SpringerBriefs in Public Health Series

No matter how positive the intent of prospective parents, international adoption is fraught with emotional, medical, administrative, linguistic, and geopolitical issues. And while a wide range of professionals supports adopted children and their families in adjusting to the inherent changes and disruptions, the pediatrician's tasks--identifying and treating existing health problems and preventing numerous others--are particularly complex.   International Adoption and Clinical Practice equips pediatricians with a comprehensive set of tools for establishing a long-term care plan and creating interventions to promote healthy development. This concise guide overviews the intricacies of the international adoption process and how they can affect the pediatrician's job, from potential pitfalls in collecting medical data from a child's birth country to tracking health concerns into adolescence and young adulthood. Developmental and behavioral issues including attachment, language acquisition, identity development, and consequences of abuse and neglect are also examined in this context. Figures, tables, and reference lists complement current information on topics such as: Epidemiology and demographics of international adoption. Pre-adoption evaluation of medical records. Guidelines for diagnostic testing, screening, laboratory evaluations, and immunizations. Common mental health issues faced by adopted children and their families. Long-term and adult outcomes of international adoption. Relevant policy issues and areas for future study.  Every child deserves a safe and healthy home, and International Adoption and Clinical Practice gives pediatricians an in-depth framework for helping to make this possible as children make the transition to a new country and the next stage of their lives.

This innovative resource offers a unique, multidisciplinary approach for the utilization of planning theory to eliminate health disparities in rural communities. The book provides tools in the public health, policy, and planning disciplines to help resolve significant differences in life expectancy and quality of life in these communities, concluding with a progressive vision for alleviating geographical health disparities on a local, national, and global scale. Chapters highlight models and approaches best suited to addressing this public health concern, suggesting action strategies focused around each of the three focus areas: 1. Public health: Elucidation of the contextual factors impacting the health of rural communities by: reporting statistical updates on a range of chronic and infectious diseases that disproportionately affect rural populations both globally and in the U.S.; providing discourse on the importance of addressing criticalsocial determinants (global and national) that impede optimal health outcomes among rural populations; and, acknowledging the compositional factors of individuals who reside in rural spaces. 2. Public policy: Application of specific policy models to garner both public and political will towards sustainable policy change to improve healthy living in rural spaces. 3. Rural planning: Identification of national and international planning models that can be used to design strategic plans targeted to improve quality of life, create sustainable development, and establish economic well-being and growth in rural communities. Rural Health Disparities: Public Health, Policy, and Planning Approaches will find an engaged audience among non-profit organizations, planners, public health practitioners, policy analysts, and public interest groups, as well as rural health advocates and students enrolled in planning, public policy, and/or public health courses.

This compact resource analyzes and demystifies the processes of applying for, competing for, and getting funding for research. Neither a cookbook nor a template, it encourages readers to apply the critical thinking and attention to detail they use in their investigations to the pursuit of the grant. Chapters delve into choosing among funding options, project planning and writing, filling out the materials in the application packet, and troubleshooting for problems at various steps of the journey. Along the way, the authors also explore common myths of grantsmanship and alert readers to hidden pitfalls that can get an otherwise good submission rejected. Among the core skill areas covered: ·         Using strategic thinking throughout the application process ·         Understanding the major grant mechanisms ·         Navigating the grant timeline, including the peer review and the vetting process ·         Writing the effective project description ·         Following up if the project is not funded or funding is deferred ·         Building a career grant by grant Brimming with expert knowledge, Grantsmanship for New Investigators ably balances motivation with realism. The authors’ deep understanding and experience of how funding agencies arrive at judgments will inspire readers to present their research in the most convincing manner. 

This brief approaches the challenging topic of child sexual abuse from an objective, evidence-based perspective. It offers an overview of child sexual abuse, including definitions and a clear explanation of the epidemiology. The text also explores the conceptual frameworks that seek to explain how a child comes to be sexually abused by an adult or older adolescent. In the chapters, the authors present credible prevalence and incidence studies that are used to provide a scientific response to how common this problem is. In addition, they address the policy implications for a myriad of prevention and treatment initiatives as well as related issues such as delayed reporting and the risk for sexual abuse within child serving organizations. Finally, the brief concludes with the authors' recommendations for the future on how best to prevent child sexual abuse in the first place. Prevention of child sexual abuse is very different than prevention of child physical abuse and neglectand requires a different framework and set of initiatives. Child Sexual Abuse: Current Evidence, Clinical Practice, and Policy Directions is a must-have resource for a range of professionals including healthcare providers, child advocates, clinical social workers, public health officials, mental health providers, and legislative staff professionals. It also is written in a readable manner for members of the lay public.

In a new era of global health diplomacy, the most important tool for decision-making is negotiation. Globalization is binding countries, issues and people together as never before. In the domain of public health, traditional international concerns like the spread of infectious diseases have been joined by new concerns and challenges in managing the health impacts of trade and intellectual property rights, and by new opportunities to create effective global public health agreements and programs. To address the major health crises of today and to prevent or mitigate them in the future, countries must seek collective agreement and action within and across their borders. However, the world of international negotiation is not the world in which health decision-makers reside or are most comfortable. The goal of this guide is to provide health policy-makers with practical information and negotiation tools, to help them create better international health agreements and programs. "This is the best book I know to help health professionals develop the negotiation skills necessary to meet the challenges of global health diplomacy. It is filled with wise advice and invaluable tools for success." Professor Jeswald W. Salacuse, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University