Second Opinion with Dr. Dua

Dr. Dua Hassan, James Dillard, and Uri Bram
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What does your pediatrician wish they had more time to tell you? Dr. Dua Hassan is a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital. She earned her M.D./MPH from Columbia University and completed pediatrics training at Harvard. She writes about health and medicine for general audiences, and has a habit of interrogating medical assumptions that everyone else has stopped questioning. In Second Opinion, Dr. Dua breaks down the health topics that keep parents up at night and answers questions they never thought to ask. No jargon, no judgement, no crying child sitting on your lap, just a second opinion you can trust.

Episodes

  1. FEB 19

    The Hep B Vaccine: What New Parents Need to Know Right Now

    The hepatitis B vaccine used to be universal at birth. Now, for the first time in decades, the recommendation has changed. Dr. Dua explains why the hepatitis B vaccine was given at birth, what has and hasn't changed, and how she thinks about it with her own patients. She walks through the real risks for babies (very different from adults), the role of maternal screening, and when it might be acceptable to wait.

    12 min

  2. FEB 19

    The Most Important Shot?

    Of all the things that happen in your baby's first hours of life, the vitamin K shot might be the most important. But what is it and why do babies need it? Dr. Dua explains what vitamin K actually does, why babies are uniquely vulnerable, and the evolutionary and environmental reasons they can't get enough on their own.

    9 min

  3. FEB 19

    Breastfeeding vs. Formula

    Most parents think of breastfeeding and formula as an either/or decision. Often times, it's more complex than that. Dr. Dua breaks down the science of breast milk, from DHA and brain development to immunoglobulins that formula can't replicate, and the two-way feedback loop where your body customizes milk based on your baby's saliva. But she also gets honest about how hard breastfeeding actually is (even for a pediatrician).

    17 min

  4. FEB 19

    Does my baby taste salty to you?

    About 24 hours after birth, a nurse takes your baby, pricks their heel, and drops blood onto a card. But what are they actually testing for?  Dr. Dua explains the newborn screen — the simple test that catches rare but  serious conditions like sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and PKU before symptoms ever appear. Plus, the wild history of doctors who used to literally taste babies to diagnose disease.

    9 min

  5. FEB 19

    The Eye Goop

    You just had a baby, and before you can even hold them, a nurse is squeezing ointment into their eyes. What is it? Why do they do it? Dr. Dua breaks down erythromycin ointment — the routine newborn  eye treatment that prevents a surprisingly serious infection — and explains why it's still given to every baby born in the US.

    8 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

What does your pediatrician wish they had more time to tell you? Dr. Dua Hassan is a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital. She earned her M.D./MPH from Columbia University and completed pediatrics training at Harvard. She writes about health and medicine for general audiences, and has a habit of interrogating medical assumptions that everyone else has stopped questioning. In Second Opinion, Dr. Dua breaks down the health topics that keep parents up at night and answers questions they never thought to ask. No jargon, no judgement, no crying child sitting on your lap, just a second opinion you can trust.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Dua Hassan, James Dillard, and Uri Bram
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Dua Hassan, James Dillard, and Uri Bram

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