HPH Weekly: No research about us without us?

This edition of Harvard Public Health Weekly was sent to our subscribers on September 12, 2024. If you don’t already receive the newsletter, subscribe here. To see more past newsletters, visit our archives.

No research about us without us?

“Public health research often focuses on population data sets, which means the research can seem detached from the public itself,” writes Rod McCullom. Community-engaged research changes that dynamic by bringing people in the communities being studied into the research process—and it yields better results.

Public health’s spirituality disconnect

Public health has “divorced” itself from spirituality—to the detriment of the diverse populations the field serves, argue Katelyn Long, David H. Rosmarin, and Howard Koh. They think it’s time for a reminder that “the vast majority of people in the world … identify with a religious or spiritual tradition,” and that public health outcomes are better when their traditions are acknowledged.

Kids’ anxiety is on the rise. This book aims to help.

Mother-and-daughter duo Nicole and Clara Rura tackle My Magic Mind, a book and companion journal designed to help kids cope with their worries in short reading and writing sessions.

Mpox offers another chance to confront vaccine inequity

Writing for Undark, Henna Hundal, Oyewale Tomori, and Simar Bajaj chart the sluggish response to mpox emergency in Africa and insist that it’s time to “rebalance global health priorities” and ensure equitable access to not only the mpox vaccine, but also other critical disease control efforts.

Snapshot: PTSD in communities that have experienced mass violence

After mass shootings or acts of terrorism, survivors often struggle with long-lasting psychological consequences, including PTSD.

What we’re reading this week

U.S. recycled prosthetic limbs help Sri Lankan amputees walk again →
Think Global Health

Oakland’s new school buses double as giant batteries →
Grist

Patients suffer when Indian Health Service doesn’t pay for outside care →
KFF Health News

Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers →
NPR

Paralympians face higher injury rate, harder recoveries than Olympians →
The Washington Post