Download the 2022-2023 issue
2022-2023
Using Novel Telemedicine Interventions to Tackle the Diabetes Epidemic Crippling the Navajo Nation in the Southwestern United States
Illustration by Nikitha Bhimireddy Article by Wesley Peng Diabetes is a treatable and preventable disease, but it is still the fourth leading cause of death in the Navajo Nation.1 It is one of the leading factors contributing to disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and the prevalence has been on the rise ever since 1965.2 In the Navajo […]
Beyond the Food: How Prison Nutrition Policy Contributes to Lasting Chronic Disease
Illustration by Punnava Alam Article by Parisa Afsharian The United States is facing an epidemic of chronic disease both inside and outside of its flawed carceral system. A 2011-12 study of state and federal prisoners reported that half of those incarcerated have a chronic health condition—including cancer, high blood pressure, stroke-related problems, diabetes, heart-related problems, […]
The Road to Better Health: Road Traffic Deaths and Injuries – Transportation as a Social Determinant of Health
Illustration by Raphel Awa Article by Arenal Haut About 1.35 million lives are cut short every year due to road traffic injuries, “the leading killer” of people between 5 and 29 years old.1 An additional 20 to 50 million people suffer injuries every year.2 Death on the Roads, a data visualization tool by the World […]
Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Healthcare
Illustration by Salma Eldeeb Article by William Borges It was the early 2000s at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). In the first year of her graduate work in medical sociology, Jennifer Nazareno was summoned by her senior faculty advisor. He wanted to see her in his office. It was time to talk about Jennifer’s […]
Framing Learning Disabilities and Disproportionality: Medicalization as an Obstacle of Progress
Illustration by Katie Gu Article by Olivia First Black students have been overrepresented in learning disability diagnoses for almost two decades. This places a disproportionate population in restrictive, stigmatized learning environments that teach derivative curricula, produce higher dropout rates, and can affect individuals across their life course. The educational community has attempted to address this […]
Health Beyond Lockup: Alabama Inmates, Re-entry, and Medicaid Expansion
Illustration by Stella Tsogtjargal Article by Caleb Ellis (caleb_ellis@brown.edu) Introduction, Background, and Context: Incarcerated individuals are more likely to experience chronic and physical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, serious mental illnesses, and substance use disorders compared to the general population.1 Tuberculosis is four times higher among inmates than the general population.1 Hepatitis is over eight […]
Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone
Illustration by Punnava Alam Article by Amy Qiao As Isata Dumbuya, the director of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health at Partners in Health in Sierra Leone, states, “Every time we cannot give a pregnant woman what she needs, it’s a tragedy.” However, it is an unfortunately common tragedy in Sierra Leone, the third […]
The Ethical Intricacies of Transgender Surgery
Illustration by Taimi Xu Article by Leyla Giordano Over the past decade, the transgender population has increased in visibility dramatically in the United States. The medical field has made progress when it comes to access to gender-affirming surgery; however, the progress has not rid society of discrimination and bias towards the transgender population, and […]
Sex Binarism and the Intersex Pediatric Surgery Crisis
Illustration by May Qi Article by Aisha Tipnis Intersex variations are widely medicalized and often surgically altered to fit “male” or “female” phenotypes. These surgeries can have serious complications physically and psychologically, and because infants cannot provide informed consent, pediatric genital surgery is particularly problematic. Despite intersex activism and scientific literature indicating that these […]
Factors Exacerbating the Physician Shortage in Hawaii: What is Hawaii Doing to Stem the Tide?
Illustration by Camilla Watson By Alison Lu By 2025, it is estimated that across the United States, there will be a shortage of between 124,000-159,000 physicians, and Hawaii is no exception.1 In Hawaii, it is estimated that there was a shortage of 732 physicians in 2021, and that number is expected to continue to […]
The Impact of Racial Inequities on the Burden of Adverse Maternal Outcomes in the United States
Illustration by Nikitha Bhimireddy Article by Mallory Go Introduction The high prevalence of preventable maternal deaths in the United States (US) is a tragedy. The US is an alarming outlier due to higher health expenditures and maternal mortality rates (MMR) than comparable countries such as Canada, France, and Germany. The US MMR has increased […]
The Reality of Maternal Health in Post-Roe America
By Simran Singh & Nina Faynshtayn In the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to overrule Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, there has been a significant shift in the landscape of abortion in the United States. At least 13 states implemented “trigger laws” to make abortion […]
Deadnaming: A Detriment to Modernized Medical Care
By Jackson DeBorde The United States is recognized as having one of the world’s most advanced and personalized healthcare systems; however, the nation severely lacks in many fundamental areas of modernized medical care. While physical outcomes of health care are certainly important to determining a person’s overall health, mental and environmental health components of medical […]
A Billionaire’s Attempt to Tackle to Prescription Drug Cost Crisis
By Yatharth Sharma With its launch earlier this year, billionaire Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company has attracted widespread attention. Some researchers have claimed that the startup could save Medicare, the government insurance program mainly targeting the elderly, billions of dollars per year.1 In its current state, the United States drug market holds many drugs […]