Michael Rugnetta

I just wanted to briefly note that I cannot get the song "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye out of my head. I am not upset about this since I think it is one of the better infectious pop songs to come around in a while....

Click here to read this article in Spanish.

Click here to read Rugnetta's full report, "Addressing Race and Genetics: Health Disparities in the Era of Personalized Medicine."

Latinos suffer from wide ranging health disparities in comparison to non-Hispanic whites. They
are twice as likely, for...

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues convened last week for its first meeting. The commission -- created by executive order with the "goal of identifying and promoting policies and practices that ensure scientific research, health care delivery, and technological innovation are conducted in an ethically responsible manner"...

Here is my latest article on the first study published by a Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing company:

Defining the Boundaries of Genetic Testing
New Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests Raise Privacy Concerns

A recently released study by direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe reveals the privacy challenges ahead for public health...

After reading Matt Taibbi's response to David Brooks followed by the original David Brooks blog on why the rich work harder than everyone else, I realized it dovetails nicely with an inane rambling I scribbled on my BlackBerry's note-taking app when I was on the train Sunday night....

Amidst all of the chatter about Avatar being anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-military, blah blah blah -- which I think is mostly nonsense -- one aspect I had a problem with was the simplicity with which the corporate characters were drawn. Of course, most of the characters were simplistic, but the villains...

Although, I am a committed progressive, on Tuesday I watched an engaging discussion at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. What follows is a summary along with a few thoughts of my own.

The discussion concerned the legalization of bone-marrow selling. All of the panelists supported this....

I don't have a problem with Jersey Shore because it's degrading to Italian-Americans such as myself or because it misrepresents the Jersey Shore vacation environment (which I have escaped to every summer of my life and enjoy thoroughly). I do not possess an Italian-American persecution complex, but because Jersey Shore...

I've had a few blog post go up on CAP's Science Progress website this past week.  They chronicle some under-the-radar science news items and aim to put them in proper political pespective. 

New Stem Cell Lines

New Bioethics Commission

Congress Takes...

It's been a busy week.  I attended four conferences about personalized medicine, medical genomics, and medical innovation.  I took copious notes and have lots to sort through but take a look at my personalized medicine video for a brief introduction. and take a look at

I am very fortunate to have an art house theater just a few blocks from my office. Sometimes, it gives me a chance to put my day-to-day policy work into a fresh perspective by watching smart, engaging, and politically-relevant cinema. Good political cinema has the ability to imbue any issue...

I paid no attention to the dialogue during the Ben's Chili Bowl scene of State of Play. That's because I was looking for myself. That's right! I was an extra during the filming of State of Play last year in DC. I went for the one-day shoot at Ben's Chili...

Last Friday, I took the Metro down to the studios of Voice of America to do an interview for their show Encounter. It was my first time in a radio studio and I must say that I had a lovely time. I had a chance to discuss the finer points...

The new filet-o-fish jingle may very well be the greatest achievement in recent pop-culture history.

Long the bastard child of the McDonald's extra value menu, the filet-o-fish sandwich will now occupy an...

Mr. President, we are ready for your go-ahead! The ethical debate on embryonic stem cell research is moving. Scientists and ethicists have debated long enough about whether we should do embryonic stem cell research. It is now time to debate how we do the research - both at the bench...