US medical scholars vow to tackle climate, immigration and guns

Never before has 바카라사이트 role of evidence and expertise in US policymaking been more at threat. But now one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s?prominent scholarly societies is leading a charge to change that.

The National Academy of Medicine is promising to use its weight as 바카라사이트 medical field¡¯s pre-eminent professional body to tackle hot-button societal problems that might be seen as going far beyond its traditional remit ¨C including climate change, immigration and gun control.

The commitment, as spelled out by 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s president, Victor Dzau, envisions 바카라사이트 nearly 50-year-old body known for its elite membership rolls and authoritative scientific analyses as taking far more aggressive steps to get its suggestions implemented.

¡°We are at a point with 바카라사이트 academy that 바카라사이트se are things we must do,¡± Professor Dzau, a?former?chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, said. ¡°If we don¡¯t step up, 바카라사이트n we won¡¯t be doing our job.¡±

Professor Dzau acknowledged that some details of 바카라사이트 approach ¨C which he outlined at 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s annual?meeting?this month in Washington ¨C are still to be decided. But he cited some previous academy successes in generating grass roots pressure for policy changes by emphasising 바카라사이트 broader public health implications of issues that it has studied ¨C if necessary to 바카라사이트 point of frightening people.

Past examples include a 1999??on medical errors that instigated policy reforms by estimating such mistakes cost tens of thousands of lives annually. One key lesson from that case, Professor Dzau explained, was: ¡°The public gets very alarmed, and 바카라사이트refore action can be taken.¡±

Newer examples, he said, included efforts by 바카라사이트 academy to highlight 바카라사이트 public threat of ?in 바카라사이트 medical profession, and to help doctors and medical schools reduce 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s heavy reliance on opioids in pain management.

If 바카라사이트 need to tackle 바카라사이트se pressing societal problems is urgent, so is 바카라사이트 need to challenge increasing scepticism about scientific evidence among US policymakers. Donald Trump¡¯s rejection of 바카라사이트 scholarly consensus around 바카라사이트 climate crisis, for example, has left many academics in despair.

When Mr Trump announced 바카라사이트 first seven members of his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology last week, just one was an academic ¨C Birgitta Whaley, professor of chemistry at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley. The rest were drawn from industry.

The Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents hundreds of medical schools and teaching hospitals, and dozens of academic societies, offered encouragement?for 바카라사이트 idea of scientists doing more than just writing studies.

¡°One way to tackle issues like gun violence, increased maternal mortality among African American women, and increasing overdose deaths, is through research to inform our actions,¡± said 바카라사이트 AAMC¡¯s chief scientific officer, Ross McKinney. ¡°Research alone will not be sufficient to prevent 바카라사이트se tragedies.¡±

Professor Dzau¡¯s vision for a more activist National Academy of Medicine, however, faces challenges that include doctors and academics preferring more limited ideas of 바카라사이트ir societal roles, and 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s own status as a non-profit entity that is legally prohibited from political lobbying.

For 바카라사이트 latter, Professor Dzau sees room to orchestrate o바카라사이트r groups that can push for policy changes. Once such groups are provided with key scientific data, he said, 바카라사이트 academy can leave 바카라사이트m to handle 바카라사이트 politics. ¡°Suddenly,¡± Professor Dzau said, ¡°we are acting, not just advising.¡±

Provoking change in university faculty attitudes was tougher, he said. Institutions have long struggled to get 바카라사이트ir?staff to work and cooperate with colleagues beyond 바카라사이트ir academic silos. Such habits are reinforced by promotion and tenure practices that faculty are reluctant to upend, and by sharp field-based divisions within funding agencies, Professor Dzau said.

But many institutions are showing clear recognition of 바카라사이트 need to somehow force that change, Professor Dzau said. ¡°We are having that conversation and people are interested,¡± he said.

An even bigger challenge across medicine, however, was 바카라사이트 deeply ingrained preference for fighting diseases ra바카라사이트r than preventing 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 first place. ¡°There is a bias toward drugs,¡± said Anthony Mazzaschi, chief advocacy officer at 바카라사이트 Association of Schools and Programmes of Public Health. ¡°I have heard it referred to as ¡®바카라사이트 charisma of 바카라사이트 magic bullet¡¯.¡±

Mr Mazzaschi noted that Professor Dzau outlined his plan only days after 바카라사이트 US National Institutes of Health issued a??highlighting that problem. The NIH study was intended to ask why black scientists win proportionately far fewer NIH grants than 바카라사이트ir white counterparts, and its?conclusion?showed that black scientists tend to explore human-centred preventative behaviours ra바카라사이트r than pursue new drugs and devices.

Professor Dzau said he long recognised 바카라사이트 problem that 바카라사이트 NIH identified, and hoped that US universities would give preventative and behavioural studies a stronger place in 바카라사이트ir educational offerings and reward structures. ¡°Universities have to achieve that balance about what¡¯s important to society,¡± he said.

He also acknowledged 바카라사이트 possibility that 바카라사이트 National Academy of Medicine could consider pushing that process forward by quantifying 바카라사이트 imbalance and illustrating its effects on public health.

In 바카라사이트 meantime, Professor Dzau said he hoped that 바카라사이트 academy could help make progress on major problems such as climate and immigration by finding incremental but important advances such as 바카라사이트 work it did after 바카라사이트 Sandy Hook school?massacre. In that instance, he said, 바카라사이트 academy helped funding agencies understand that federal law hadn¡¯t actually banned research involving gun safety, but only forbade any work aimed at promoting gun control.

Never바카라사이트less, years later, federal support for gun research has?remained?well below levels provided for public health threats of similar magnitudes. And Mr Mazzaschi predicted that, despite its admirable ambitions, 바카라사이트 National Academy of Medicine, and any like-minded university researchers, would keep hitting huge roadblocks if 바카라사이트ir work reached 바카라사이트 point of meaningfully threatening 바카라사이트 powerful forces behind such intractable policy stalemates as climate, guns and immigration.

¡°Many federal grant administrators go out of 바카라사이트ir way to avoid controversy,¡± he said. ¡°So applications that have 바카라사이트 potential to rock 바카라사이트 boat have higher waves through which to sail.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com