Glad You Asked

Proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act would remove requirements to cover maternity care and contraception. Those changes would hurt women especially hard, says Dr. Megan Huchko. Huchko is an associate professor in the Duke University department of obstetrics and gynecology and the Duke Global Health Institute.

The United States has long been a magnet for people from scientists from all over the world. With both science and immigration under attack, Raphael Valdivia wonders if that legacy is at risk. "Glad You Asked" is a series of short commentaries by Duke experts on issues that deserve public attention. In Season 2, Duke experts share a question they would like to pose to our nation's new president -- and describe why that question matters. Valdivia is an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke University School of Medicine and vice dean for basic science at Duke University.

Increased drilling for oil is meant to stimulate the economy. But what effect will greater use of oil and gas have on public health? David Boyd challenges our new president to consider this and other unintended consequences of public policy decisions in this episode of "Glad You Asked." Boyd is an associate professor of the practice at the Duke Global Health Institute and is an expert in global health and cross-cultural medicine.

Hate crimes deserve the new administration's attention, and not only because they are abhorrent, says David Schanzer. Anti-Muslim hate crimes and bigotry also threaten our national security. Schanzer is associate professor of the practice at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, where he directs the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. "Glad You Asked" is a series of brief 2-minute commentaries by Duke faculty members. Season One addressed key issues missing from the campaign debate. In Season Two, we ask Duke faculty members what question they would like to pose to our nation's new president.

Our society gives the mentally ill short shrift, so much so that "we'll look back on it in 100 years' time as absolutely appalling," says Jane Costello. Severe mental illness burdens families, taxes the criminal justice and shortens lives. And we'll continue to pay those heavy prices until we take the issue seriously, Costello says. Costello is a professor in the psychiatry department at the Duke University School of Medicine and an associate director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy. mental healthhealth carepublic policypublic health2016 electionDuke University

State legislatures draw the boundaries for most Congressional districts, and the result is partisan gridlock, says Connel Fullenkamp. Fullenkamp says it's time to take the politics out of redistricting by turning the job over to nonpartisan groups. Fullenkamp is a professor of the practice in the Duke University department of economics. Transcript: From Duke University, this is Glad You Asked, where we consider the question, “What should we be talking about this election season?” "My name is Connel Fullenkamp. I’m a professor of the practice in the economics department at Duke University. When the dust settles, the one thing that we really ought to talk about in the election is districting, is how we choose our election districts in America. The districts are largely chosen by political parties. And both are equally responsible for the mess that we’re in. A few states have actually gone to some nonpartisan districting, but in most states what happens is, the state legislature gets together and picks the districts. And so basically, you get both parties trying to maximize the number of seats that they’re going to get in the next local, or congressional, or even presidential election. So they cut a lot of really nasty deals, they draw a lot of gerrymandered districts like the ones we’ve seen in North Carolina, and they create basically safe districts for their parties. The result is that you get districts in which the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate is virtually guaranteed to be the winner in the general election. So, it means that we get candidates who basically have no incentive to play for the middle, and we get people who are really not representative of the average person in the district. We get somebody who’s actually more partisan than we really want. Most economists who study voting behavior think that we get people who represent what we call the median voter, who is somebody in the middle. But if you split the parties and give somebody a safe district, then you get the median maybe of the party rather than the median of the general population. If I’ve been elected to Congress on a fairly extreme, say, conservative ticket, and I know my seat’s guaranteed, why do I have to work with anybody? I don’t have any incentive to reach across the aisle to get anything done. My job’s pretty much secure. This polarization, I think, is largely caused by our failure to select districts in a nonpartisan way, and really more fair way." This is Glad You Asked. For more on redistricting, check out the next episode of the Ways and Means podcast. Find it at waysandmeansshow.org.

Education is more than job training, says Priscilla Wald. It's essential to forming citizens of a democracy. And the humanities are a critical part of that training. Wald is a professor of English at Duke University, where she directs the Program in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies.

As a nation, we spend millions on healthcare, especially at the end of life. What are we giving up in return? Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, says it's time to face up to those choices.

Our next president must make sure corporations play by the rules, without stifling innovation, says Aaron Chatterji. How will a new president walk that important tightrope, protecting the public from events such as the recent Volkswagen scandal, while encouraging business innovation and investment? That's a key question to pose to candidates, Chatterji says. Chatterji is an associate professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Voter disaffection with U.S. party elites is as old as the two-party system, says Reeve Huston. Huston is an associate professor of history at Duke University. He is at work on a book entitled "Reforging American Democracy."

As the National Park Service prepares to turn 100 in August, our national parks represent a terrifically valuable asset in need of attention, says Stuart Pimm. Pimm is a professor of conservation ecology at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. He helped establish the new Park Institute of America, an independent nonprofit located at Duke that is dedicated to protecting America's national parks. Duke University, #environment, #national parks, #Nicholas School of the Environment

We could do a lot to improve public health and reduce runaway medical expenses if we focussed more on preventing disease and less on medical fixes, says Gary Bennett. Bennett is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.

Supporters of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders share a key trait in common, says Charles Dunlap: they feel excluded from the political process. Such large numbers of disaffected voters are a bad sign not just for the major parties, but for the state of our democracy, Dunlap says. Dunlap is a retired U.S. Air Force Major General and a professor of the practice at Duke Law School.

Police shootings around the country have helped put local politics in the spotlight, says Duke University's Mark Anthony Neal. In particular, Neal points to local prosecutors' critical role in deciding whether or not to pursue charges. Neal is a professor of English and African and African American Studies at Duke University.

National service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps offer big rewards at a bargain price, says Eric Mlyn. Mlyn is assistant vice provost for civic engagement at Duke University and director of the DukeEngage program.

Climate change, failing infrastructure and growing inequality add up to a perfect storm that is poised to hit the nation's poor, says Megan Mullin. Our weak infrastructure is ill-equipped for extreme weather events, which will happen more often with climate change. Meanwhile, storms and floods will hit poor communities especially hard, since those communities have even less to spend on repairing aging water pipes, roads and bridges. Mullin is an associate professor of environmental politics at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.

Donald Trump is "saying things in public that often people say in private spaces," says Joseph Winters. Rather than writing him off, we'd be wise to pay attention to what Trump's candidacy says about America's unresolved conflicts. Winters is an assistant professor of religion and African and African American studies at Duke.

Biological agents can make "cheap weapons" for those who want to do us harm, says Dr. Christopher Woods of the Duke Global Health Institute. But protecting ourselves against natural and man-made biological threats will require greater investment, Woods says

North Carolina's new voter i.d. laws are some of the most restrictive in the country, says Gunther Peck. The new laws could pose problems for people who move frequently, such as students.

Our piecemeal coastal policies are failing us, says Martin Smith. They fail to consider a future of climate change. And what's more, they fail to consider how one beach town's decisions ripple down the coast, affecting beaches miles away. "We're haphazardly geoengineering a whole coast," Smith says. Smith is professor of economics at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.