When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, Health Affairs was the first to publish on most of the research that impacted global policy and public health responses. To ensure that this vital content was reaching a broader audience, we reengineered our publication process to publish quickly at scale.
In October's Narrative Matters essay, Kara Zivin,
a psychiatry professor and researcher, recounts her experience with perinatal depression and time in a psychiatric ward days after giving birth.
"What finally worked to stem the tide of perinatal depression included nine rounds of electroconvulsive therapy, which uses brief electrical currents applied to the brain. I began treatment six weeks postpartum, and within a few short days, my depression began to lift," Zivin explains.
Now Zivin’s health services research on perinatal mental illness is closely tied to her personal story, which she highlights during public
presentations. "As a tenured professor of psychiatry, how could I not serve as an example of recovery and fighting stigma?" she writes.
Zivin also makes policy recommendations from her "dual perspective as a survivor and a health services and policy researcher."
Her recommendations include expanding psychiatric mother-baby mental health programs, tracking mental health contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality, and educating the public about perinatal mental health.
Today on Health Affairs Blog, Anita Chandra and coauthors discuss how a "human infrastructure" bill to invest more in children and families could
represent a shift in the social contract, with significant health implications.
Walter Panzirer covers a recent national survey on telehealth that looked at the reasons that patients sought remote care, the barriers that consumers faced in using telehealth, and more.
Listen to our latest podcasts. On
today’s episode of This Week, Senior Editors Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into the potential appointment of Robert Califf as FDA commissioner.
What's Happening With The FDA Commissioner Appointment? Senior Editors Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into the potential appointment of Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner and give an overview of the role FDA plays in regulation outside of drugs and medical devices.
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
