Benjamin Silverberg

All Publications

• Health inequities and marginalized groups: An overview for college student travelers and travel health professionals. Journal of American college health : J of ACH Griggs, C. A., Silverberg, B. A., Rosselot, G., Fonjweng, G. T., Ebelke, C. I., Huey, M. J. 2024: 1-5

  Abstract

  One of the main goals of college- and university-sponsored travel is to broaden the global perspectives of student travelers, thereby enhancing their ability to effectively communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds. Pre-travel consultations are important for all students traveling internationally, and especially for those facing current or past health inequities and marginalization. To offer high quality, inclusive services, college travel health clinicians must understand both the student traveler population and cultural norms at the travel destinations, especially those related to health and safety. This article provides an overview of health equity definitions and pre-travel preparation through an equity lens. It also reviews travel health equity-related clinical implications including: helping to prepare student travelers for issues related to gender, sexuality, identity, and sexual assault; assisting travelers with preexisting health conditions and disabilities; and serving older student travelers and travelers with financial limitations.

  View details for DOI 10.1080/07448481.2024.2317181

  View details for PubMedID 38442349

• Forget-me-not: Lemierre's syndrome, a case report. Journal of American college health : J of ACH Silverberg, B., Sharon, M. J., Makati, D., Mott, M., Rose, W. D. 2023; 71 (2): 343-347

  Abstract

  Background: Familiarity breeds complacency. One case of sore throat can start to sound like another. However, even common viral and bacterial infections can lead to serious sequelae. Clinicians cannot make a diagnosis if they do not consider it in their differential.Case: The presentation - and subsequent hospitalization - of a septic 19 year-old male college student is described. Despite brief interval improvement, he became hypoxic one week after developing a sore throat and was ultimately diagnosed with Lemierre's syndrome (septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein) via blood cultures and advanced imaging.Conclusions: Though rare, Lemierre's syndrome carries a high mortality rate. It should be considered an emergent complication of head and neck infections, particularly in young adults.

  View details for DOI 10.1080/07448481.2021.1899190

  View details for PubMedID 33760711

• Care of Diverse Families: Single-Parent, Multigenerational, and Blended Families. FP essentials Silverberg, B. 2023; 524: 19-24

  Abstract

  Nuclear families (consisting of a married man and woman and their children) have long been regarded as the default domestic arrangement. Nonetheless, there are many other family structures that are becoming increasingly more common and complex. Single-parent families can result from divorce or the death of one parent, or may be intentionally planned before conception. Multigenerational families typically include children, parents, and grandparents living together, although sometimes parents are absent and grandparents are the caregivers. Blended families result from a union between divorced or widowed parents, with unrelated children from their prior relationships brought together. Caregivers in these various family structures should be aware of the stigma that they or their children may face. Although children in these modern families may experience higher rates of obesity, substance use, unsafe sex, and mental illness, confounding factors for these disparities often are neglected, and it is unclear whether there are truly worse long-term health outcomes for these children compared with those in nuclear families. When working with families with diverse structures, physicians should avoid assumptions about the roles of different family members, and provide screening and guidance as needed to support them.

  View details for PubMedID 36626714

• A Stitch in Time: Operative and Nonoperative Laceration Repair Techniques. Primary care Silverberg, B., Moyers, A., Wainblat, B. I., Cashio, P., Bernstein, K. 2022; 49 (1): 23-38

  Abstract

  Before repairing a laceration, consider the mechanism and severity of the injury. Gentle irrigation of the wound helps to remove microscopic infectious agents and larger debris. Not all foreign bodies are visible in plain radiographs. Certain wounds may be allowed to heal without operative intervention, but most patients prefer an approach using suture thread or tissue adhesive. Prophylaxis against tetanus, rabies, and/or bacterial infection should be considered. Clinical assessment of each wound is important to guide decisions about technique, anesthetic, suture material, and the interval period before nonabsorbable equipment can be removed.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.pop.2021.10.008

  View details for PubMedID 35125156

• Perceptions on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Urgent Care Clinicians in the Southern United States. Current HIV research Burns, C. M., Endres, K., Farrow, L., Mhina, C., Cooper, A., Silverberg, B., McKellar, M. S., Okeke, N. L. 2022; 20 (3): 204-212

  Abstract

  Underutilization of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the Southern United States (US) is well-documented. Urgent care (UC) centers are positioned as communityfacing access points to PrEP, but the feasibility of integrating PrEP services into this setting is unclear. We conducted a survey of UC clinicians in the Southern US to better understand their perceptions of the feasibility of providing PrEP in their practice setting.The study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of providing PrEP services in the UC setting through a cross-sectional survey of UC clinicians.We conducted a 48-item cross-sectional survey of UC clinicians in the Southern US, between July and September 2020. The survey was distributed through the Urgent Care Association (UCA) and American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) professional listservs as well as directly to publicly listed e-mail addresses.Eighty-two clinicians responded to the survey. Most clinicians had familiarity with PrEP (97%). All respondents rated PrEP as an effective way to prevent HIV. However, less than half felt UC facilities were an appropriate place to prescribe PrEP. Few respondents (8%) expressed doubts that expansion of PrEP access would decrease the incidence of HIV in their community.These findings show UC clinicians are familiar with PrEP, and many believe it would benefit their patients; however, provider opinions on the appropriateness of providing PrEP in the UC setting differ. Further studies on PrEP implementation in UC centers are needed.

  View details for DOI 10.2174/1570162X20666220426094920

  View details for PubMedID 35473523

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9562460

• A Structured Approach to Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (SSTIs) in an Ambulatory Setting. Clinics and practice Silverberg, B. 2021; 11 (1): 65-74

  Abstract

  The skin is the largest, and arguably, the most vulnerable organ in the human body. Scratches and scrapes, bites and puncture wounds, impetigo and erysipelas-all these disruptions can lead to pain, swelling, and/or systemic symptoms. In this article, which is based on the Infectious Diseases Society of America's 2014 guidelines and the World Society of Emergency Surgery and Surgical Infection Society of Europe's 2018 consensus statement, a structured approach to skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) is reviewed, comparing treatment for suppurative and non-suppurative infections, and then discussing specific conditions commonly seen in Primary Care and Urgent Care facilities.

  View details for DOI 10.3390/clinpract11010011

  View details for PubMedID 33535501

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7931029