Latest News from Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Identifying innovative solutions to improve the health of people impacted by incarceration is part of the mission of Yale’s SEICHE Center for Health and Justice. On Monday, September 25, the Center announced its latest initiative to assist this historically underserved population, new programs to educate correctional health care workers on providing care for both non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, and infectious diseases like hepatitis C.

Researchers at the Yale Cancer Center have found that diet and fitness interventions in early-stage breast cancer patients may improve their outcomes. Melinda Irwin, deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center and a senior author of the study, has dedicated her life to cancer prevention research. While investigating various types of cancer, Irwin has observed the challenges that patients face in adhering to chemotherapy — a common cancer treatment that has many adverse side effects, including hair loss, weight gain and fatigue. These side effects can be so severe that some patients stop seeking treatment. “Physicians hear from women all the time that they wish they had better guidance and tools to help them through chemotherapy, especially to ward off side effects like fatigue, neuropathy and changes in body weight,” Irwin said.

A new Yale Cancer Center study finds a targeted diet and exercise intervention could improve outcomes for women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

This Student Spotlight is on Tiffany Chang, PhD '24 (Chronic Disease Epidemiology). She earned her MPH at the Yale School of Public Health in 2015, and has returned to get her doctorate.

A Yale School of Public Health-led study found that marital stress was associated with worse recovery after a heart attack in people 18-55 who are married or in a relationship and that the stress may make it more difficult for younger adults to regain their physical and mental health after a heart attack.

Cardiovascular fitness can reduce the risk of nine types of cancer. That’s the conclusion of new research published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A new study led by Yale University researchers examined the cancer- and noncancer-related mortality rates of long-term adult cancer survivors to better understand and quantify their associated health risks. The findings could help reduce large-scale care inefficiencies and improve the quality of care for long-term cancer survivors, who have unique cancer and noncancer health needs.

A genetic analysis by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has found new evidence that insomnia may heighten the risk of sepsis.

Although some guidelines recommend continuing screening for older women, this new study emphasizes the importance of assessing potential harms associated with testing, such as overdiagnosis, which, researchers say, can negatively affect quality of life.