Recent News

6 Ways People Who Inject Drugs Can Avoid HIV and Hepatitis C Infections (US News & World Report)

IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, A teenage boy who was undergoing treatment for substance use disorder was surprised a couple years ago to learn he'd been infected with hepatitis C. The boy, then 17, was attending private school – and sharing needles with classmates to use heroin, says Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, infectious diseases fellowship program director at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Read the entire story.

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Man hopes to save lives with St. Louis syringe exchanges that cut risk of disease outbreak (St. Louis Dispatch)

Aaron Laxton’s trunk is full of supplies for drug users. Laxton goes out nearly every day handing out free syringes to heroin addicts in St. Louis. Laxton is on a mission to help them survive until the day they get clean — just like he did.

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Baltimore City Health Commissioner Lena Wen at Health Datapalooza

What do you do when there’s no data to suggest potential solutions? Lena Wen, Baltimore City Commissioner of Health, says, “we throw the boat at it to save lives in our community.” Through a process of iteration, Wen and her team are learning how to more efficiently solve for social determinants of health...starting with a successful public/private collaboration to reduce Baltimore's infant mortality rates.

Watch the interview here.

Leana Wen

Public Health Heroes: The Baltimore City Health Department Hearing and Vision Team

The Baltimore City Health Department’s Hearing and Vision Team has provided 20,000 state-mandated hearing and vision screening services to students at first entry into Baltimore City Public Schools and during the 3rd and 8th grades. 

Hearing and Vision Team

Note From The Commissioner: Public Health Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

This week, I was incredibly honored to deliver the Convocation address for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Class of 2018 on Tuesday. During Convocation, 916 graduates from 61 countries were awarded their degrees—153 doctoral degrees and 74 master's. These are the public health leaders of today and tomorrow!

The Bloomberg School’s mission is the cornerstone of public health – saving lives, millions at a time. This is the dedication to being the society’s doctor, and it’s exemplified through the leadership of Dean Ellen Mackenzie. This Convocation was Dr. Mackenzie’s first as the Dean, and I was particularly touched to receive the Dean’s Medal, the highest recognition conferred by the School for public health leaders. Previous awardees included former Senator Barbara Mikulski; Dr. Harold Varmus (Former Director, National Institutes of Health); Carol Bellamy (Former Executive Director, UNICEF); and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

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Dr. Wen Speaks at Hopkins

Bmore Healthy Newsletter: May 25, 2018

Click here to read the 5/25/18 newsletter. Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.

In this issue:

  • Note from the Commissioner
  • Dr. Wen Serves as Convocation Speaker at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony, Awarded Dean’s Medal
  • Recording of Dr. Wen’s Panel at Women of the World Festival Available Online
  • and more

Live from Women of the World Festival

In this podcast recorded live from the Women of the World Festival, hear from panelists including Dr. Wen.

Listen here.

Leana Wen

Dr. Leana Wen Discusses Baltimore’s Opioid Epidemic

Dr. Wen joined WJZ to discuss the opioid epidemic and how the Health Department is working to combat it in Baltimore City. 

Watch the video.

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Conference focuses on reducing health disparities (Philadelphia Tribune)

The impact of social determinants on health care was highlighted during the 11th Annual National Conference on Health Disparities.

Leana Wen

Trump's New Abortion Rule Politicizes a Historically Bipartisan Program (Governing)

Despite decades of being a relatively nonpartisan program, Title X -- the only federal grant program exclusively for family planning and reproductive health -- is gearing up to be front and center of a debate about abortion.

On Friday, the Trump administration will reportedly propose a rule that prohibits Title X funding from going to organizations that perform or support the procedure.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

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