An Inspiration for Young Scientists: Celebrating Dr. Rita Colwell’s 90th Birthday
BY LILIA POTTER-SCHWARTZ November 23 marked the 90th birthday celebration of leading environmental microbiologist, Dr. Rita Colwell. As we honor Dr. Colwell’s groundbreaking career, we are inspired by and in awe of her public health contributions. Dr. Colwell’s career has spanned scientific leadership, discovery, and advocacy. Throughout her career, Dr. Colwell has connected these three…
Invisible War: The Obliteration of Health in Gaza
BY NIRAJ SRIVASTAVA “The smell of death is everywhere,” describes one doctor in Gaza [1]. Children die of malnutrition [2]. Epidemics resurge [3]. Gunshots and missiles barrage hospitals [4]. People undergo amputations without painkillers. Fathers, mothers, and children die silently in blood-stained hospital hallways with no surviving family to comfort them [1]. These are not…
Beyond the Storm: Building Climate Resilient Healthcare in Post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico
BY SEBASTIAN A. CORDERO MUNIZ In the Caribbean Sea Southwest of Miami, the island of Puerto Rico lies at the convergence of Latin America and the United States. Despite its uniquely hybrid culture and heritage, beautiful beaches, and close connection to the United States, Puerto Rico faces many long standing challenges. With a bankrupt government,…
Wandering Wombs, Wayward Women: Endometriosis and the Afterlife of the Hysteria Diagnosis
BY SAMANTHA LIU Hysteria has always been a markedly female condition. Plato in Timaeus was first to suggest the female uterus would be “sad” when it is not joined by its male counterpart; Hippocrates later coined hysteria in his Hippocratic Corpus as “the wandering uterus,” from hysteron meaning “uterus” [1]. Such characterizations trace back to…
The Fault in Our Algorithms: Tackling Bias in Medical AI
BY RISHI SHAH Artificial intelligence (AI) is heralded as a transformative force in medicine, with the potential to revolutionize diagnostics, personalize treatments, and optimize healthcare delivery [1]. Yet, AI is not an inherently neutral tool. Instead, it reflects and magnifies the values, biases, and inequities embedded in the systems that create it. In healthcare, this…
Laboring for Change: Adrienne Strong on Maternal Mortality in Tanzania
BY LIZZIE FISHER During medical anthropologist Adrienne Strong’s second visit to Tanzania, she witnessed a harrowing scene: a doctor at Singida Regional Referral Hospital performing an autopsy on a woman who had died with her full-term baby still inside of her. In an interview with me, reflecting on her experience, Strong remarked, “It is truly…
Death and Distrust: How Failing to Proactively Embrace Traditional Medicine During the HIV/AIDS Pandemic Has Limited the Acceptance of Western Medicine
BY LISHORE KUMAR For Onaeshegun, a tender-faced Nigerian native, medicine is more than a system of treating ailments—it’s a story. As a proud practitioner of traditional medicine, she uses recipes passed down from her grandmother to treat her aches, pains, and worries [1]. While she acknowledges that her remedies aren’t cure-alls, in times of struggle,…
“The Placebo Effect”: Rethinking Pain Relief
BY JOSHUA CHEN Treating pain is a complex issue. Its subjective nature and dependence on physiological and psychological factors make treatment complex. Opium—extracted from poppy plants—was first officially recorded for medicinal purposes in the 3rd century BC. The prescription of opium as primarily a painkiller, or analgesic, wasn’t documented until the late 18th century [1].…
A New Kind of Resilience
BY GRACE UDOH America is failing its Black mothers. A study by the American Journal of Managed Care identified the United States as the worst country for Black women to give birth in the developed world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from…
One Year Later: The Lingering Health Crisis Caused by the Turkey/Syria Earthquakes
BY EDIS MESIC Individuals living on both sides of the border between Turkey and Syria were abruptly awakened by a terrifying rumble on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 4:17 am. Streets quickly filled with hordes of civilians rushing out of collapsing homes and buildings as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake tore through cities. With many roads…
“Covid This, Covid That”: The Importance of Communication and Preparation in Yale New Haven Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit Administration during the COVID-19 Pandemic
BY DAYA BAUM COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 and quickly escalated into a global pandemic, fundamentally transforming daily life and public health systems around the world. The virus has led to widespread illness and significant mortality, yet the complexities of its impact extend beyond immediate health concerns. Governmental responses, including lockdowns, social distancing, and mask…
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