by Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH

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The May/June 2017 issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice has a series of articles focusing on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases including Human Papillomavirus (HPV).  As outlined in the lead editorial by Ben Truman, these articles offer practical approaches to the prevention and control of these diseases by partner notification, opt-out HIV screening and improving retention in HIV care. Two articles describe initiatives to improve HPV vaccination uptake in adolescents.

We would like to call attention to the article “Barriers and Facilitators to Scientific Writing Among Applied Epidemiologists” by Jessica Pittman of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and colleagues. The research work described in this article was a preamble to contractual work by the editors of JPHMP (JBM & LFN) in developing a Toolkit for Scientific Writing for CSTE. This toolkit appears both on the CSTE and JPHMP website. Further work is underway to develop this tool as an interactive resource with the assistance of an educational consultant of the de Beaumont Foundation.

The case study in this issue describes a landmark in national efforts to improve public health. “Development of a National Public Health Accreditation Program” is authored by Kaye Bender, Leslie Beitsch, and Jessica Kronstadt. Also included in the issue is “The Role of Navigators in Building a Medical Home for Multiply Diagnosed HIV-Positive Homeless Populations” by Mariana Sarango and colleagues from the Boston University School of Public Health. People living with HIV (PLWH) who are most at risk for falling out of HIV primary care include the homeless and those co-diagnosed with behavioral and substance abuse disorders. In this effort, patient navigators were used to create a primary care medical home (PCMH) and to achieve housing stability. The qualitative data presented in this article are part of a larger study sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a Special Project of National Significance (SPNS). Nine demonstration sites have been funded across the US to build a PCMH and address behavioral and housing needs. A case study of the sites has been developed by the Multnomah Health Department in Portland, Oregon, and Boston University SPNS staff working with the editor of JPHMP (LFN). This will be included in a book of 20 policy and administrative cases to be published next fall by the journal publisher, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.

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Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Follow him on Twitter. [Full Bio]