Insights

You learn a lot when you spend months reporting on a given issue or community, as our fellows can attest. Whether you’re embarking on a big new story or seeking to go deeper on a given issue, it pays to learn from those who’ve already put in the shoe leather and crunched the data. In these essays and columns, our community of journalists steps back from the notebooks and tape to reflect on key lessons, highlight urgent themes, and offer sage advice on the essential health stories of the day. 

Author(s)
By Ryan White

It's well-known that toxic stress and childhood adversity can lead to poorer health. But sobering new research focusing on the tips of chromosomes finds that a child’s experience of traumatic, violent family events can impact kids at the most basic cellular levels.

Author(s)
By Ryan White

The American Academy of Pediatrics announced a new policy this week urging parents to read to their kids starting at birth, and for pediatricians to recommend the practice during doctor visits. The policy reflects recent research that stresses the importance of early literacy in child development.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

Research shows that involving parents more deeply in their kid's care has lasting benefits for both child and parent. In one study, mothers in the treatment group had less depression and PTSD symptoms, while kids had far fewer behavioral problems one year later.

Author(s)
By Susan Gilbert

This month, after the National Institute of Health announced that it was seeking $4.5 billion for its work on President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released its recommendation that the research explicitly include ethical perspectives.

Author(s)
By William Heisel

In the not-so-distant past, parents weren't always allowed to accompany their children throughout the hospital, creating added anxiety for both. Advances in child psychology helped changed that, and now parents routinely follow their kids every step of the way.

Author(s)
By Ryan White

A quirk in the Affordable Care Act may leave an estimated half-million children without access to affordable health coverage, and that number could grow. The glitch in the law could be easily fixed by the president or Congress, but despite recent efforts, the problem persists.

Author(s)
By Erica Mu

Telehealth has the potential to lessen physician shortages in rural areas and deliver care to those unable to travel. Proponents hail its efficiency. Why then has it been so hard to harness new technologies to expand care to areas and groups in desperate need?