National Public Health Week

This year's celebration of National Public Health Week (NPHW) focuses on the theme, "Public Health is ROI: Save Lives, Save Money." Join us in recognizing the ways that public health efforts create a return on investment, including improvements in school meals, health impact assessments, safe medical devices and much more.

Join the conversation and share these stories--and yours--on Facebook and Twitter using #NPHW.

Antibiotics and Innovation

Nicole Mahoney, a Pew expert in antibiotics, discusses last summer's bacterial outbreak at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, explaining how this case illustrates the need for the development of new antibiotics to treat life-threatening illnesses. Watch the video of the NIH bacterial outbreak.

Learn more about Pew's Antibiotics and Innovation Project.

Drug Safety Project

Drug compounding has been a subject of national attention. Check out the infographic "Risks Associated with Compounding Pharmacies,"which shows Pew's analysis of 20 pharmacy compounding errors since 2001—associated with 982 adverse events, including 67 deaths.

Learn more about Pew's Drug Safety Project.

Food Additives

“How much is too much?” That was the fundamental question at the heart of a November 2011 workshop on food additives, hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the journal Nature. Read the proceedings.

Learn more about Pew's Food Additives Project.

Food Safety

In February and March the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted three public hearings, on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) draft rules released earlier this year. Read the testimonies of families impacted by foodborne illness.

Learn more about Pew's Food Safety Project.

Health Impact Project

The most urgent health problems facing our nation -- such as obesity, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and injuries -- are shaped by conditions in the places where we live and work. To stem the rising tide of chronic disease and create safe, thriving communities, we need to take health into account when making the policies and decisions that shape the world outside the hospital. Health impact assessment (HIA) provides an avenue to do just that.

Learn more about Pew's Health Impact Project.

Human Health and Industrial Farming

The same antibiotics used to treat sick people are also given to healthy animals — in much greater numbers — to make them grow faster and to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. View the infographic, "Record-High Antibiotic Sales for Meat and Poultry Production" for more information about this trend.

Learn more about Pew's second annual Supermoms Against Superbugs Advocacy Day on April 16, 2013 in Washington DC.

Learn more about Pew's Human Health and Industrial Farming.

Innovate FDA

Innovate FDA examines the ability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to carry out its critical mission of ensuring that medical products are safe and effective while at the same time facilitating the development of new products that can improve human health. Watch this video of Kathleen Stratton, a Pew expert in health policy, explain why she has personal stake in ensuring that the vaccines being used by the general public are safe and effective.

Learn more about Pew's Innovate FDA project.

Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project

For the first time in more than 30 years, the U.S Department of Agriculture is updating nutrition standards for snacks and beverages sold in schools. In honor of National Public Health Week, we're highlighting research that examines how implementing guidelines for these items can affect revenue.

Learn more about Pew's Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project.

Medical Device Initiative

The Medical Device Initiative seeks to improve the tracking of medical device safety and to foster innovation that benefits patients through streamlined device approvals. Last month, the PBS program "Need to Know" devoted a portion of their March 22 program to discuss medical devices. They began by posing a question: is the federal government doing enough to protect our safety? See how Pew's medical device expert Josh Rising responded.

Learn more about Pew's Medical Device Initiative.