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Women with pre-pregnancy BMI of 40 have increased risk of C-section

Researchers from Norway found that women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 40 had an increased risk of vacuum extraction delivery or Cesarean section (C-section).

6 Mar 2013

GlobalPost reports on IOM evaluation of PEPFAR

GlobalPost reports on "an independent evaluation of the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), released February 20 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)," writing that the report "lauded the program's achievements as proof that HIV services can be delivered successfully on a large scale" and "also recommended several changes to the program, to ensure that the HIV/AIDS response is sustainable."

5 Mar 2013

Secretary Clinton worked to elevate women's rights; Kerry should continue her work

Writing in the Huffington Post's "College" blog about Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of State, Alecia deCoudreaux, president of Mills College, states that Clinton "pushed for recognition of women's rights as a worldwide humanitarian cause, identifying the connection between the advancement of women's equality and global stability."

5 Mar 2013

Editorial, opinion piece address efforts to eradicate polio

The Independent recently published an editorial and opinion piece discussing the global effort to eradicate polio.

5 Mar 2013

Examining NTD response in Obama's second term

"As President Obama's second term begins to take shape and new faces assume new leadership roles, many in Washington are trying to gauge what will happen to global health," Michelle Brooks, policy director at the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), writes in the organization's "End the Neglect" blog.

5 Mar 2013

Tobacco use poses major health and human development threat

If the word's nations are going to prevent tobacco smoking from causing one projected billion deaths by the end of this century, they must: Make tobacco control part of the agendas of United Nation's and other development agencies worldwide; Assure every sector of a nation including health, trade and finance officials work collectively to protect not only health but the harm tobacco places on their economy by passing laws to reduce use; Place health as the centerpiece of any decision on a trade treaty that includes tobacco; Diligently work toward a goal of reducing the prevalence rate of smoking to less than five percent world-wide by 2048, basically ending its use.

5 Mar 2013

March issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The March issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial examining the concept of global health diplomacy, a public health news roundup, an article on emergency obstetric care in Mali, and a policy paper on "private sector contributions and their effect on physician emigration in the developing world," among others.

3 Mar 2013

GHTC congressional briefing focuses on protecting global health research investments

Writing in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's (GHTC) "Breakthroughs" blog, GHTC Communications Officer Kim Lufkin summarizes the group's annual congressional briefing, "which focused on how U.S. policymakers can protect the nation's investments in global health research in upcoming budget discussions."

2 Mar 2013

U.S. global AIDS coordinator Goosby discusses global health diplomacy at Kaiser Family Foundation event

"As the federal government works to reform America's beleaguered health system, the State Department's new Office of Global Health Diplomacy is trying integrate the U.S. government's international health aid efforts and help governments in developing countries create sustainable health care funding and care models," Government Health IT reports, highlighting a town hall discussion with Ambassador Eric Goosby, head of the State Department's Office of Global Health Diplomacy and U.S. global AIDS coordinator, at the Kaiser Family Foundation on Thursday.

2 Mar 2013

Interview highlights Kenya's first national health conference, examines role of women in building strong health systems

In a post in Management Sciences for Health's (MSH) "Global Health Impact" blog, Jonathan Quick, president and CEO of MSH, interviews Sylvia Vriesendorp, technical lead on leadership at MSH, about Kenya's First National Conference on Health Leadership, Management and Governance, which took place in February and "demonstrated the long-term vision of the Kenyans who are running the health system."

28 Feb 2013

CSIS report examines Global Health Policy in Second Obama Term

"I am pleased to share with you a new report and video series from the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, 'Global Health Policy in the Second Obama Term,'" J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, writes in a letter posted on the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

28 Feb 2013

Recommendations for PEPFAR to improve data collection, use, distribution

Noting the release of the Institute of Medicine PEPFAR evaluation and an October 2012 report of the Data Working Group of PEPFAR's Scientific Advisory Board, Mead Over and Rachel Silverman of the Center for Global Development propose in the group's "Global Health Policy" blog "four recommendations where there seems to be agreement and feasible opportunities to improve PEPFAR's collection, utilization, and dissemination of data and knowledge."

27 Feb 2013

PEPFAR has helped millions, but 'hard work' lies ahead to sustain gains

PEPFAR, initiated in 2003, is "the largest global health initiative ever undertaken focused on a single disease," a Washington Post editorial writes, noting, "Now, after four years of work, some 400 interviews and visits to 13 nations, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has provided [an] examination of this incredibly ambitious program."

27 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: GOP faces pressure from spending cuts effects on daily life; President needs to lead on Medicare cuts

Cuts this draconian have no place in a tottering economy. But, realistically, the only way to break this standoff is for the cuts to exact their toll on daily life, causing Republicans to face pressure from the public to negotiate an alternative plan with higher revenues in March as part of talks to finance the government for the final six months of the fiscal year.

26 Feb 2013

Finding solutions to global health problems might mean creating more risk

"Scientists are aware that their interventions in the natural world will have unintended effects, and in order to behave ethically, these potential risks must be considered," Maggie Koerth-Baker, science editor at BoingBoing.net, writes in a New York Times opinion piece, adding, "Even something as innocuous as a mosquito net may carry a considerable downside."

26 Feb 2013

Expert brief examines use of global health data

"Bill Gates, Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), and other experts and leaders gathered this month in Geneva for a very important meeting on a very unimportant-sounding subject: global disease estimates," Thomas Bollyky, senior fellow for global health, economics and development at the Council on Foreign Relations writes in an expert brief on the council's webpage.

24 Feb 2013

SciDev.Net examines usefulness of global health data for policymakers

"The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2010, launched last December, brought unparalleled access to analyses of health and mortality trends spanning two decades," but "hurdles remain in ensuring the accessibility and usefulness of data for policymakers in the global South," SciDev.Net reports.

24 Feb 2013

U.S. health officials outline new policies for funding research on H5N1 avian flu, other potentially dangerous agents

"U.S. health authorities on Thursday outlined the conditions for funding research on the H5N1 bird flu virus a month after scientists lifted a yearlong pause on the work that was imposed amid concerns it could be used by terrorists," Bloomberg reports.

23 Feb 2013

Leading cancer researcher, Dr. Lewis Cantley, named a winner of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Dr. Lewis Cantley, a leading cancer researcher credited with discovering a family of enzymes fundamental to understanding cancer, was named a winner of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the world’s richest academic prize for medicine and biology. The prize, which carries a $3 million cash award, recognizes excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and human life.

22 Feb 2013

Blog, forthcoming paper examine PEPFAR's 'financial flows'

Noting the release of the Institute of Medicine's PEPFAR evaluation and "our own work-in-progress on PEPFAR's value for money and data management," Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), and Rachel Silverman, a research assistant at CGD, highlight "two focus areas that ... are the subject of a forthcoming CGD policy paper on PEPFAR's financial flows" in a post on CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

22 Feb 2013