Teaching Truth in Transitional Justice: A Collaborative Approach to Supporting Colombian Educators

The pursuit and acknowledgment of the truth of past atrocities and human rights abuses are critical processes in transitional societies. While truth commissions have become a central part of achieving these goals, there has historically been minimal attention to the role of teachers and students in this work. Critical and thoughtful teaching about the past conflict, however, may help prevent the reoccurrence of atrocities, promote acknowledgment and accountability of the past (which, in turn, fosters psychosocial healing), and support the construction of a peaceful society. In this paper, I detail a research collaboration with Colombia’s truth commission to aid its pedagogical efforts to develop effective resources and support Colombian educators’ instruction about the truth of past atrocities. I first draw on the literature to demonstrate the potential for education—and, specifically, teachers—to support the goals of truth commissions. Then, I describe the Colombian context and this specific collaboration. Finally, I end by presenting preliminary findings from surveys of teachers across Colombia and detailing future directions.     

Should clinical pastoral education and professional chaplaincy become more scientific? It's a matter of salt

I address the relationship of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and professional chaplaincy to science by looking at the past in order to find meaning for the present. Specially, I explore the stories of Elwood Worcester, Anton Boisen and the beginnings of CPE. I conclude that these and other founding fathers believed that they were called to continue Christ's healing ministry and turned to science as means to do so although their relationship to science was often strained. Three issues emerge from the past that offer meaning for the present: the significance of a spiritual calling to do healing, the significance of science's "salt effect" as the means that makes a healing ministry possible, and the significance of faith as the identity around which a relationship with science is developed.     

Changing perceptions: of pandemic influenza and public health responses

According to the latest World Bank estimates, over the past decade some US $4.3 billion has been pledged by governments to combat the threat of pandemic influenza. Presidents, prime ministers, and even dictators the world over have been keen to demonstrate their commitment to tackling this disease, but this has not always been the case. Indeed, government-led intervention in responding to the threat of pandemic influenza is a relatively recent phenomenon. I explore how human understandings of influenza have altered over the past 500 years and how public policy responses have shifted accordingly. I trace the progress in human understanding of causation from meteorological conditions to the microscopic, and how this has prompted changes in public policy to mitigate the disease's impact. I also examine the latest trend of viewing pandemic influenza as a security threat and how this has changed contemporary governance structures and power dynamics.     

The economics of tobacco regulation

The past five years have seen a dramatic turn of events against the tobacco industry, raising the question of the appropriate future path for U.S. smoking policy. This paper discusses the theory and evidence on regulation of smoking. I begin by reviewing the background on this industry. I then turn to a discussion of the motivations for regulating smoking, both external and internal to the smoker. I conclude with a discussion of future policy directions.     

Spirituality and data: the need for a new paradigm

My ministry has meaning for me, and I trust, for others whom I serve. In times past, that meaning was sufficient testimony regarding its significance. Today, however, more scientific evidence seems needed--although I resist it and am skeptical that in the end science can really help us. Yet, the task we face, the central question facing the profession is, "Are there true, definable outcomes that can be validated when our primary task is dealing with matters of the heart and soul?"     

A 10-year retrospective of research in health mass media campaigns: where do we go from here?

Mass media campaigns have long been a tool for promoting public health. How effective are such campaigns in changing health-related attitudes and behaviors, however, and how has the literature in this area progressed over the past decade? The purpose of the current article is threefold. First, I discuss the importance of health mass media campaigns and raise the question of whether they are capable of effectively impacting public health. Second, I review the literature and discuss what we have learned about the effectiveness of campaigns over the past 10 years. Finally, I conclude with a discussion of possible avenues for the health campaign literature over the next 10 years. The overriding conclusion is the following: The literature is beginning to amass evidence that targeted, well-executed health mass media campaigns can have small-to-moderate effects not only on health knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes, but on behaviors as well, which can translate into major public health impact given the wide reach of mass media. Such impact can only be achieved, however, if principles of effective campaign design are carefully followed.     

陕西某大学新生2002-2016年心理健康普查结果分析

了解大学生心理健康状况变化,为有针对性地开展心理健康教育提供参考.方法 使用大学生人格问卷(University personality Inventory,UPI)对陕西某大学2002-2016年新生心理健康的普查结果进行回溯性分析.结果 15年间共有57 450名新生参加了普查,可能存在严重心理问题学生(I类学生)平均筛出率为12.29%,年度间差异有统计学意义(x2 =588.017,P<0.01);2010-2016年经面谈后确定有严重心理问题学生占I类学生的比例平均为2.97%,且年度间差异有统计学意义(x2=25.709,P<0.01).在I类学生答题方面,2012-2016年有7个题目每年均进入答题选择率前10位;“常常失眠”“感到自己的过去和家庭是不幸的”2个关键题目的选择率在5年间差异有统计学意义(x2值分别为14.389,16.690,P值均<0.01);“曾经接受过心理咨询吗”“如果有健康或心理方面的问题想要咨询吗”2个附加题目的选择率5年间差异有统计学意义(x2值分别为13.175,28.480,P值均<0.05).结论 多数大学新生的心理是基本健康的,但可能有心理健康问题的学生人数比例呈波浪式逐年上升趋势.大学新生的心理问题类型多年来相对稳定,可以据此开展针对性教育.     

A healthcare revolution: Quebec's new model of healthcare

Over the past two years as CEO of the Montreal Health Authority I have participated in the preparation and now the implementation of what I consider the first real reform in healthcare since the beginning of Medicare in 1970. In my opinion Quebec is undergoing a second "quiet revolution" in healthcare as important as the first one, a revolution not in structure but in the philosophy of how healthcare is provided to its population.     

Fighting hand to hand over physician workforce policy

A vexing problem in health policy is getting the right number of physicians in the right specialties in the right locations at the right time. I examine market and public planning approaches to getting the number "right." After discussing the basic premises of the invisible hand of the market and the heavy hand of government regulation, I apply these concepts to a review of the past century of U.S. physician supply and workforce policy. I conclude by examining recent health system trends that make clear the need for a firm regulatory grasp on physician workforce policy.     

Alcohol and prostate cancer in the NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study. First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of the United States.

PURPOSE: We prospectively investigated the association between alcohol consumption and prostate cancer in the Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS) of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). METHODS: There were two cohorts: 1) Cohort I, followed from baseline (1971-75) through 1992, included 5766 men ages 25-74 years (median follow-up = 17 years); and 2) Cohort II, followed from the first follow-up round for Cohort I (1982-84) through 1992, included the 3868 men in Cohort I free of prostate cancer in 1982-84 (median follow-up = 9 years). Alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline as usual consumption, and at follow-up as usual consumption and as distant past consumption at the ages of 25, 35, 45, and 55. RESULTS: There were 252 incident cases of prostate cancer. Consistent with most previous studies, we found no significant associations between usual total alcohol consumption and prostate cancer in Cohorts I or II [p = non significant (NS)], except for a significant inverse association at the heaviest level of drinking in Cohort II [relative risk (RR) = 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06-0.95]. Further study of heavy drinkers in Cohort II revealed significant inverse associations between distant past heavy drinking (defined as > 25 drinks/week) and prostate cancer at age 25 (RR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.06-0.63), age 35 (RR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.12-0.77), and age 45 (RR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.17-0.93), but not at age 55 (RR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.17-1.10). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that it may be important to consider distant past alcohol consumption in etiologic studies of prostate cancer. However, our results were based on small numbers of cases who were heavy drinkers and require replication.     

Measurement of benzene in the workplace and its evolution process, Part I: Overview, history, and past methods

Benzene and its measurement continues to be important in the field of industrial hygiene. This two-part article reviews the history of occupational and environmental sampling and analysis of benzene from the early 1900s to the present. Part I provides an overview and details of the methods used in the past; history of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' threshold limit values for benzene; and reviews portable, grab, and integrated sampling methods as well as the various analytical methods. It is important to review and understand the past in order to predict future trends.     

Which "internal market"?

There are two potential types of "internal markets". In Type I, the patient is treated only by "contracted" providers while in Type II, he/she is free to choose a provider. The rhetoric of Working for Patients is Type II while the practice is Type I. Type I market with its contracting concept is a pernicious version of the line relationship that existed in the past between health authorities and provider units. The ethos of the NHS is best suited to the Type II market which is similar to the market that operates in higher education, another public service.     

Women doctors--a review.

There have been very marked changes in the number of women doctors who have come into the profession in this country in the past 40 years. They have faced problems because of society's preconceptions of their role as women. I previously reviewed their position in 1975 and 1986, and now take a look at areas where progress has been made, and also note whether there is still inequality and where women have still not achieved their full potential. I shall make some suggestions for improvement.     

Seven principles for leadership success: a primer for women in healthcare

I started my career in healthcare as a staff clinician and worked my way through facility closures and demergers, reorganizations and game-changing transitions. Over the past 13 years I have successfully rebuilt a community hospital to become one of the best in the country. I've worked hard to contribute to my community and the healthcare field. But what I have enjoyed the most throughout my career is my ability to discover and mentor talented people and watch them pave their own successful career paths (three former employees are now CEOs). This article focuses on key principles that have led me and my teams to personal and professional success.     

The unfulfilled promise of public health: déjà vu all over again

Many complain about public health's weak infrastructure and poor capacity to respond to threats of bioterrorism. Such complaints are but the anxiety-heightened expression of a periodic rediscovery of the deficiencies and unfulfilled promise of U.S. public health. An overview of more than two centuries suggests that where we are now with public health has been shaped by our earlier, limited, and crisis-focused responses to changing disease threats. We have failed to sustain progress in any coherent manner. If we do not wish to repeat past mistakes, we should learn lessons from the past to guide us in the future.     

The changing face of healthcare

There seems to be a theme in many publications, books, and media channels lately, and that theme is change. There are changes in global markets, economic factors, and healthcare reform, to name a few, and change.gov is a government Web site. Much discussion has taken place in the past year or so about embracing change, leading change, and overcoming change through resilience. As I look forward into 2012, I am indeed thinking about change.     

From early to late adolescence: alcohol use and anger relationships

Purpose: To evaluate the longitudinal relationship of alcohol use in early adolescence to anger in late adolescence.

Methods: Data were collected in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1987 to 1993 as part of a large drug abuse prevention trial. Fifty percent of the 1201 students were female, 75%, white, and 69%, low socioeconomic status, who were surveyed in grades 6/7, 9/10, and 11/12. Subjects were asked four anger-related questions: “When I have a problem, I get mad at people,” “When I have a problem, I do bad things or cause trouble,” “When I have a problem, I say or do nasty things,” and “I am a hotheaded person.” Two additional items asked subjects to report the number of alcoholic drinks consumed and frequency of drunkenness in the past 30 days. Odds ratios (OR) were used to assess the predictive relationship of alcohol use in early adolescence to anger in late adolescence.

Results: Early use of alcohol increased the odds of later anger. Specifically, alcohol use in the past month in grade 6/7 increased the odds in grade 11/12 of saying or doing nasty things (OR = 8.23, p < .01), self-reported hotheadedness (OR = 9.72, p < .01), and high anger on a composite anger scale (OR = 4.84, p < .05). Drunkenness in the past month in grade 6/7 increased the odds of self-reported hotheadedness (OR = 6.17, p < .05) and high anger on the anger scale (OR = 3.20, p < .05) in grade 9/10 and doing something bad to cause trouble in grade 11/12 (OR = 24.97, p < .01). For subjects in grade 9/10, alcohol use in the past month increased the odds in grade 11/12 of doing something bad to cause trouble (OR = 2.79, p < .05), saying or doing nasty things (OR = 2.02, p < .05), and self-reported hotheadedness (OR = 2.51, p < .05).

Conclusions: The present study showed that alcohol use in early adolescence was associated with increased anger, both in middle and late adolescence, controlling for gender, age, and socioeconomic status. The findings suggest that alcohol and drug prevention programs delivered in early adolescence may have the capacity to prevent risk for later anger and related violent behavior.     

The Desire Disorder in Research on Sexual Orientation in Women: Contributions of Dynamical Systems Theory

Over the past decade, numerous studies have documented fundamental differences between the phenomenology of male and female sexual orientation, largely centering on women’s capacity for fluidity in their sexual attractions. The past decade has also witnessed fundamental changes in clinical perspectives on “normal” versus “dysfunctional” patterns of female sexual desire, largely centering on women’s greater capacity for responsive and context-dependent sexual desires. In both cases, traditional male-based models of sexuality have been found inadequate to describe women’s experiences. I argue that this inadequacy stems from a failure of traditional models to appropriately account for the phenomenon of variability over time, which may constitute a fundamental feature of female sexual phenomenology. I maintain that dynamical systems theory provides a useful and generative approach for reconceptualizing female sexual orientation, because dynamical systems models focus specifically on describing and explaining complex patterns of change over time. I review the key properties of dynamical systems models and provide an illustrative model of how this approach might yield new perspectives on female sexual orientation.     

Mission impossible cases

Let me make this clear. I do not look for "mission impossible" cases, but they always find me! A nurse case manager on a busy pediatric floor, I was trying to think through a challenging case one day when a new nurse working with me said in frustration, "Stephanie, how do you keep from giving up on cases like this?"My mind flashed back to three situations that stand out as mission impossible. I have seen so many struggles and disappointments in the quest to solve the impossible. However, I have painfully learned a fundamental truth in the past 20 years. In my practice, some of the most hopeless cases stand out as pivotal in drawing from that truth, which gives me strength.     

Going strong, going public. Despite spate of chronic problems and calls for reform, healthcare initial public offerings demonstrate fiscal health

IPOs were popular in healthcare in the past year, and 2008 promises to bring even more. "I think the reason for the interest is investors realize healthcare has been and will continue to be a strong performer in the market," says Ben Rooks, left, of William Blair.