Highlights One-third of Americans report clinically significant symptoms of anxiety or clinical depression. U.S. deaths of despair, as mass unemployment, social isolation, depression and anxiety drive increases in suicides and drug overdoses. Our field has accumulated long lists of evidence-based approaches to treat and prevent anxiety, depression and suicide. A vaccine will not solve these problems. […]

Highlights One set of explanations for these geographical disparities focuses on the individual circumstances of neighborhood residents. Few people have focused on how neighborhood characteristics, or environmental factors, might play a role in virus transmission. Is it possible that neighborhoods themselves are making people sick? Much of our present-day disparities in health, wealth and social mobility […]

Highlights I am going to be less risk-averse when new cases fall to near zero. I will assess my risk for severe infection and the risk for severe infection for those I will be visiting. I will draw from knowledge about how COVID-19 is transmitted. I am going to wear a mask to help prevent […]

Highlights Evidence also suggests that people with substance use disorders are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness or incarceration. Stress can exacerbate substance cravings and contributes to relapse. Overdose reversal medications save lives from opioid overdose. However, some localities are reporting decreased use of overdose reversal medications by first responders to limit COVID-19 transmission. What can we do to […]

Highlights The worst may still lie ahead. One study estimated that 25 to 43 million people could lose coverage from their employer provided health insurance.  As a professor of public policy, I believe there are four things you need to consider if you’ve been laid off. The good news: For many who have lost their employer-provided coverage, […]

Highlights In my Bone Biomechanics Lab, we try to understand what is going wrong by looking deep inside diabetic bone, at the micro-level. Every day, physical activity causes wear and tear on bones in the form of micro-fractures, which the body routinely repairs Studying crosslinks in bones is a relatively young field of study in general […]

Highlights Researchers around the world are innovating the process of vaccine development in real time to develop a vaccine as fast as possible. Traditional killed-virus vaccines, protein-based vaccines and gene-based vaccines. No gene-based vaccines have ever been approved for human use, but DNA vaccines are used on animals, and a few were in clinical trials for the Zika virus. So, how […]

Highlights People with autism spectrum disorder, like me, have often had to deal with social isolation our whole lives. Schedule changes can be very difficult for a person with unsupported autism spectrum disorder. Listen to the other person by watching their body language and movement. Take the time to more fully understand what the other person […]

Highlights Seltzer water is simply water infused with pressurized carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide creates the bubbles in fizzy water but also adds acidity to the beverages. The most well-studied risk posed by seltzer and soda are their potential effect on teeth and bones. Two small randomized controlled studies with elderly patients showed that drinking seltzer water […]

Highlights Why smoke an e-cigarette? True, a Juul with a good taste makes it more fun. But flavor is not the primary driver. We also asked our participants if they thought using Juul led to use of other substances, like alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs. 72% believe that it does. The new federal legislation theoretically […]