Duke Clinical Research Institute’s Post

I discussed this article and the work of accompaniment with 2nd year med students in my structural competency class this week. There is so much we can learn and do together to improve health equity!

I'm not one for hero worship, but if there ever was one, I will always remember Paul Farmer. His writings not only helped give me a framework for understanding the stark inequalities across the world I grew up seeing, but also gave me hope that sometimes (sometimes!) the powers that be actually listen to affected communities instead of persisting in their econ-driven, technocratic echo chambers. I live by the things I have learned from this work every day. I continue to be guided by the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978's commitment to community-based primary care, to learn from the Global Public Investment Network work in democratizing the flow of global health dollars, and to partner with like-minded people to get things done. #thinkglobalactlocal

The Inchstone Project, hosted by DEE-P Connections, invites you to a community update on the preliminary results from our recent survey of nearly 270 DEE families, representing a wide spectrum of the rare epilepsies. The Inchstone Project Research Team will outline some of the trends we are seeing in caregiver priorities for improvement in their children's condition from new and emerging treatments - including major similarities and differences across etiologies. We'll share an update on the progress of our efforts to adapt and/or create a range of assessment tools that can accurately measure progress in the many areas beyond seizures in our loved ones who are more profoundly impacted by disorders and are consistently left unmeasured. More sensitive outcome measures that capture small but important improvements in the more severe population are critical to the success of clinical trials which are more frequently promising disease-modifying treatments. Please join us Monday March 25th from 6-7:30pm EST. https://lnkd.in/e6cCFf95

COSRT is proud to announce the launch of a new award in memory of Colin Cosgrove – a valued COSRT trustee who tragically passed away in 2023. In high impact roles within organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Alzheimer’s Society, Colin worked tirelessly to improve the information that service users benefit from, and how services themselves are designed and delivered. His passion, pragmatism and expertise helped drive meaningful change across a range of health conditions. That impact was also felt in COSRT, where he helped build an organisational focus on service users, and how COSRT can support their needs being met. The Colin Cosgrove Award therefore fittingly recognises an excellent project or activity that has demonstrably improved the experiences and outcomes of service users. Any activity carried out, designed or led by a COSRT Member will be eligible for selection – from research projects to awareness raising campaigns. The critical factor is that they must have led to a demonstrable impact on real people’s lives – helping those in need of specialised therapeutic support. The winning nomination will be chosen by the COSRT board. The recipient of the award will be invited to present the work at a COSRT conference and/or training session exploring the success factors of the work. The award-winning work will also be profiled by COSRT in its website and external communications channels to help disseminate lessons and good practice. Steve Johnson, COSRT’s Chair of Trustees said: “It was humbling to work with Colin at a Board level and see how he brought compassion and a commitment to helping people to everything. It is absolutely right that his name will now continue to be aligned with the very best attempts to improve people’s outcomes…” 📬 Nominations for the award should be sent to john.dodd@cosrt.org.uk by 5pm on Friday, 10th January 2025. An announcement on the winner will be made by the end of February 2025. See our website using the link below for the form: https://lnkd.in/edGPJpCf #COSRT #ColinCosgroveAward #ServiceUserImpact #MentalHealthSupport #TherapyRecognition #Psychotherapy #MacmillanCancerSupport #AlzheimersSociety #AwardAnnouncement #HealthImpact #TherapyMatters #SupportingCommunities #TherapeuticSupport #HealthAdvocacy

When it comes to Universal Health Coverage, the critical role of early disease detection cannot be overstated. Many individuals unknowingly suffer from debilitating diseases like cancer and lifestyle-related conditions. These silent health threats often go undetected until they reach an advanced stage. Unfortunately, barriers such as the high cost of healthcare and waning patient-provider trust prevent many people from accessing essential diagnostic services. However, there is hope. By collaborating with Faith-Based communities that have established trust within underserved populations, we can develop innovative, low-cost or zero-cost solutions to provide crucial early detection services. These initiatives contribute significantly to research and policy formulation. I am thrilled to be part of the team designing an innovative program in collaboration with the Duke University Head and Neck department. Our focus is on screening for Head and Neck Cancer within the immigrant community in Raleigh—a vibrant group composed of refugees from various nations. I eagerly anticipate the positive impact this program will have on their health and well-being. 🌟🌎🙌 https://lnkd.in/ewGH9ZBN

Please register and repost! I am honored to be co-chairing (with Shiriki Kumanyika and Jamie Chriqui) this very exciting and relevant workshop on obesity-related policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) research in the US. This is a collaborative effort from NIH, the CDC, and @NCCOR. The workshop will examine best practices in obesity-prevention research with specific attention to community engagement and systems change through an equity lens. The workshop aims to advance the field by highlighting opportunities for the design and rigorous evaluation of both proximal and distal PSE interventions. https://shorturl.at/hDEWX

🔬 Fresh Psychedelic Guide: Understanding Psychedelic Medicine for Veterans 🌿 With the FDA's decision regarding MDMA-AT just days away, the potential integration of psychedelic therapies into veteran healthcare represents a pivotal shift. Time and again, studies and trials have shown psychedelics to be both effective and relatively safe. Not only that, but each year hundreds of veterans are forced to travel abroad to access psychedelic-assisted therapy, often these trips can be prohibitively expensive, and in some cases dangerous. We hope this guide can help veterans and their families understand psychedelic medicine's importance and potential. 🧠 Why This Matters: ❗ Veterans face a 1.5 times higher risk of suicide compared to the general population, highlighting a critical need for effective mental health interventions. ❕ Research highlights psychedelics like Psilocybin and MDMA not only alleviate symptoms but potentially transform treatment approaches, providing deep psychological relief and emotional healing. 🔍 Insightful Findings: 1️⃣ Studies have shown that high-dose Psilocybin therapy, combined with psychotherapy, drastically reduces depression and anxiety symptoms. 2️⃣ MDMA-assisted therapy has shown remarkable results: about 67% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD after the treatment. Huge thanks to Reason for Hope, VETS, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, Inc., and Heroic Hearts Project for providing veterans and their families with the means to access psychedelic-assisted therapy as well as their contributions to the field. And of course, thank you to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Lykos Therapeutics for laying the groundwork that got MDMA-AT this far. Read the full guide here: https://lnkd.in/eWiM-hnG #psychedelics #psychedelicsmedicine #veterans #veteranhealth #veteranmentalhealth #psychedelicscience #psychedelictherapy #science #mdma #lsd #psilocybin #dmt #vets #veterans #SOV #ptsd #ptsdtreatment Doc Askins Ashley Carmen, LMFT Ashley Carmen, LMFT Stephanie Karzon Abrams Sam Woolfe Alistair Sweeney U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs FDA Anthony Martin, MBA Dr. Jonathan M. Fields Christopher Brown, LICSW Chris Knoll Zach Leary Sofie Mikhaylova

A new report from the National Academies highlights a significant lack of data and research on chronic conditions affecting women, which is hindering diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. 📊🚫 This gap underscores the urgent need for enhanced NIH research efforts to better understand and address these critical health issues. 🧬🩺 📢 At the Texas Women's Healthcare Coalition, we are committed to advocating for comprehensive research and funding to ensure all women receive the healthcare they deserve. 🌟💪 Read the full report to learn more about this vital issue and the call for increased research efforts: https://bit.ly/3Yz9bMM

Last week, our colleague Rachel Axelrad-Dixon had the opportunity to introduce a talk on ‘Health Inequalities: More sociology than biology’ at the British Science Festival. The speaker, Professor Winston Morgan from the University of East London, shed light on how mistaken beliefs about race and ethnicity as a biological determinant can lead to delayed diagnosis and disparities in health outcomes in these communities. At MSD, we are committed to tackling health inequalities and promoting equitable access to healthcare and this #BSF24 event further reinforced the urgency of collaborating to advancing these objectives. We have recently published the report “Driving health equity in cancer: Practical examples from Cancer Alliances”, which demonstrates the progress Cancer Alliances in England are making towards addressing health inequalities, providing innovative insights that we can learn from and apply in wider initiatives. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/erZP_KGv British Science Association

Osteosarcopenia predicts greater risk of functional disability than sarcopenia: a longitudinal analysis of FraDySMex cohort study. Oscar Rosas-Carrasco et al. https://lnkd.in/ei5KFvvF #Osteosarcopenia #sarcopenia