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Author Archives: Katherine Shats

02.18.16

Sugary drinks: New evidence on damage to cognitive development & Soda’s expansion into low and middle-income countries

By Katherine Shats

I’ve previously written about just how important the first three years of life are for brain development, and how food insecurity, malnutrition, stress and abuse can disrupt normal development of brain architecture and circuitry with life-long repercussions. This week, a study came out suggesting that exposure to something much more ubiquitous may have a similar […]

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02.18.16

Sugary drinks: New evidence on damage to cognitive development & Soda’s expansion into low and middle-income countries

By Katherine Shats

I’ve previously written about just how important the first three years of life are for brain development, and how food insecurity, malnutrition, stress and abuse can disrupt normal development of brain architecture and circuitry with life-long repercussions. This week, a study came out suggesting that exposure to something much more ubiquitous may have a similar […]

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11.05.15

Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership a win for tobacco control? A first look at the tobacco carve-out

By Katherine Shats

Finally, after years of negotiation, speculation, anticipation and/or trepidation, the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been released. Undoubtedly, lawyers around the world will be pouring over the details over the next weeks and months, as will the US congress in order to decide whether to approve or reject the agreement in its […]

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10.20.15

Trade liberalization for tobacco products doesn’t make sense: why the O’Neill is petitioning against U.S. tobacco product import subsidies

By Katherine Shats

I have previously written about the absurdity of treating tobacco like any other good in the market, specifically the inconsistencies between antitrust law and public health regulation. It’s concerning – and frightening – when economists and free trade advocates forget that, unlike any other commercial good, tobacco products harm and frequently kill those that use […]

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08.20.15

Why I oppose Amnesty International’s sex work policy

By Katherine Shats

Last week, Amnesty International approved a policy to advocate for the decriminalization of the sex trade worldwide. Some countries such as Sweden, Iceland and Norway have adopted what is known as the Swedish or Nordic model, which makes buying sex, pimping or operating brothels illegal, while protecting women who sell sex. Amnesty’s position is to […]

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07.28.15

Addressing disparities in global health – it’s about time, but we still have important questions to consider

By Katherine Shats

Those working in global health and development are used to hearing about inequalities and disparities in health outcomes. We know that poor or disadvantaged populations around the world are more likely to have poorer health outcomes across almost all measures of health. It is promising to see large donors such as the Ford Foundation recognizing […]

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06.11.15

Competing to smoke – when antitrust law undermines the public health

By Katherine Shats

What if I told you that while one government agency is tasked with reducing the prevalence of smoking in the US, another is making decisions that aim to keep cigarettes cheap and accessible? Well, this bizarre outcome is exactly what happens when antitrust law is rigidly applied to the tobacco industry. This week, with approval […]

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05.21.15

Can we please stop fixating on weight loss as the solution to the obesity epidemic?

By Katherine Shats

Last Friday, I felt very uneasy when I came across an article in the Washington Post about the obesity epidemic, in which a doctor declared that “exercise alone won’t make you lose weight”. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist, writes that despite an ever-growing fitness industry, obesity continues to surge around the world. Focusing solely on the […]

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04.24.15

The global burden of low back pain – more than just an irritation

By Katherine Shats

Is this really a public health issue? Am I just tired of writing about Ebola and traditional non-communicable diseases that I’ve decided to make low back pain, something that we’ve all experienced, into a public health problem? Maybe. Then again, did you know that low back pain is the leading cause of activity limitation and […]

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