Commentary - Health Metrics

Leading voices in health provide their perspectives on new research, guidelines, metrics, and data sets.

- New data on state-level disparities in heart disease raise caution, but can be used for good
  April 12, 2018
  Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of the Centers for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association A geographic analysis published this week offers new insights – some positive, some concerning – about state-level differences in lost health […]
- New Data Quantifies Sexual Orientation Disparities in Heart-Health Risk Factors
  March 20, 2018
  Wayne Rosamond, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chair, American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention | Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2018 Scientific Sessions: Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults are less likely to have ideal cardiovascular health [...]
- Improving Access to Stroke Treatment: Six Key Points the Wall Street Journal Missed
  February 16, 2018
  Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., FAHA, FANA, Executive Vice Chairman, Neurology Department, and Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center and Center for TeleHealth, Massachusetts General Hospital; Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School A February 6 article in the Wall Street Journal, “A Breakthrough […]
- Where Heart Disease and Breast Cancer Intersect: Promoting Positive Outcomes For Both
  February 6, 2018
  Laxmi Mehta, M.D., FACC, FAHA, Section Director of Preventative Cardiology and Women’s Cardiovascular Health, Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Associate Professor of Medicine, The Ohio State University; Chair, Writing Group, AHA Scientific Statement on […]
- Prevention Is Worth It
  February 1, 2018
  Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of the Centers for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association A better headline would have been “Preventive Care; Sometimes Good Things Cost Money.” Examples in the January 29, 2018 New York Times column, […]
- In Light of New Guidelines, Here Are Three Things Everyone Should Know About Stroke
  January 24, 2018
  William J. Powers, M.D., FAHA, H. Houston Merritt Distinguished Professor and Department Chair, Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chair, Writing Group, AHA/ASA 2018 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Just a few years ago, […]
- Adversity In Childhood and Adolescence Sets Stage for Cardiometabolic Outcomes
  December 18, 2017
  Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of the Centers for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association The phrase, “So, tell me about your childhood,” may sound cliché, but it might help us better understand cardiometabolic diseases in adults. […]
- Supporting the Complex Health Needs of Americans With Multiple Chronic Conditions
  December 11, 2017
  Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of the Centers for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association It is challenging enough to live with a chronic disease like hypertension, but having multiple chronic conditions is even more difficult. Yet […]
- Equitable Access to Life-Saving Treatments is Threatened by the Cost of Drugs to Patients
  November 14, 2017
  Elliott M. Antman, M.D., FAHA; Senior Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, Harvard Medical School; Past President, American Heart Association As healthcare costs continue rising, escalating spending on pharmaceuticals warrants serious […]
- New Hypertension Guideline Updates How We Measure and Treat High Blood Pressure
  November 13, 2017
  John Warner, M.D., MBA; President, American Heart Association, 2017-18 A growing health crisis has a grip on our nation. It’s not a new epidemic or disease — it’s high blood pressure, the “silent killer.” Many more people than previously believed are at risk for this far too common condition that […]
- Closing the Gap in African-American Cardiovascular Health Disparities Helps Open Up Health Equity
  October 23, 2017
  Ivor J. Benjamin, M.D., FAHA, FACC, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiovascular Center at Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin; President-Elect, American Heart Association, 2017-18 The latest statistics paint an unsettling picture. White Americans survive an average […]
- CDC Weighs In With New Obesity Data; What’s Next?
  October 13, 2017
  Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention and Chief of the Center for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association Obesity in adults 20 and older and youth 12 to 19 is at an all-time high — nearly 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to the Centers […]