Former NC Health Secretary May Lead CDC
President Joe Biden plans to nominate Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, former North Carolina Health and Human Services chief, to be CDC’s next director, it has been announced New York Times. Cohen, an internist, headed the department from 2017 to 2021 and previously served in the Obama administration. If selected, Cohen will replace Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, who announced she will retire at the end of June.
Black men are likely underdiagnosed due to PFT testing bias
Racial bias inherent in pulmonary function testing (PFT) likely contributes to fewer black patients receiving care, a study suggests, according to the Associated Press. Up to 40% more black men in the study published in JAMA Network Open, may have received a diagnosis of breathing problems if the current computer aided diagnostic software was changed to be race neutral. The findings are the latest example of faulty assumptions in algorithms used in diagnostic tests and software.
U.S. birth rates remain unchanged from pre-pandemic levels
Birth rates in the United States will remain flat in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a CDC report, The Hill reported. The CDC reported 3,661,220 temporary births in the United States in 2022, about 3,000 fewer births than the previous year. The CDC called it a “minor decline.” Total births in 2022 also remained below pre-pandemic levels after births rose slightly in 2021 following the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.