There is increasing evidence that isolation has a powerful negative effect on health and productivity. We asked Yale SOM’s Marissa King, an expert on social networks, how we can reinforce the connections that help sustain us. 

By gathering and analyzing real-time data about how team members interact, researchers investigated whether a care coordinator can improve outcomes—and in the process, learned just how delicate team dynamics can be.

In an online conversation, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy ’03, the 19th surgeon general of the United States, discussed improving public health by addressing its lifestyle, environmental, and societal components.

We asked Yale SOM’s Marissa King, an expert in social networks who has studied the spread of drug addiction, what is driving the opioid crisis and how it can be addressed.

Children are 30% more likely to take a stimulant medication during the school year than they are to take one during the summer, according to a new study published in the American Sociological Review. The authors found that school-year increases in stimulant use are largest for children from socioeconomically advantaged families. Because many children use stimulants only during the school year and take a “drug holiday” in the summer, the authors conclude that these children are using stimulants to manage their schools’ academic demands.

Professor Marissa King compared the prescribing patterns of doctors who graduated before and after their medical schools introduced conflict-of-interest policies that restrict industry gifts. Her research showed that doctors who experienced gift restrictions during medical training are less likely to prescribe newly marketed medications.

Professor Marissa King mapped the geographic patterns of the use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants across the United States. She identified large regional clusters, centered on Tennessee, where use of these drug classes were elevated.