Health records and health care use show youth whose parents have been incarcerated have more physical and mental health challenges. Identifying those youth is a problem because most health systems don’t have an established system for asking families about incarceration.

Leading health equity researcher Darrell Hudson, MPH ‘05, PhD ‘09, has been named chair of the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His appointment for a five-year term, effective August 26, 2024, was approved by the University of Michigan Board of Regents this week.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging global health issue, recognized as one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease. The worldwide prevalence of NAFLD stands at 32.4%, with higher rates in males (39.7%) compared to females (25.6%). NAFLD is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of lipids in hepatocytes and elevated liver enzyme levels. Progression of NAFLD can lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, NAFLD has been redefined as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) to better reflect its association with metabolic abnormalities. MAFLD shows a higher risk of disease progression compared to NAFLD.