Abstract
In this issue of Public Health Reports (PHR), ADM Brian Christine, the assistant secretary for health of the US Department of Health and Human Services and head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, provides an Executive Perspective article titled “The Edge of the Blade: A 21st Century Commissioned Corps.” In this article, he outlines his vision and goals for visibility, readiness, and response as the foundations of the Commissioned Corps. 1
CDR Elizabeth Davlantes and her Commissioned Corps colleagues, along with RADM (Ret) Denise Hinton, the former deputy surgeon general, contribute a case study to this issue, “The US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at the American Medical Association: A Model Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Better Health for All.” 2 Their article describes the high level of collaboration between the Commissioned Corps and the American Medical Association’s governing House of Delegates, with a history of important contributions to American Medical Association policy making.
LCDR Jamla Rizek and CDR Justin Voss discuss the importance of including dental professionals in disaster planning, training, and deployment. 3
Stephanie Melkonian and her coauthors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including CAPT Jeffrey McCollum, examine the leading causes of death among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people. 4 They found that death rates were higher among American Indian and Alaska Native people than among non-Hispanic White people in the United States and in every Indian Health Service area.
Three articles in this issue of PHR explore online behavioral influences on health:
Kalaila Pais and coauthors assess the quality of health information on alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD) on TikTok. 5 Their research of TikTok videos found that the quality and reliability of TikTok videos on AALD were poor and that the public should exercise caution when accessing AALD-related information on TikTok.
Brian Primack et al describe the closeness of social media contacts and loneliness among US adults. 6 They determined that having more social media interactions with relative strangers was linked to increased loneliness, while having more social media contacts who were close personal friends was not linked to reduced loneliness.
Jack Tsai and Austin Lampros present a brief report on digital technology use among homeless-experienced veterans. 7 They estimate that >20% of homeless veterans do not have access to cell phones or use the internet.
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