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Health Policy Experts, from the GW School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, are available to provide comment on today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed framework to assist states in building Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Starting in 2014, Exchanges will make it easy for individuals and small business to compare health plans, get answers to questions, find out if they are eligible for tax credits for private insurance or health programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and enroll in a health plan that meets their needs.

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Dr. Charles Samenow, assistant professor in the GW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, member of the Board of Directors for the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, and editor of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, is available to comment on issues including professional health and wellness, addictions, and sexual health. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general adult psychiatry and sees patients ages 16 and up for mood, anxiety, psychotic, and addictive disorders.

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The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) is pleased to announce that Paula Lantz, Ph.D., will be joining the faculty as Chair of the Department of Health Policy. Dr. Lantz, who last served as chair in the Department of Health Management and Policy and the S.J. Axelrod Collegiate Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, brings to GW’s SPHHS an outstanding academic career with an expertise in the role of public health in health care reform, clinical preventive services (such as cancer screening and prenatal care), and social inequalities in health.

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Today, with threats of serious budget cuts looming, a new report demonstrates the effectiveness of the Medicaid program in addressing the health and financial needs of children and other vulnerable populations. The synthesis, entitled "Medicaid Works: A Review of How Public Insurance Protects the Health and Finances of Children and Other Vulnerable Populations" examines the program that, since its inception in 1965, has been serving as a lifeline to millions of our nation’s most seriously ill and impoverished citizens.

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The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and RCHN Community Health Foundation announce a gift from the Foundation of $1.75 million to the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy in the School’s Department of Health Policy.

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The following faculty members from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences are available to provide expert commentary on the outbreak of E. Coli in Europe.

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The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences signed a Letter of Intent with SEHA - Abu Dhabi Health Services Company during a ceremony on May 23, 2011. The two organizations will collaborate on future medical education and training programs.

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Nine graduate students from George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services in conjunction with Iona Senior Services and the DC Senior Advisory Coalition conducted a preliminary assessment of the needs of District of Columbia senior citizens this spring.

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Today, at an event hosted by the GW School of Public Health and Health Services, the Food and Drug Administration’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Mike Taylor, delivered a speech that focused on prevention as a core principle of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Taylor’s remarks engaged both food industry stakeholders and the public health community. He delivered the message that not only is the federal government committed to the issue of food safety and prevention, but also that prevention of food safety problems is in everyone’s interest in order to create a healthy and sustainable food system working at local and global levels, to feed our population.

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The GW Cancer Institute is hosting its second Survivorship Research Symposium titled, “Research to Practice: Creating Novel Interventions to Eliminate Health Inequalities,” with a focus on the needs of adult survivors of pediatric cancer and young adult cancer survivors. The event will feature leading-edge survivorship researchers and clinicians and cancer survivors who will share their personal experiences and unique challenges.

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The FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Mike Taylor, will deliver a major policy address that will focus on the core principle – prevention – of the newly enacted FDA Food Safety Modernization Act and how it has come to be embraced by the public health community and the food industry as the key to effective food safety. Deputy Commissioner Taylor’s speech is the third in a series on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed into law earlier this year. Food Safety experts offering comments and answering questions about food safety will follow Deputy Commissioner Taylor’s address.

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The George Washington University School of Nursing celebrated its first anniversary by hosting nursing, corporate, and other health care leaders, Virginia government officials, and university officials to discuss the future of nursing. The school was established on May 10, 2010, and within its first year, is ranked among the top 50 schools of nursing by U.S. News & World Report.

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People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at District libraries now have access to Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) at all locations thanks to a partnership between the Federation of Friends of DC Public Library, Mended Hearts, Inc. and The George Washington University Cheney Cardiovascular Institute.

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GW Researcher Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green, and colleagues, have contributed an editorial featured in the May 14 issue of the British Medical Journal reviewing a study that evaluated the relationship between thyroid autoantibodies and both miscarriage and preterm birth. Eleven percent of all women suffer a miscarriage and 12 percent of women in the United States have a preterm delivery, which is the number one cause of newborn death.

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Handheld ultrasound from new pocket-sized devices now allows cardiac imaging to be performed in locations previously inaccessible to traditional ultrasound. GW researchers have shown that high quality ultrasound heart images can be acquired in a remote setting and transmitted via the internet, through a secure network, to a cardiologist's smartphone for assessment. Furthermore, the GW team has demonstrated that the interpretation of images when viewed on a cell phone are equivalent to those when displayed on a dedicated echocardiography workstation.

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The Editors of Women’s Health Issues, the peer-reviewed journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW), are pleased to announce the publication of a new Supplement entitled, Abortion, Reproductive Rights and Health: Highlights from the Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship 2003-2010.

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The George Washington University will celebrate the first anniversary of its School of Nursing by hosting a panel on the future of nursing, followed by a reception with remarks from Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Dr. William A. Hazel, Jr. and Executive Director of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Dr. Karen Drenkard. The May 10th event will also feature tours of the School of Nursing and its state-of-the-art simulation and skills lab, housed at the GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Virginia.

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American, Canadian, and Korean Research by George Washington University and Yale University Reveals Autism Prevalence May be Higher Than Current Estimates

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A new policy research brief from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the impact on medically underserved Medicare beneficiaries of CMS’ proposed rule implementing the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The report, titled “ Medicare’s Accountable Care Organization Regulations: How Will Medicare Beneficiaries who Reside in Medically Underserved Communities Fare?” finds that the regulation excludes from the anticipated benefits of ACO growth over 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries who receive their primary care from federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).

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Currently, one in five elderly patients discharged from a hospital is readmitted within a month. Seeking to address the human and substantial financial burden of revolving door hospital readmissions, the Affordable Care Act proposes a number of initiatives to improve care and health outcomes and reduce costs for the growing population of chronically ill people in the U.S. While transitional care is a central theme in these provisions, there is little information available to guide those responsible for implementing these important opportunities.

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Dr. Arterton has been actively involved in politics at the national level and is an expert in political institutions and political leadership. He oversees the GW Battleground Poll. He has served as a polling consultant for "Newsweek" and a consultant on public opinion surveys for the Gallup Organization.

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George Washington University Experts Available to Speak on Middle East

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George Washington University Experts to Speak on Topics Related to the Earthquake in Japan

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A new report, published in Perspectives in Health Information Management, by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, examines the feasibility of using the Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS), an existing data source, to fulfill some of the requirements outlined in section 401 of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). CHIPRA not only requires the Department of Health and Human Services to identify and publish healthcare quality measures for children enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program of Medicaid, but also requires core measures to identify disparities by race and ethnicity, among other factors.

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Neglected infections of poverty are the latest threat plaguing the poorest people living in the Gulf Coast states and in Washington, D.C., according to Dr. Peter Hotez, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University and President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, in an editorial published in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases on March 29th.

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GW researchers have been awarded two grants from the McKesson Foundation as part of its Mobilizing for Health initiative, an initiative to improve the health of underserved populations with chronic diseases through the use of mobile-phone technology. The Mobilizing for Health grants, of up to $250,000 each, will support studies on diabetes care and management. GW researchers received two of the six grants awarded in a national competition.

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At a time when there is a shortage of primary care providers, a nurse-led model of primary care offers consumers with limited access to primary care new opportunities to receive high-quality health care. To bring attention to the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in solving the primary care crisis, the Nursing Alliance for Quality Care, in partnership with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is hosting “Nurse-Led Medical Homes: Increasing Access to Quality Care,” an April 5, 2011 symposium at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

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A new study by The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, that will be published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests men who take the drug finasteride, commonly marketed under the trademark names Propecia and Proscar, may report an on-going reduction in sex drive, and in some cases, prolonged periods of erectile dysfunction even after they stop using the medications.

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A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services evaluates the consequences of the proposed reductions in federal health center funding on access to health care for low-income workers.

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A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services evaluates the consequences of the proposed reductions in federal health center funding for access and cost savings.

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Proteins in fluids bathing the brain are essential for building the brain, discover scientists in a report published March 10 in the journal Neuron. The finding promises to advance research related to neurological disease, cancer and stem cells.

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Researchers at The George Washington University Department of Health Policy have found through analysis of federal survey data that more than four in five office-based physicians could qualify for new, federal Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Their findings are in a new article, which appears in the March 2011 issue of Health Affairs.

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GW Health Policy Researchers, led by Wilhelmine Miller, Ph.D., associate research professor in the School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, played a major role in the supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

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Robert Graham, M.D., joins the faculty of the GW School of Public Health and Health Services as a research professor of Health Policy and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) program. AF4Q is the cornerstone of the RWJF’s multi-year, $300 million commitment to improve the quality and equality of health care nationwide. The GW Department of Health Policy serves as the national program office of the Aligning Forces for Quality program.

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A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the characteristics of patients whose access to health center services is at risk because of a potential $1.3 billion in direct spending cuts for community health centers. The cuts were approved by the United States House of Representatives on February 20, 2011, as part of legislation to trim $61 billion in discretionary spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2011.

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George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

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Anthropologists from GW and NYU question claims that several prominent fossil discoveries made in the last decade are our human ancestors. With a more nuanced explanation of the fossils' place on the Tree of Life, the authors conclude that instead of being our ancestors, the fossils are more likely belong to extinct distant cousins.

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A new report issued by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzes the impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy. The report examines a wide range of reforms that are aimed at strengthening immunization policy and practice.

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A new whitepaper recently released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, authored by faculty and researchers at The George Washington University’s Department of Health Policy and researchers at AcademyHealth, explores key components of data segmentation, circumstances for its use, associated benefits and challenges, various applied approaches, and the current legal environment surrounding data segmentation in the area of health information exchange.

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New research, conducted by Katherine Chretien., M.D., F.A.C.P., associate professor of Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, reveals that while social media has the potential to have a positive social impact, there is need for greater accountability and guidelines, as some physicians who are regular users of Twitter are disseminating unethical and unprofessional content. A Research Letter titled, “Physicians on Twitter,” was included in the Feb. 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center played a key role in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study of a surgical procedure to repair a common birth defect of the spine, which if undertaken while a baby is still in the uterus, greatly reduces the need to divert, or shunt, fluid away from the brain. The study was published online in the New England Journal of Medicine on February 9, 2011.

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A new article released in the February 2011 issue of Health Affairs, co-authored by Benjamin Sommers, MD, PhD, the of Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Sara Rosenbaum, JD, Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Hirsch Professor of Health Law and Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, examines new challenges that States and the Federal Government will face when Medicaid eligibility expands in 2014, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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A new study, conducted by Ellen Kurtzman, R.N., M.P.H., FAAN, assistant research professor in the GW School of Nursing, and published in Health Affairs reveals that while nurses have been recognized as pivotal players in improving hospital quality, including that which is driven by performance-based financial incentives, linking reimbursement to quality of care goals could weaken the nursing workforce and threaten the nursing practice environment.

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An unexpected immune protein exacerbates cancer due to sun exposure, report researchers in the January 27th issue of Nature. The study suggests that drugs blocking the protein might halt tumor growth in skin cancer patients.

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Even minute amounts of lead may take a toll on pregnant women, according to a study published by Lynn Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Dean of George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services in D.C., and colleagues, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Although the levels of lead in the women’s blood remained far below thresholds set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, women carrying more lead had significantly higher blood pressure.

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Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health, will hold a hearing to examine the effectiveness of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). GW School of Public Health and Health Services Dean Lynn Goldman will testify at the hearing.

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Sara Rosenbaum, Chair of the Department of Health Policy at The George Washington University, is available to comment on the Florida federal judge ruling health care reform law unconstitutional.

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A new article released online January 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine, authored by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and supported by the Geiger Gibson/ RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative, examines primary care capacity challenges that states will face when Medicaid eligibility expands in 2014, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Representatives Chris Gibson (NY-20) and Timothy J. Walz (MN-1) will deliver keynote addresses at the Feb. 11-12 Workshop.

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An international team of palaeontologists, including Jonah Choiniere from George Washington University and Michael Pittman with University College London, have discovered a new species of parrot-sized dinosaur, the first with only one finger.