News and Announcements

Adolescents identifying as sexual minority found to be 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual peers

Three researchers affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center* are among the authors of a study in Pediatrics that looked at changes in US adolescent reported sexual orientation and suicide attempts by sexual orientation from 2009–2017. Authors on the study include: Julia Raifman, Brittany M. Charlton, Renata Arrington-Sanders, Philip A. Chan, Jack Rusley, Kenneth H. Mayer*, … Continue reading “Adolescents identifying as sexual minority found to be 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual peers”

Study finds Medicaid expansion (aka Obamacare) linked to lower out-of-pocket spending, reduced chance of catastrophic financial burden among recipients

Faculty member Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, is an author on a study that examines the association between the expansion of Medicaid (under the Affordable Care Act) and changes in healthcare spending among recipients from 2014– 2017. Other authors on the paper include: Hiroshi Gotanda, Gerald F. Kominski, and Yusuke Tsugawa. Learn more in this … Continue reading “Study finds Medicaid expansion (aka Obamacare) linked to lower out-of-pocket spending, reduced chance of catastrophic financial burden among recipients”

Focusing on the link between democratic governance, climate change, and health inequities

Faculty member Nancy Krieger, PhD, has shared her viewpoint in this piece published in the Journal of Public Health Policy that calls for those in the public health and medical field, in particular, to take practical action steps to better integrate the realms of democratic governance, climate change, and health inequities. She outlines actionable steps, … Continue reading “Focusing on the link between democratic governance, climate change, and health inequities”

Is there a link between opioid overdose mortality rates and automobile assembly plant closures in the U.S.?

Researchers affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center have published a study that focuses on counties with a large share of the population employed in the manufacturing sector, finding a link between automobile assembly plant closures and deaths by opioid overdose among working-age adults. Study authors include faculty member (and former Harvard RWJF scholar) Alexander Tsai, … Continue reading “Is there a link between opioid overdose mortality rates and automobile assembly plant closures in the U.S.?”

Lisa Berkman addresses Harvard community in Seattle about widening inequalities and shifting workplace demographics

Harvard Pop Center Director Lisa Berkman joined Harvard University President Larry Bacow in Seattle and addressed nearly 300 alumni and students. Based on her work as a social epidemiologist, Berkman noted “life expectancy in the United States is intricately entwined with the kinds of inequality that we live with.” Learn more in The Harvard Gazette.

Prevention may be worth much more than pound of cure to tackle obesity trends

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that utilized state-level data projects that by 2030 almost 50% of U.S. adults will be obese, with some states coming in higher than 50% and no state at a level below 35%. Harvard Pop Center faculty members Steven Gortmaker, PhD, and Sara Bleich, PhD, are … Continue reading “Prevention may be worth much more than pound of cure to tackle obesity trends”

Jason Beckfield: “Rising inequality is not balanced by intergenerational mobility”

Jason Beckfield, our associate director and Harvard sociologist, COMMENTS on a study that documents intergenerational social mobility over the past 165 years, applauding the study’s strengths (e.g., differentiating between relative and absolute mobility; large amount of data) and outlining some of its limits (e.g., ethnicity and gender are weak spots in population composition; lack of … Continue reading “Jason Beckfield: “Rising inequality is not balanced by intergenerational mobility””

Doctoral student Keona J. Wynne awarded research prize

HCPDS is pleased to announce that the 2019 Sissela Bok Ethics and Population Research Prize has been awarded to Keona J. Wynne, a first-year doctoral student in the Population Health Sciences PhD program at Harvard University. The $5,000 prize is awarded in the form of a research/travel grant to a doctoral student, postdoctoral fellow or untenured … Continue reading “Doctoral student Keona J. Wynne awarded research prize”

Congratulations to highly cited faculty members!

The following faculty members have been named to Clarivate Analytic’s Web of Science annual list of Highly Cited Researchers—those who rank in the top 1% of citations in a particular field or across multiple fields*: Till Bärnighausen* Miguel Hernan Ashish Jha Gary King Kenneth Mayer* S V Subramanian* David R. Williams Learn more in this … Continue reading “Congratulations to highly cited faculty members!”