Matt Masiello, M.D., MPH

Category: Public Health

  • Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice

    Publication

    Released: May 10, 2016

    Bullying has long been tolerated as a rite of passage among children and adolescents. There is an implication that individuals who are bullied must have “asked for” this type of treatment, or deserved it. Sometimes, even the child who is bullied begins to internalize this idea. For many years, there has been a general acceptance and collective shrug when it comes to a child or adolescent with greater social capital or power pushing around a child perceived as subordinate. But bullying is not developmentally appropriate; it should not be considered a normal part of the typical social grouping that occurs throughout a child’s life.

    Although bullying behavior endures through generations, the milieu is changing. Historically, bullying has occurred at school, the physical setting in which most of childhood is centered and the primary source for peer group formation. In recent years, however, the physical setting is not the only place bullying is occurring. Technology allows for an entirely new type of digital electronic aggression, cyberbullying, which takes place through chat rooms, instant messaging, social media, and other forms of digital electronic communication.

    Composition of peer groups, shifting demographics, changing societal norms, and modern technology are contextual factors that must be considered to understand and effectively react to bullying in the United States. Youth are embedded in multiple contexts and each of these contexts interacts with individual characteristics of youth in ways that either exacerbate or attenuate the association between these individual characteristics and bullying perpetration or victimization. Recognizing that bullying behavior is a major public health problem that demands the concerted and coordinated time and attention of parents, educators and school administrators, health care providers, policy makers, families, and others concerned with the care of children, this report evaluates the state of the science on biological and psychosocial consequences of peer victimization and the risk and protective factors that either increase or decrease peer victimization behavior and consequences.
    Learn more about the report: nas.edu/ScienceOnBullying

    For more information, or to purchase this ebook: http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2016/Preventing-Bullying-Through-Science-Policy-and-Practice.aspx

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  • A Public Health Approach to Bullying Prevention

    A Public Health Approach to Bullying Prevention will serve as a practical, sustainable, cost-efficient strategy to tackle bullying. More importantly, it may be the best approach to providing legitimate and sustainable hope to our children at a time when bullying is becoming increasingly more difficult to tackle.

    This book presents a public health approach to bullying prevention in a comprehensive and deliberate manner. Formal public health strategies have been used to combat infectious disease epidemics, tobacco use, and motor vehicle injuries. When applied to bullying, public health strategies provide a scientific approach to community planning, the use of evidence-based programs, coalition development, and the ability to change the culture in a school and community to one that is positive and strong. This text will serve as invaluable resource to parents and professionals looking for advice on specific facets of school-based bullying.

    Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Public-Health-Approach-Bullying-Prevention/dp/0875530419

    A Public Health Approach to Bullying Prevention is a valuable resource on how to assess, apply, and evaluate public health interventions to reduce bullying and violence in schools. Anyone intending to launch a bullying prevention program should begin by reading this book. —Donald S. Burke, MD, Dean, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh


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  • About Dr. Matt


    Matthew G. Masiello, M.D., MPH, FAAP

    Dr. Masiello holds the position of Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts; Chief, Pediatric Hospital Medicine and Interim Chair of Pediatrics at Health Alliance Hospital , Leominster, Massachusetts. In addition, he will soon be taking on the positon of District 9 Represenative for the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Dr. Masiello’s work in the care of children has been in the role of a critical care physician, general practitioner, Chairman of Pediatrics and Vice-President in a large health care system, public health research scientist and public health program director. This has afforded him the opportunity to lead clinical and public health teams in the support, development and implementation of a multitude of evidence based, clinical/health promotion initiatives, both nationally and internationally. They include numerous school, hospital and community based projects such as clinical health promotion initiatives for the pediatric asthma population; medical home development; worksite wellness programs, community need assessments, program evaluation services, coordinated school health council development, child and adolescent bullying prevention; childhood obesity and injury prevention initiatives. Many of these efforts were reviewed in the manuscript, A Health Promoting Hospital: A Strategy in the Re-Design of the U.S. Health Care System. Commonwealth: A Journal of Political Science. Special Policy Issue on Public Health. Vol. 14, No.1. Dec. 2008, developed to address the issues related to the public health system in Pennsylvania. This community, regional, national and international health promotion work has been awarded over $ 7 million to date.

    His work in population health has also been at an international level. He served as a U.S. Network Coordinator for the International Health Promoting Hospital Network (HPH), a World Health Organization supported Collaborative Centre. From 2010 to 2012 he served on the Governance Board of HPH.

    Dr. Masiello has had the opportunity to present his work nationally and internationally through peer review journals, reports and national presentations. In 2012, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Public Health Association Keystone Award for Distinguished Service in Public Health. Other awards of note have been the SAFE KIDS 1996 Physician of the Year, Allegheny County Safe Kids Coalition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May, 1996; the Champion Award, Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November, 1996 and the American Trauma Society, Pennsylvania Division, Hershey, Pennsylvania, May, 1995.

    Dr. Masiello has taught at the undergraduate (public health for physicians’s assistants) and graduate level (Delivering Health Care in America – A System’s Approach). He has served as a consultant to school systems, colleges, universities, health systems and clinical sites in such areas as developing undergraduate public health curriculum; becoming a WHO recognized health promoting hospital and developing medical home activities within pediatric clinical practices. From an international research perspective he has collaborated with colleagues at Spedali Civili, the third largest health care system in Italy and the University of Brescia, Italy by serving as co-director on a child asthma, clinical health promotion initiative.

    Dr. Masiello’s international work has been both humanitarian in nature as well as research oriented. He has supported and led clinical/educational teams and/or served as visiting faculty in Mexico, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Anguilla. These activities have ranged from providing medical care for the indigineous pediatric population in the Sierra Madres, Mexico; to developing critial care services for children suffering from Dengue Fever; to providing general pediatric and critical care support for the survivors of Hurracaine Katrina and the Indonesian Tsunami. For the latter, he received a 2005 President’s Volunteer Service Award by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

    The Amerian Public Health Association has published and the CDC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have endorsed, The Public Health Approach to Bullying Prevention. Dr. Masiello serves as co-editor. Dr. Masiello has served on a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine committee to address the biological and psychological effects of peer victimization. The report, Preventing Bullying: Through Science, Policy and Practice, was recently published as the latest evidence based comment

    Offering the latest recommendations to address the public health epidemic of child and adolescent bullying.

    Additional interests, resulting in media releases, educational and industrial briefs, have been in the areas of child human rights in which he serves on an international task force: Think and Action Tank (TAT) on Children’s Right to Health, Translating the Principles of Child Rights into Practice, A Rights and Equity based Platform for Child Health and Well-Being, based in Bologna, Italy; the benefit of an “Enhanced Development of the U.S. Rail System: An Economical and Health benefit to Society;“ safe schools; firearm injuries in children and childhood obesity.

    In addition to Dr. Masiello’s international medical degree his pediatric medical training was at Bridgeport Hospital and Yale University with a pediatric critical care fellowship at Harvard University, Boston Children’s Hospital. His master’s degree in public health was earned at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

    The Masiello’s reside in Harwich, Massachusetts. Kathy is a school nurse and fitness instructor. Jason is a Junior at Monomoy High School. Matt, the oldest son, is a research assistant at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C.

    Contact information:

    DrMatt@MattMasielloMD.com
    814-619-6168ż
    Twitter: ​@MattMasielloMD
    Blog: ​MattMasielloMD.com

  • Welcome pediatric colleagues

    Today, pediatricians, must step up to be politically and socially more active in addressing gun violence in America. The AAP and we, as individual pediatricians obligated to keep our children safe and healthy, have been failing; worse, we have been silent.

    Today, I am on the search for at least one pediatrician from each state. I will not move forward until we have identified that first 50. I ask that for this first cadre of pediatric activists you  have a degree in public health and at least five years of developing community based initiatives.

    I  ask that you be willing to collaborate and sacrifice.

    I ask that you send me that one significant paragragh about yourself and another on how this first group of healthcare activists will move deliberately and decisively to stop the carnage of our children, teens and young adults as well as the  inaction by our politicians and leaders of our  professional health organizations.

    I will be back to you in a week.

     

     

  • Public health gets least money, but does most

    WASHINGTON — Just three cents of each U.S. health care dollar goes to public health even though it plays a far bigger role in keeping Americans well than medical care, a top federal official said at a forum presented by USA TODAY and insurer Cigna.

    READ MORE…

     

  • More About Dr. Matt

    AmazingKidslogoMatthew Masiello, MD, MPH, FAAP
    Chief Medical Officer
    Specialty: Pediatrics
    Appointments and Referrals: 412-420-2371
    Biographical Summary:
    Matthew G. Masiello, MD, MPH, FAAP serves as Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of Care Coordination at the Childrens Institute of Pittsburgh. He also maintains his position as the Director, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (CHPDP), located in Windber, PA.
    Dr. Masiello has led his clinical and public health teams in the support, development and implementation of a multitude of evidence based, clinical/health promotion initiatives. These programs now extend throughout Pennsylvania, nationally as well as internationally. They include child bullying prevention, clinical health promotion initiatives for the pediatric asthma population, childhood obesity and injury prevention initiatives, medical home development, worksite wellness programs, community need assessments, program evaluation services, and coordinated school health council development.
    Dr. Masiello has had the opportunity to present his work nationally and internationally through peer review journals, reports and national presentations. In 2012, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Public Health Association Keystone Award for Distinguished Service in Public Health. Other awards of note have been the SAFE KIDS 1996 Physician of the Year, Allegheny County Safe Kids Coalition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May, 1996; the Champion Award, Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November, 1996 and the American Trauma Society, Pennsylvania Division, Hershey, Pennsylvania, May, 1995.
    In addition to Dr. Masiello’s international medical degree his pediatric medical training was at Bridgeport Hospital and Yale University with a pediatric critical care fellowship at Harvard University, Boston Children’s Hospital. His master’s degree in public health was earned at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.
    #MattMasielloMD