Julia Haskins

Public health workers prepare for emergencies of all kinds, but the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic has far exceeded any tabletop exercise. Strong leadership in health departments is critical. While agency leaders juggle multiple response efforts in their communities, their responsibility to staff is greater than ever.

“[The COVID-19 pandemic] has illuminated the cracks in the foundation of our society that have been there for a very long time that some people have the privilege to just walk over and breeze past, but many others knew…[were] there,” Dr. Powell told de Beaumont staff during a recent talk spanning her education, career, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fetal tissue has been used in biomedical research for decades, contributing to advances in vaccine development and HIV drug testing. Current research into macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and Parkinson’s could lead to therapies that could improve the lives of millions of patients. But new federal restrictions on the use of fetal tissue, which become effective Sept. 25, will halt some studies and have a crippling effect on others.

Fecal microbiota transplantation, or FMT, has emerged as an effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. But there’s still much scientists don’t know about the procedure.

Learn Serve Lead 2019: The AAMC Annual Meeting speaker and sociologist Anthony Jack, PhD, studies the challenges that come with being disadvantaged — and talks about how elite institutions are failing underrepresented groups.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and other social justice campaigns, the use of trauma-informed care is growing. From asking personal questions in a sensitive manner to making sure to consider a patient’s whole history, teaching hospitals and medical schools are incorporating tenets of the approach into many forms of care.

ADAPTABLE is among the hundreds of research-related projects made possible through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, more commonly known as PCORI. As a significant supporter of comparative effectiveness research (CER), PCORI fills a gap in clinical research with its spotlight on research that evaluates two or more health care interventions and strategies while also integrating patient perspectives throughout the process.

These trailblazers broke barriers and shattered stereotypes — and went on to conduct research, discover treatments, and provide leadership that improved the health of millions.

Environmental health services, from asthma home visiting programs to lead testing, can help protect children from the dangerous environmental exposures they encounter every day. But the problem for parents and caregivers is accessing such services, a new analysis from APHA’s Center for Public Health Policy shows.

American life expectancy continues to decline, with high mortality rates largely fueled by suicide and drug overdoses — both growing public health crises that reflect deficiencies across many social determinants of health.

A community that promotes health equity provides adequate modes of transportation for all users. Pedestrians, public transit riders, bicyclists and others can all get around safely and easily in such an environment. A “complete streets” approach ensures that such mobility conditions are met, making for more liveable communities.

As the national conversation on sexual violence amplifies, the public has become more aware of the scope of the problem and its detrimental toll on survivors.

While recent discussion has largely focused on issues of consent and accountability, it has also opened the door to envisioning a culture in which sexual violence is not committed in the first place — a goal that can be worked toward through principles of public health.

Under the Affordable Care Act, health care navigators were established to provide no-cost education, outreach and assistance to people seeking to enroll in the insurance marketplace and other government-sponsored health plans. Federal funding for navigator programs was cut by 43 percent in 2017, putting strain on programs that guide people through the enrollment process.

With rates of homelessness going up, the housing first model has gained momentum among public health and homelessness advocates as a solution to the crisis.