, behavioral, and development economics. She received her PhD from Harvard University and taught at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is the author of three popular books on pregnancy and parenting: Expecting Better, Cribsheet, and The Family Firm.

References:

In our podcast, we reference the following papers, ideas, and talks:

• The 2007 TED Talk on AIDS in Africa by Professor Emily Oster
• A paper in which Professor Oster argues that the the increased ratio of men to women in Asia could be explained in part by Hepatitis B infection (2005)
• Another paper in which she retracts the claims of her previous paper (Hepatitis B Does Not Explain Male-Biased Sex Ratios in China) (2008)
• The Term Breech Trial - Lancet (2000)
• Door-to-Balloon time
• Amy Finkelstein paper on Source of Geographic Variation in Healthcare spending: evidence from patient migration
• Judith Rich Harris Argument - The Nurture Assumption
• Professor Emily Oster’s Parent Data Substack

Errata:

1. In the introduction, we accidentally say Academy of Pediatrics at one point when we meant to say American Academy of Pediatrics.
2. In the introduction, we state that one reason for C-section delivery is “protracted vaginal delivery”. We meant to say “protracted labor” defined as the arrest of cervical dilation prior to vaginal delivery.

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What is the External Medicine Podcast?
The External Medicine Podcast explores some of the most exciting ideas in medicine. Co-hosted by Daniel Belkin, MD, and Mitch Belkin, MD.

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