Rethinking WHO: Students see a bigger role for frontline health workers
Students from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and across the University came together at the Harvard iLab over the fall semester for an innovative new course—Design of Social Innovation.
Popularity of plastic takes toll on oceans, puts human health at risk
November 27, 2017 – Our love affair with plastic—from water bottles, shopping bags, and drinking straws, to consumer product packaging—is taking a toll on the world’s oceans, and damaging the health of people, marine birds, and animals. The…
Potentially preventable Medicare spending concentrated among frail elderly
Frail elderly adults—those 65 and over with two or more medical conditions—account for nearly half of potentially preventable Medicare spending, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Incentive program spurred hospital electronic health record systems
An incentive program established under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 was a key factor that drove American hospitals to adopt electronic medical record systems, according to a study co-authored by…
Post-surgical racial mortality gap may be narrowing
The post-surgical mortality gap between blacks and whites in the U.S. has declined over time, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study was published online June 5, 2017 in Health…
Mortality rates at teaching hospitals lower compared with non-teaching hospitals
For immediate release: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 Boston, MA – Patients admitted to major teaching hospitals are less likely to die compared with patients admitted to minor teaching or non-teaching hospitals, according to a large national study from Harvard…
Does the world need a World Health Organization?
Yes, the world still needs WHO — although it needs to be improved, Ashish Jha, K.T. Li Professor of International Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI),…
Achieving high quality health care around the globe
March 17, 2017 – Improving people’s access to health care around the world has been a major focus of global health experts in recent years. Now they are turning their attention to the quality of that care—especially in…
Climate change may reverse gains in child survival
Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change—including reductions in the nutritional quality of staple crops, increases in asthma and heart disease due to air pollution, and the expanded geographical range of insects that carry disease.…
Expensive hospital care doesn’t buy better health
Patients who receive expensive care in the hospital are readmitted and die at similar rates to patients whose doctors order fewer or less expensive tests and procedures, according to a new study by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan…