The Monday after President-elect, Joe Biden won the 2020 elections, he got to work right away with his selection of 13 health experts to lead the COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board. The US is quickly approaching 200,000 cases reported per day and 10 million cases nationwide. This pandemic has not slowed down and with the winter months coming and flu season starting, President Biden has no time to waste in attacking his first 100 days in office.
His approach to tackling the COVID-19 crisis is to 'follow the science', and what a relief it is to rely on facts and science. The board reflects that very thought, by having a mixture of healthcare professionals to create a plan to lead us out of this mess.
So far, what is known about the board is it is co-chaired by three experts: former FDA Commissioner, Dr. David Kessler, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Yale. With varying backgrounds and professional careers, Biden has assured that he has picked the right people to help him get a safe vaccination out to the public as infections soar.
As with his selection for Vice President, Kamala Harris, Biden has chosen three people of color to serve on the board and one of those selections is a woman: Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Biden and his administration are bringing diversity back to the White House and being a true leader of the free world. With the undeniable presence of not only women but Black women in the White House, we are seeing the beginnings of a cultural shift in the way we think about American politics.
Dr. Nunez-Smith's appointment is nothing short of what we will see in the coming days of the Biden/Harris administration.
Dr. Maracella Nunez-Smith being chosen to co-chair the advisory board is enormously instrumental for several reasons. Her educational background screams black girl magic, and she is not only accomplished but her work is focused around communities that are not always equally represented in healthcare.
Here’s what we know about Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith:
Yale
- Originally, Dr. Nunez-Smith was born in the US Virgin Islands and attended Jefferson Medical College.
- She earned a BA in Biological Anthropology and Psychology at Swarthmore College.
- She is the Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Public Health, and Management at Yale University.
- She is also the Associate Dean for Health and Equity Research at Yale's medical school and it specializes in healthcare for marginalized populations.
- Her research focuses on promoting health and healthcare equity for structurally marginalized populations with an emphasis on supporting healthcare workforce diversity and development, developing patient-reported measurements of healthcare quality, and identifying regional strategies to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases.
- Dr. Nunez-Smith was the principal investigator for several NIH research projects that developed a tool to assess patient-reported experiences of discrimination in healthcare.
- Dr. Nunez-Smith serves as the advisor to Connecticut's state response to COVID-19.
Dr. Nunez-Smith has investigated the inequities that plague marginalized communities, from being patients to being healthcare students to being healthcare professionals. This often gets overlooked and the stories of these people get lost. Someone like her will understand the need for representation of our data while also doing so with care and honor. Her career goals and objectives scream 'for the culture' and it's just what we need in times like these.
Since COVID-19 has affected communities of color disproportionately, their survival depends on the safety and efficacy of a vaccine. Biden's pick of Dr. Nunez-Smith was very smart in that regard.
There are two other picks for the COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board that are people of color: Ms. Loyce Pace, MPH, Executive Director and President of the Global Health Council, and Dr. Eric Goosby, infectious disease expert, and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. Both of which have extensive careers in healthcare and keen knowledge of marginalized communities.
Many of us are asking the question if we should take a vaccine and how will it affect our community. These appointments say, to me at least, that is a consideration and a nod to certain communities to create trust between this administration and people of color.
Only time will tell but until then, we love to see Black women in the room and at the table.
For more, please read Dr. Nunez-Smith's official bio provided by Yale.
Featured image by Yale
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Credit: Malcolm Roberson
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Featured image by Malcolm Roberson
My main motive? Mostly, I hope that it will serve as a solid reminder to embrace all of the things that you adore about this time of year, so long as you do it in moderation and you weigh the costs.
Especially as far as drinking alcohol is concerned.
PRO: Manages Blood Sugar Levels
GiphyHere’s something that you may have never seen coming. Were you aware of the fact that alcohol can actually help to stabilize your blood sugar? Yep, according to the American Diabetes Association, so long as you leave it to no more than 1-2 cocktails a day, alcohol may be able to lower your A1C levels. Pretty cool, right?
CON: It’s a Carcinogen
GiphyAlcohol is a carcinogen. The reason why this should somewhat alarm you is because carcinogens are things (like tobacco, UV rays, processed meats, etc.) that can increase your chances of being diagnosed with cancer (especially mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and breast cancer). There are various ways this happens including the fact that alcohol, specifically, can hinder your body from breaking down certain nutrients, it can cause your estrogen levels to spike and alcohol can also cause certain toxins to damage your DNA and certain bodily proteins over time.
PRO: Cultivates Euphoric Feelings
GiphyIf you find yourself feeling more euphoric while you’re enjoying a drink, it’s not all up in your head. Although, for the more part, alcohol is considered to be a depressant, when consumed in small amounts, it can provide a stimulant effect. This happens due to the fact that when you first start to consume alcohol, it causes the production of the feel-good hormone known as dopamine to increase — and since dopamine makes us all feel more relaxed and confident while heightening our senses of pleasure too…well, there you have it.
CON: May Increase Anxiety/Depression
GiphyAs they say, “what goes up, most come down” at some point — and that is what you have to be careful of when it comes to alcohol consumption. For instance, when you drink alcohol, although it tends to initially cause your dopamine levels to uptick, because it is a temporary bodily response, sometimes the dips are lower than the rises…and that is when anxiety starts to kick in. A similar point is made with depression because oftentimes, people with depression-related symptoms, will use alcohol as a way to deflect from what’s really going on with them — and that can make them feel even worse than ever once the buzz of alcohol starts to wear off.
PRO: Has Some Heart-Related Benefits
GiphyWhen it comes to your heart, there are interesting findings surrounding its relationship to alcohol. For instance, some research states that, so long as the consumption is moderate, alcohol can actually help to increase the good cholesterol in your system while also breaking down proteins that can potentially lead to blood clots; both of these factors alone can reduce your chances of dying from heart disease.
CON: Packs on Pounds
GiphyIt’s no secret that alcohol tends to contain quite a few calories. That’s why, it’s not uncommon for people who’ve lost weight to mention “I’ve stopped drinking” as one of the causes for the shed pounds. That’s not to say that there aren’t some alcoholic beverages that have less calories than others including vodka (133 calories per serving), white wine (148 calories per serving) and tequila (99 calories per shot). Just keep in mind that the more you drink, the more calories get into your system and the more weight you stand to gain.
PRO: Lowers Inhibitions
GiphyAlthough you really should only be uninhibited around people who you absolutely trust, if that person is your partner and you’re looking to have a pretty — eh hem — active evening, alcohol can certainly help to make that happen. The science of it all is the prefrontal cortex of your brain is what regulates your inhibitions and levels of self-control. Meanwhile, alcohol suppresses your inhibitions which can cause you to be more spontaneous and open to trying things that you might not immediately do if you were sober. And with the right individual, that can be sexually beneficial (emphasis on “right person”).
CON: Makes It Harder to Orgasm
GiphyOn the other hand, as odd as it may seem (in light of what I just said), if you have too much alcohol in your system, it could make climaxing difficult. That’s because orgasms happen, in part, due to your nervous system being stimulated — and since alcohol is technically a depressant…well, it could reduce nerve sensitivity (especially as far as your clitoris goes) for you while making it challenging for your partner to remain erect or have consistent stamina. And yeah, that sucks.
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‘Tis the season. And with that, if some wassails or hot buttered rums are in your immediate future — hey, don’t let me stop you — not even a lil’ bit.
All I’m saying is now that you know what alcoholic drinks have to offer (both ways), you can know exactly how to incorporate them into your holiday plans. Enjoy!
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