The federal government has declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency. The crisis is emerging rapidly, said HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative director Dr. Rebecca Baker, "so our research response has to match both in magnitude and in urgency,”
Dr. Pauline Mendola, senior investigator in NICHD’s Epidemiology Branch, gave the year’s first NIH Director’s Seminar Series lecture, “Asthma and Pregnancy: Adverse Outcomes and Susceptibility to Air Pollution."
Despite the importance of involving patients and other partners in the research process, there’s no way to measure their engagement. Dr. Melody Goodman, an associate professor of biostatistics at New York University, is developing a survey tool she hopes will change that.
NIH recently hosted a conference on Health Care Innovations and Point-of-Care Technologies. The featured topic was artificial intelligence.
On the Cover
3-D rendering of mitochondrial networks within the mouse heart. Mitochondria, known as the powerhouses of the cell, are a promising target for the treatment of heart disease. February is American Heart Month.