New Food Pyramid Calls for Placing Real Food at the Center of Health
Under direction of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the U.S. government has released an updated food pyramid and dietary guidelines for Americans. The new guidelines prioritize “high-quality protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” while also avoiding highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.1 “My message is clear: Eat […]
NC Court Upholds Decision to Deny Access to COVID-19 Origins
The North Carolina Court of Appeals has sided with the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill allowing the university to withhold thousands of pages of genetic engineering research pertaining to the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The three-judge panel upheld the lower court’s decision to deny the public health interest group, U.S. Right […]
CDC Changes Recommendations for Six Childhood Vaccines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced updates to the national childhood vaccine schedule involving six vaccines (rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B) following a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review and revise its recommendations. The changes clarify which vaccines […]
Moderna Secures CEPI Funding for mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine After U.S. Cancels Funding
Moderna secured new funding from an international organization for its experimental mRNA bird flu vaccine after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) pulled back approximately $700 million in previously committed funding last year. The biotechnology company said that it will receive up to $54.3 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations […]
Female Physicians Experience Increasing Rates of Isolation, Burnout and Suicide Risk
The societal aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to surface in ways that extend beyond infection and mortality statistics, with one sector in particular yet to rebound after carrying much of the pandemic’s burden: U.S. health care. A large national study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings now adds social isolation as a measurable and consequential […]
Use of Vaccination Metrics in Physician Payment Programs Discouraged by CMS
A new State Health Official (SHO) letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)—the federal agency that oversees Medicaid and sets quality and payment standards for state health programs nationwide—provides new federal guidance that challenges a long-standing federal policy financially incentivizing physicians to vaccinate their patients, particularly children.1 CMS announced on Dec. 30, […]