Northwestern’s Teplin and Hirschhorn to speak at annual AAAS meeting Feb. 14

CHICAGO --- Two Northwestern University faculty will speak at this year’s American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston on Friday, Feb. 14. They’ll cover topics ranging from health needs of incarcerated populations to using implementation research to better prevent and treat HIV and other conditions in low- and middle-income countries.

Why it matters:

AAAS is the world’s largest multi-disciplinary science society. Its annual event brings together a community of leading scientists, educators, policymakers and journalists to discuss cutting-edge developments in science, technology and policy. Journalists interested in attending can visit AAAS’ media registration site.

Who is presenting:

An expert in health in criminal justice populations, Northwestern’s Linda Teplin organized and will participate in a panel discussion titled, “Aging and Ailing Behind Bars in the United States.” Teplin’s presentation will cover the long-term consequences of incarceration on socioeconomic attainment, interpersonal relationships and mental health. The session runs 10-11 a.m. (ET) in room 202 of the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St., Boston, MA, 02115. (Read more about the session below).

Global health disparities researcher, implementation scientist and HIV physician-scientist Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn will be one of three presenters on a session covering the role of modern science in shaping global health in low- to middle-income countries.” Hirschhorn’s talk is titled, “Implementation Research and Health Informatics to Mitigate Health Care Disparities,” and will cover the role of implementation research in preventing and treating HIV and other conditions. The session runs 4-5 p.m. (ET) in room 304 of the Hynes Convention Center. (Read more about the session below).

More about Teplin and her session:

Teplin is Owen L. Coon Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern. For nearly two decades, she has been the principal investigator of the Northwestern Juvenile Project, the first large-scale longitudinal study of health needs and social outcomes of delinquent youth after detention.

Teplin’s session will cover:

• The disproportionate incarceration of racial and ethnic minority groups
• Incarceration’s long-term consequences for physical health and psychosocial outcomes
• Limitations of current policies designed to address racial health inequities that result from mass incarceration

More about Hirschhorn’s session

Starting as a public health and researcher and HIV clinician in the 1980s, Hirschhorn now is the director of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health’s Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care at Northwestern and professor in medical social sciences. Her research focuses on gaps in quality and delivery in health care in places with limited resources, both in the U.S. and Africa, and works on practical solutions to improve care and outcomes.

Hirschhorn’s session will cover:

• How implementation research seeks to understand challenges and develop and test solutions in real-world settings to get life-saving interventions into practice
• Examples of developing more effective approaches to implement existing and novel interventions to prevent and treat HIV and other conditions to improve health care delivery and reduce suffering in low- and middle-income countries