Advanced Genomic Technologies May Speed COVID-19 Vaccine Development

Since its global debut at the start of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has simultaneously posed an exhausting challenge and sparked remarkable innovation worldwide. In no field is this more evident than vaccine development.  Over the last several months, healthcare researchers from all around the globe have collectively adopted a goal that would have seemed laughable [...]

By |2020-08-25T20:49:17+00:00August 25th, 2020|Blog|

How Can We Address COVID-19’s Disproportionate Effect on Black and Latino Communities?

It’s an unfortunate reality that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people of color in the U.S. In particular, Black and Latino communities have experienced higher mortality and infection rates. As an example, recent CDC data published by the New York Times indicates that African Americans and Latinos residing in the United [...]

By |2020-08-25T20:43:30+00:00August 18th, 2020|Blog|

COVID-19 Has Accelerated Genomic Sequencing Research

COVID-19 has compelled the global research community to push the boundaries of genetic sequencing in virus identification and tracing. For all the problems that the pandemic presents, we have never been in a better position to explore the applications of genomic epidemiology. Advances in technology have allowed us to sequence, track, and map genes faster [...]

By |2020-08-07T17:25:51+00:00August 7th, 2020|Blog|

COVID-19 Poses (Avoidable) Risks to Women’s Healthcare Access

A soon-to-be-mother makes last-minute changes to her birth plan as she sees COVID-19 cases climb at her chosen hospital. A young professional cancels her scheduled OB-GYN appointment, anxiously considering the risk of infection. A college student watches her supply of birth control dwindle as her campus clinic remains closed. Since the onset of COVID-19, women [...]

By |2020-08-07T17:20:51+00:00August 3rd, 2020|Blog|

The Doctor is a Video Call Away, But for How Long?

A mother, torn between her worry over her young son’s rash and the fear of leaving isolation, finds solace in a phone consultation with a pediatrician. A confirmed COVID-19 patient quarantines at home, knowing that his texted check-ins with his primary care physician will help him get car without putting others at risk. An elderly [...]

By |2021-06-28T15:21:54+00:00June 24th, 2020|Blog|

Using Digital Tools to Support Women’s Health

In a time when more patients than ever are seeking digital touchpoints, those in the primary care sector would do well to consider how digital tools could be used in conjunction with in-office care to support female patients’ everyday health.  In recent years, direct-to-consumer solutions have significantly expanded women’s access to contraceptives, fertility tracking, and [...]

By |2020-06-12T16:49:41+00:00June 12th, 2020|Blog|

Will Privatizing the VA’s Mental Healthcare Services Help Lower Veteran Suicide?

In recent years, American veterans’ need for high-quality mental healthcare has become painfully apparent as rates of veteran suicide have reached new and troubling heights.  The suicide rate for veterans currently stands at 1.5 times higher than that for non-veteran adults, even after adjusting for population differences in age and sex. According to statistics provided [...]

By |2020-11-19T15:14:35+00:00April 12th, 2020|Blog|

The U.S. Has a Major Maternal Mortality Problem

Maternal mortality rates in the United States have reached an alarming high. According to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) report published in the spring of 2019, over 700 women die each year due to complications relating to a pregnancy -- and 60 percent of those fatalities, they estimate, could have been prevented.  The rate [...]

By |2020-09-18T17:42:33+00:00January 31st, 2020|Blog|

We Need to Recalibrate Our Transparency Efforts for Healthcare Pricing

For American consumers, healthcare prices are rarely clear or consistent. According to a 2016 report published in Health Affairs, the ratios of average state prices to national costs can vary significantly across regions. Florida, the study notes, has a ratio of 0.79, while Alaska tops the high-price list with prices over double that of the [...]

By |2020-09-18T17:48:46+00:00January 30th, 2020|Blog|