Living Well: Music's Healing Powers

I'm contemplating Austin's temporary invasion by song-mad folks numbering an expected 200,000-plus for the showcases and free concerts of the South by Southwest Music Festival.

The healing powers of music, more specifically.

Yes, music comforts us, uplifts us and lets us feel solidarity with our fellow humans.

I remember the late Roy Orbison offering me solace as I sang along to his Crying, Only The Lonely, and Evergreen. I was heartbroken, mourning the loss of my first true love.

Melodramatic? Definitely yes.

Heartfelt? Totally.

2012 Surgeon General's Report on Tobacco - Watch the release LIVE at 9AM (CST)

Tomorrow marks the high point for a project that has been years in the making for some of our faculty and doctoral students here at the MSD Center and UT School of Public Health.  On March 8th, the U.S. Surgeon General will release the 2012 Report on Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults.

An update of the 1994 original, the new report provides a more global perspective on prevention and additional information regarding corporate marketing practices and youth tobacco use.  Our own Dr. Cheryl Perry served as Senior Scientific Editor for both the 1994 and 2012 reports.  Tune in with us tomorrow at 9:00 (CST) for the live webcast of the release [UPDATE: the press conference has concluded]:

The MSD Center/UTSPH team
From left to right: Ms. Neusel, Ms. Creamer, Dr. Stigler, and Dr. Perry

MSD Lectureship 2012: Taking on teen drug-use

This is the first in a series of posts that will highlight some of the topic areas that Dr. J. David Hawkins will discuss in our upcoming MSD Lectureship in Child Health. 


In this video clip, experts and community members discuss how the Communities That Care system, developed by Dr. Hawkins, combines scientific approaches with commitment at the community level to reduce the chances of children becoming involved with drugs.