Latest News Releases 15 January

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the health care delivery landscape and shifted the ways in which patients access health care. Digital literacy, access to technology, and the ability to effectively communicate with providers virtually have become critical indicators of social determinants of health. Now, to add to our understanding, Boston-area researchers have investigated demographic disparities in the use of virtual consultation compared with in-person surgical consultation after the initial COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Their findings appear in an article—among the first of its kind—published online by the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Baszucki Brain Research Fund and Milken Institute Announce Grant Recipients for Bipolar Disorder Therapeutic Research

In a follow-up to a ground-breaking 2017 study, nationally representative surveys taken shortly before and shortly after the 2020 election indicate that significant numbers of Americans are stressed to the point of illness by the U.S. political climate. Between a fifth and a third blame politics for fatigue, anger, short tempers, compulsive behaviors and poor impulse control. Alarmingly, 5% -- or approximately 12 million Americans -- say politics has given them suicidal thoughts. The results mirror those reported in an identical March 2017 survey, an indication that the findings were not merely a short-term response to an unpopular president taking office. "Traditionally, political engagement has been conceived of as a public good, not a threat to public health," says the study's author, political scientist Kevin Smith. He says additional civic education and efforts to calm the fractious political climate could actually improve public health.

Long-running conflicts, such as that between Israel and Palestine, are inflamed by the political process itself as politicians adopt tough ‘hawkish’ policies to get themselves re-elected, according to a new study.