The work of IHPS faculty often intersects with current health topics in the news. Read more below for current work on opioid use, racial and ethnic heath disparities in maternal health, telemedicine use, transgender care, the chemical industry influence on health and COVID-19. |
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Opioid Research
IHPS faculty have several recent publications looking at opioid use. Tasce Bongiovanni, MD, MPP, Emily Finlayson, MD, MPH, MS, John Boscardin, PhD, Michael Steinman, MD and colleagues had a recent article in JAMA Network Open on the use of gabpentinoids and opioids in the post-operative period among older adults. Erica Langnas, MD, Tasce Bongiovanni, MD, MPP, Elizabeth Wick, MD and colleagues shared findings in Journal of the American College of Surgeons on opioid over- and under- prescription to patients after general surgery. Sigurd Berven, MD and colleagues shared their findings in a North American Spine Society Journal article on the impact of social determinants of health on perioperative opioid utilization in patients with lumbar degeneration. Matt Tierney, MS, NP, FAAN shared findings in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing from his work on how our policies are doing, and not doing, to address and prevent opioid-related morbidity and mortality.
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In a recent BMC Health Services Research article, Marissa Raymond-Flesch, MD, MPH and colleagues detail their findings that more work is needed to address patient and parent preferences for telemedicine as an adjunct modality to in-person adolescent and young adult medicine services. Optimizing quality and access to telemedicine for this patient population can improve overall healthcare for this patient population.
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Alicia Fernandez, MD and colleagues detail their findings in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia from a scoping review of the recent literature on racial and ethnic disparities in obstetric anesthesia during the peripartum period in the USA. Based on the findings of the present scoping review on racial and ethnic disparities in obstetric anesthesia, they present an evidence map identifying knowledge gaps and propose a future research agenda.
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In a recent Annals of Global Health article, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH and colleagues detail their findings from a review of a collection of previously secret industry documents archived at the UCSF Chemical Industry Documents Library. Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of widely-used chemicals that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in humans and animals, becoming an increasing cause for global concern. While PFAS have been commercially produced since the 1940s, their toxicity was not publicly established until the late 1990s. The objective of their paper was to evaluate industry documents on PFAS and compare them to the public health literature in order to understand this consequential delay.
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The “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD) hypothesis theorized, based on a parent-report survey, a distinct and more transient form of gender dysphoria in which individuals purportedly come to understand themselves as transgender and/or gender diverse (TGD) suddenly during adolescence. A recent study by Jack Turban, MD, MHS and colleagues evaluated components of ROGD by (1) estimating the prevalence among TGD adults of first realizing one's TGD identity after childhood (i.e., after the onset of puberty), and (2) assessing the median time between realizing one's gender identity and disclosing this to someone else. In a recent Journal of Adolescent Health article, the researchers share their findings that undermine many of the key assumptions of the ROGD hypothesis, arguing against its use in legislative debates in the context of state legislative policy regarding TGD youth.
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Although the public health emergency associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, challenges remain, especially for individuals with rheumatic diseases. In a recent Arthritis Care & Research article, Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH and colleagues aimed to assess the historical and ongoing effects of COVID-19 on people with rheumatic diseases and rheumatology practices globally, with specific attention to vulnerable communities and lessons learned. The researchers shared their findings that disparities in health and healthcare that already existed were augmented, highlighting the need for both local and global responses to address differential outcomes in populations at higher risk of severe COVID-19.
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Emily Hammad Mrig is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and in the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Precision Medicine (TRANSPERS) and an affiliate faculty member at IHPS. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty, Emily completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Yale University School of Public Health. Emily is an interdisciplinary scholar with diverse training and experience in public health, health policy and social science that she applies to investigating inequities in access to health care, especially in the context of precision medicine, cancer, and end-of-life care. Her research engages qualitative and quantitative approaches that integrate diverse perspectives on key health policy and insurance coverage issues to promote equitable access to health and healthcare. Current projects include an investigation of barriers to genomic medicine among individuals with hereditary conditions and an examination of state-based consumer assistance programs. |
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Janet Coffman:
(Vox)
Cynthia Harper:
(NPR Marketplace)
Renee Hsia:
(MSN)
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