Health in the Headlines

Draft

2 min

Martine HackettMitchell Schare

Experts at the School of Health Professions and Human Services, the Saltzman Community Services Center, the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell are available to offer commentary on the most important health and wellness topics of the day, including:  


Measles – More than 940 cases have been confirmed in 26 states this year, the greatest number reported in the United States since measles was declared eradicated in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts who can discuss the impact of the outbreak on the general population, the misinformation that has spread about vaccinations, the debate over booster shots, and the difficulties faced by municipalities as they struggle to stem the spread of measles include public health professor Anthony Santella, DrPH, family nursing expert Maureen Houck, DNP, and infectious disease specialist Bruce Farber, MD.


Pregnancy and Depression -- New research led by Professor Maria Sanmartin, PhD found that more than half of pregnant women who are depressed do not seek treatment, and many instead turn to alternatives such as drugs and alcohol, marijuana, and painkillers. The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, looked at data from the five-year National Survey on Drug Use and Health of 12,360 women of reproductive age (18 to 44 years old) who reported symptoms of a major depressive episode in the last year. She can discuss how healthcare models can be improved to address the needs of this vulnerable group. 


Suicide - Psychology professors William Sanderson, PhD and Mitchell Schare, PhD, director of the Phobia & Trauma Clinic, can discuss how to talk about this sensitive topic with vulnerable individuals including children, who went to ERs for suicidal thoughts and attempts in 2015 at twice the rate they did in 2007. Public health professor Martine Hackett, PhD can discuss trauma and traumatic grief as an underlying cause of many public health issues, including infant mortality, maternal mortality, substance use disorder, and sexually transmitted infections. She can also address how “diseases of despair” have contributed to a decline in life expectancy in the United States for two years in a row. 



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Martine Hackett

Martine Hackett

Associate Professor of Population Health

Dr. Hackett's research focuses on public health and health inequities, particularly in the American suburbs and minority communities.

Public HealthHealth CommunicationResearch MethodsMaternal-Child HealthInfant Injury
Mitchell Schare

Mitchell Schare

Professor of Psychology

Professor of Psychology and Director of the Phobia & Trauma Clinic

Emotional Aftermath of Traumatic EventsAnxiety DisordersPost Traumatic Stress DisorderPsychologySubstance Abuse Disorders

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Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, is featured in an article in Variety: “CBS News Agrees Not to Edit ‘Face The Nation’ Interviews Following Homeland Security Backlash.” The report covers a CBS News decision to discontinue editing taped interviews with newsmakers who appear on “Face the Nation.” The agreement came after the Trump administration complained about an interview with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. During the course of the segment, Noem made unsubstantiated statements about Kilmar Abergo Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was deported from the U.S., despite having protected legal status. CBS decided to air an edited version of the interview and to make the full exchange available online. “A national news organization is apparently surrendering a major part of its editorial decision-making power to appease the administration and to bend to its implied and explicit threats. Choosing to edit an interview, or not, is a matter for newsrooms and news organizations to decide. The government has no business in that decision,” said Dean Lukasiewicz.

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