Jeffrey Levi

We can save hundreds of thousands of lives by enacting, enforcing and supporting injury prevention policies and activities. A recent report released by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) found that many injury prevention activities have been scientifically shown to reduce harm...

While we have made incredible strides in addressing HIV/AIDS over the past 30 years, the disease remains devastatingly prevalent in America, especially among gay and bisexual men. This population accounts for 57 percent of new HIV infections and a gay man who is 18 years old faces a two in...

Chronic diseases -- such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes -- are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75 percent of the nation's health spending. Obesity alone is related to more than 30 illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, heart...

Since September 11 and anthrax, we've released the "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism" in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Over the past ten years, the report has documented how preparedness had been on an upward trajectory. While there were serious ongoing gaps,...

If people are healthier, they are generally happier.

If people are healthier, they are likely to be more productive.

If people are both happy and productive, the economy will follow suit.

Increasingly, employers are getting this and taking steps to help their employees make the healthy choices while they...

Here's a simple choice: Would you rather potentially develop cancer or take what many experts say is a harmless vaccine that would prevent you from developing certain forms of cancer for the rest of your life?

It's a no-brainer, right?

Well, you'd think so, yet use of the vaccine for...

News about the obesity epidemic seems to be everywhere. Clearly it has become a serious issue for every neighborhood, city, county and state, as it hampers productivity and quality of life. We even have popular television shows focused exclusively on helping people lose weight.

Yet, we haven't seen tangible results...

I want to commemorate the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and a healthier American people.

One year ago, we took the first step toward a true public health system when the federal government committed to helping people take personal responsibility for their own health by making healthy...

Aging can be hard. The aches and pains start to add up -- and a lifetime of calories, cholesterol, and time spent sitting on the couch catches up with us.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes some new measures that can help us be more active and independent as...

Watching shows like "24" or "NCIS," you'd think emergency responders could pinpoint bioterrorism attacks or identify new catastrophic disease outbreaks within moments. The fictional characters have every new-fangled, state-of-the-art piece of equipment and computer they need to magically detect and respond to emerging threats.

In reality, we seriously do not...

For the past eight years, Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released the Ready or Not? report to ascertain how well the nation's public health system is prepared to respond to disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or acts of bioterrorism.

We feel it is incredibly...

We all generally take for granted that the food we eat is safe - or at least won't hurt us. But, you may be surprised to learn that around 76 million Americans - one in four of us - get sick each year from food. Furthermore, around 325,000 get sick...

In the midst of flu season, we, at the Trust for America's Health, want to remind everyone that a flu shot is good for you and those around you...your children, your grandparents, your barista, i.e., everyone you come into contact with.

The flu, including H1N1, is largely preventable with...

I had the great opportunity to participate in the Association of Public Health's (APHA) Health Policy Summit this past weekend as part of the build up to APHA's annual meeting this week.

The Summit was a dramatic reminder of the breadth of opportunities and challenges facing public health...

According to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010, in the United States, nearly one-third of children and teens are currently obese or overweight. Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race,...

This week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved a historic $1.27 billion for prevention and public health for fiscal year 2011. This proposed funding would include $750 million, which is the second installment of the new Prevention and Public Health Fund that was created by the

More than 175 organizations issued a letter of support today to the President, the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to strongly support comprehensive health reform efforts, emphasizing the need to modernize and increase funding for disease prevention, wellness, and public health in the United States.

The following...

One of the biggest public health crises our country has ever faced is finally getting serious attention.

During the State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Obama announced that First Lady Michelle Obama was going to take on the childhood obesity epidemic. I'd say the epidemic better watch out!...

In a time of very tight fiscal constraints - including a freeze on overall domestic non-defense/security discretionary spending - in the budget released today, the Obama Administration demonstrated its commitment to supporting a strong public health system that focuses on prevention. Obviously, we would prefer to see larger increases, however,...

As we turn the page to the next stage of debates around health reform, we should remember there is a whole lot in the current Senate and House bills that is popular, already in close agreement, and could be the impetus for moving forward.

The prevention and wellness sections of...