The Importance of an Annual Flu Shot

Last year\'s flu season was one of the deadliest in the last 40 years, with an estimated 80,000 deaths in the U.S. Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, MD, MPH, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore explained why it is important to get a flu shot in October. She discussed the different types of flu vaccine available and dispelled some of the most common myths about it.

Teen Reading on the Decline

Jean M. Twenge, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, and author of the book iGen. According to her latest research, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure, while more than 80 percent say they use social media every day. She noted that the decline in reading print media was especially steep. She explained why this is such cause for concern and what parents can do to counteract it.

Veteran Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a national public health issue that affects all Americans, but it is a particularly serious problem among both active duty service members and military veterans. Keita Franklin, PhD, Executive Director of Suicide Prevention for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discussed the possible reasons behind this trend. She also talked about a new VA campaign intended to increase the availability of mental health and suicide prevention resources for at-risk veterans.

Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D.

Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., FSHEA, FIDSA is an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Maragakis is the Senior Director of Infection Prevention, at The Johns Hopkins Health System and the Hospital Epidemiologist for The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In these roles, she is responsible for the conceptualization, planning, implementation, and development of the Johns Hopkins Health System\'s infection control and prevention program. Her research interests are the epidemiology, prevention and control of healthcare-acquired infections and antimicrobial-resistant gram negative bacilli. Dr. Maragakis serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\'s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC).

More about Dr. Maragakis

Jean Twenge

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 130 scientific publications and 6 books, including iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

Jean\'s Website