Public Health

Folic Acid Supplements Early in Pregnancy May Reduce Risk of Autism by 40%

Large study in Norway finds early timing of supplements is critical

Prenatal folic acid supplements appear to reduce the risk for autistic spectrum disorders, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Research - Public Health
Research at Columbia

Old Age Offers No Protection from Obesity’s Death Grip

Obesity kills, giving rise to a host of fatal diseases. This much is well known. But when it comes to seniors, a slew of prominent research has reported an “obesity paradox” that says, at age 65 and older, having an elevated BMI won’t shorten your lifespan, and may even extend it.

Public Health - Epidemiology - Aging
The Jan. 14 launch event featured panel discussions on the impacts of media on democracy and sustainable development in the region.

University Opens Its First Global Center in Africa

Columbia and Columbians have long been working across many regions in Africa, from the Mailman School’s leadership of AIDS/HIV programs and the Earth Institute’s research on sustainable development to the many scholars of African history and politics, culture and society.

Global - Public Health - Earth Institute - Africa

New Research May Explain Why Obese People Have Higher Rates of Asthma

Findings suggest that therapies that increase leptin-signaling may relieve asthma in obese people

Research - Public Health - Columbia University Medical Center - Genetics

What's the Best Way to Measure Obesity?

The Humble and Much-Maligned Body Mass Index Takes the Cake

Public Health - Research
Dr. Irwin Redlener Image credit: Children's Health Fund/Moya McAllister

Mailman School Disaster Expert Irwin Redlener on the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

When major disaster strikes, Dr. Irwin Redlener is rarely far behind.

Research - Public Health - Faculty Q&A

This Week's Forecast: Sunny with a 40 Percent Chance of Flu

New computer model takes a page from weather forecasting to predict regional peaks in influenza outbreaks

Data Science - Public Health - Epidemiology - Flu

Responding to Sandy

Columbia’s campuses were largely spared the ravages of Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed neighborhoods, flooded tunnels, forced hospitals evacuations and knocked out power to millions throughout the region. But many in the tri-state area face a challenging path to recovery.

New York City - Climate - Public Health - World Leaders Forum
Shattered boardwalk lining Rockaway Beach Boulevard Image credit: Maura R. O'Connor/The New York World

Responding to Sandy: Faculty Expertise, Student Reporting, Volunteer Service

Researchers at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have been explaining to the media and public how weather systems converged to make Sandy so powerful, and how the rising sea levels caused by climate change have sharply increased the destructive potential from such storms on

New York City - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory - Public Health
Drs. Ron Bayer (left), David Rosner, and Amy Fairchild (second from right) accept the WHO flag.

Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health Inaugurated as WHO Collaborating Center for Bioethics

The World Health Organization (WHO) inaugurated the Mailman School’s Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health as a WHO Collaborating Center for Bioethics, the only such center that explicitly focuses on the ethics of public health.

Public Health - History

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