Jon Scaccia, Author at This Week In Public Health

News

Trial Access, Opportunity Gaps, and Better Evidence: This Week’s Public Health Signals

This week’s research paints a clear picture of how health systems, policies, and everyday opportunities connect. From where clinical trials are located, to how firearm violence clusters around “opportunity,” to how data sharing can multiply what we learn from trials—these findings all point to one theme: equity isn’t only a goal; it’s a design requirement. […]

Read more →

AI

Beyond Chatbots: How to Build AI That Understands Your Organization’s Knowledge

There is a big difference between giving artificial intelligence access to your content and building an AI system that actually understands how that content fits together. We recently had an organization approach us with an interesting challenge. They had a specific curriculum they wanted integrated into an AI-powered system. The goal wasn’t simply to upload […]

Read more →

Commentary

Why Peer Support Matters: Lived Experience, Recovery, and Community Mental Health

There is a deceptively simple question at the heart of peer support: Why can someone who has “been there” sometimes help in ways that a trained professional cannot? This does not mean professional expertise is unimportant. Psychologists, physicians, social workers, counselors, and other professionals develop knowledge and skills that can be enormously valuable. But there […]

Read more →

Analytics

Big Data and Environmental Health

In the bustling city of Toledo, Ohio, a dilemma faces urban planners and public health officials alike: how to address the vibrant yet unmanaged wild vegetation surging in unmaintained city lots. On the surface, these green spaces may appear as urban oases, but a closer examination reveals complexities tied to local health outcomes and potential […]

Read more →

Analytics

Who Really Controls Implementation? Why Authority Matters More Than Buy-In

This article is part of Decision-Useful Implementation Science, an ongoing series exploring what implementation research actually tells us about putting evidence into practice. Using large-scale text analysis, natural language processing, and bibliometric methods, the project examines nearly 1.5 million PubMed-indexed publications from 1980 to 2025. Rather than reviewing individual studies, the series steps back to […]

Read more →

AI

What Public Health Can Learn From AI in Journalism

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing journalism. Newsrooms are using AI to summarize information, generate drafts, analyze large datasets, translate stories, optimize content for search, and help distribute information to audiences. Public health is beginning to use many of the same technologies. But a new systematic review of artificial intelligence in journalism suggests that the most […]

Read more →

Epi

Buprenorphine Access, Stunting “Conversion Gaps,” and the Hidden Costs of Care

What This Week’s Public Health Studies Signal for Equity and Systems Public health Public health is often discussed in big numbers—mortality, prevalence, national spending. But this week’s research shows something more practical: outcomes hinge on systems. Where people live, how services are delivered, whether care is affordable, and whether health systems can “convert” resources into […]

Read more →

Policy

Integrating Governance in Public Health

The bustling room hums with the chatter of diverse stakeholders – policymakers, community advocates, health practitioners, and environmental experts. They’ve gathered to tackle a familiar but complex issue: how does climate change affect public health in their city? As opinions volley across the room, a shared concern emerges – fragmented governance impedes progress. Each sector […]

Read more →

Analytics

The Comfortable Politics of Implementation Science

This article is part of Decision-Useful Implementation Science, an ongoing series exploring what implementation research actually tells us about putting evidence into practice. Using large-scale text analysis, natural language processing, and bibliometric methods, the project examines nearly 1.5 million PubMed-indexed publications from 1980 to 2025. Rather than reviewing individual studies, the series steps back to […]

Read more →

AI

Hidden Risks in Sleep and A Pathway to Precision Medicine

In a bustling sleep clinic, Dr. Emily Sanders faces the daunting challenge of interpreting polysomnography (PSG) results—a task fraught with complexity yet essential for understanding sleep-related health risks. As patients fill the waiting room—each grappling with unique sleep concerns—she wonders if today’s evaluations will truly capture the breadth of their conditions. Despite advances in technology, […]

Read more →

Mental health

Psilocybin Therapy: A New Hope for Veterans Battling Severe PTSD

Inside a dimly lit room designed to feel like a living room rather than a clinic, a military veteran sits quietly on a comfortable couch. Headphones cover his ears, filling them with calming music as he slips on an eye mask. This is not a traditional therapy session; this is the beginning of a journey. […]

Read more →

News

Rethinking Risk Estimates, Fixing Guideline Gaps, and Building Injury & Overdose Data Systems

Public health progress isn’t just about new treatments—it’s about better measurement, better systems, and smarter equity-focused implementation. This week’s research and policy-focused reviews highlight a common theme: when we improve how we estimate risk, collect data, and design quality frameworks, everyday care decisions become more accurate—and often more fair. When “the denominator” changes the story: […]

Read more →

Latest Insights & Research

All Posts

Trial Access, Opportunity Gaps, and Better Evidence: This Week’s Public Health Signals

Beyond Chatbots: How to Build AI That Understands Your Organization’s Knowledge

Why Peer Support Matters: Lived Experience, Recovery, and Community Mental Health

Big Data and Environmental Health

Who Really Controls Implementation? Why Authority Matters More Than Buy-In

What Public Health Can Learn From AI in Journalism

Buprenorphine Access, Stunting “Conversion Gaps,” and the Hidden Costs of Care

Integrating Governance in Public Health

The Comfortable Politics of Implementation Science

Hidden Risks in Sleep and A Pathway to Precision Medicine

Psilocybin Therapy: A New Hope for Veterans Battling Severe PTSD

Rethinking Risk Estimates, Fixing Guideline Gaps, and Building Injury & Overdose Data Systems

Latest Insights & Research

All Posts

Get the latest public health insights—every Thursday morning.

Get the latest public health insights—
every Thursday morning.