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

Ask questions to get the most out of a health care visit featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Ask questions to get the most out of a health care visit

What you can do about floaters and flashes in the eye featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

What you can do about floaters and flashes in the eye

Celebrating cancer survivors featured image

Cancer

Celebrating cancer survivors

New public database shows hospital billing charges all over the map featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

New public database shows hospital billing charges all over the map

Exercise is good, not bad, for arthritis featured image

Exercise & Fitness

Exercise is good, not bad, for arthritis

Survival skills for all-you-can-eat buffets featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Survival skills for all-you-can-eat buffets

Physical therapy works as well as surgery for some with torn knee cartilage featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Physical therapy works as well as surgery for some with torn knee cartilage

New concussion guidelines say “When in doubt, sit it out” featured image

Exercise & Fitness

New concussion guidelines say “When in doubt, sit it out”

Distracted driving: We’re Number 1 featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Distracted driving: We’re Number 1

Take a nap to adjust to Daylight Saving Time featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Take a nap to adjust to Daylight Saving Time

Panel cites top 10 strategies for improving patient safety featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Panel cites top 10 strategies for improving patient safety

Deep-brain stimulation can be started earlier to ease Parkinson’s symptoms featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Deep-brain stimulation can be started earlier to ease Parkinson’s symptoms

Adult immunization schedule updated as vaccination rates lag featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Adult immunization schedule updated as vaccination rates lag

Shoveling snow can be hard on the heart featured image

Exercise & Fitness

Shoveling snow can be hard on the heart

High-dose vitamin C linked to kidney stones in men featured image

Men's Health

High-dose vitamin C linked to kidney stones in men

The trick to recognizing a good whole grain: Use carb-to-fiber ratio of 10-to-1 featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

The trick to recognizing a good whole grain: Use carb-to-fiber ratio of 10-to-1

As flu cases spike, it isn’t too late to get the vaccine featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

As flu cases spike, it isn’t too late to get the vaccine

Generic drugs: don’t ask, just tell featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Generic drugs: don’t ask, just tell

Many drivers asleep at the wheel featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Many drivers asleep at the wheel

12 tips for holiday eating featured image

Staying Healthy

12 tips for holiday eating

Simple blood test helps bring celiac disease out of the shadows featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Simple blood test helps bring celiac disease out of the shadows

Tweets, Google searches may help solve migraine mysteries featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Tweets, Google searches may help solve migraine mysteries

Studies explore global burden of disease and heart disease in the United States featured image

Cancer

Studies explore global burden of disease and heart disease in the United States

Is retirement good for health or bad for it? featured image

Patrick J. Skerrett

Is retirement good for health or bad for it?

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