Music to my ears. But this wasn’t always so. As parents, we have been brainwashed to be afraid of hearing those dreaded words: “I’m bored.”

Two of my kids just had their annual dental checkups. The dentist, who I like very much, recommends that they have their wisdom teeth removed. Sort of straightforward, except that a growing number of oral health professionals have moved away from prophylactic extractions. What should we do?

Today marks the last day of a two-week vacation with my family. Three generations together among great tortoises and blue footed boobies in the Galapagos and cattle and condors in the Andes.

We have launched a new series called “What’s On Our Mind” to provide a space where we can talk with experts from around the world about current mental health issues. Hosted on Facebook Live, our aim is to provide an informative discussion in a casual, conversational format that is widely accessible.

This summer, we have had thirteen interns working here in New York City with Columbia faculty and post-docs to advance mental health research, policy and advocacy.