InfoTrak: Mortgage Discrimination

A woman and man apply for a mortgage. Does it matter whose name appears first on the document? The answer will surprise you. Then, the addiction treatment industry grabs headlines. But does it help people overcome their dependency on drugs and alcohol? We talk to an expert for an insider’s view.

InfoTrak: The Truth About Addiction Treatment

Anne Fletcher is a health and medical writer,and author of Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth
About Addiction Treatment-and How to Get Help That Works. Ms. Fletcher discussed treatment options for people with substance abuse issues. She visited 15 addiction treatment centers—from outpatient programs for the indigent to Alcoholics
Anonymous to famous celebrity rehabs—to determine what forms of rehab are effective. She
said it’s common for people who struggle with addiction to require treatment multiple times,
but she found that rehab centers often provide the same treatment over and over, rather than
trying different approaches for repeat patients.

InfoTrak: Television and Childhood Obesity

33% of American children are obese or overweight. Our guest Dr. Amanda Staiano was the lead author of a study that found that kids who have televisions in their bedrooms are twice as likely to be fat and
nearly three times as likely to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes as those who don’t.
She recommended that parents limit a child’s screen time to no more than two hours per day.

Spencer Cowan

Spencer leads Woodstock Institute’s applied research for economic security program. Spencer joined Woodstock Institute in December 2011 after serving as Senior Research Associate at the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of North Carolina. Before joining Woodstock, Spencer’s work included projects examining the impact of state laws promoting affordable housing in affluent suburbs, efforts to bring the middle class back to inner-city neighborhoods, the impact of regulation on the cost of new housing development, a program to securitize non-conforming mortgages, and the effectiveness of community-based mortgage foreclosure prevention programs.

Spencer received a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and an A.B. in Political Science from Columbia University.

The Woodstock Insititute