Support National Injury Prevention Day, Nov. 18

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability to U.S. children ages 1 to 18 years old. Every day, 20 children die from injuries resulting in more deaths than all other diseases combined. St. Louis Children’s Hospital news release The Institute for Public Health is supporting the country’s top injury and violence prevention organizations, […]

Child abuse (Links to an external site)

What should you do to try to better recognize signs of abuse in your neighborhood? The bottom line: If you think a child is in danger or is being hurt, call a hotline, says a child abuse expert at Washington University in St. Louis. Read the full article…

A dangerous combination for youths – Indoor tanning and skin cancer

Written by Lynn Cornelius, the Winfred A. and Emma R. Showman Professor in Dermatology at the School of Medicine Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, and rates have been rising for the past 30 years.1 Melanoma, the most serious and deadliest form of skin cancer, is one of the […]

Birth defects, cancer linked (Links to an external site)

This article originally appeared on The Source and it is reproduced here with permission. Some children born with birth defects may be at increased risk for specific types of cancer, according to a new review from the Brown School and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. [side_car urls=”/scholars/kimberly-j-johnson/,/scholars/todd-e-druley/,”]In the first systematic and most […]

School environment increases sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in Guatemalan adolescents

New research from Joaquin Barnoya, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues has found that school attending adolescents in Guatemala report high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Few studies have evaluated sugar-sweetened beverages consumption, such as soda or sweetened coffee drinks, in Guatemalan youth and its association with the school […]

Gordon Lab visit: childhood malnutrition

Written by Cormac Everard, undergraduate medical student at University College Dublin and participant in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program On June 15, we had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences […]

Children are the most victimized segment of the population

by Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor in Social Work and Director of the Center for Violence and Injury Prevention at the Brown School “Children are the most victimized segment of the population.”– David Finkelhor, 2011 This is a sad but unfortunately true statement both for children in the US and those around the […]

Senseless, needless, unintentional shootings by kids

Written by Stacey Newman, Missouri State Representative Damian was only 12 years old and loved playing basketball. Last week he was home alone in St. Louis with his nine year old brother and found a handgun. While they played with it, the gun discharged and Damian was shot and killed. Damian is not alone. Mi-Kenzie, age […]

Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ Artists Collective – Not another one! A discussion on gun violence

Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective is a nonprofit organization where artists and urban youth collect stories, reframe and retell them through art to promote understanding, civic pride, and literacy. Story Stitchers work with local youth often focuses on gun violence and implicit bias. Recent projects in which youth address issues of violence include a […]

Youth and gun violence: NOW is the time for action

Saint Louis Story Stitchers youth hosted a second video-taped discussion on November 10th at Kranzberg Arts Center’s Black Box Theater to reopen topics explored in last year’s discussion. Stitchers Teen Council Co-Chairs Aniya and Toryon, both seniors in high school, led guest high school youth from University City High School, McCluer High School, Central Visual […]

Tobacco 21/STL

The Center for Community Health Partnership and Research is supporting the fast moving initiative Tobacco 21/STL. Support includes getting the word out to community-based organizations and community members concerned about the health risks for kids and young adults related to tobacco use. Tobacco 21/STL is a movement spreading across the state of Missouri. Kansas City and Columbia, […]

Global Research Site Award to project on malnutrition in Haiti

Lora Iannotti, PhD, Associate Professor at the Brown School received funding to establish a Global Research Site in Haiti to work on malnutrition. “The goal of this award from the Global Health Center is to deepen already existing links in a resource-poor settings, in order to increase the involvement of Washington University faculty and students […]

Not Another One! An urgent call to action on gun violence

Written by Susan Colangelo, founding president of Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective The Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to serving the St. Louis region through inventive, collaborative arts and culture. Members collect local stories, reframe and retell them through art, writing and performance to promote understanding, civic pride, intergenerational […]

It is an opportune time for public health to engage young people on social media

Written by Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine Social media use has surged over the past decade especially among young adults and teenagers. Consumer surveys indicate that up to 80% of US adults are on social media and this prevalence is heavily driven by its popularity among […]

Project New Boundaries for Youth

Last year Nidhi Bhaskar, a junior at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, contacted Jacaranda van Rheenen, PhD, manager of the Global Health Center, to discuss her new organization, Project New Boundaries for Youth (ProjectNBYOUTH). Nidhi created her non-profit organization to spread awareness and inspire youth about local health, education, and environmental issues […]

Guns and suicide

A recent report from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, “The Truth About Suicide and Guns,” describes the strong link between gun ownership and suicide: a gun in the home makes suicide three times more likely. The report finds that while gun ownership alone presents the greatest risk, when combined with the impulsive nature of […]

Pilot program seeks to help child victims

Written by Margie Batek, MSW, LCSW, social work supervisor in the Emergency Department at St. Louis Children’s Hospital The Victims of Violence program at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital seeks to curb the re-occurrence of interpersonal violence in the lives of children who have been shot, stabbed or assaulted, involved in domestic violence, and Fit […]

Getting to know the SPOT

Established in 2008, Supporting Positive Opportunities with Teens – better known as the SPOT – is a one-stop drop-in center for teens and young adults that provides HIV/STD testing, health care, counseling, social support, case management, substance abuse and more services — all at no cost. Katie Plax, MD is one of the founders of […]