The importance of studying treatments in pregnant people
At the 16th Kolokotrones Symposium, experts discussed the importance of including pregnant people when testing vaccines and drugs, the challenges of collecting data for that population, and research methods that could help fill the data gap.
U.S. men die nearly six years before women, as life expectancy gap widens
New research from Harvard Chan School and UC San Francisco shows that the life expectancy of American women is now 5.8 years longer than that of American men—a trend researchers say is driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and…
Addressing life expectancy decline driven by COVID-19, opioid crisis
Experts at the 7th Cutter Symposium discussed how epidemics such as COVID-19 and the opioid crisis are shortening the human lifespan, and health policies that can help mitigate the problem.
Many in U.S. know someone affected by or who died from opioids
In a recent survey, 3 in 10 U.S. adults said they know someone who has been directly affected by opioid addiction, and more than half of that group said they know someone who died from using opioids. In…
Substantial racial inequalities despite frequent health care contact found in treatment for opioid use disorder
In the wake of an opioid-related event, White patients received medication for opioid use disorder up to 80% more frequently than Black patients and up to 25% more frequently than Hispanic patients, according to a new study led…
Telemedicine appears as effective as in-person care for opioid use disorder
Care for opioid use disorder can be effective whether provided in-person or via telemedicine, according to a new study co-authored by researchers from Harvard Chan School.
Fentanyl deaths on the rise among teens—especially Black teens
Fentanyl overdose deaths tripled among teens—and surged five-fold among Black teens—over the past two years.
What led to the opioid crisis—and how to fix it
Howard Koh, professor of the practice of public health leadership, discusses factors contributing to the opioid crisis and recommendations on how to curb it.
Drug overdose deaths hit record high
More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between May 2020 and April 2021—the most ever recorded in a single year.
Using opioid settlement money to support communities disproportionately impacted by addiction
Massachusetts will receive about $90 million for the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders.