In a highly-watched case, the United State Supreme Court is preparing to rule on the latest challenge to the ACA, King v. Burwell. In anticipation, The Forum welcomed healthcare policy experts to explore the implications of the decision. How will the ruling affect individuals in states where the federal healthcare marketplace operates? How might insurance markets be impacted? What options might the U.S. Congress and states pursue should the court decide against federal tax subsidies? The...

Powerful at relieving pain, opioids undoubtedly help many people cope with illness or injury, yet they present a real risk for developing substance use disorders. In 2013, drug overdoses involving prescription pain medication killed 44 people on average every day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency reports that enough prescription pain medication was prescribed in 2010 “to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for a...

Telehealth combines telecommunications and health systems to deliver care and support across distances. However, this simple definition belies the complexity of this rapidly evolving field. A cadre of increasingly sophisticated technologies — matched with a need to reduce healthcare costs, serve more patients, and improve quality — drives the field in both high-income and low-income countries. Panelists in this Forum event examined aspects of telehealth in the U.S., including doctor and...

The burgeoning e-cigarette market has provoked deliberations about emerging e-cigarettes science, public health concerns and regulatory policy approaches. Some scientists perceive e-cigarettes as a potentially less harmful alternative to traditional tobacco products. By contrast, others fear e-cigarette use will promote tobacco consumption by “re-normalizing” tobacco use, especially among teens and young adults. The FDA plans to regulate e-cigarettes and will release rules regarding warning...

Many Americans may confront illnesses so serious that they are life threatening. These diagnoses may come with treatment attempts and hospital stays. What they may not include are honest and open conversations about the final stages of life. How might the patient want to live during these stages? What choices are most likely to bring a sense of peace and empowerment? How might family members be included in these discussions? A growing palliative care movement is encompassing these questions,...

Health is more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes in surprising ways, factors such as childhood experiences, housing conditions, poor diets, and healthcare access drive who ends up sick — and who does not. This Forum event, held in connection with a new poll by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR, investigated these factors from the perspective of experts and the U.S. public, as well as examined public perceptions of what impacts health...

One of the smartest investments a society can make is to foster the health and education of its mothers. Healthy mothers raise healthier children, which boosts the productivity and stability of communities and economies. Yet, maternal mortality remains a terrible and disproportionate reality, particularly in developing countries, where 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur. These deaths put the lives of infants and older children at risk. Traditional approaches address the needs of mothers...

Deadlier than all forms of cancer combined, heart disease is the leading cause of death of U.S. women. Sometimes this killer comes with symptoms signaling a potentially deadly problem. Sometimes not. Even when symptoms manifest, the signs in women can be so different from those in men that the symptoms are misdiagnosed or overlooked. This Forum event provided a concise overview of the causes and forms of heart disease in women — and then explored today’s leading-edge prevention and treatment...

The focus on racial injustice in the US – particularly the effect of race on criminal justice – has been in the public spotlight following the tragic deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner on Staten Island, and Tamir Rice in Cleveland during encounters with law enforcement. While these inequities play out in numerous areas, health and well-being is one sector in which minority groups are dramatically and disproportionally affected. This Forum event examined how disparities within...

With no cure or vaccine in sight, HIV/AIDS remains a devastating epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 70% of new HIV infections occur. To curb HIV/AIDS, researchers have proposed a strategy to use drug treatment to decrease new transmissions so much that the epidemic eventually dies out. The concept requires changes in standards of when anti-retroviral therapy begins and who receives it. Could “treatment as prevention” prove to be the strategy to finally end the AIDS...

The current Ebola crisis has taken the lives of more than 5,000 people so far in six countries, including the U.S., and has sickened thousands more. Global response and containment efforts have produced mixed results. This Forum event, presented in Collaboration with Reuters November 25, 2014, explored the latest news on outbreaks, vaccine testing, treatment trials, hospital preparedness, funding efforts and lessons learned. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public...

The 2014 midterm U.S. elections will impact next steps in implementing the Affordable Care Act. This HSPH Forum event, featuring political analysis and healthcare experts, was presented in collaboration with Reuters on November 7, 2014. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health at www.ForumHSPH.org.

With a growing number of states considering the legalization of medical marijuana and, more broadly, the decriminalization of recreational marijuana, this Forum event examined the public health pros and cons. What does science tell us about the benefits and risks of using marijuana? What are the economics at play? And what impact might decriminalization make on social justice? Presented in collaboration with Reuters. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health...

The current Ebola outbreak is the largest outbreak of the hemorrhagic disease in history, according to the CDC. Experimental treatments and vaccine testing offer hope of relief. However, the crisis has dramatically strained healthcare systems and humanitarian efforts, while sparking deep concern in the public. How did we get here and what’s to be done to help the affected countries and to prevent further spread? Presented October 2, 2014 in Collaboration with NPR. Watch the entire series...

While the majority of Americans vaccinate their children, there are many parents who selectively choose the vaccines to be given or who decline vaccinations altogether. This Forum event, held a few days after the September 10 airing of the NOVA film Vaccines: Calling the Shots, examined the drivers of public perceptions of vaccinations, the threats that vaccine-preventable illnesses pose, and the steps to be taken to restore trust in one of public health’s greatest weapons against infectious...

For many of us, stress is an omnipresent and frequently overwhelming factor of day-to-day life. As we begin to better understand its toll on our health, this Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health event — in connection with a new poll by HSPH, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR — shared the story of stress as perceived by many Americans. What are the biggest sources of stress? How can it affect our health? And what can we do in our homes, workplaces and communities to help us...

This Forum event explored the intersection of pesticides, food, health and policy. What does recent science tell us? And what factors might consumers keep in mind when trying to set a healthy, affordable meal on the table? Part of The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies, this event was presented May 22, 2014 in collaboration with The Huffington Post. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health at www.ForumHSPH.org.

In a new report, the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC has confirmed that the average age at which American women deliver their first babies has increased in the last 40 years. The Center reports that there were more than nine times as many first births to women 35 years old or older in 2012 than there were four decades earlier. Juxtaposed to this trend is a decrease in the last decade in first birth rates for women younger than 30 years old. This Forum examined the societal...

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver each year. According to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving at a typical daylight moment in the U.S. Many distracted drivers are young — 10% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash, according to Distraction.gov....

When Arianna Huffington collapsed in 2007 from exhaustion, she recognized a powerful need to reevaluate her priorities. One of the results is her new book, THRIVE: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder. In this event by The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health, Ms. Huffington shared her journey of making room in her life for sleep, mindfulness, health and happiness and explained her vision of "the third metric" — a way to redefine...

Having trouble keeping up with the "do's and don't's" of consuming sodium, sugar, vitamins and other supplements? You're not alone. This panel of Harvard experts explained the latest thinking on the nutritional science and provide some guidance on steps consumers can take to improve their diets. The panel also looked at some important policy dimensions to helping American adults and children eat nutritionally sound, affordable meals. Presented by The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health...

Never before have we known so much about how to age well. This Forum event explored the latest science in nutrition, exercise, cognition and social connectedness to promote healthy and happy aging. Presented by The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health in collaboration with The Huffington Post on January 21, 2014. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health at www.ForumHSPH.org.

Health plan enrollment failures in the federal insurance marketplace have resulted in mounting fallout for policymakers. Some Americans have reported receiving cancellation notices and subsequently having difficulties signing up for new plans due to poorly functioning enrollment websites. Others have reported dismay at increased premiums. Yet the vision for the historic healthcare law perseveres — providing affordable, quality coverage. Supporters have pointed out the vast complexities of...

The 21st century opened a new era when global health emerged as a focus for governments, foundations and organizations seeking to raise up vulnerable populations around the world. Yet mechanisms to power that human development have lagged. Disease-specific efforts were once needed, but now holistic approaches are needed. This Forum event explored transforming the global health agenda through factors such as global education, innovative financing, and the increased role of low- and...

New cases of the life-threatening MERS coronavirus in the Middle East and the H7N9 bird flu virus in China have prompted questions about the world's readiness to confront potential resulting pandemics. Presented November 13, 2013 in collaboration with PRI's The World and WGBH, this Forum event examined risks associated with these particular viruses, vaccine technologies to combat them, strategies to track them, global preparedness plans and lessons learned from past deadly outbreaks such as...