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Monique Baker lives in California with her fiancée and their 6-week-old daughter, Alexandria Nicole. As a mother and baby nurse, Monique sees firsthand both the joys and challenges that come with breastfeeding after a baby is born.

New moms have a lot to juggle. In the midst of all this, it’s easy to forget about their health, especially mental health. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), postpartum depression and anxiety occurs for mothers in 15% of births1. Postpartum depression is when feelings of sadness, anxiousness, and emptiness affect day-to-day life around the time of birth. Physical and emotional factors, including the big hormonal changes that come with pregnancy, cause the condition. Fortunately there are treatments for PMAD, such as talk therapy, antidepressant medications, or a combination of the two that can help.

I’ve always been a science nut. Growing up in Puerto Rico, I wondered why helium balloons raise your voice pitch – unless you have asthma like me. In sixth grade, my helium experiment testing lung capacity of people with asthma compared to those who did not won 1st prize at the school and regional science fairs.

As we commemorate June as Men’s Health Month, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continues its work to help justice-involved males successfully return to their communities upon being discharged.

We’ve all been amazed by elite athletes able to dazzle and dictate a game’s outcome through their play-making ability, exceptional talent and sometimes, sheer will. Whether it’s in basketball, soccer, hockey, football or individual sports, the best play-makers serve up more than highlights; they also control the pace of the game to lead them and their teams to success. As the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues its observance of Men’s Health Month, we highlight five simple plays that men can make to stay at the top of their game and live

Registration is now open ! The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee will convene its fourth public meeting July 19 – 21, 2017. You can attend the meeting online via videocast.

To learn more about our name change and the reasons behind it, join us for our Facebook Livediscussion on Wednesday, June 7, at 12:00 p.m. (ET), with Dr. Richard Wolitski, Director of the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Jesse Milan, Jr., President & CEO of AIDS United, and Kaye Hayes, Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

Summary: In the United States, more than $300 billion, and globally, about $1 trillion are lost each year due to illness and lost productivity related to tobacco use.

Shemiah Sanchez may have lupus, but she doesn’t let the chronic autoimmune disease stop her from being an all-star athlete. Now a sophomore majoring in business, Sanchez plays infield for the Louisiana State University Tigers softball team.

Earlier this spring, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (The National Academies) released the National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C: Phase 2 Report to bring greater urgency to a set of diseases that is the seventh leading cause of death in the world. This report, co-sponsored by the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, outlines a strategy to eliminate hepatitis B and C and prevent nearly 90,000 deaths by 2030.

If someone told me years ago that I’d one day run a full marathon, I would not have believed them. Me? A runner? No way. In 2012, I joined a running group as a way to fellowship with other women and stay healthy at the same time. I started out taking baby steps, and soon enough, I was walking less and running more. What started with a small group of women on the National Mall wanting to be more active has led me to the Chicago Marathon. And even though the race is still months away, I am getting ready now. Spring brings longer, warmer days perfect for women of all ages to get active and make their health a priority during National Women’s Health Week in May.

The Sharing the Journey series is by you and for you. In your own words, we highlight the perspectives and personal experiences of people who struggle with lupus each day. This month, we asked Sharing the Journey participants what they have planned for Lupus Awareness Month (May) and what they do throughout the year to raise awareness for this devastating and unpredictable disease.

One of America’s greatest strengths is its racial and cultural diversity, and with this brings a need to provide behavioral health care that meets the needs of the nation’s growing and ever-changing population. 1 Research that supports the development of treatment services for behavioral health disorders (mental and substance use disorders) is critical to improving quality of care. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) include strategies that research has shown to be effective for treating behavioral health issues.. However, there is a persistent gap in the availability of EBPs tailored to diverse communities.

FDA’s Office of Minority Health (OMH) is committed to the HHS mission of advancing health equity, and our office works year-round to advance FDA’s message of ensuring the safety and efficacy of our nation’s food supply and medical products to all communities, but with a focus on minority groups. The first HHS Office of Minority Health was established nearly three decades ago and FDA’s own office came into being in 2010.

Each April we observe National Minority Health Month. This year’s theme was, Bridging Health Equity Across Communities. This theme acknowledges the important role that social determinants of health play in individual and community well-being. It also evokes action and activitiy around health equity. For it is not enough for us to simply observe National Minority Health Month and share statistics on long-standing health and health care disparities. We should strive to move the needle by reducing these disparities and improving health care quality and outcomes for all. As this National Minority Health Month, comes to a close, I’m hoping each of us can take a moment and consider the following question: