Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, JAMA, USPSTF / 12.07.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_69498" align="alignleft" width="200"]Dr. David Chelmow, M.D.Leo J. Dunn professor of obstetrics and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia Dr. Chelmow joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2022 Dr. Chelmow[/caption] Dr. David Chelmow, M.D. Leo J. Dunn professor of obstetrics and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia Dr. Chelmow joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2022 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Intimate partner violence, also known as domestic violence, affects millions of people in the United States and can have devastating consequences for one’s health and wellbeing. Clinicians can make a real difference for those affected—evidence shows that there are screening tools that can detect intimate partner violence in women, including those who are pregnant, as well as interventions that work to reduce future violence. As a result, the Task Force recommends that clinicians screen all women of reproductive age, including those who are pregnant and postpartum, for intimate partner violence and refer those who screen positive to ongoing services so they can get the care they need to stay safe. The Task Force also recognizes that caregiver abuse of older and vulnerable adults is an important issue. Unfortunately, right now there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for caregiver abuse and neglect of older and vulnerable adults, so we are calling for more research in these important areas.
Author Interviews, JAMA, Opiods / 27.11.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52264" align="alignleft" width="174"]Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor, Center on Society and Health Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Population Health and Health Equity Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia 23298-0212 Dr. Woolf[/caption] Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor, Center on Society and Health Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Population Health and Health Equity Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia 23298-0212 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Life expectancy in the US has decreased for three years in a row, the first time this has occurred in this country since the Spanish flu epidemic a century ago. Meanwhile, life expectancy in other countries continues to climb. Our study found that the trend is being driven by an increase in death rates among working-age adults (ages 25-64 years), which began as early as the 1990s. The increase has involved deaths from drug overdoses—a major contributor—but also from alcoholism, suicides, and a long list of organ diseases. We found increases in 35 causes of death. We analyzed the trends across the 50 states and discovered that the trend is concentrated in certain regions, especially the Industrial Midwest (Rust Belt) and Appalachia, whereas other regions like the Pacific states were least affected. Increases in midlife mortality in four Ohio Valley states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky) accounted for one third of the excess deaths between 2010 and 2017.