In the News

Mental Health Screening in Primary Care Helps Veterans

Center for Advancing Health – Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Brian Shiner comments on how a new practice is helping patients with mental health disorder. “In patients who actually have the disorder, there is good evidence that the intervention improves important health outcomes and benefits substantially outweigh harm,” says Brian. “Therefore, we assume that we can help to improve veterans’ health by following up screens with clinical exams and delivering these treatments when they are indicated.”

Regular Marijuana Use Bad for Teens Brains

Business Standard – “Recent studies suggest that this relationship between marijuana and mental illness may be moderated by how often marijuana is used and potency of the substance,” says Professor of Psychiatry Alan Budney. “Unfortunately, much of what we know from earlier research is based on smoking marijuana with much lower doses of THC than are commonly used today,” Budney said.

The Biggest Misconceptions People Have About the Medical Profession

Wall Street Journal – Professor of Medicine H. Gilbert Welch is interviewed on common misconceptions regarding health care professionals: “The idea that only your doctor can tell whether you are healthy or not is an unfortunate side-effect of our current emphasis on preventive medicine … Don’t let doctors’ machines and tests define health. That’s a recipe to make you sick. How you feel matters.”

Will Big Data Answer Big Questions on Health?

Science Friday – Jason Moore, the Third Century Professor at Geisel, is interviewed in this radio piece on the effort to catalog the DNA of thousands of different people. Moore comments that “gathering data is only the first step,” as the clue is, “asking the right questions of that information.”

Aspirin May Deserve Closer Look as DVT Prophylaxis in Lower Extremity Orthopedic Surgeries

The Hospitalist – Assistant Professor of Medicine Frank Drescher is interviewed by the Society of Hospital Medicine on his work comparing anticoagulants to aspirin. While Drescher “was surprised to see anticoagulants—often considered the stronger medication—make no difference compared with aspirin in lowering DVT risk with hip and knee replacement surgeries,” he did contend, “that patients’ behavior post-surgery may make a difference.”

Nanoparticles to Awaken Immunity System to Fight Cancer

Business Standard – Dartmouth researchers including Professor of Microbiology Steve Fiering have found that nanoparticle
can “strengthen the body’s immune system response against tumors.” “Our lab’s approach differs from most in that we use nanoparticles to stimulate the immune system to attack tumors and there are a variety of potential ways that can be done,” said Fiering.