Welcome to the October 2011 issue of HSPH Update, an e-letter for friends of the Harvard School of Public Health.
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THE FORUM
AT HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Reforming the 2012 farm bill: subsidies, food assistance and America's health
LIVE WEBCAST
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
www.ForumHSPH.org
Expert participants, including Prof. David Ludwig of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Prof. Barry Popkin of UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Prof. Gary W. Williams of Texas A&M University, and HSPH Prof. Walter Willett, will discuss the new Farm Bill under consideration by Congress. The current Farm Bill has been criticized by public health experts for subsidizing crops used as ingredients--such as high-fructose corn syrup--in unhealthy foods. At the same time, the bill helps fund food assistance programs in the U.S., making food--healthy or otherwise--more affordable for many Americans. Amid calls for federal budget cuts, this Forum webcast will focus on the implications for feeding the nation when politics, economics, and nutrition collide.
A transcript and briefing of policy implications will be available on the Forum website, and the webcast will be available on demand after the event.
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HSPH awarded $20 million CDC grant to study HIV prevention in Botswana
A new four-year, $20 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will enable HSPH researchers to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of a unique combination of HIV prevention strategies in Botswana. The CDC grant is part of a U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative that commits $45 million to examine the effectiveness of combination approaches to HIV prevention over four years. The largest evaluation of its kind, the research initiative is poised to help partner countries strengthen their efforts to prevent new HIV infections and save lives. Principal investigator
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From the Harvard Public Health Review
Life after death: Helping former child soldiers become whole again
Today, among the 87 war-torn countries in which data have been gathered, 300,000-500,000 children are involved with fighting forces as child soldiers. Once the killing ends, peace treaties are signed and emergency humanitarian missions pull out. But these children's sorrows persist. HSPH's Theresa Betancourt has made it her mission to understand how to promote their resilience--and ultimately, their healing.
Read more
Read more from the Fall 2011 issue of the Harvard Public Health Review
Photo: Stuart Freedman/PANOS
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Three HSPH faculty members elected to Institute of Medicine
HSPH faculty members Katherine Baicker, Atul Gawande, and JoAnn Manson are among the 65 new Institute of Medicine members announced by the IOM on October 17, 2011, in conjunction with its 41st annual meeting. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Read more
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Improving health care in China, U.S.
Health officials from China and the United States gathered at an event organized by the Harvard School of Public Health to examine successful reforms around the world and to exchange information on their own efforts, as the two global giants seek ways to extend access, improve quality, and lower the cost of care to their citizens. The two-day Harvard America-China Health Summit, sponsored by HSPH's China Initiative, opened with twin keynote addresses by Chinese Minister of Health Chen Zhu and Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sherry Glied. Read more
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Help broaden views on health
 Earning a public health degree at HSPH helped Dr. James A. Manganello, MPH '80, look at health problems in a more holistic way. Now, he provides financial support to help other professionals expand their horizons and to make the world safer and healthier for everyone. Please join Dr. Manganello in opening doors for future public health leaders by making a contribution to the HSPH Scholarship Fund today.
Please visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/give
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Global effort needed vs. NCDs  A "grand coalition" of governments, public-private partnerships, academia, and others must work together to address the mounting toll of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that annually claim an estimated 36 million lives around the globe, said Srinath Reddy, the first Bernard Lown Visiting Professor in Cardiovascular Health in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and president of the Public Health Foundation of India. Read more
In addition, a recent report co-authored by HSPH's David Bloom estimated the cumulative loss of output to the economy due to NCDs from 2011 to 2030 to be $47 trillion. Read more
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'Golden years':
not so golden?
One in four retirees think life in retirement is worse than it was before they retired, according to a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and HSPH. The poll shows stark differences between what pre-retirees think retirement will be like, and what retirees say is actually the case. Read more
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Frenk inducted into Academy of Arts and Sciences
HSPH Dean Julio Frenk is among 180 of the nation's most influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors, and institutional leaders who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at a ceremony October 1 in Cambridge. Read more
Frenk also has stepped up his efforts this fall to keep global health issues at center stage despite a continuing worldwide economic slowdown. Read more
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