Disease and poverty fellow Peter J. Hotez examines the rise of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Texas, arguing that the spread of diseases like chikungunya West Nile, Zika and Ebola has not occurred by accident but instead reflects rapidly evolving changes and shifts in a “new” Texas beset by modern and globalizating forces.
This paper assesses the current operational conditions of the Mexican residential electricity sector and examines the potential effects that the massive adoption of distributed photovoltaic power generation (DPV) systems would have on household expenditure and welfare, subsidy reduction, pollution and water resource usage.
Pedro Hancevic, Hector Nuñez, Juan RosellónSeptember 4, 2017
The Global Burden of Disease Study is a landmark World Health Organization initiative that systematically quantifies the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality for hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors of global health importance. In this article, the authors identify country-specific estimates of the prevalence or incidence of neglected tropical diseases, including cholera, typhoid and scabies.
This article, published by JAMA Pediatrics, examines how vaccine hesitancy may impact the number of annual measles cases in the U.S., finding that a 5 percent reduction in MMR vaccinations could cause a three-fold increase in measles cases and lead to a $2.1 million increase in public health costs.
A growing number of stem cell clinics treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, yet few have conducted the necessary clinical research to ensure safety and efficacy.
The authors highlight the importance of collaboration between scientists, regulators, patients and patient advocates in developing effective policies and practices for unproven stem cell-based intervention clinics.
The authors explore the different scientific values and priorities that should be considered in setting the policy agenda for effectively combating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and argue that researchers and physicians should participate in this process.
As his term progresses, President Trump will be faced with a large number of policy challenges, some of them requiring immediate science & technology expertise. In this Science Magazine article, the authors urge the president to consider the Office of Science & Technology Policy, the science advisor and the presidential S&T councils as vital resources that should be used early in the term to drive his policy agenda.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Kenneth M. Evans, Neal F. LaneFebruary 10, 2017
This study of biologists and physicists in the UK found that a majority of the respondents disagree with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ “celebrity scientist” outreach approach and believe his work misrepresents science and the scientific research process.
Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kirstin R.W. MatthewsOctober 10, 2016
The article analyzes the spread of neglected tropical diseases in Somolia due to severe poverty, and civil strife, and discusses the need for reforms to the country’s health systems and infrastructure.
In this first-ever survey of biologists and physicists in eight regions around the world, the authors analyze the religiosity of scientists or their perceptions of the science-faith interface. The study is published in the Aug. 31, 2016, issue of Socius: Sociologic Research for a Dynamic World.
Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Steven W. LewisSeptember 1, 2016