I'm a journalist with extensive experience covering health, education and lifestyle, among other topics, on numerous storytelling platforms.
‘Housing first’ model making inroads on homelessness: Caring for people who are homeless
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.
Q&A with Surgeon General Jerome Adams: Gaining better health through better partnerships: Report to highlight links between US health, economy
Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, in September was sworn in as the 20th surgeon general of the United States. As the head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Adams is tasked with promoting and advancing the country’s public health priorities. He previously served as the state health commissioner in Indiana, where he dealt with an opioid epidemic and HIV outbreak. The Nation’s Health spoke with Adams about what he plans to accomplish in his role.
Why ending police violence is a public health issue: A Q&A with APHA’s Georges Benjamin
In 2017, police shot and killed almost 1,000 people in the U.S., according to a tracking project from The Washington Post. Julia Haskins, reporter for The Nation’s Health newspaper, interviews Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of APHA, about the problem of police violence in the U.S., and how it affects the health of the public.
Public health, planning come together to create healthier communities: Plan4Health
Thanks to a partnership between APHA and the American Planning Association that was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, experts in public health and planning across the country now have a deeper understanding of how each side plays a role in creating healthy communities.
Rollbacks to school meal nutrition threatening health: Public health regulations under fire
Since the new presidential administration assumed power this year, USDA has changed its tune on school nutrition guidelines. Experts in public health and nutrition are concerned that the rollbacks could undermine children’s health.
Smoking rates still high among low-income Americans: Disparities ongoing
Low-income people continue to smoke at disproportionately high rates compared with the general population. For Americans whose incomes fall below the federal poverty threshold, rates of smoking still hold at more than one-quarter of the group.
7 Ways To Help Kids Fight Hatred
These are scary times, no doubt. But we can resist, starting within our own families. We can teach our children how to respond to hatred and help them stand against injustice. Here’s how you can make that a reality.
Healthy People 2030 to create objectives for health of nation: Process underway for next 10-year plan
Now entering its fourth decade, work on the latest iteration of the federally led Healthy People initiative is underway, continuing to outline evidence-based health goals for the nation.
Faith-based groups making climate, health a priority: Public health joins faith groups on food access, sustainability
As climate change threatens communities in the U.S. and throughout the world, public health and faith-based groups are relying on each other to create a safer, healthier environment.
Plan4Health connects people to nutrition, recreation in rural Oregon
Good public health comes about through good planning, a lesson community members in Umatilla County, Oregon, have taken to heart with an initiative that combines both outlooks.
Respecting Pride: A Guide for Allies
If you really want to support your LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors, step back and reflect on your contributions to Pride. Are you being helpful or harmful? Are you allowing people space or taking it away?
NY Times reporter Peter Baker captures legacy moments of Obama presidency
In his new book about President Barack Obama's two terms in office, New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker isn't trying to draw a conclusion about whether Obama succeeded or failed, he's portraying the moments that defined his legacy.
Teens Explore Past, 'Privilege' And Path To Overcoming Discrimination
Since 1993, Operation Understanding DC has brought together a group of high school juniors in the Washington, D.C., metro region — half are African-American and half are Jewish — for a year of cross-cultural exploration. The civil rights retreat is one opportunity for students to discover the ways their backgrounds overlap, and how, together, they can overcome discrimination on all fronts.
Community-based care critical for transgender health: Working for access
Historically, community-based initiatives that cater to the LGBTQ population were borne out of a need to fill the gaps in traditional health care. Many providers still lack the training and knowledge necessary to treat transgender patients.
Vermont takes steps to curb chronic disease
Public Health in Vermont boils down to three numbers that encompass the toll of chronic disease in the state: 3-4-50. Three behaviors — lack of physical fitness, poor diet and tobacco use — lead to four chronic diseases: cancer, heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes and lung disease.