Globally, more than two billion persons have been infected at some time with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) (1), and approximately 3.5 million refugees have chronic HBV infection (2). The endemicity of HBV varies by region (3). Because chronic hepatitis B is infectious and persons with…

At the request of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), PolicyLab analyzed trends in the use of psychotropic medications by Medicaid-enrolled children and youth in Pennsylvania, including those specifically in foster care. The analysis focused…

ABSTRACT: Between 2009 and 2012, 36 bills were introduced in 18 states to change vaccine exemption laws related to school-entry requirements. Of the 31 bills that sought to loosen requirements for obtaining an exemption, none passed. Fortunately, the clear evidence showing…

In 2006, Unfulfilled Promise: The Dimensions and Characteristics of Philadelphia’s Dropout Crisis, 2000–2005 shed light on how many students drop out of high school in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and what factors put students at risk for dropping out. The results were…

Randomized controlled trials are the “gold standard” for estimating the causal effects of treatments. However, it is often not feasible to conduct such a trial because of ethical concerns or budgetary constraints. We expand upon an approach to the analysis of …

This Viewpoint discusses the importance of improving care globally for adolescents with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS. Pediatricians have an obligation to protect the health of children and adolescents. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS remains the second leading…

This Evidence to Action brief provides an in-depth look at antipsychotic medication prescribing to children on Medicaid and in foster care. At PolicyLab, our research portfolio on psychotropic medication prescribing grew from clinical concern that an increased number of children in…

OBJECTIVE: In preparation for the development of a curriculum on health care costs and value for pediatricians, the goal of this study was to assess pediatricians' baseline perceptions about the concepts of “cost” and “value” in health care, and topics that should be included in…

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe rates and patterns of long- and short-acting alpha agonist use for behavioral problems in a primary care population following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the long-acting alpha agonists guanfacine and…

IMPORTANCE: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have increasingly been prescribed to Medicaid-enrolled children, either singly or in a medication combination. Although metabolic adverse effects have been linked to SGA use in youths, estimating the risk for type 2 diabetes…