Award-Winning Physician Ashish Jha Strives to Make Health Care Safer and Better

"I firmly believe that the care most Americans receive is far from ideal. And, no matter who you are, you're at high risk for receiving poor quality care," says Ashish Jha, assistant professor of health policy and management at HSPH and a practicing internist at the Veterans Affairs Hospital. Jha studies how to improve quality of care and how to reduce disparities in care. He has just received the Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth, which recognizes scholars early in their careers who show exceptional promise as researchers in health services. 

Impact of Including Women and Minority Populations in Clinical Trials Examined

Medical researchers have been required by law to include women and representatives of minority groups in clinical trials since the early 1990s, but the impact of these requirements on health outcomes for these populations is unclear, a panel of experts concluded at a symposium on April 24 at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Migration of Doctors and Nurses from Developing to Developed Countries: Is It a Good Thing?

Is the "brain drain" of doctors and nurses from poor to rich countries hurting health care in those developing lands? Is the massive inflow of donor dollars to pay for HIV/AIDS treatment in poor countries diverting resources away from other health concerns in those already underserved places? These two issues were front and center at an HSPH symposium sponsored by the Department of Population and International Health on April 18 in Kresge G-2.

HSPH Launches Composting Program to Dispose of Cafeteria Waste

A composting program has been launched this week outside Sebastian's Café to collect and properly dispose of organic waste from purchased meals. As part of this waste reduction effort, Sebastian's Café is changing the type of service-ware offered in the café to all compostable containers that are made from renewable materials, such as corn-based plastics, sugarcane, and other natural fibers that will bio-degrade under the proper conditions.

Poster Day Winners Announced

The winners of the annual Poster and Exhibit Day have been announced. This year's event took place on May 1 in the Kresge cafeteria. Posters and exhibits prepared by students or by a team on which a student was the first author and presenter were eligible for a $500 prize, as judged by the Faculty Council. Postdocs were eligible for a separate $500 prize.