(Press-News.org) The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) urges incoming Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to resume the federal advisory committees for key health-related priority issues as provided under the Federal Advisory Committees Act. Federal advisory committees are an important aspect of the deliberative process for reviewing important scientific information among federal agencies and members of the public as new evidence becomes available. The ability for members of the public and subject matter experts to participate in matters of public interest is not only important for ensuring transparency, but these public forums are also an important aspect of earning and maintaining the public’s trust when federal guidance and guidelines are published with support from interested parties. Specifically, the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB), and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are essential deliberative bodies for ensuring the safe delivery of healthcare in this country. Until recently, these advisory committees regularly held public meetings, providing transparency to interested members of the public and professional organizations like SHEA, about developments in medicine and recommended updates in practice. They develop unifying, evidence-based standards around core infection prevention methods, vaccine safety, and vaccination schedules. Many of those who serve on federal advisory committees do so as experts in patient safety and healthcare delivery quality with years of training and frontline experience. SHEA is concerned that the recent cancellation of federal advisory committee meetings, as well as the expiration of their charters, may signal a lack of prioritizing a transparent and deliberative process for agency guidance and guidelines. SHEA strongly supports continuing these advisory committees with the inclusion of established subject matter experts in these fields to ensure expertise informs the United States’ health policies that keep the public safe.
About SHEA
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) works to advance the science and practice of healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention. Founded in 1980, SHEA promotes education, research, and advocacy to improve patient care and safety. For more information, visit www.shea-online.org.
Contact: Lindsay MacMurray, lmacmurray@shea-online.org
END
SHEA supports key federal advisory committees
2025-02-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Neurologic complications of flu nearly 50 times greater for children with underlying neurologic conditions
2025-02-13
Many clinicians do not consider neurologic complications of the flu when discussing vaccination or treatment of influenza with families.
A recent study that explored the neurologic impact of flu in children aims to change that.
“Serious Neurologic Events with Seasonal Influenza in Young Children,” published in Academic Pediatrics, the official journal of the Academic Pediatric Association, looked at the population-based incidence of underrecognized influenza-associated serious neurologic events in children less than 5 years of age.
While serious neurologic complications are uncommon in young children, the study showed a much higher incidence, ...
Killing H5N1 in waste milk — an alternative to pasteurization
2025-02-13
Pasteurization is the only widely recognized method of killing H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu, in milk. However, pasteurization can be expensive and fewer than 50% of large dairy farms pasteurize waste milk.
Waste milk includes colostrum, the first milk after calving; milk from cows treated with antibiotics or other drugs; or any other factor that can make milk unsuitable and unsellable for human consumption. On farms, raw waste milk poses a potential risk of spreading avian flu, which so far has been confirmed ...
NTT Research and Harvard scientists optimize biohybrid ray development with machine learning
2025-02-13
The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT, announced the publication of research showing an application of machine-learning directed optimization (ML-DO) that efficiently searches for high-performance design configurations in the context of biohybrid robots. Applying a machine learning approach, the researchers created mini biohybrid rays made of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) and rubber with a wingspan of about 10 mm that are approximately two times more efficient at swimming than those recently ...
Mapping connections in a neuronal network
2025-02-13
Harvard researchers have mapped and catalogued more than 70,000 synaptic connections from about 2,000 rat neurons, using a silicon chip capable of recording small yet telltale synaptic signals from a large number of neurons.
The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, is a major advance in neuronal recording and may help bring scientists a step closer to drawing a detailed synaptic connection map of the brain.
Higher-order brain functions are believed to be derived from the ways brain ...
Study: Air pollution exposure late in pregnancy increases NICU admission risk
2025-02-13
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Air pollution caused by auto emissions, wildfires and other sources is problematic for many people. It’s of particular concern for pregnant people due to the impact pollutants can have on the fetus, especially in the final month before birth.
A new study from the University at Buffalo offers insight into air pollution’s effects during this vulnerable time by measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data.
The researchers focused on common pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industrial processes and power plants, and PM2.5, which ...
Engineers enable a drone to determine its position in the dark and indoors
2025-02-13
CAMBRIDGE, MA – In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several football fields, zipping along hundreds of identical aisles before docking at the precise spot where its shipment is needed.
Most of today’s drones would likely struggle to complete this task, since drones typically navigate outdoors using GPS, which doesn’t work in indoor environments. For indoor navigation, some drones ...
U-M materials scientist, chemical engineer elected into National Academy of Engineering
2025-02-13
Photos
Michigan Engineering professors Elizabeth Holm and Nicholas Kotov are among the newest members of the National Academy of Engineering—one of the highest honors bestowed on engineers in the United States.
"Elizabeth Holm and Nicholas Kotov have not only distinguished themselves as leaders in their fields, they have demonstrated the impact we can have as engineers, influencing how current and future generations of engineers solve problems and do their work," said Karen Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
"We applaud this significant honor, and look forward ...
Evolutionary tradeoffs: Research explores the role of iron levels in COVID-19 infections
2025-02-13
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Your body is ground zero for a cellular arms race.
Your mitochondria, red blood cells and immune system rely on iron to function; so do invading viruses and bacteria. As your body evolves safeguards for this most critical resource, these safeguards select for invaders that can overcome them.
“Iron is physiologically useful in catalyzing reactions, such as binding oxygen, because it both donates and accepts electrons,” explained Binghamton University Associate Professor of Anthropology ...
Ecological Society of America selects 2025 EEE Scholars
2025-02-13
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) announces the 2025 cohort of ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars. This prestigious scholarship program celebrates and supports outstanding early- to mid-career Ph.D. ecologists from groups traditionally underrepresented in the scientific community.
This year’s EEE Scholars are: Elvira D'Bastiani, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles; Gabriela Garcia, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University; Camille Griffith, Assistant Professor at Oglala Lakota College; and Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida.
“These exceptional scholars embody ...
U.S. stream network is longer during annual high-flow conditions
2025-02-13
Rivers and streams may look permanent, but their lengths can change dramatically with the seasons, according to a new study. It reports that stream networks in the United States expand up to five times their low-flow size during wet conditions. The findings offer the first large-scale insights into how water dynamically moves through landscapes and provide a framework for forecasting climate-driven changes in stream networks, particularly in response to increasing storminess. Traditionally regarded as ...