Welcome to the April 2012 issue of HSPH Update, an e-letter for friends of Harvard School of Public Health.
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Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease
New HSPH research suggests that seemingly small changes in summer temperature swings--as little as 1�C more than usual--may shorten life expectancy for elderly people with chronic medical conditions, and could result in thousands of additional deaths each year. Read more
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Routine mammograms may result in significant overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer
New HSPH research suggests that routine mammography screening--long viewed as an essential tool in detecting early breast cancers--may also lead to a significant amount of overdiagnosis of disease that would otherwise have proved harmless. Read more
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HSPH students seek to unravel the complexities of Chagas disease
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Callae Snively (l) and Jennifer Manne
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Two HSPH students are hoping to focus more attention on Chagas disease, which affects an estimated 8 to 11 million people but is one of the world's most neglected diseases. Read more
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Use of common pesticide linked to bee colony collapse
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Infant lungs prone to nanoparticle deposits, whether helpful or harmful
A new study led by HSPH research scientist Akira Tsuda reveals for the first time how airflow patterns in infant lungs differ from those of adults. The discovery may explain why the lungs of babies are particularly susceptible to deposits of nanoparticles--whether beneficial particles, like inhaled medicines, or harmful ones, like air pollution. Read more
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No improvement in patient outcomes seen in hospitals with pay-for-performance programs
A new HSPH study finds no improvement in 30-day mortality rates in hospitals using "pay-for-performance" programs, which have been widely adopted in the United States and are emphasized in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read more about the study. In addition, a number of HSPH faculty have been quoted in recent weeks about the ACA, as the Supreme Court recently heard challenges to the health reform law's constitutionality. Read more
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Questioning the safety and necessity of flame retardants
Did you know that your couch most likely contains up to a pound of flame retardants? And that these are toxic chemicals that may cause cancer, harm reproductive health, or adversely impact brain development? Guest speaker Arlene Blum, a biophysical chemist, described flame retardants' potential dangers.
Read more
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Dean Frenk co-authors New York Times op-ed on universal health coverage
HSPH Dean Julio Frenk and co-author David de Ferranti, president of the Results for Development Institute in Washington and a distinguished visiting fellow at HSPH, outline ways in which the U.S. can learn from the efforts of Mexico and other countries toward achieving universal health coverage. Read more
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Helping students reach dreams
When you support scholarships at HSPH, your gift has wide impact. As Clare Rosenfeld Evans, doctoral student in Society, Human Development, and Health, put it at the recent Fellowship Celebration, "You have had a direct hand in providing the world with fresh and energetic new researchers, policymakers, and public health practitioners. You have helped generations of students just like me to reach their dreams." Please make a gift to the HSPH Scholarship Fund today.
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