News from the Health Systems Node

After 10 years of leadership as Project Director for the Health System Node, Andrea Altschuler, PhD is passing the torch to Monique Buffler, MPH. Fortunately, Andrea will continue to be involved in HSN with community engagement efforts. In her new role, Monique will assist MPIs with coordination and management of node activities.

Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, MPH, site PI with the Health System Node, and Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, was part of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) consensus panel who wrote the new report: Cannabis: Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity (2024). This report follows on the 2017 landmark NASEM report on the health effects of cannabis. This report fills an important gap in outlining key steps for reducing the harm of cannabis and hemp legalization. It outlines clear and cogent recommendations for improving the public health and equity impact of current policy and calls on CDC and the National Governors Association to further detail best practices and model laws.

Download the report and additional resources:

• full report
• highlights
• one-page infographic on policies most likely to impact public health

Publication Announcements

Young-Wolff KC, Chi FW, Campbell CI, Does MB, Brown QL, Alexeeff SE, Ansley D, Wang X, Lapham GT. Association of psychiatric and substance use disorders with cannabis use and cannabis use disorder during early pregnancy in northern California. Addiction. 2024 Jul 31. doi: 10.1111/add.16622. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39082097.

Young-Wolff KC, Chi FW, Lapham GT, Alexeeff SE, Does MB, Ansley D, Campbell CI. Changes in Prenatal Cannabis Use Among Pregnant Individuals From 2012 to 2022. Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Aug 30;144(4):e101–4. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005711. PMID: 39208448; PMCID: PMC11407770.