Sir Isaac Newton in 1686 presented his three laws of motion in the Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis. His first law states that “Every object persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed on it.” A cursory review of the print and broadcast media in the U.S. indicates that a considerable amount of polarization exists in how the performance of U.S. presidential administrations is evaluated. As Trump bureaucrats exit stage right on January 20, certain media punditi can be expected to continue to extol perceived legislative and regulatory accomplishments by his executive team, which also happened to be roundly derided by opponents. Meanwhile, with the entrance of the Biden Administration stage left, it is likely that his supporters in the media will provide high encomia for whatever policies unfold while detractors on the other side of the ideological divide will continue steadfastly to circulate views that are somewhat less than totally enthusiastic.
This form of polarization often is characterized by the political terms right wing and left wing. Given the many challenges facing this nation, however, perhaps it is not unreasonable to hope for the emergence of bipartisan solutions that reflect the whole bird instead of its dual avian appendages. For example, the spheres of physical and mental health at both individual and community levels represent areas that are ripe for seeking meaningful bipartisan consideration. To illustrate, a manuscript published in the issue of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology in January 2021 describes the “Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)” study, an investigation currently underway to obtain a better understanding of the development of healthy and disrupted brain and behavioral development.
This research is the largest in the U.S. to date assessing brain development, examining youth from age 9 to 10 for approximately 10 years into young adulthood. Its dataset has a wealth of measured attributes of youths and their environment, including neuroimaging, cognitive, biospecimen, behavioral, youth self-report and parent self-report metrics, and environmental measures. Initial driving questions of the ABCD Study included examination of risk and resiliency factors associated with the development of substance use. The effort since then has expanded beyond this early set of questions by greatly informing an understanding of the contributions of biospecimen-derived (e.g., pubertal hormones, genomic, and epigenetic factors), neural, and environmental factors to the etiology of mental and physical outcomes from middle childhood through early adulthood.
The arrival of the coronavirus in 2020 and subsequent mutations of this disease that have evolved offer compelling evidence once again beyond a shadow of any doubt that while driving through life, humans cannot always count on being in full control at the wheel. National and international attention on the importance of health issues are galvanizing factors that emphasize the importance of focusing on crafting bipartisan solutions for pressing mental and physical health problems. A new Administration in the nation’s capital has a superb opportunity to show that it will rise to the occasion of meeting many key challenges that must be addressed.
More December 2020 - January 2021 TRENDS Articles
SIR ISAAC AND THE WHOLE BIRD
Discusses political polarization and new opportunities to produce bipartisan solutions for physical and mental health problems. Read More
117TH CONGRESS IS UNDERWAY
looks at some major appropriations that were enacted for fiscal year 2021. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
points out how the incoming Biden administration may undo certain policies of the previous administration and indicates some mechanisms for doing so. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
lists some funding made available by the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and also refers to additional financial assistance provided in a separate coronavirus-relief package. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
COVID-19 Trends Among Individuals Aged 0-24 Years, United States
Alcohol Consumption, Cardiac Biomarkers, And Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation
Targeting Cartilage EGER Pathway For Osteoarthritis Treatment
Infection Trains The Host For Microbiota-Enhanced Resistance To Pathogens Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
When Back To School Meets Stay At Home
Equity-Minded Faculty Workloads: What Can And Should Be Done Now
2021 Federal Health Insurance Exchange Weekly Enrollment Read More
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
Examines the issue of how personal behavior and social determinants interact to influence health status. Read More
GENTRIFICATION IMPACTS ON HEALTH
Pertains to a discussion regarding whether the gentrification of urban neighborhoods is a net benefit or is harmful. Read More