Ask Dr. Maia

Ask Dr. Maia

Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of the Ask Dr. Maia website, newsletter, and any digital products published under the Ask Dr. Maia name. By subscribing, visiting, or purchasing, you agree to these terms.

We have tried to write them in plain language. If something is unclear, email us at hello@askdrmaia.com.

Last updated: May 2, 2026

What Ask Dr. Maia Is

Ask Dr. Maia is a physician-authored health education newsletter and website published by Dr. Maia Hightower, MD MPH MBA. The mission is to help readers navigate the AI-in-healthcare era safely. Content includes newsletter issues, articles, AI tool reviews, explainers, and digital products.

Nothing on this website or in the newsletter is medical advice. See our Medical Disclaimer for the full statement on what this content is and is not. The disclaimer is incorporated into these terms by reference.

Who Can Subscribe

You may subscribe to Ask Dr. Maia if you are at least 13 years old. The service is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under that age.

If you subscribe on behalf of an organization (e.g., a clinic, library, or employer), you confirm that you have authority to do so.

What You Can Do With Our Content

Ask Dr. Maia content (articles, newsletter issues, reviews, graphics, and digital products) is protected by copyright. You may:

  • Read it. Subscribe, click through, and forward individual issues to friends and colleagues.
  • Quote it briefly. Quote short passages with credit and a link back, consistent with fair use.
  • Share links. Share a link to any public page or issue freely.

You may not, without written permission:

  • Copy entire articles or issues to another website, newsletter, or platform.
  • Use our content to train AI models, machine-learning systems, or large language models.
  • Resell, sublicense, or redistribute paid digital products.
  • Remove copyright notices or attribution.
  • Scrape, mine, or systematically extract content via automated tools.

If you want to license a piece, syndicate a column, or quote at length, email permissions@askdrmaia.com.

Subscriptions, Free and Paid

The Ask Dr. Maia newsletter is free. We do not gate access to core education behind a paywall.

Some digital products (workbooks, deep-dive reports, courses) are available for purchase. When a paid product is offered:

  • Pricing is shown at the point of sale. No hidden fees.
  • Lemon Squeezy is the merchant of record. Your transaction is handled by Lemon Squeezy. Their terms and privacy policy govern the payment.
  • Refund policy. Digital products are eligible for a refund within 14 days of purchase if the product does not deliver what was described. Email billing@askdrmaia.com with your order number.
  • Access to purchased products is granted to the email address used at checkout. Sharing a paid product with people who did not purchase it is a breach of these terms.

Subscription pricing, products available, and refund terms may change. Changes apply to new purchases, not to products you have already bought.

Email and Communication

When you subscribe, you receive:

  • Regular newsletter issues. Unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every email.
  • Account-related messages if you purchase a product (receipts, access links, refund confirmations). These are transactional and continue even if you unsubscribe from the editorial newsletter.
  • Service announcements rarely, and only when something material changes (a privacy policy update, a security event, or a major product change).

We do not send marketing email outside the newsletter you subscribed to. We do not rent or sell your email address.

Acceptable Use

When you interact with Ask Dr. Maia (subscribing, commenting, replying, purchasing, or otherwise), you agree not to:

  • Submit false or misleading information.
  • Use the service to harass, threaten, or harm anyone.
  • Use the service for unlawful purposes.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to subscriber data, the website backend, or any system that supports the service.
  • Use automated tools to subscribe, query, or extract content beyond ordinary reading.
  • Impersonate Dr. Hightower, Ask Dr. Maia, or any contributor.

We reserve the right to terminate your subscription, refund any active purchases, and refuse future service if these terms are violated.

Reader Submissions, Replies, and Comments

If you reply to a newsletter, send a question, or submit feedback, you grant Ask Dr. Maia a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, quote, and excerpt your message in published content (e.g., a reader-question column or social post), with the following protections:

  • We will not publish your full name without your permission. Default attribution is first name and city, or "a reader."
  • We will not publish anything you label as confidential. If you write "private" or "off the record" anywhere in the message, it stays out of published content.
  • We will not publish health information that could identify you. Anonymization is the default for any health-related content.

If you do not want any portion of a reply to be quoted, say so in the message and we will respect that.

Third-Party Tools and Links

Ask Dr. Maia reviews and links to third-party AI health tools, products, and services. These tools are operated by their own companies and governed by their own terms. We do not control them and are not responsible for their performance, content, or data practices.

Some links are affiliate links. See the Medical Disclaimer for the full disclosure. Affiliate compensation does not influence editorial decisions.

Disclaimer of Warranties

Ask Dr. Maia content is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that:

  • The content is complete, accurate, or current at any given moment.
  • The website or newsletter will be available without interruption.
  • Errors will be corrected immediately, although we will correct them when notified (see corrections@askdrmaia.com).

Health science and AI tools change quickly. Information that was accurate at publication may be superseded by later research or by changes the tool's manufacturer makes. Always verify important claims with a current source before acting on them.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Ask Dr. Maia, its publisher, and Dr. Maia Hightower, MD MPH MBA, disclaim all liability, including liability for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, or special damages, arising from your use of or reliance on any content published on this website or in this newsletter. This includes any health decisions you make based on content published here.

You use this content at your own discretion.

The maximum aggregate liability of Ask Dr. Maia for any claim arising out of or relating to these terms is the amount you paid for the product or service that gave rise to the claim, or one hundred U.S. dollars, whichever is greater.

This limitation does not apply where prohibited by law (e.g., for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud).

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ask Dr. Maia, its publisher, and Dr. Maia Hightower from any claim, demand, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from your violation of these terms, your misuse of the content, or your interaction with the service in a way that harms a third party.

Governing Law and Disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Iowa, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

If a dispute arises, the parties agree to attempt good-faith resolution by email before pursuing other remedies. If resolution by email fails, disputes will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, in a venue convenient to the subscriber. The parties waive any right to participate in a class arbitration or class action.

This arbitration clause does not prevent either party from seeking injunctive relief in court for intellectual-property violations, or from filing a complaint with a government regulator.

Termination

You may stop using the service at any time by unsubscribing and, if you have purchased products, requesting deletion of your account.

We may suspend or terminate access for any subscriber who violates these terms, with or without notice. If a paid product is involved, we will refund the unused portion on a pro-rata basis unless the violation involves fraud or harm to other readers.

The sections of these terms that by their nature should survive termination (intellectual property, disclaimer of warranties, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law) survive termination.

Changes to These Terms

If we make material changes to these terms (changes that affect your rights or obligations in a meaningful way), we will notify active subscribers by email before the changes take effect. The updated terms will be posted at this URL with a new "Last updated" date.

If you continue to subscribe after notification of a material change, you accept the revised terms. If you do not accept the change, unsubscribe before the effective date.

Contact

Questions about these terms:

Email: hello@askdrmaia.com

Permissions and licensing: permissions@askdrmaia.com

Billing and refunds: billing@askdrmaia.com

Corrections: corrections@askdrmaia.com

Privacy: privacy@askdrmaia.com

Last updated: May 2, 2026