Columnists
Laura H. Kahn
When the H1N1 flu hits home
With the H1N1 vaccine in short supply and the flu epidemic recently declared a national emergency, hospitals will be overcrowded--meaning most health care for flu victims will happen at home.
When science is lacking, good leadership is critical
If an epidemic is caused by a novel agent that science hasn't figured out, leaders must use their best judgment and common sense in making policy decisions. Untold numbers of lives may depend on it.
The need for political leadership during a crisis
In a public health crisis, there may be many opposing viewpoints and suggestions for action. All the more reason for elected officials to mediate disputes and unite people toward a common cause.
Leadership in a public health crisis
How leaders react to health crises provides many lessons for effective crisis response. The columnist's new book demonstrates how improving leadership can benefit or worsen a public health crisis.
Reduce the spread of flu with good hand hygiene
A strategy as simple, cheap, and effective as improving hand hygiene can be highly effective during an influenza pandemic.
Hiroshima, (re)visited
Sixty-four years after her father witnessed Hiroshima's aftereffects, the columnist asks whether her children will ever have to experience the consequences of nuclear war.
The problems with the Department of Homeland Security
Since its inception, DHS has been plagued with bureaucratic infighting and a bloated mandate, leaving the United States unprepared for a future terrorist attack or natural disaster.
Stirring up "swine flu" hysteria
World health officials are working to contain the spread of the current H1N1 flu epidemic. But they also need to figure out how to contain the hysteria that came with it.
Who's in charge during the swine flu crisis?
Whether elected officials are properly prepared will be critical during the worsening swine flu crisis. The absence of key federal-level health officials doesn't help the situation.
Licensing life science researchers
If doctors, nurses, and pilots need a license to practice medicine, nursing, and fly planes, shouldn't anyone working with dangerous dual-use pathogens be licensed as well?
The threat of emerging ocean diseases
In recent years, the world's oceans have grown sicker and sicker, endangering sea life and humans alike.
Modeling disease spread
More and more, mathematical models are being used to develop strategies to combat epidemics such as Britain's 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. But are they helpful?
Unifying the U.S. government response to bioterrorism
For Washington to respond effectively to a bioterrorist attack, the CDC must be allowed to help lead the investigation--no matter where the attack occurs.
The role of bats in disease transmission
Bats are a Halloween fixture given their vampiric lore, but a better understanding of their ecology, biology, and immunology could aid public health.
Strong health care equals strong emergency response
A nationalized health care and health insurance system in the United States would make economic sense and facilitate better disaster preparedness.
Health-care realities during a pandemic
Unless the United States solves its nursing shortage, the people most likely to care for the sick and dying during an influenza pandemic would be family and friends.
Biosecurity lessons from the Bruce Ivins case
By greatly expanding the number of scientists who work with deadly Category A agents, the United States might have inadvertently increased its risk of bioterrorism.
Food-borne illness: Attack of the killer tomatoes
As the United States experiences its largest foodborne outbreak in a decade, some prudent personal precautions could prevent future illnesses from occurring.
Profile
Laura H. Kahn
A general internist who began her career in health care as a registered nurse, Kahn works on the research staff of Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security. Her expertise is in public health, biodefense, and pandemics. From 2003-2005, she led a study that assessed the public health infrastructures of New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. She has also co-organized the Carnegie Corporation’s "Biodefense Challenge" seminar series, which introduces biosecurity, codes of conduct, and dual-use biotech threats to the life sciences community. Prior to joining Princeton, she was a managing physician for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and a medical officer for the Food and Drug Administration.
Columnist Resources
Recent Work
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"How the Radiological and Nuclear Medical Communities Can Improve Nuclear Security"
Journal of American College of Radiology (April 2007) -
"Confronting Zoonoses Through Closer Collaboration Between Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (as 'One Medicine')"
Veterinaria Italiana (January-March 2007) -
"A Comparative Study of Four States' Public Health Systems: Survey Results from Local Health Departments, Physicians, and Veterinarians"
Final Report to the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation (August 2006) -
"Feasibility of Eliminating the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Production of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals"
Science & Global Security (May-December 2006) -
"Confronting Zoonoses, Linking Human and Veterinary Medicine"
Emerging Infectious Diseases (April 2006)
Recommended Links
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PROMed Mail
The global electronic reporting system for outbreaks of emerging infectious disease and toxins -
Emerging Infectious Diseases
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal -
Effect Measure
A forum for progressive public health discussion and argument -
One Health Initiative
A movement to forge co-equal, all-inclusive collaborations between physicians, veterinarians, and other scientific-health related disciplines -
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
Infectious disease prevention through epidemiologic research and the rapid translation of scientific information into practical applications and solutions -
National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
A federal initiative to promote biosecurity in life science research -
Office of Technology Assessment Archive
A collection of OTA reports provided by the Federation of American Scientists -
WHO Life Science Research and Development and Global Health Security
Raising the awareness among WHO members about the potential implications of life science R&D for global health security -
Partnership for a Secure America WMD Report Card
An examination of U.S. government programs to prevent nuclear, chemical, and biological terrorism -
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
International medical organization dedicated to preventing nuclear war and abolishing nuclear weapons