Medicaid enrollment in Missouri begins; applications appear vigorous

Written by Timothy McBride, co-director, Center for Health Economics and Policy The expansion of Medicaid in Missouri began in 2021, and after resolution of a lawsuit at the Missouri Supreme Court in July, enrollment applications were accepted starting on October 2021. As of January 21, 2022, enrollment in the adult expansion group (AEG) had reached […]

COVID-19 affects everything: The increase in opioid-related deaths & initiatives

Written by Ola Adebayo, MPH candidate and student worker at the Institute for Public Health Overdose-related deaths have reached an all-time high with more than 96,000 people dying during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a 30 percent increase from 2019, the largest increase ever seen of drug-related deaths in the United […]

Something is in the air: The confluence of climate change, environmental racism, & Covid-19

Written by Kaelan Smyser, undergraduate student and member of the Global Health Center Student Advisory Committee at the Institute for Public Health Students, faculty and staff gathered at the 2021 Global Health Week at Washington University in St. Louis, to attend an interdisciplinary panel on the intersection of climate change, environmental racism and Covid-19. The […]

“Kids these days”: Why youth-directed ageism is an issue for everyone

Written by Morgan Van Vleck, MSW candidate (’22) and Masters Research Fellow in Aging at the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging As we become an increasingly aged society, it is important to understand how stereotypes and bias against both younger and older age groups functions and leads to fractures in intergenerational relationships. Ageism against […]

Ageism – the unnoticed -ism

Written by Michele Dinman, project coordinator for the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health “She looks so good for her age”…“I was having a senior moment”…“50 is the new 30”…“Old people go there”….“You don’t look 70”… “Millennials have an inflated sense of entitlement” …“She is too young to be […]

The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration during COVID and beyond

by Arielle Smith, BA candidate in Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, and participant in the 2021 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program- Public & Global Health Track During the past two months, myself and the other Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Track participants […]

No longer a death sentence: The evolution & development of HIV in the U.S.

by Marley Vogel, Cornell University ’24 and participant in the 2021 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program- Public & Global Health Track On July 20, trainees in the Institute of Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Track attended a captivating seminar by William G Powderly, MD.  Among his many roles […]

Remembering the people behind the disease

In this blogpost written by Sophia Tu, a Summer Research Program student in the Aging & Neurological Diseases Track, studies concerning dementia and Alzheimers are discussed.

Summer Research Program Experience 2.0

This blogpost written by Summer Research Program, Aging & Neurological Diseases Track student, Danielle Friz discusses various presentations on chronic diseases in aging adults.

Global cardiovascular disease

This blogpost by Summer Research Program student, Sabir Khan, concerns the global burden of cardiovascular disease.

Vaccinations: The path back to normal?

This blogpost by Summer Research Program student Sabir Khan, concerns the current state of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

WashU & LIGA/INCAN present at national radiology meeting

Global Health Center Manager, Jacaranda van Rheenen, gives an overview of a recent presentation at a national conference concerning the center’s project to serve cancer patients in Guatemala.

Implementation science should give higher priority to health equity (Links to an external site)

Written by Neil Schoenherr This story was originally published in The Source and features a study by Institute Faculty Scholars, Ross Brownson, Matthew Kreuter, Debra Haire-Joshu and other colleagues. Moving scientific research results into public health and patient care more quickly could have a significant impact on health equity, finds a new paper from researchers […]

COVID-19: Age & Race Lead to Compounding Risk

Issues affecting older adults during the time of COVID-19 are the topic of this blogpost by guest author, Morgan Van Vleck, masters research fellow in aging.

Why older people are among the first to get the vaccine

By Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD, the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, Brown School of Social Work and director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging On December 8, 2020, the first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine went into the arm of a 90-year-old woman, Margaret Keenan, with the second delivered to an 81-year-old […]

COVID-19 and Compounding Losses

by Barbara L. Finch, MLA, Alumna, Washington University in St. Louis The older adults I know are scared. In the independent living retirement community where I live, eight months of isolation because of Covid-19 is beginning to take its toll.  While we are no longer “locked down” like we were during the first few months of […]

Reflection: COVID-19 exacerbates ageism in our society

by Danielle Friz, BSN Candidate, ’21, University of Missouri – St. Louis; participant Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program- Aging and Neurological Diseases Track In a seminar led by Dr. Nancy Morrow-Howell, director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for­­ Aging, I was very interested to learn about how ageism has played such a […]

Antibiotics: The good, the bad and the ugly

Written by Lauren Jennings, B.S. candidate at the University of Kansas & SPRITE Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program  The topic of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance has become a key buzzword in science, politics, policy and public health. Think back to the last time you had typical cold-like symptoms, an annoying […]

Addressing sexual health in St. Louis

Written by Maya Terry, BA, Washington University in St. Louis; Gold Family Summer Research Scholar for the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track On July 16, 2020, as part of the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track, we […]

A contrasting response to COVID-19: Ireland and the United States

Written by Farhana Nabi, MD candidate at the University College Dublin & University College Dublin Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program The week of March 15th, I packed and unpacked my bags several times as I considered moving back home to Brooklyn. I had just gotten back from a road […]

Sickle cell disease and cognitive development

By Gavi Forman, BA candidate in Political Science at Amherst College; SPRIGHT Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track I originally matched with Allison King, MD, MPH, PhD, a pediatrician and researcher at Washington University in St. Louis after being admitted to the Institute […]

HIV prevention: past and present role in global health

As COVID-19 and racial tensions continue to bring health disparities to the forefront in America, it is crucial to take a deeper look at other prevalent infectious diseases, their sociopolitical context, and their past and present role in global health. As of 2019, there were about 38 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world. […]

HIV prevention: Advances and disparities

Written by Raveena Mata, MA candidate in Medical Anthropology at Wayne State University& the Colonel Carroll A. Ockert Award Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program As COVID-19 and racial tensions continue to bring health disparities to the forefront in America, it is crucial to take a deeper look at other […]

Reflection: Public health in St. Louis

Written by Lauren Jennings, BS Candidate, University of Kansas; SPRIGHT Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track  As a rising senior at the University of Kansas, I study Molecular Biology on the premedical track. My experiences working with marginalized groups in my collegiate career paired with my […]

Adapt and respond: The necessity of versatility in public health

 By Samantha Grounds, BSPH nutrition candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ; SPRIGHT Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track When discussing how her experience living through 9/11 as a law student in New York City altered her work and […]

How physicians can use their privilege to become a patient’s advocate

 Written by Laasya Vallabhaneni, BS neuroscience and cognitive Science at University of Arizona; SPRIGHT Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track The physician is the ultimate patient advocate, finding themselves at an intersection where they have the power to help a patient outside of […]

Global cardiovascular disease

Written by Gavi Forman, BA in political science at Amherst College; participant in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects many people in the world every day. A shocking 17.8 million deaths around the globe were attributed to CVD in 2017, demonstrating […]

COVID-19 and war in Bosnia

Written by Adisa Kalkan, MA, project administrator in the Clinical Research Training Center at Washington University in St. Louis I was recently asked by a friend how am I doing with the current COVID-19 situation. My first instinct was to think back to my war experience. I was a teenager when the war in Bosnia […]

COVID-19: Research advancements at WashU

Written by Emmanuel K. Tetteh, MD, MPH Candidate ’21 Washington University in St. Louis; Stephanie and Chris Doerr Summer Research Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track As COVID-19 cases in the United States and globally continue to rise, there is an urgent need […]

Climate and global mental health

by John McGinley, undergraduate student at Elon University; SPRIGHT Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track Parul Bakhshi, PhD, Assistant Professor/Instructor, Program in Occupational Therapy and Brown School, and Clement Bayetti, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, Brown School, spoke about the discourses of climate change and global […]

Trust: A rising public health concern?

Written by Farhana Nabi, MD candidate at the University College Dublin; University College Dublin Scholar in the 2020 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Public and Global Health Abbreviated Track Trust. It is the essence of formative relationships between people, institutions and societies. In a conversation with Kurt Dirks, PhD, vice chancellor for […]

COVID-19 double jeopardy: The intersection of race and age

Written by Emma Swinford, Natalie Galucia and Nancy Morrow-Howell Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis The American Society on Aging recently released a statement, which begins, “Age offers no immunity to racism and violence.” In fact, age often magnifies the impact of structural inequalities like racism. […]

COVID-19: Viewing the Virus from Senior Living and Senior Living

Written by Barbara L. Finch, MLA and alumna, Washington University in St. Louis Shortly before my husband and I moved into an independent living retirement community three years ago, a friend asked: “Will this be like living in a college dorm?” In some ways it is. There are a number of people (in our case, […]

Statement on the death of George Floyd and too many others

The Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration grieves the tragic death of George Floyd last week, and of Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Yvette Smith, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, and too many others in recent memory. We stand in solidarity with […]

Perspectives: Black Lives Matter

Written by Adjoa Cofie, research technician, Washington University School of Medicineand alumnus of the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program, Public and Global Health Track In the wake of the death of Floyd George, and subsequent nationwide civil unrest over police brutality and systemic racism, many are speaking out about how we can all work […]

Modeling tool informs local epidemiological projections

The end of shelter-in-place policies in Missouri has led to a new wave of uncertainty about the future: Will the epidemic get worse? If so, how quickly? And if it gets worse, how quickly will we know and how bad will it get? LEMMA is a simple compartmental model using an Approximately Bayesian Computation approach […]

Opinion: Ageism in COVID coverage shrouds full picture of older adult population

Written by Nancy Morrow-Howell, Natalie Galucia and Emma Swinford of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis News coverage of the pandemic addresses everyone in later life as one monolithic group – “the elderly” – vulnerable, lonely, living in retirement facilities. Of course, attention […]

COVID-19: Community Conversations

Across the world, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is affecting the lives of nearly every single person. A special spotlight series presented by the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, features conversations with diverse members of the St. Louis regional community regarding how they view the pandemic, and what strategies they use to thrive in this time of […]