This year, I was sponsored by the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health at the University of Minnesota to attend the 2011 AMCHP Annual Conference in Washington, DC. As a master’s student nearing the completion of my MPH training, I knew the conference would offer four days of intensive learning opportunities, […]
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Guest post: Ellen Gormican on AMCHP and graduation
Guest blogger: Ellen Gormican My experiences at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) annual conference in Washington D.C. have compelled me to confront some of the many dualities that I feel are particular to a student’s perspective in the world of Public Health. On the one hand, I have spent almost two […]
Performance Improvement: Balancing Act?
Can we improve our performance (or that of our organizations) AND achieve better public health outcomes by establishing (practicing?) better work/life balance? Could a culture of better ‘balance’ help us to develop increased capacity or competency in the long run? There is a lot to be said for making small, mindful investments in the right […]
Health care reform: a quick video from the Kaiser Family Foundation
A highly entertaining, highly informative (and, at 9 minutes, relatively short) video on the new health care bill:
Camel No. 9
A study published online in Pediatrics this week again demonstrated the persuasive power of big tobacco’s marketing campaigns. In 2007, R.J. Reynolds introduced Camel No. 9, and their branding effort came complete with pink packaging as well as a name mimicking perfume. Advertisements for Camel No. 9 were run in magazines such as Glamour and […]
Health ads from the past
These health-related ads from the previous century provide a funny (crazy? depressing?) reminder of how far we’ve come in public health. A few of them might also remind us that advertisements are not always the best place to get health information…
Against All Odds
Englewood is not a place that usually attracts attention for its successes. Though located not far from the University of Chicago and the former Obama home, news about the South Side Chicago neighborhood is often grim, telling a story of striking poverty, crime, and gang violence. Against all odds, Urban Prep— the city’s only public […]
Utah criminalizes illegal abortions and some miscarriages
If signed into law, a bill passed by the Utah House and Senate last week would criminalize illegally induced abortions and some miscarriages. The bill was motivated by a recent case in Utah in which a 17-year-old girl, who was seven months pregnant, paid a man $150 to beat her in hopes that it would […]
Super Bowl Sunday: A Failed Opportunity to Redirect our Focus on Family Planning
In a break from the typically light-hearted ads promoting cars, soda, and beer, this year’s Super Bowl was the first in history to feature an advertisement from an advocacy organization. Created by Focus on the Family—an evangelical group opposed to abortion—the ad highlighted the story of Tim Tebow, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Florida […]
NYT poll: nearly half of unemployed do not have health insurance
Nearly half of the unemployed Americans surveyed in a recent New York Times/CBS News poll indicate that they do not have health insurance. The survey, conducted in December via telephone interview, sampled 1,650 U.S. adults, 708 of whom are unemployed. Of those, more than half “have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments,” 25% […]
Increasing HIV Incidence in Minnesota in 2009: Third quarter data from HIV surveillance analysis by MDH
In a letter to colleagues on November 4th, the Minnesota Department of Health described their preliminary analysis of this year’s data (January – September) showing an increase in the overall number of new HIV diagnoses in Minnesota and highlighting a few trends of particular importance: 1) The number of cases diagnosed among adolescents and young […]
Ken doll controversy
Mattel is raising eyebrows! The toy manufacturer, who has repeatedly come under fire for Barbie’s unrealistic dimensions, and who has experienced controversy surrounding some of their other dolls, such as Teen Talk Barbie, who uttered the words “math class is tough”, is at it again. Introducing, “Sugar Daddy Ken.” While Mattel defends the doll, stating that it is named […]
A Father’s Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes
Recently, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, DC, convened a new Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes, to raise awareness of how expectant fathers can improve maternal and child health. The Joint Center is a leading public policy and research institution whose works focus primarily on African American and other […]
H1N1 Fears Provoke Public Prevention Tension
Anxiety related to swine flu may have hit a new high this week when an episode of coughing incited a brawl on a New York City subway. One woman on the train coughed without covering her mouth, inciting another woman to respond: “you need to cover your mouth — I don’t want swine flu.” A […]
Women’s Health in Nepal
Women’s Health in Nepal: An interview with Dr. Sangeeta Mishra by Public Radio International.
The full audio program is available at http://www.pri.org/health/global-health/womens-health-nepal1422.html.