Publications from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide objective and straightforward advice to decision makers and the public. This site includes Health and Medicine Division (HMD) publications released after 1998. A complete list of HMD’s publications from its establishment in 1970 to the present is available as a PDF.

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  Building Sustainable Financial Structures for Population ... Released: July 18, 2017

  A workshop held on October 19, 2016 explored financing structures from non-health sectors that provide lessons and examples useful for cross-sector efforts to change community conditions that influence population health. The workshop showcased speakers with expertise in clean energy financing, housing, and justice reinvestment. Presentations and discussion included examples of the ways in which financing approaches (e.g., gain sharing agreements, taxes, credits) can be designed to achieve co-benefits, or win-wins, for health and other domains.
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  Integrating the Patient and Caregiver Voice into Serious ... Released: July 14, 2017

  Millions of people—infants, children, adults, and their families—are currently coping with serious illness in the United States. Efforts are intensifying to improve overall care quality through the delivery of person-centered and family-oriented services, for patients of all ages and across disease stages, care settings, and specialties. While aging Baby Boomers are increasing the proportion of patients in the Medicare population over time, the sickest and most vulnerable patients needing health system support and other services to meet their complex needs can be found across the age spectrum and in a broad range of care settings, from perinatal care to geriatric care.
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  Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing ... Released: July 13, 2017

  Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016.
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  The Challenge of Treating Obesity and Overweight ... Released: July 12, 2017

  The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions of the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, DC, on April 6, 2017, titled “The Challenge of Treating Obesity and Overweight: A Workshop.” The workshop discussions covered treatments for obesity, overweight, and severe obesity in adults and children; emerging treatment opportunities; the development of a workforce for obesity treatments; payment and policy consid- erations; and promising ways to move forward. This Proceedings of a Workshop–in Brief highlights key points made by workshop participants during the presentations and discussions. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive summary of information shared during the workshop.
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  Enabling Precision Medicine: The Role of Genetics in Clinical ... Released: July 10, 2017

  Those involved in the drug development process face challenges of efficiency and overall sustainability due in part to high research costs, lengthy development timelines, and late-stage drug failures. Novel clinical trial designs that enroll participants based on their genetics represent a potentially disruptive change that could improve patient outcomes, reduce costs associated with drug development, and further realize the goals of precision medicine. On March 8, 2017, the Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation and the Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health hosted the workshop Enabling Precision Medicine: The Role of Genetics in Clinical Drug Development.
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  Engaging the Private Sector and Developing Partnerships to ... Released: June 27, 2017

  In September 2016, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at the United Nations (UN) Development Summit to serve as a 15-year plan of action for all countries and people. Since the announcement of the SDGs, countries have been mapping out their national action plans, updating health and development information, reviewing national priorities, assessing the focus of current international development assistance, and determining which policies, laws, and strategies are already aligned with SDG targets and what changes are needed. In this process, many public and private entities are identifying opportunities for greater alignment and effectiveness in reaching their goals through partnerships. Considering this context, the Forum on Public–Private Partnerships for Global Health and Safety (PPP Forum) convened a workshop series to examine opportunities for the private sector to engage in partnerships to advance health and the SDGs.
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  Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward ... Released: June 22, 2017

  Individuals, families, and societies around the world are concerned about dementia and the other forms of cognitive impairment that affect many older adults. It is now known that brain changes typically begin years—if not decades—before people show symptoms, which suggests that a window of opportunity exists to prevent, slow, or delay the onset of these conditions. Further, emerging evidence that the incidence and prevalence of dementia are declining in some high-income countries offers hope that public health interventions can be effective in preventing cognitive decline and dementia.
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  Building Communication Capacity to Counter Infectious ... Released: June 16, 2017

  Building communication capacity is a critical piece of preparing for, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats. Various organizations, including CDC (2011) and WHO (2008), have provided guidance on developing frameworks, standards, protocols, and conceptual approaches to communicating critical information during infectious disease outbreaks. Furthermore, governments and nongovernmental organizations have developed and implemented plans to address the gaps in communication capacity during these situations.
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  Exploring Equity in Multisector Community Health ... Released: June 13, 2017

  The Roundtable on Population Health Improvement wanted to explore how a variety of community-based organizations create and maintain innovative and sustainable approaches to multisector community health partnerships. To do so, on December 8, 2016, the roundtable hosted a workshop in Oakland, California to explore multisector community health partnerships that engage residents, reduce health disparities, and improve health and well-being. The workshop participants heard from speakers from a range of multisector partnerships with the goal of learning about what makes those partnerships and initiatives effective and of understanding the challenges that these partnerships have had to overcome in order to create change in their communities.
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  Protecting the Health and Well-being of Communities in a ... Released: June 09, 2017

  A March 13, 2017 workshop explored the implications of climate change for population health and the potential mitigation and adaptation strategies for public health, environmental health, health care and other stakeholders. The workshop also explored a range of perspectives from local government, civil society organizations, and health care organizations, and showcased practical examples of strategies to address climate effects on population health.