Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – all English-speaking countries – are the countries represented by the authors of this article. The incidents represented include the doxing and harassment of medical practitioners simply for being Jewish; a wave of anti-Jewish sentiment expressed by medical professionals, medical schools, and professional associations; the feeling among Jewish medical professionals that they must hide their identity to avoid workplace repercussions; and even demonstrations at healthcare facilities that have frightened staff and patients.
Key questions remain in the wake of these incidents, according to the authors. Gordon et al. seek to understand how the resurgence of antisemitism affects the Jewish community, which includes healthcare workers. They wonder when and how national healthcare authorities will step in with strategies aimed at combating the atmosphere of hatred affecting the workplace and its stakeholders, from practitioners to patients. Additionally, the authors question how the response might be different if this degree of hatred were aimed at other societal groups.
Hatred needs to be addressed at institutional levels, according to the authors. Gordon et al. list three suggestions for public policy: that a clear definition of antisemitism be established and widely disseminated across healthcare contexts, including workplaces and schools; that clear policies for conduct be communicated, as well as the consequences for violating the policy; and finally, that education on antisemitism be provided to leadership, faculty, staff, and students at healthcare institutions.
Medical professionals in the United States have responded to the resurgence of antisemitism in a concrete way with the establishment in the wake of October 7 of the American Jewish Medical Association, a new nonprofit organization established to represent Jewish physicians, fellows, residents, medical students, and public health and healthcare professionals. The AJMA has chapters across the U.S., and issues statements on current topics of concern. It also provides access to a form for medical workers to report cases of antisemitism, including violence or intimidation, hate speech, or institutional issues, among others. The AJMA also has a weekly podcast that looks at the intersection of healthcare and Jewish values.
Sadly, antisemitism did not begin with the Holocaust, nor did it end there. On this international day of remembrance, it is important to learn from the past by considering how you can help to chart a more inclusive future.
References
Gordon, M., Teitel, J., Rosenberg, T., Oratz, R., Katz, N., & Katz, D. (2024). Antisemitism in Medicine: An International Perspective. Rambam Maimonides medical journal, 10.5041/RMMJ.10536. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5041/RMMJ.10536
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, a good time to take a look at recently published research from the field. A forthcoming study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease uses data from a prospective cohort study called Adult Changes in Thought (ACT), which follows cognitively normal older adults until Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia development. Those included in the group were study participants with a diagnosis of glaucoma who filled prescriptions for glaucoma medications (including alpha-adrenergic agonists, beta-adrenergic antagonists, miotics, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, and prostaglandins) for at least ten years.
Davidson et al. cite sensory impairment as one modifiable potential source of dementia risk. Glaucoma is a common cause of visual impairment in older adults, and several past studies have suggested glaucoma may be associated with a higher risk of dementia, although this is not yet proven. Additionally, glaucoma and dementia may potentially share molecular pathways and clinical features which are associated with neurodegeneration.
Treatment of glaucoma focuses on reduction of intraocular pressure through daily use of topical eye drops. Because both glaucoma and dementia are highly prevalent in older adults, therefore Davidson et al. feel it is important to study the potential connections between the two.
Patients included in this study are older adults at risk of dementia from Kaiser Permanente Washington (state). Participants are followed by ACT until they develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. The study looked at age and dementia risk, first glaucoma medication fill, in addition to other factors. 521 participants in the ACT study were ultimately included in this analysis. 62% were female, and beta-adrenergic antagonists were the most frequently prescribed type of medication. The mean exposure time for each study participant to beta-adrenergic antagonists was 1.4 years.
The study concluded that with each year of alpha-adrenergic agonists (AAA), there was a 33% higher risk of dementia (but not Alzheimer ’s-type dementia). The findings of Davidson et al showed that beyond AAA, there was no other glaucoma medication class associated with dementia or Alzheimer’s-type dementia. This constitutes a new finding, because exposure to glaucoma medication use has not been studied extensively, nor has use of AAA previously been linked to an increased risk of dementia. It is important to note that some studies have also pointed to adrenergic dysregulation as playing a role in cognitive decline. Topical use of AAA drops induces central adrenergic activity in some patients, which the authors hypothesize could be a mechanism leading to adrenergic dysregulation.
The authors note that their findings were unexpected, and they cannot fully rule out that the association between AAA glaucoma medication and dementia is related to patients who have more severe glaucoma. (Data on the severity of the glaucoma was unavailable to researchers.) AAA was not a first-line medication, but rather one prescribed to patients after beta blockers or prostaglandins are unsuccessful. In the cohort being studied, AAA was the third most prescribed medication for glaucoma.
While Davidson et al. acknowledge study limitations, this finding indicates an important area for future research, to look at medication exposure time and other factors such as other drugs patients have been taking concurrently with glaucoma medications.
References
Davidson, O., Lee, M. L., Kam, J. P., Brush, M., Rajesh, A., Blazes, M., Arterburn, D. E., Duerr, E., Gibbons, L. E., Crane, P. K., Lee, C. S., & Eye ACT study group (2025). Associations between dementia and exposure to topical glaucoma medications. Journal of Alzheimer's disease: JAD, 13872877241305745. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877241305745
Location: 100 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20001
Cost: Free
Washington Botanical Garden dresses in lights to celebrate Christmas. It is one of the most beautiful places you can't miss during your visit to this city. In addition to seeing some 26,000 plants and numerous plant species, it has a special room dedicated to the deserts of the planet, where you can appreciate succulents, shrubs, and flowering plants characteristic of these regions. Also during this month, there are a series of festive concerts and an annual exhibition with the best plant species and miniature replicas of emblematic buildings, such as the Smithsonian National Museum of History
Date: Continuous at 10AM to 5PM on Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 10AM to 6PM on Saturday and Sunday, and Closed on Tuesday
Location: 925 13th Street, NW
Cost: Free
Planet Word is the only museum in the country dedicated to renewing and inspiring a love of words and language and includes immersive exhibits for all ages. Visitors can deliver a famous speech, watch a library book come to life, sing karaoke tunes, and more. The museum also offers a variety of virtual programs.
Date: October 4 – April 13 from Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 707-709 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Cost: Free
For the duration of the 2024-25 NBA and NHL seasons, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Ted and Lynn Leonsis, and Jeff Skoll present a landmark exhibit featuring more than 150 photographs by legendary photojournalist Harry Benson, renowned for his chronicles of culture, politics, music, movies, television, and sports. The free exhibit includes photographs of every President and First Lady since Dwight Eisenhower, iconic images of legendary athletes and musicians, a behind-the-scenes look at The Beatles' arrival to the United States, stunning moments from the Civil Rights Movement, and much more.
Location: 2700 F St., NW, Washington DC 20566 Kennedy Center (In-Person and Livestream)
Cost: Free
Trio Sefardi, a Northern Virginia–based ensemble, performs traditional songs of the Sephardim, the descendants of Jews exiled from Spain in 1492. The Washington Post said the ensemble “gave lovely and luminous performances.”
Location: 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Cost: $6
Zoolights is an event held at the National Zoo year after year. The brightest lights decorate the paths of the park and its resting areas, and everywhere you go you will come across brilliant animal sculptures. In addition to this light show, there are also some musical performances. Of course, the more than 500,000 LED lights that make up this annual spectacle are totally respectful of the environment and the zoo's species. This is one of the plans to do with children in Washington DC, but, no doubt, adults will also enjoy it in a big way.
Location: 2700 F St., NW Washington DC 20566 Kennedy Center (In-Person and Livestream)
Cost: Free
Songwriter Vienna Teng reemerges this fall with her We’ve Got You—her first new music in over a decade—but her fans have been here the whole time. Teng’s new mini-EP reflects the complexity of her life over the past decade: climate change work, community building, and parenthood.
Dr. King recognized the power of service. He famously said, "Everyone can be great because everybody can serve." GW’s MLK Day of Service and Leadership is a day to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a day of service, workshops, and reflection.
This day of service is a unique opportunity for hundreds of GW students, faculty, staff, alumni, and DC community members to strengthen their service values, create positive and impactful contributions to our communities, and commit to continuing acts of service as exemplified by Dr. King.
Here’s a chance to dine at your favorite DC restaurants, and save money while you do it! Multi-course dinner menus are available at $40, $55, and $65 per person, and lunch and brunch options are $25 or $35.
Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb invites you to a beaded jewelry workshop led by GW faculty member Sandy Hoar on Tuesday, January 14th at noon in Himmelfarb Library.
Dr. Hoar is an experienced crafts teacher and has previously taught workshops in Himmelfarb on weaving and chain mail jewelry. Dr. Hoar teaches crafts to both adults and children with a focus on Celtic crafts.
Bring your creativity and learn a new skill. Materials are supplied. Registration for the event is FREE but space is limited. A wait list is available so if you are a latecomer, sign up anyway!
In 1981, the CDC first reported on a rare lung infection that would eventually be called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The subsequent discovery of HIV in 1984 paved the way for effective treatment of HIV through antiretroviral therapy (ART). Additionally, prevention strategies such as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) are helping prevent people from getting HIV.
The knowledge that a higher viral load indicated higher transmissibility of HIV was apparent to researchers prior to 1996 (Murphy, 2023). While the Swiss Federal AIDS Commission announced in 2008 that a person who is seropositive, but has had an undetectable viral load for at least six months, does not risk transmitting HIV to a seronegative partner.
Today, the majority of research on U=U is conducted in the public health sector, to examine how – and how accurately – knowledge of U=U is disseminated across the world. In a November 2024 Personal View published in The Lancet. HIV, an international team of authors surveyed evidence relating to viral load suppression and the U=U message – which has been translated to different wordings across cultures and languages – with a view towards ending HIV as a public health crisis by 2030 (Okamoto et al., 2024). Among the chief aims of U=U is enabling people with HIV to thrive, and addressing barriers to thriving – namely, stigma, discrimination, and criminalization. There are 80 countries that have HIV-specific criminal laws, and sexual transmission of HIV is prosecuted – even where no actual transmission has taken place (Okamoto et al. 2024).
From: Okamoto, E. E., Anam, F. R., Batiste, S., Dukashe, M., Castellanos, E., Poonkasetwattana, M., & Richman, B. (2024). Ending AIDS as a public health threat: the imperative for clear messaging on U=U, viral suppression, and zero risk. The Lancet. HIV, 11(11), e783–e790. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(24)00241-8
Making evidence-based education a priority is a key to the success of U=U. Yet awareness of U=U remains critically low among individuals, healthcare providers, and communities. Another challenge to U=U arises in barriers to viral load-testing access. Without access to such testing, individuals are unable to confirm their virus status. When regular adherence to ART is a challenge, this can lead back to stigmatization in individuals who are HIV positive.
Despite U=U having been understood for decades, there remain challenges – systemic, legislative, and cultural – to it being widely accepted and adopted by the public. But it is a key to ending HIV as a public health crisis, so we will likely continue to see evidence being generated on public awareness and implementation of U=U.
Okamoto, E. E., Anam, F. R., Batiste, S., Dukashe, M., Castellanos, E., Poonkasetwattana, M., & Richman, B. (2024). Ending AIDS as a public health threat: the imperative for clear messaging on U=U, viral suppression, and zero risk. The Lancet. HIV, 11(11), e783–e790. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(24)00241-8
Date: December 7 - January 1, 2025, from 10am-10pm (11pm on Friday and Saturday)
Location: The Ellipse at The White House and President’s Park
Cost: Free
The National Christmas Tree is an entire event, filled with a Yule log, a manger, and 56 smaller trees surrounding the big one, dedicated to each state and territory and displaying themed ornaments. The tree lights do turn off and the pathways are closed at night so you are not able to visit in the middle of the night
Location: 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004 The Ronald Reagan Building
Cost: Free
The Winternational Annual Embassy Showcase takes place in Washington DC, an event that takes place at the Ronald Reagan Building and in which the embassies of different countries from around the world participate and present their nations through gastronomy, art, music, and dance.
Date: October 4 – April 13 from Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 707-709 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Cost: Free
For the duration of the 2024-25 NBA and NHL seasons, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Ted and Lynn Leonsis, and Jeff Skoll present a landmark exhibit featuring more than 150 photographs by legendary photojournalist Harry Benson, renowned for his chronicles of culture, politics, music, movies, television, and sports. The gallery, produced by Ted Leonsis and Jeff Skoll, is located next door to Capital One Arena at 707-709 7th Street NW and spans two floors across 10,000 square feet. The free exhibit includes photographs of every President and First Lady since Dwight Eisenhower, iconic images of legendary athletes and musicians, a behind-the-scenes look at The Beatles' arrival to the United States, stunning moments from the Civil Rights Movement, and much more.
Location: 2700 F St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20566 Kennedy Center (In-Person and Livestream)
Cost: Free
YahZarah is a District of Columbia–born Ghanian singer and songwriter hero is perfect for the times today. Her voice has been recognized in groundbreaking musical compositions with Erykah Badu. She’s also performed her music live on stage with The Roots, and traveled the world as a member of rock icon Lenny Kravitz’s band.
Location: 2700 F St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20566 Kennedy Center (In-Person and Livestream)
Cost: Free
Guitarist & Composer, Connor Leeds Holdridge and his trio perform an intimate set of blues-infused originals with the occasional deep cut from his favorite records.
Date: November - December 15, 2024, from Mon-Fri, 12 PM to 8 PM I Sat/Sun, 11 AM to 8PM
Location: 1500 block of 19th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20001
Cost: It’s Shopping
This market offers all kinds of products: crafts, clothing, groceries, and artwork are just a few of the things you can find. Ideal to buy your Christmas gifts for all the members of the family. Besides shopping, you can enjoy the most delicious gastronomy. The Downtown Holiday Market also hosts jazz, country, rock, soul, and of course, of course, Christmas carols.
Location: 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Cost: $6
Zoolights is an event held at the National Zoo year after year. It mainly consists of decking it out with the most beautiful light decorations you can imagine. The brightest lights decorate the paths of the park and its resting areas and everywhere you go you will come across brilliant animal sculptures. In addition to this light show, there are also some musical performances. Of course, the more than 500,000 LED lights that make up this annual spectacle are totally respectful of the environment and the zoo's species. This is one of the plans to do with children in Washington DC, but, no doubt, adults will also enjoy in a big way.
Location: 100 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20001
Cost: Free
Washington Botanical Garden dresses in lights to celebrate Christmas. It is one of the most beautiful places you can't miss during your visit to this city. In addition to seeing some 26,000 plants and numerous plant species, it has a special room dedicated to the deserts of the planet, where you can appreciate succulents, shrubs, and flowering plants characteristic of these regions. Also during this month, there are a series of festive concerts and an annual exhibition with the best plant species and miniature replicas of emblematic buildings, such as the Smithsonian National Museum of History.
Location: 760 Maine Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024 The Wharf Waterfront
Cost: Free
Boats, sailboats, and even local fire boats star in this event and light up the sky with their decorations full of luminaries. The parade is complemented by other attractions on both banks of the river: festivals, live music, ice skating, and numerous food stalls. Admission to this event is completely free.
The Old Town Alexandria district presents its Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, where you can enjoy a series of colorful events, live traditional Scottish music, and more than 100 Scottish soldiers dressed in their classic kilts.
The streets of Old Alexandria are filled with the unmistakable sound of bagpipes, while around the event you can enjoy the most delicious food, wine, and beer.
In addition, there are activities designed for the little ones, such as games, music,c and the presence of Santa. Live a different experience and enjoy the most interesting Scottish tradition in DC.
Location: Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW The National Mall
Cost: Free
Temporary exhibitions span the world and the history of art, and free programs, including lectures, tours, concerts, films, and family activities, are offered year-round. The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden.
The National Menorah is Hailed by international media as “the most prominent public Chanukah event in the world” the annual lighting ceremony of the National Chanukah Menorah, on the Ellipse, just across from the White House, helps launch and strengthen the celebration of “Chanukah – Festival of Lights” in all 50 states and over 100 countries globally.
2024 Fall Colors Photo Contest winning entry: Hills on Fire! by Claire Sandler
Himmelfarb Library would like to congratulate Claire Sandler (Medicine, 2nd year), the 2024 Fall Colors Photo Contest winner! Himmelfarb's Healthy Living Committee had their work cut out for them by judging the many excellent entries to this year's contest. With so many fantastic submissions, it was extremely challenging to select a winning photo. Claire, stopped by Himmelfarb earlier this week to receive congratulations from members of Himmelfarb's Healthy Living Committee, and to pick up her prize -- a coffee mug showcasing her winning photo.
2024 Fall Colors Photo Contest winner Claire Sandler (SMHS) with (L-R) Deborah Wassertzug, Lonnie Williams, and Laura Abate of the Healthy Living Committee.
Let's get to know Claire!
The Rotation:Can you share your journey to GW? What led you to pursue an MD degree?
CS: Before GW, I attended the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree in Public Health Sciences, then lived in Chicago for 2 gap years where I explored my passions for teaching and research. Studying public health in undergrad along with my extracurricular commitments definitely inspired me to pursue an MD. I chose to attend GW over other MD programs because of GW's commitment to integrated public health medical education and for the incredible opportunity to learn medicine in Washington, D.C.! I was particularly drawn to GW because of its engaged and passionate student body — a quality I continue to see in my peers, and one that has been a constant source of inspiration throughout my time here!
The Rotation: How long have you been taking photographs, and what are your favorite subjects?
CS: I have enjoyed photography for as long as I can remember, but I definitely got more involved in high school with a film camera. I switched to DSLR in college and learned that I love photographing anything from my friends and family to my travels and natural surroundings! I have also contributed to photography for various clubs, headshots, graduations, and even engagements. The photo I submitted for this contest was actually taken during an engagement shoot for a GW SMHS classmate! More of my work can be seen at https://www.sandlercbphotography.com.
The Rotation: How did you hear about the Fall Colors Photo Contest?
CS: My friends know how much I love photography and encouraged me to submit a photo! They made sure to forward the email to me and support my submission 🙂
The Rotation: What is your favorite spot in Himmelfarb Library?
CS: The windowed 3rd-floor cubicles or room 202 with my POM group!
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Want to join the fun? Look for the next edition of the Spring Flowers & Blossoms Photo Contest coming in 2025!
Logo for IndigenousSIPIN intervention, shared with author permission from Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066
November is Native American Heritage Month. To observe it, The Rotation spoke with Dr. Emily A. Haozous, PhD, RN, FAAN (Chiricahua Fort Sill Apache).
Dr. Haozous is a nurse and research scientist with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation - Southwest Center, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Haozous conducts community-based and community-guided research and evaluation in collaboration with Native American partners, including urban tribal centers, reservation-based tribal organizations, and tribal governments. Her work is focused on issues of access to care, health equity, cancer and non-cancer pain management, cultural tailoring, and national trends in premature mortality. Dr. Haozous has a clinical background in oncology, hospice, and palliative care nursing. She is a breast cancer survivor and has co-facilitated a women’s cancer support group continuously since 2007. Dr. Haozous received her undergraduate degree in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her MSN and PhD in nursing from Yale University. Most recently, she participated in the authorship of the National Academy of Medicine’s special publication, Systems’ Impact on Historically and Currently Marginalized Populations (expected publication date 2025).
The Rotation: Thanks for taking time to talk with me today. I wanted to speak about your most recent publication, and discuss some concepts related to research and Native populations that it introduced me to. I noticed quite a few co-authors on this paper.
EH: It was a really big team. We had people from all over the country and different disciplines… The one thing we didn’t have were any MDs. That wasn’t a conscious decision, just how it worked out. People think about medical research, or health research, and they think about doctors. Here we have nutritionists, we have nurses, we have a social worker… We have people from all across the healthcare spectrum.
The Rotation: I was intrigued by the use of the concept of the Good Mind, a concept familiar to Indigenous people from the community that was addressed by this adaptation, in the modification of the SSB curriculum, which also introduced the metaphor of the Clean and Dirty River as a framework for the curriculum. These worked for the specific Indigenous group the intervention was tested on, who were male athletes in the Northeastern U.S. Would these metaphors be understood to all Indigenous people?
EH: What you’re asking me about is Native Science. That’s kind of the core of cultural tailoring. The old mainstream perspective on cultural tailoring of health literature is “Well, let’s just change the color scheme and maybe add some photos. If they speak a different language, we’ll change the language. Or maybe we’ll make the font size bigger.”
The Rotation: Sort of like when someone doesn’t understand English, so the other person just speaks louder?
EH: That’s a good way to think about it. Think about how that feels, if you’ve ever been to another country and people have done that to you… But when we’re talking about actual cultural tailoring, you really want to think about, Who are the people you’re trying to communicate with, How do they think? What’s important to them? What is their culture? And so, when you do that… it stops being about changing the color scheme – well, actually, maybe the color scheme is important. A lot of Native tribes – I’m not going to say all, because that would be disrespectful, [since] there are 574 recognized tribes in this country right now, and that number’s changing all the time, and we’re all different – color is important to us. When I go and spend time with my tribe, I can tell who’s Apache because of the colors they’re wearing. And I can tell who’s Comanche because of the colors they’re wearing. So color’s important.
The Rotation: That’s why I was wondering, when you are culturally tailoring an intervention or instrument, are there terms that transcend differences between the tribes? I’m asking whether the ways that you modified the tool are fundamentally, across the board, things that would be understood, regardless of tribe.
EH: I don’t think I could say that. I’d have to talk to each person and say, “Does this make sense to you?” Until I had talked to someone from every single tribe or community – and even within tribes there’s differences – I’d have to really do a scan to be able to confidently say yes or no.
So getting back to [cultural tailoring] – we have to get to what is meaningful for people. So it’s not just about color and not just about pictures, but what is meaningful for those people.”
The Rotation: I look at many studies that aren’t designed like this. Is this research practice of culturally tailoring instruments or interventions something fairly new?
EH: Yes. The practice of really digging deep into a community and finding out what is meaningful to you. And it is not just using an algorithm, but going in and saying, “Is this color aesthetically pleasing to you? Are there colors that we shouldn’t be using? Are there pictures that we shouldn’t be using?” You know, in some communities you don’t include pictures of people who have passed on. Which is challenging, because – people die. And so you have to be very careful with that. And in other communities they really want that, to celebrate people who have been important to them.
In science, they want algorithms. In dissemination and implementation research, it’s all about, “What works here should be able to work everywhere else.” And that’s just not the case in Native communities. So, I can’t take the Clean and Dirty River model and use it in the Southwest. Because we just don’t have the same accessibility to water. So I can use the same practice of finding a meaningful metaphor and trying to transform it, but I can’t use Clean and Dirty River.
Figure 1 from Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066. Shared with author permission.
The Rotation: I was curious about the graphic in the article, which depicts the stages of cultural tailoring of evidence-based interventions.
EH: That was just me trying to make something that was usable. Part of it is, we have this whole curriculum for the program that we didn’t want to publish, because we didn’t want it to become mainstream.
The Rotation: You don’t want it to be used like a blunt instrument.
EH: Exactly.
The Rotation: Publication of these findings is intended to demonstrate cultural tailoring in practice, but it is not intended as a product to be posted online or whatever.
EH: If people want to contact my colleagues and see the materials they created, it’s up to them.
The Rotation: Were all the team members Indigenous?
EH: Some people were not. We spent some time with the non-Indigenous team members getting them to understand… Some people were saying, “You’ll never get them to drink water.” Because there’s no precedent in the literature where you could convince people who were basically addicted to drinking SSB to stop drinking sweet things. And so we had to do a lot of teaching within the team to say, Look, a lot of traditional beverages are sweet, they’re just not sugar-sweetened. They’re sweetened with berries, there are teas that you can sweeten. And natural stevia grows in the area where we did this research. And they were like, “They’ll never choose water.” And we were able to prove them wrong.
The Rotation: Part of the work being done here is to dismantle the assumptions people are making.
EH: For one of them, this person had been working in the field for a very long time, and her biggest success was getting people to drink diet sodas. And we were like, maybe we can aim for a different purpose.
The Rotation: How much of your published work has been related to Indigenous people?
EH: I always get called in as the expert on Indigenous research. I’m happy to do that. That’s my mission. I’ve published in a lot of different places, domains, whether it’s large data analysis or qualitative research looking at access to care in different places, whether that’s in Indian Health Service or pain management or telehealth.
The Rotation: Do you have recommendations for those who are new to reading research conducted in Indigenous populations?
EH: The first thing I would suggest is that when people are reading an article, they find articles that are written by Indigenous authors. Usually there’s a disclosure statement if a person [on the team is] Native. You want a team that has Native people on the team. I’m starting to see articles coming from other countries where they’re just slurping up data from American sources, and they don’t have Native authors, and they’re terrible. The American Journal of Public Health is usually very careful about this. You want to make sure that [researchers have] followed data ownership guidelines from the tribes. That is usually included in the disclosure with the article. Usually the top tier journals will follow that, and the peer reviewers will keep track of that. It’s a very small circle, you start to see the same people publishing.
The Rotation: What was your experience working on this project?
EH: It was a great project. I like doing that kind of work, because it really makes me work my Indigenous mind, and I get to work with Native teams, which I really like to do.
The Rotation: How long did the project last, start to finish?
EH: It was a couple years, and it all happened during COVID. We had to do a lot of the interviews online, which was hard. But one of the best parts was talking to these men who really knew a lot about their culture, and a lot about how to encourage young men to drink water, and what was important to them.
The Rotation: I was struck by the quote in the article from a participant in the intervention who suggested that something that would make others in their community pay attention to reducing SSB consumption was the high cost of dental care, and the prospect of having dental problems, as being more persuasive than health issues which would appear farther down the road.
EH: There’s a lot going on there, like the fact that they don’t have access to good dental care. There’s so much more in there that we couldn’t add.
The Rotation: When we think about barriers to access to care, people are primarily thinking about, say, African American communities or urban versus rural communities. I think it is rare for people to perceive there are Native communities all around us confronting the same or similar issues. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today.
For those interested in learning more about Native Science, Dr. Haozous recommends Gregory Cajete’s Native science : natural laws of interdependence (Clear Light Publishers, 2000.) This book is available to borrow from Georgetown University through Himmelfarb’s WRLC consortial borrowing program.
References
Haozous, E., Yeary, K., Maybee, W., Porter, C., Zoellner, J., John, B., Henry, W. A. E., & Haring, R. C. (2024). Indigenous knowledge and sugar sweetened beverages: Qualitative adaptations towards chronic disease prevention and intervention. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 20(6), 103066. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2024.103066
Autumn weather is here and we’re starting to see hints of fall foliage! In the coming weeks, spend some time outdoors to enjoy the weather and colors, and to capture those amazing photos.
Enter your best photo with a chance to win a PRIZE. All digital photos submitted will be showcased in the online 2024 Himmelfarb Fall Colors Photo Gallery, and prints will be displayed in Himmelfarb Library.
Photo submission dates: Monday, October 14, 2024 – Friday, November 8, 2024.
Who may enter: GW students, faculty and staff affiliated with the School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, and School of Nursing.
Contest photo must be original and taken by the submitter in 2024.
Submitted photos will be displayed in online and print galleries with the photographer's name and photo title.
By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest.
Judging:
Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, and overall artistic impact. One winner will be chosen by a prior contest winner and members of the Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb Committee.
*Himmelfarb Library reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify rules at its discretion. Himmelfarb Library reserves the right to reject any entrant whose entry appears off-topic or violates the rules.
The PA program, ranked in the top five in the US, lasts 24 months, the PA/MPH program is 36 months. The Washington, DC location of the program makes the PA program an excellent place for PAs in training to take part in an annual leadership and advocacy summit sponsored by the AAPA, and to avail themselves of other opportunities to visit Capitol Hill to advocate on health policy.
When asked about three things that people might not know about the PA profession, Bart Gillum shared the following thoughts:
"We are now "Physician Associates." In 2021 the American Academy of PAs voted to change the name from physician assistant to physician associate. While some states and institutions have already adopted the name, the new title is still in progress. Adopting the new name has been slow due to the requirement of state laws and healthcare institutions to be updated. In the meantime, you might continue to hear physician assistant and physician associate or even just PA interchangeably."
"Unlike physicians who undergo residency training for a specific specialty, PAs have the unique ability to move between medical specialties without additional formal training. A PA can work in areas such as cardiology, emergency medicine, or dermatology and switch to another field. This provides more flexibility for those who want to work in a variety of settings throughout their career."
"While PAs are most prevalent in the US. PAs or PA-like professionals are present in about 15-20 other countries, including Canada, the UK, Australia, The Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, and New Zealand. Other countries are currently exploring incorporating PAs in their healthcare systems."
Don't forget to thank a physician assistant this week -- their important work expands patient access to healthcare. Tune in to both Good Morning America and the TODAY show on Friday morning, October 11, for a chance to see PAs representing their profession!
