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.

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…

Complexities of homelessness explored at ‘deep dive’ event
Many facets related to the problem of homelessness—including its prevalence, causes, relationship to health, and ways to respond—were on the agenda at a two-day conference at Harvard University in late March.

Symposium explores drivers of suicide, and how to prevent it
Suicide is a preventable tragedy—but there’s much work yet to be done in figuring out the best strategies for doing so, according to experts who spoke at a symposium on the topic at Harvard Chan School.

Addressing the wide-ranging health challenges of homelessness
Homelessness leads to a wide range of health challenges and should be tackled through multiple angles, according to Howard Koh.
Spirituality linked with better health outcomes, patient care
For immediate release: July 12, 2022 Boston, MA—Spirituality should be incorporated into care for both serious illness and overall health, according to a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and…

Health-harming extreme heat, driven by climate change, on the rise
Excessive heat—the number one killer of all natural disasters—has been on the rise over the past decade, and experts expect it to get worse because of the climate crisis.

The costs of gun violence
Gun violence survivors and their families face increased risk of mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders, according to a new study.

After pandemic trauma, people’s return to normal will vary, say experts
As the COVID-19 pandemic eases, some people will return to pre-pandemic normalcy relatively quickly, but others may struggle, according to experts.