William Lopez’s Post

Jul 18, 2024: Public health is inherently complex and interdisciplinary in nature. That's why we constantly advocate for and seek partnership opportunities with those who share this belief. Thanks to Public Health Advocates' insightful illustration which perfectly captures the interaction between systems and structures, a key element in understanding public health challenges. Achieving true public health equity, however, requires addressing deeper issues like racial healing through building trust and relationships within communities. Research alone is insufficient. We need to move beyond research and create safe spaces for open dialogue. Here's where 🔸narrative change🔸comes in. It serves as a foundation and conversation starter, shifting the way we talk about the past, present, and future of public health. By reframing the narrative, we can gain a deeper understanding of these issues and inspire collaborative action. How can we achieve🔸equity🔸if we continue to ignore the connection between environmental issues and the legacy of exclusionary policies? What do you think?

Typically, a rigid institutional reliance on a sequential process of hypothesis, study, experimentation, and evaluation drives the development of health programs and policies. While this process works in many cases, the results are not always long-lasting. The roots of many health problems persist in their communities, despite expanded funding and advanced resources. In light of this reality, should healthcare leaders do more of what has been done in the past, or should they explore another way—a new way of thinking—to design collaborative, people-driven programs and policies that can improve and sustain the health of their communities?

Collaborating for health equity requires intentional actions. Institutions must share power with community members and diverse organizations. This includes prioritizing community leadership, capacity building, and community wisdom. To learn more, check out the article I co-authored with Nirali Bora and Maris Brummel in the most recent Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP Direct). https://bit.ly/3TEsC3x

We need to build frameworks to support public health professionals in addressing CDoH, ensuring their safety and credibility, establish unified standards for engagement with harmful commercial actors, drawing lessons from frameworks like the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, incorporate diverse community perspectives and fostering intergenerational collaboration, particularly by engaging youth, who face unique challenges like housing instability, climate change, and misinformation.

Today we launch the Better Regulation for Better Health report, show-casing EPHA’s work on politics and health, and offering a comprehensive introduction to the EU’s Better Regulation agenda and its impact on public health. Commercial determinants of health, regulatory stagnation, and shrinking civic space are shaping health policy in the EU, with citizens’ health slipping down the agenda. We must challenge this trend. There is an urgent need for an enhanced and supported participation of civil society in policy-making, for health to be high on the political agenda, and for regulatory reform that prioritises public health over profit. Many thanks to the many individuals who contributed over the years to the BRBH project! ➡️ Read our full report: https://lnkd.in/eaW2R4xr #BRBH #HealthPolicy #CivilSociety #BetterRegulation  UK Research and Innovation University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science Eleanor Brooks Clémentine Richer Delforge Alessandro Gallina Milka Sokolović Frazer Goodwin

This scoping review by Skky Martin, Ph.D. enhances the field of health equity science by detailing the approaches and interventions implemented by governmental health departments to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. Learn more here: https://wp.me/p7l72S-aaW Read the article in the new issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice here: https://bit.ly/3xj2x22

This year's National Minority Health Month theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections, is about understanding how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances (known as social drivers of health, or SDOH) of racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations impact their overall health. Take action to improve health and wellbeing by addressing social drivers of health with this NQF resource: https://bit.ly/3wIxn3x

The Weekly Read for June 15, 2024, is “Polarized Perspectives on Health Equity: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey on US Public Perceptions of COVID-19 Disparities in 2023” by Sarah E. Gollust, Chloe Gansen, Erika Franklin Fowler, Steven T. Moore, and Rebekah H. Nagler. The article appears in “Polarization, Partisanship, and Health in the United States,” a recent special issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law (49:3). Read it here for free: https://lnkd.in/eR66AZg5

In the face of pressing public health challenges, we cannot afford to wait for the perfect to be the enemy of the good. While the gold standard of rigorous, experimental evidence is crucial for guiding long-term, large-scale investments, the urgent realities on the ground often demand more timely action. In the mid-term, we must be willing to leverage the wealth of experiential evidence that has accumulated from the frontlines - the hard-won insights of community health workers, the tacit knowledge of program managers, and the lived experiences of those most affected. By strategically scaling up interventions that have demonstrated clear efficacy, even if their broader effectiveness is still being established, we can make meaningful strides in addressing critical needs. This pragmatic approach, grounded in real-world evidence, allows us to save lives and alleviate suffering in the here and now, while continuing to build the comprehensive, longitudinal data that will shape more definitive policies for the future. Ultimately, it is our moral imperative to act decisively with the tools we have, even as we strive to strengthen the foundation of our decision-making over time.

Paediatic research is key to ensuring improved health outcomes and overcoming public health challenges in children. We need skilled researchers able to develop interventions and treatments that address the specific needs of children. Read this article by Dr Damalie, one of our inspiring ECRs to learn how Penta fosters and nurtures the careers of future leaders in the global health sphere. ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Sckg2o #EarlyCareerResearcher #GlobalHealth #FutureLeaders