On January 14, 2015, Dr. Melinda Buntin, chair of the Department of Health Policy, presented data at the Nashville Community Health Forum, illustrating the potential impact Insure Tennessee would have on insurance coverage across the state.

Health Policy Clinical Faculty member Marion Kainer featured in recent article by John Bartlett (http://cid.oxfordjournals.org) and she serves as a member of the working group on antimicrobial resistance for the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST Report: Obama Administration Takes Actions to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) – the most common bacterial cause of severe pneumonia – frequently colonizes the nasopharynx of children. Although most colonization does not result in disease, the acquisition of a new serotype (variety) of pneumococcus is critical in disease pathogenesis. Carlos G. Grijalva, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy, and colleagues now report that a recent influenza or parainfluenza infection facilitates pneumococcal acquisition.