HHS to re-examine policy on blood donations from gay men.

The blurb below was taken from the AMA Morning Rounds email newsletter distributed this morning, July 27th.  This was a policy issue discussed by the MSS at a recent meeting.  See the article for an indication of progress by HHS on the issue of blood donations in MSM.

HHS to re-examine policy on blood donations from gay men.

The National Journal (7/27, Fox, Subscription Publication) reports, "A policy that bars gay men from donating blood for life is 'suboptimal,' advisers to the Health and Human Services Department said on Tuesday, and needs another look." The department had "asked a committee of experts on blood and tissue donations to reexamine the policy and see if there is a way to let at least some gays donate blood." As it stands, the FDA "has banned blood donation by any man who has had homosexual sex because of the risk of the AIDS virus," although "the Red Cross, always struggling with blood shortages, and other groups such as gay-rights organizations oppose the blanket policy."

        CQ (7/27, Bunis, Subscription Publication) reports that last year, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) had asked HHS to re-examine the FDA policy on blood donations. In response to the announcement that HHS is taking steps to do that, Kerry said, "We've been working on this a long time in a serious way, and I'm glad Secretary [Kathleen] Sebelius responded with concrete steps to finally remove this policy from the books. ... HHS is doing their due diligence, and we plan to stay focused on the endgame: a safe blood supply and an end to this discriminatory ban." Meanwhile, HHS stated that it "is committed to continuously improving the safety and availability of the nation's blood supply, and" plans "to re-evaluate this policy as new scientific data emerges."

        The Boston Business Journal (7/27, Donnelly, Subscription Publication) says in "The Bottom Line" blog that HHS still has to conduct various tests before a decision can be made regarding the policy, and it is unclear at this point "what the timeline is for HHS to conduct these studies."

ABCNews.com: Magazine Photoshopping Linked to Eating Disorders

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/magazine-photoshopping-linked-eating-disorders-13961966

Dr Lazarus, AMA President Elect was featured last night on ABC's World News Tonight discussing the photoshopping of images in the media. National publicity is one way our policies can take effect even before any legislative change occurs.  Kudos to the original authors of this resolution which cam from our very own Medical School Section! 

Annual Meeting -- Chicago

The recent MSS Annual Meeting included programming from the Committee on Global and Public Health. This event marked a new era of collaboration between MSS committees. Working together were the Committee on Global and Public Health (CGPH),  the Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine (CEQM) and the Committee on Legislation and Advocacy (COLA).

40 to 50 students showed up to participate in a game designed to teach the importance of understanding the interests of involved stakeholders, to practice working together towards win-win solutions, and underscore the benefits of investing in sustainable programs in the short-term will yield valuable outcomes in the long-run.  Students were divided into several groups and given a set of resources with which to address a public health problem such as childhood obesity, smoking, or texting while driving.  The CEQM provided background on the cost-effectiveness of interventions.  A friendly competition developed as groups looked to see who chose the most effective interventions.

Thank you to all who were involved in planning and participating in the event!

Note that standing committee applications are currently open with an extended deadline of July 5. Check out the AMA-MSS website for details

AMA Annual Meeting

It's time - once again - for our annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Chicago.  Public Health team will be running a collaborative presentation tomorrow (Friday 6/17) on learning to negotiate with other stakeholders and allocate scarce resources.  Stay tuned for updates on policy pertaining to global and public health in the Medical Student Section.

Obesity and Stillbirths

Reporting on Obesity

As part of a series of studies published online April 14 in The Lancet, researchers report that a leading cause of stillbirth in the United States may be obesity, which can raise the risk for fetal loss.

Global Health Immersion Programs The Chronicling Of One NGO’s Attempt To Make A Difference In Health For All

http://globalhealthimmersionprograms.org/global-health/making-global-health-knowledge-requirement-md-students/

AIDS Activism

From one of our own - a fellow medical student at the University of Colorado and former Fulbright scholar - here is a personal take on the state of the conflict over the distribution of federal dollars for health initiatives abroad.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anand-reddi/aids-activism-confusing-a_b_831712.html