all government & public policy stories

Presidential election will bring change in federal stem cell policy

404132862 — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:21:10 -0400

Embryonic stem cell research will likely have a more sympathetic ear in the White House after November’s presidential election, but a panel of speakers said last night that an era of tight budgets may limit the practical changes researchers see.

Warren Wollschlager, founding chair of the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research and chief of the Office of Research and Development in the Connecticut Department of Public Health, cautioned that one danger facing stem cell research in a new presidential administration is that support from states and other sources will decline with the assumption that the federal government will begin funding research it has been reluctant to under President George W. Bush.

Growing U.S. Disparities in Health Not Inevitable

404132862 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:08:56 -0500

In the public health field, there is an ongoing debate as to whether improvement in the overall health of the population is linked to increases or decreases in social inequities in health, that is, the inequities between higher-income and lower-income groups or people of different race/ethnicities. In the most comprehensive study to date addressing this debate, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that, as overall health improved (as measured by a decline in mortality rates), inequities in health both shrank and widened between 1960 and 2002. The study demonstrates that the recent trend of

Symposium addresses disparities in Native American health care

404132862 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:46:01 -0500

Sunshine Dwojak, a fourth-year Harvard Medical School student, was 26 when her mother died of heart disease, leaving behind three children. Dwojak’s mother was 48.

“My grandmother said our family ‘just wasn’t lucky,’ and my aunt said that ‘longevity doesn’t run in our family,’” Dwojak said. Growing up, she saw many of her family members suffer from mental illness, heart disease, diabetes, and substance abuse.

Almost two million veterans lack health coverage

404132862 — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:07:45 -0400

One in every eight (12.2 percent) of the 47 million Americans without health insurance is a veteran or member of a veteran's household, according to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers based at the Cambridge Health Alliance.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to receive Richmond Award for promotion of public health in NYC and nation

404132862 — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:42:47 -0400

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been named to receive the Harvard School of Health's annual Julius B. Richmond Award for his extraordinary leadership in working to protect and promote the health of his city's population. Bloomberg was cited by the school for a series of bold initiatives recognizing public health as a core municipal responsibility and opportunity.

Patrick announces $1B initiative

50443248 — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:22:47 -0400

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick Tuesday (May 8) announced a $1 billion biotech initiative to secure Massachusetts its position as a world leader in biotechnology and stem cell science.

In a speech at the BIO 2007 convention in Boston, the governor called for legislation funding a bond issue to help bridge the decline in National Institutes of Health (NIH) real-dollar funding of the life sciences, to establish a state stem cell bank, and to establish state grants for scientists and innovation centers.

U.S. lagging in adoption of electronic health records

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:43:04 -0400

With fewer than one in 10 doctors making full use of electronic health records and as few as 5 percent of hospitals using one form of them, the U.S. health care industry is way behind in adopting new systems that can improve patient care and reduce medical mistakes, according to a new report co-authored by Harvard researchers.

"We are pitifully behind where we should be. We must find ways to get more physicians to embrace this technology if we are to make major strides in improving health care quality," said study co-author David Blumenthal, the Samuel O. Thier Professor of Medicine, professor of health care policy, and director of Massachusetts General Hospital's Institute for Health Policy.

Health care institutions have long adopted computerized records for financial and administrative systems, but have been slower to adopt electronic health records for the clinical side of their operations even though those systems have the potential to reduce medication mistakes, unnecessary tests, and inappropriate care; to cut costs; and to improve patient monitoring.

President George W. Bush has called on U.S. health care institutions to adopt electronic systems for a majority of patients by 2014 as a way to make health care delivery more efficient and more effective.

The report, "Health Information Technology in the United States: The Information Base for Progress," was drafted by a team of researchers from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard School of Public Health, and George Washington University. It was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the federal government's National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Diversity training fails to boost minorities into management

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:25:46 -0400

A new study shows that diversity training programs have roundly failed to eliminate bias and increase the number of minorities in management, despite the fact that many corporations have spent increasing amounts of money on them since the 1990s.

In a paper to be published in the American Sociological Review, Frank Dobbin, professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Alexandra Kalev of the University of California, Berkeley, and Erin Kelly of the University of Minnesota concluded that such efforts to mitigate managerial bias ultimately fail in their aims. In contrast, programs that establish specific responsibility for diversity, such as equal opportunity staff positions or diversity task forces, have proven most effective.

Smoke-free pubs keep Irish eyes smiling

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:25:30 -0400

A survey of air pollution levels in "Irish pubs" around the world has found that indoor air pollution in authentic Irish pubs in Ireland, where a smoke-free law has been in effect for two years, is 91 percent lower than in "Irish pubs" located in other countries and cities where smoke-free laws do not apply. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Roswell Park Cancer Institute and health authorities in Ireland collaborated on the project that assessed air samples from 128 "Irish pubs" in 15 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

In March 2004, the Republic of Ireland became the first country to have a nationwide ban on indoor smoking in all public spaces -- including restaurants and pubs. The policy provides an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of comprehensive smoke-free laws by comparing Irish indoor public spaces to public spaces elsewhere. Despite claims that the law could have a negative economic impact, Ireland has seen no decline in business at pubs and restaurants and, in fact, business in that sector has improved according to the Central Statistics Office (Ireland) (www.cso.ie).

Berkman Center helps launch StopBadware campaign

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:24:14 -0400

The problems caused by badware have very serious implications, both for every day use of computers, and for the long-term viability of the open Internet. On Jan. 25, 2006, the Berkman Center, the Oxford Internet Institute, Consumer Reports WebWatch, and a wide range of corporate sponsors announced the StopBadware.org initiative, a project aimed at stopping the creation of badware - a.k.a. spyware, malware, or deceptive adware.

In the short term, the goals of the project are ambitious but straightforward - create a community of anti-badware volunteers and researchers who will collaborate to create a clearinghouse of data and research on badware, and share that data with the world. The project Web site is http:// www.StopBadware.org. The project also will investigate the possibilities of creating a kind of "software stethoscope," which when installed by millions of users would give a global peak into the health of the Internet and the PCs connected to it.

Beckert tracks cotton trail

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:42:27 -0400

Sven Beckert, a professor of history with an expertise in 19th century America, is hoping to understand the roots of the global economic ties that bind the world today by looking at one of the first truly global products: cotton.

"Once upon a time, it was the most important agricultural product, the most important export, and the most important industry," Beckert said. "This is a history of globalization through the lens of one commodity."

Cotton is a particularly apt product to focus on because it was largely produced in Asia until the 19th century, Beckert said. During the 1800s, however, cotton production, processing, and manufacturing moved west into the United States and Europe, until Asia was largely marginalized in the cotton world.

This was part of a split between East and West that led to the industrialized West gaining the vast economic power that is still felt around the globe today.

"I'm interested in how the world took the shape it did in the 19th century," Beckert said.

Beckert plans to publish his research in a book, "The Empire of Cotton: A Global History," though he is still completing the writing.

Survey: Many seniors don't understand Medicare drug benefit

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:42:09 -0400

When asked how well they understand the new Medicare drug benefit, more than six in 10 seniors (61 percent) say 'not too well' or 'not at all,' while more than one in three seniors (35 percent) say 'very' or 'somewhat' well. When asked whether the Medicare drug benefit would help them personally, more seniors say it would not (49 percent) than say it would (39 percent).

Overall, more than four in 10 seniors (43 percent) report they do not yet know if they will enroll in a Medicare drug plan for 2006; 37 percent say they do not plan to enroll; and one in five (20 percent) say they plan to enroll. Seniors without any drug coverage are most likely to say that they plan to enroll (28 percent, compared with 15 percent for those with existing drug coverage).

Most seniors substantially underestimate the number of drug plan choices that they will have, with just 5 percent correctly identifying that they will have more than 20 options for receiving their drug coverage. When informed that "the government has announced that most people on Medicare will have at least 40 different drug plans to choose from," almost three in four (73 percent) say that having many plans "makes it confusing and difficult to pick the best plan," while 22 percent say it is "helpful and provides an opportunity to choose the best plan."

The Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health "The Medicare Drug Benefit: Beneficiary Perspectives Just Before Implementation" was conducted and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health including Professor Robert Blendon.

Survey of Katrina evacuees in Houston: Half trapped in homes waited three days or more for rescue

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:21:50 -0400

One-third (34 percent) of Katrina evacuees in a survey reported that they were trapped in their homes and had to be rescued. Half (50 percent) of those who were trapped said they waited three or more days to be rescued.

Key health-related findings included:

• 52 percent reported having no health insurance coverage at the time of the hurricane. Of those with coverage, 34 percent said it is through Medicaid and 16 percent through Medicare. Before the hurricane 66 percent of people evacuated to Houston shelters used hospital or clinics as their main source of care and of those, a majority (54 percent) used Charity Hospital of New Orleans, substantially more than the second most common care site (University Hospital of New Orleans, at 8 percent).

• 33 percent reported experiencing health problems or injuries as a result of the hurricane and 78 percent of them were currently receiving care for their ailments.

Task Forces on Women release findings

50443248 — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:04:42 -0400

Harvard's Task Forces on Women Faculty and on Women in Science and Engineering, appointed three months ago to address concerns of women faculty and women in science throughout the University, Monday (May 16) released reports calling for large-scale changes in the way the University recruits faculty and supports women and underrepresented minorities pursuing academic careers.

New calculations suggest economic cost of Iraq war much larger than previously recognized

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:23:46 -0400

A paper presented to the annual Allied Social Sciences Association meeting in Boston, in a session jointly sponsored by the American Economic Association and the Economists for Peace and Security, suggests that the costs of the Iraq war are much higher than previously reckoned, with conservative to moderate estimates ranging from slightly less than a trillion dollars to more than $2 trillion.

The joint paper, prepared by Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government budget expert Linda Bilmes and Columbia University professor and Nobel Prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz, recalculates both the budgetary and economic costs of the war.

The price tag calculated by Bilmes and Stiglitz varies significantly from the $50 billion to $60 billion figure estimated by former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Mitch Daniels shortly before the war began.

The paper estimates the costs on two different scenarios for Americas involvement in Iraq, both of which predict that U.S. troops deployed in Iraq will drop from the current 160,000 to 136,000 in 2006. It expands on traditional estimates first by including long-term budgetary costs of Americas involvement in Iraq. For instance, it provides an estimate of the life-time disability and health care costs of the 16,000 injured (some 20 percent with serious brain injuries), and the increased costs of recruitment into both the National Guard and the armed forces.

The paper goes on to analyze the social costs to the economy, recognizing that, for instance, payments for those killed are only $500,000, far less than standard government estimates of the life-time economic cost of a death ($6.1 million to $6.5 million). Similarly, disability payments are markedly lower than the value of lost earnings. Finally, the paper provides a range of estimates of the macro-economic costs. While arguing that much of the increase in the price of oil can be attributed to the Iraq war, it estimates the overall effect on the economy if only $5 per barrel of the increase is due to the war. It also calculates the impact on the economy in the short run and in the long run if a proportion of the money spent on the Iraq war were spent in other ways, including on investments in the United States.

The paper identifies a number of other costs, some potentially quite large, but the quantification of which is more problematic. The implication, however, is that even the moderate estimate may significantly underestimate the cost of Americas involvement in Iraq.