Documentary producer Abigail Disney's directorial debut follows the journey of Reverend Rob Schenck, an evangelical minister who finds the courage to preach about the toll of gun violence in America. An anti-abortion activist, Schenck questions whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life, much to the discomfort of his colleagues. He eventually meets Lucy McBath, also a Christian and the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose case has...

Featured scholar: Sam Kargbo // Leaders and on-the-ground innovators are finding new ways to connect the hardest-to-serve populations with effective care. More than 5 million community health workers in more than 25 countries are reaching isolated populations and taking aim at disparities, from Rwanda, Uganda, and Liberia to Seattle and Camden, New Jersey. But systems barriers still need to be overcome in many places and resource commitments are essential. Following a day-long,...

Featured scholar: Estefania Palomino. // Spanning generations and geography, this conversation on women’s health looks at the triumphs and challenges of the last several decades and identifies still-to-be-seized opportunities for positive change. Advancing health means putting women in charge of their own fertility and approaching medicine with sensitivity to gender, but it also means reducing poverty, strengthening families, and promoting justice. What can we learn from women long on the...

A first kiss, a first dance. These are the rites of passage of American youth that hold the promise of magic, romance and initiation into adulthood. For kids from all walks of life, these first steps toward intimacy are at once exciting and terrifying. For some teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum, the transition can be nothing less than paralyzing. In Columbus, Ohio, a group of young people with an array of developmental challenges prepares for an iconic event — a spring formal...

Diagnosis — once the cornerstone of medicine — is fast becoming a lost art, despite aggressive testing that is often unnecessary and can sometimes be harmful. In a talk about her new book, When Doctors Don’t Listen, Dr. Leana Wen empowers patients to engage with their doctors as partners, and avoid the “cookbook diagnoses” that often fail to explain a package of symptoms. The book helps patients paint a full picture of their illness at a medical appointment, deal with doctors who don’t seem...

Although the inequitable distribution of health and healthcare is widely recognized, a lot of fresh thinking about just why it exists and what can be done to rebalance the scales is taking place. Pioneers are looking beyond narrow measures to broader social determinants, highlighting the structures and influences that drive differences in behavior and care, and talking frankly about discriminatory resource allocation. What really causes health disparities and how can we reduce them? How do we...

Actress Ashley Judd is an advocate and activist who has traveled the world promoting empowerment and equality, effective grassroots programs, and strategies to advance women’s health, curb HIV, alleviate poverty and much more. As a global champion for women, she has led major campaigns to reduce maternal mortality and increase resources for women and girls.

How can we create a new roadmap for “higher health?" Based on the latest findings in both mainstream and integrative medicine, panelists will discuss practical ways to experience higher consciousness, transformation, and healing, as well as new social paradigms for how we can interact with our communities. Strategies will be shared on how to promote creativity, innovation, and social well-being.

When West Baltimore exploded in violence following the death of a young, African-American man in police custody, the very community in which he died was torn apart. The burning of a local pharmacy, which also served as a convenience grocery store, instantly created both a food and a pharmaceutical desert. The blighted neighborhood was already among Baltimore’s most segregated, and the city itself has the 5th-highest murder rate in the country. What is the path back to health in that kind of...

Almost every conversation about US healthcare is dominated by concerns about unsustainable costs. We spend far more, per capita, on healthcare than any other country in the world — more than $8,000, compared with $3,000 in Japan, for example — yet obesity, asthma, mental health, and other chronic diseases are increasing burdens. On the other hand, we spend much less on social services: for every healthcare dollar spent from 2000 to 2009, the US spent about 90 cents on social services,...

We are approaching a watershed moment in human history; a time when old people outnumber children and living to 100 is commonplace. There are major challenges associated with this dramatic and sudden increase in life expectancy, yet we must not lose sight of the fact that long life presents unprecedented opportunities. If we use science and technology to solve problems associated with aging and we develop new social norms and lifestyles, the entire life course can be redesigned in ways that...

Thanks to improved battlefield trauma care, many of the men and women who are fighting 21st-century wars survive grievous injuries that leave them forever scarred. Post-traumatic stress disorders haunt countless others. When these veterans return home, they need enduring care to heal body and mind, and guide them toward a transformed life. But high rates of suicide, unemployment, and divorce in military families tell us we are failing to serve many who served us. How can we do better for our...

Mental health disorders occur across geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic boundaries and disproportionately affect young people. Although they are the leading cause of disability in countries at all levels of wealth, vast numbers of people lack access to appropriate care, partly due to inequities in funding and human resources and to the low priority given to mental health services. But new cadres — teams of mothers, lay health workers, and specialists — are extending the mental...

Personal decisions about smoking, diet, and exercise play a huge role in chronic illness, especially heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. These epidemics push up mortality levels, compromise quality of life, and contribute to rising healthcare costs, with the toll hitting low- and middle-income countries hardest. Clearly, what we’re doing around the world to curb risky behaviors and promote positive choices isn’t enough. To complement our vast investments...

Seventeen years after Viagra was approved to treat erectile dysfunction in men, woman may soon be able to take a drug to boost their sexual desire. In early June, an FDA Advisory Committee recommended the approval of Flibanserin, which had twice before been rejected by the FDA on the basis of its modest benefit and possible side effects. It’s not yet clear whether approval now will be an important stride for sexual equality, a long-awaited answer to an unmet need, risky medicine, a windfall...

Even chefs are turning their backs on the term “farm to table” as the food industry, including the fast-food industry, claims that its mass-produced meals come straight from a farm near you. But what’s really “fresh,” and what’s best for you? In a world where frozen vegetables can have higher vitamin and antioxidant content than what comes from the supermarket produce aisle or big food-service distributors, what do “fresh” and “healthy” really mean?

As people live longer, increased incidents of dementia, as a result of many causes, are becoming a growing challenge. An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease may increase to 16 million. How can people suffering from dementia still maintain a high quality of life? What innovations are under development to help ease the burden on caregivers? What services and environments are best suited to meet the...

Featured scholar: Sam Kargbo. // That life comes to an end is hardly news, but public conversations about death seem to be growing more urgent. Brittany Maynard ended her own life at age 29, rather than die slowly of brain cancer; thousands of people are attending social events designed to explore their choices about death; Ebola undermined the burial rituals so important to the people of Sierra Leone; and "Dying in America," the Institute of Medicine’s new report, has highlighted many...