It’s a small world … for homicide victims

RWJF alum Andrew Papachristos  has shown that 41 percent of all gun homicide victims occur within a group that’s 4 percent of the population– or, to put it another way, belonging to that small network of 4 of the population increases your risk of being a homicide victim by 900 percent. Papachristos recently discussed these findings on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Balanced Research Approach Called For to Explain Declining Life Expectancy of Low-Educated Women

Former Harvard RWJF Scholar Jennifer Karas Montez, PhD, and a colleague have written an editorial, published in the American Journal of Public Health, that challenges researchers to apply a balanced approach, incorporating two criteria, to better understand a complex dilemma: why is life expectancy declining among low-income women?

Having Better-Educated Offspring May Add Years to Parents’ Lives

Harvard RWJF HSS Alum Esther Friedman, PhD, has co-authored a study that suggests that making an investment in children’s higher education may have a big payoff for parents’ lifespan. The study has received media coverage, including this article in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, and this piece in Yahoo News.

Childhood sexual abuse linked to heart disease risk in women

RWJF alumna Rebecca Thurston has published a study which reveals that psychosocial stress brought on by early life adversities may have implications for the development of risk factors for heart disease later on. The study results have been reported in multiple media outlets, including US News & World Report.

Being Socially Well-Integrated Reduces Risk of Suicide

A 24-year prospective cohort study authored by Harvard RWJF Health & Societies Scholar Program Alum Alexander Tsai and Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member Ichiro Kawachi indicates that middle-aged men who are well-integrated socially have more than a 2-fold reduced risk for suicide. Being married, having a larger social network, and attending religious services on a regular basis showed the strongest protective associations. This study was published online July 14…

Youths and PTSD: Impact of media exposure following 2013 Boston Marathon bombing

Margaret Sheridan, PhD, a former Harvard RWJF Health & Society scholar, has published a study that could help to make it easier to identify youths most vulnerable to PTSD following a wide-scale traumatic event.

Thurston’s Study on Hot Flashes and Weight Loss in the News

A study by Harvard RWJF Scholar Alum Rebecca Clark Thurston, PhD,  on the connection between a reduction in menopausal hot flashes and weight loss has received some press in The Pittsburgh Business Times. The study has been published in the July online issue of Menopause.