Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Post

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Meghan Baker, MD, ScD and colleague Nicole Pecora, MD, PhD are on a mission to better understand how hospital acquired infections spread and identify outbreaks early, and subsequently implement timely preventative measures to control disease outbreaks in the hospital or stop them before they start. Help them secure funding to begin this important work by voting TODAY for them to receive the Brigham and Women’s Hospital 2024 Bright Futures Prize. The $100,000 prize supports investigators across the Brigham Research Institute (BRI) as they work to answer provocative questions or solve grand problems. 🗳 Vote here: https://lnkd.in/dbeyBKzd 📣 Spread the word! Tell your friends, family, and colleagues about the important work Drs. Baker and Pecora are planning. 

#DYK? Despite the best patient safety and quality protocols, Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) can affect any patient, and those living with highly immunocompromising conditions like #cancer are most vulnerable, as they can acquire infections from germs that naturally live in their own bodies in addition to germs from the hospital environment. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Meghan Baker, MD, ScD and colleague Nicole Pecora, MD, PhD are on a mission to better understand how these germs spread and identify outbreaks early, and subsequently implement timely preventative measures to control disease outbreaks in the hospital or stop them before they start. But they need your help. Drs. Baker and Pecora are finalists in the running for the Brigham and Women's Hospital 2024 Bright Futures Prize. The $100,000 prize supports investigators across the Brigham Research Institute (BRI) as they work to answer provocative questions or solve grand problems. And though they’re finalists (in great company) - your votes will ultimately decide which of the finalist projects receives the Bright Futures Prize. What you can do: ☑ Read about the projects, and cast your vote! If the suspense is too much, register to attend the Virtual Bright Futures Prize Showcase on September 12 at 5pm, where the winner will be announced in real time. Vote here: https://lnkd.in/dbeyBKzd ☑ Spread the word! Tell your friends, family, and colleagues about the important work Drs. Baker and Pecora are planning. 

Don't miss Vanessa McMahan's presentation next Wednesday, September 4th! 📅 Mark your calendars - details from Harvard University Center for AIDS Research below!

A new analysis of ECHO study cohort data, senior-authored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Emily Oken aimed to examine associations of prenatal fish intake and ω-3 supplement use with both autism diagnosis and broader autism-related traits. The study, online now in the American Society for Nutrition's journal, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, provides further evidence for the safety and benefit of regular fish consumption during pregnancy. The findings: 💡 Maternal fish intake during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of autism diagnosis and lower autism-related traits in offspring. 💡 The associations were somewhat stronger for female offspring. 💡 The associations did not show a dose-response pattern, suggesting a possible threshold effect of fish intake or the role of other nutrients in fish. 💡 However, intake of supplements containing fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy was not associated with autism diagnosis or autism-related traits. Read the story here: https://lnkd.in/eSVaRMpC More about Dr. Oken's work: https://lnkd.in/etfKEExq

#ICYMI: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released clinical guidelines on the use of doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (#doxyPEP) for bacterial sexually transmitted infection prevention, calling it "a novel, ongoing, patient-managed biomedical STI prevention strategy for a selected population". However, not much is known about the existing use of antibiotics as STI prevention in the U.S. populations that have the potential to benefit from it. 💡 A new study led by research fellow Michael Traeger, with senior author Julia Marcus, Douglas Krakower, and collaborators Kenneth Mayer and Samuel Jenness aimed to learn more about awareness of and interest in bacterial STI prevention. The study, online now in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, highlights the need for prompt guidance on effective doxyPEP dosing and timely efforts to monitor real-world use. Drs. Traeger and Marcus discuss the study in this Q&A: https://lnkd.in/e_JZJpgW