News & Resources

Risk Communication Considerations for the West Virginia Elk River Chemical Spill

Every day, we each analyze risk and perform cost/benefit analyses for even mundane tasks. For many people, this is particularly true when it comes to our health, from eating fatty foods to avoiding toxins. Risk assessment is also crucial on a larger scale when it comes to health, in situations where it is imperative to … Continue reading “Risk Communication Considerations for the West Virginia Elk River Chemical Spill”

Five Ways to Improve Customer Experiences with Health IT

Information technology in the healthcare industry has the capacity to improve the experience of consumers, but it if not handled properly those efforts could backfire. For every wearable device and mobile app, there’s a potential security breach lurking in the shadows. With the ability to crunch Big Data comes the responsibility to present that data … Continue reading “Five Ways to Improve Customer Experiences with Health IT”

Healthcare IT is ‘Like the Plane that Doesn’t Crash’

When it comes to information technology, the health care industry is “clearly lagging behind,” according to Ashish Jha, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s K.T. Li Professor of International Health. We live in an era when anyone with a smartphone can host a business meeting, deposit a check, and navigate the quickest route home … Continue reading “Healthcare IT is ‘Like the Plane that Doesn’t Crash’”

Workplace Safety Challenges Still Exist

With the modern office-based economy, it’s easy to think about workplace injuries as relics of a bygone era, when factory workers smelted iron in blast furnaces and coal miners toiled in unregulated conditions. Workplace safety remains a challenge in many regions of the globe, and developed nations, like the United States, aren’t exempt. “We still … Continue reading “Workplace Safety Challenges Still Exist”

A Healthy Workplace Starts in Bed

Employees who sleep better, work better, according to emerging research. Studies conducted by people like Nicolaas Pronk, adjunct professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, have broken ground when it comes to connecting the dots between productivity in the workplace and health indicators such as diet, exercise, and … Continue reading “A Healthy Workplace Starts in Bed”

The Business Benefits of a Healthy Workforce

Companies with strong health and wellness programs outperform others on the stock market, and some experts suggest the investment community could benefit from scrutinizing health and wellness metrics when they value companies. Robert McLellan, chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, is one of those experts. He’s co-author of a new paper in the … Continue reading “The Business Benefits of a Healthy Workforce”

Genomic Medicine in the Next Decade

The field of genomic medicine is only about 10 years old, said Gerardo Jimenez-Sanchez, a leading researcher in the field. Raju Kucherlapati, from Harvard Medical School’s department of genomics, adds, “The rate of accumulation of knowledge” is moving at an “ever increasing pace.” It’s clear that 10 to 15 years from now, genomic medicine will … Continue reading “Genomic Medicine in the Next Decade”

Genomic Medicine in the Real World: ‘Hope’ and ‘Hype’

Genomics has, in a remarkably short period of time, led to revelations across a wide range of scientific disciplines. It’s helped us better understand everything from cancer to dinosaurs to the intricacies of sexual selection. In medicine, the study of genomics is already saving lives and driving trillions of dollars of economic activity. The ability … Continue reading “Genomic Medicine in the Real World: ‘Hope’ and ‘Hype’”

New Opportunities in the Field of Ethical Research Oversight

“IRBs are not the most popular kids on the block,” said Delia Wolf, referring to institutional review boards, the oversight groups that approve – and bury under paperwork, depending on whom you ask – clinical research projects involving human participants. Of course, popularity isn’t everything, but Wolf is helping give the IRB process a makeover, … Continue reading “New Opportunities in the Field of Ethical Research Oversight”

Equipping Physicians To Manage The Rapidly Evolving World of Health Care

On Mother’s Day, 2003, 5-year-old Matthew Siravo, who had epilepsy, died at Boston Children’s Hospital, two days after suffering a seizure that lasted an hour and a half. Siravo’s story made headlines in the local news, and in September of that year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued what The Boston Globe called “a … Continue reading “Equipping Physicians To Manage The Rapidly Evolving World of Health Care”