Research Anthology on Public Health Services, Policies, and Education


Book Description

Public health has become an essential area of focus in terms of the way it operates, the services offered, policies, and more. Maintaining an effective public health system and infrastructure, updated and useful policies, and health literacy are primary concerns. A critical analysis of public healthcare policy and services is critical to accommodate the changing health demands of the global population. Through a deeper understanding of the way public health services are offered, a look into policymaking and current policies in healthcare, and the way health literacy and health education are promoted, the current state and future of public health are acknowledged. The Research Anthology on Public Health Services, Policies, and Education presents a view of public health through an analysis of healthcare services and delivery; policies in terms of policymaking, ethics, and governance; as well as the way society is educated on public health affairs. The chapters will cover a wide range of issues such as healthcare policy, health literacy, healthcare reform, accessibility, public welfare, and more. This book is essential for public health officials, government officials, policymakers, teachers, medical professionals, health agencies and organizations, professionals, researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in the current state of public health and the improvement of public health services and policies for the future.




Applied Genomics and Public Health


Book Description

Applied Genomics and Public Health examines the interdisciplinary and growing area of how evidence-based genomic knowledge can be applied to public health, population health, healthcare and health policies. The book gathers experts from a variety of disciplines, including life sciences, social sciences, and health care to develop a comprehensive overview of the field. In addition, the book delves into subjects such as pharmacogenomics, genethics, big data, data translation and analysis, economic evaluation, genomic awareness and education, sociology, pricing and reimbursement, policy measures and economic evaluation in genomic medicine. This book is essential reading for researchers and students exploring applications of genomics to population and public health. In addition, it is ideal for those in the biomedical sciences, medical sociologists, healthcare professionals, nurses, regulatory bodies and health economists interested in learning more about this growing field. - Explores the growing application of genomics to population and public health - Features internationally renowned contributors from a variety of related fields - Contains chapters on important topics such as genomic data sharing, genethics and public health genomics, genomics and sociology, and regulatory aspects of genomic medicine and pharmacogenomics




Genetics and Ethics in Global Perspective


Book Description

Dorothy Wertz and John Fletcher pioneered the first international study of ethical and social issues in genetics in 18 nations. This book reports and discusses their second and more representative study in 36 nations. The survey focused on actual situations that occur in the practice of medical genetics, presented as case vignettes that can also be used in teaching and policy discussion. Among the issues discussed are privacy, prenatal diagnosis, patient autonomy, directiveness in counseling, sex selection, forensic DNA banking, "genetic discrimination," and "eugenics". This is Dorothy Wertz's final book, as she died in April, 2003. It is a one of a kind cross-cultural study of complex ethical issues in the uses of genetic information. No one else has attempted to look at the international aspects of medical genetics on such a broad scale. The results provide a resource for discussion both within and among nations. Much bioethical and policy discussion now occurs in an information vacuum. The survey showed that what people would do, and their reasons for doing it, differed considerably from what ethicists think they "should" do. Many will be surprised at the results, especially in nations where bioethical discussion is just beginning. Genetics and Ethics in Global Perspective is of interest to medical geneticists, genetic counselors, social scientists and anthropologists who study cross-cultural issues, bioethicists and bioethics centers and health policy makers.




The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century


Book Description

The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.




Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health


Book Description

Sixth edition of the hugely successful, internationally recognised textbook on global public health and epidemiology, with 3 volumes comprehensively covering the scope, methods, and practice of the discipline




Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases


Book Description

Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Third Edition discusses the evolving field of infectious diseases and their continued impact on the health of populations, especially in resource-limited areas of the world where they must confront the dual burden of death and disability due to infectious and chronic illnesses. Although substantial gains have been made in public health interventions for the treatment, prevention, and control of infectious diseases, in recent decades the world has witnessed the emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing antimicrobial resistance, and the emergence of many new bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens. Fully updated and revised, this new edition presents the consequences of such diseases, the evolution of infectious diseases, the genetics of host-pathogen relationship, and the control and prevention strategies that are, or can be, developed. This book offers valuable information to biomedical researchers, clinicians, public health practitioners, decisions-makers, and students and postgraduates studying infectious diseases, microbiology, medicine, and public health that is relevant to the control and prevention of neglected and emerging worldwide diseases. - Takes an integrated approach to infectious diseases - Provides the latest developments in the field of infectious diseases - Focuses on the contribution of evolutionary and genomic studies for the study and control of transmissible diseases - Includes updated and revised contributions from leading authorities, along with six new chapters




The Genetics of African Populations in Health and Disease


Book Description

A pioneering work that focuses on the unique diversity of African genetics, offering insights into human biology and genetic approaches.




Epidemic Illusions


Book Description

A physician-anthropologist explores how public health practices--from epidemiological modeling to outbreak containment--help perpetuate global inequities. In Epidemic Illusions, Eugene Richardson, a physician and an anthropologist, contends that public health practices--from epidemiological modeling and outbreak containment to Big Data and causal inference--play an essential role in perpetuating a range of global inequities. Drawing on postcolonial theory, medical anthropology, and critical science studies, Richardson demonstrates the ways in which the flagship discipline of epidemiology has been shaped by the colonial, racist, and patriarchal system that had its inception in 1492. Deploying a range of rhetorical tools and drawing on his clinical work in a variety of epidemics, including Ebola in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, leishmania in the Sudan, HIV/TB in southern Africa, diphtheria in Bangladesh, and SARS-CoV-2 in the United States, Richardson concludes that the biggest epidemic we currently face is an epidemic of illusions—one that is propagated by the coloniality of knowledge production.




Who Will Keep the Public Healthy?


Book Description

Bioterrorism, drug-resistant disease, transmission of disease by global travel . . . there's no shortage of challenges facing America's public health officials. Men and women preparing to enter the field require state-of-the-art training to meet these increasing threats to the public health. But are the programs they rely on provide the high caliber professional training they require? Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? provides an overview of the past, present, and future of public health education, assessing its readiness to provide the training and education needed to prepare men and women to face 21st century challenges. Advocating an ecological approach to public health, the Institute of Medicine examines the role of public health schools and degree-granting programs, medical schools, nursing schools, and government agencies, as well as other institutions that foster public health education and leadership. Specific recommendations address the content of public health education, qualifications for faculty, availability of supervised practice, opportunities for cross-disciplinary research and education, cooperation with government agencies, and government funding for education. Eight areas of critical importance to public health education in the 21st century are examined in depth: informatics, genomics, communication, cultural competence, community-based participatory research, global health, policy and law, and public health ethics. The book also includes a discussion of the policy implications of its ecological framework.




Human Genome Editing


Book Description

Genome editing is a powerful new tool for making precise alterations to an organism's genetic material. Recent scientific advances have made genome editing more efficient, precise, and flexible than ever before. These advances have spurred an explosion of interest from around the globe in the possible ways in which genome editing can improve human health. The speed at which these technologies are being developed and applied has led many policymakers and stakeholders to express concern about whether appropriate systems are in place to govern these technologies and how and when the public should be engaged in these decisions. Human Genome Editing considers important questions about the human application of genome editing including: balancing potential benefits with unintended risks, governing the use of genome editing, incorporating societal values into clinical applications and policy decisions, and respecting the inevitable differences across nations and cultures that will shape how and whether to use these new technologies. This report proposes criteria for heritable germline editing, provides conclusions on the crucial need for public education and engagement, and presents 7 general principles for the governance of human genome editing.