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Black men have the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in the United States. Much of the gap is explained by greater rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, which afflict poor and poorly educated black men in particular. But why is that? Lack of insurance? Lack of access to health care? Now, a group of researchers in California has demonstrated that another powerful force may be at work: a lack of black physicians. (Kolata, 8/20)

Your doctor probably nags you to schedule cancer screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies. These tests, after all, can be life-saving, and most doctors want to make sure you get them done. But when it comes to explaining the ways that certain screenings can cause you harm, your doctor may not be doing such a good job. (Gordon, 8/18)

[Doctors of osteopathic medicine] receive conventional medical training, but also learn osteopathic medicine, which focuses on holistic approaches to care that sometimes involve hands-on treatment. The philosophy was developed by a controversial 19th-century doctor who, at the time, was shunned by the medical establishment. Since 1973, though, DOs have been fully recognized as doctors in all 50 states. (Kaplan, 8/17)

A former Texas doctor who raped a heavily sedated patient won't serve prison time after he was found guilty of the crime Thursday. Shafeeq Sheikh, a former Baylor College of Medicine physician, was sentenced to 10 years' probation Friday, and he must now register as a sex offender. (Miller, 8/18)

ADartmouth College investigation has concluded that Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, one of the country’s most prominent health care policy scholars, committed research misconduct in connection with a paper published in a top medical journal. Welch plagiarized material from a Dartmouth colleague and another researcher at a different institution, according to a letter from the college’s interim provost obtained by Retraction Watch. The material was included in a 2016 paper published by the New England Journal of Medicine. The work found that breast cancer screening was more likely to overdiagnose tumors (leading to unnecessary treatments) than pick up early cases that are destined to become life-threatening. (McCook, 8/20)

Even though intimate-partner violence has long been all too common, it hasn’t always been considered a serious health issue. Passionate nurses helped change that. “Confronting Violence: Improving Women’s Lives,” a traveling exhibition produced by the National Library of Medicine, brings their work to life.I t’s a compact exhibit with a massive story to tell. (Blakemore, 8/18)