The Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Stephen S. Morse, Ph.D., to be the next Editor-in-Chief of its journal, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. Dr. Morse is Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, where he also serves as Chair of the University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee.

A new study shows that factual knowledge can reduce polarization on contentious topics. Participants who engaged with balanced facts about gun control shifted toward more moderate policy views—an effect that lasted even after a month. The findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, people are open to learning facts that challenge their beliefs and that accurate information can promote a healthier discourse.

Overwhelming emotional distress experienced by children and teenagers during school times affects whole families, a new study showed. Researchers in the UK found that parental mental health suffered when children struggle to attend school, and 50% of affected parents developed new mental health conditions. Additionally, parents considered the experience the second most threatening life event. Vastly negative experiences with school staff, including almost 78% of parents reporting not being believed, and many feeling blamed and disempowered, were linked by parents to their significantly elevated anxiety, depressed mood, and pervasive sense of fear and dread. This highlights how systemic the issue has become in the UK, the researchers said.