Latest Insights & Research

Stay informed with the latest public health research, insights, and evidence-based analysis from our team of experts.

All Posts

All Workforce News Health equity Commentary Research Policy Mental health Society
Health equity

COVID-19 Models Missed the Social Determinants of Health

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, infectious disease models played a crucial role in guiding public health responses. But new research reveals a critical gap in these early models—most failed to incorporate social determinants of health (SDH), such as race, income, and geographic location, despite their impact on how the virus affected different […]

Read more →
Policy

The Fragile Balance of Trust

Imagine scrolling through your newsfeed and encountering a headline about a miraculous new COVID-19 cure. The article looks legitimate, but how do you decide whether to believe it? This decision hinges on an intricate psychological mechanism called epistemic trust—our ability to assess the credibility of knowledge and determine if it’s relevant, accurate, and worth adopting. […]

Read more →
Health equity

How Socioeconomic Factors Shape Lifetime Healthcare Costs

Healthcare policy debates often focus on costs, accessibility, and fairness. A new study, leveraging comprehensive data from Denmark, flips the script on a common assumption: that lower-income individuals consistently use more healthcare resources over their lifetime than wealthier individuals. This research reveals a surprising equality in lifetime healthcare expenditures across socioeconomic groups, even in a […]

Read more →
Commentary

A Clinical Trial is the Definition of Vaccine Skepticsm.

Next Week in Public Health, December 6, 2024 After a month of discouragement and avoiding the news, I’ve been back at monitoring what’s going on from a policy perspective in the US. Obviously, the big change is the incoming administration and what several, eh, sketchy picks for different agency heads might have for public health. […]

Read more →
Wellbeing

How Fulfilling Employee Values Boosts Wellbeing and Productivity

In today’s work environments, where burnout and job dissatisfaction are on the rise, a study offers a simple insight: supporting employees to fulfill what they value at work leads to long-term benefits like job satisfaction, productivity, and reduced burnout. This isn’t just about the work they do—it’s about enabling people to thrive by aligning work […]

Read more →
Workforce

What do you get for an MPH?

Imagine you’ve invested years in earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, hoping to climb the career ladder and make a meaningful impact in your field. But what if the reality of the job market doesn’t align with these aspirations? This question drove a recent study from the University of Haifa in Israel, which […]

Read more →
Commentary

From Data-Driven to Data-Informed

In public health, data has become the cornerstone of our work. Whether it’s tracking disease outbreaks, measuring health disparities, or evaluating program outcomes, the demand for data has never been greater. Buzzwords like “data-driven decision-making” are often celebrated as the gold standard. But as public health professionals, we know the world isn’t as simple as […]

Read more →
Health equity

Hidden Costs of Preventive Care: Why Understanding Patient Demographics Matters

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was introduced, it promised to make preventive care free for many Americans. This exemption from cost-sharing for services like cancer screenings, diabetes tests, and cholesterol checks aimed to improve health equity. But new research sheds light on a troubling reality: unexpected out-of-pocket (OOP) costs continue to affect many patients, […]

Read more →
Policy

Did Philadelphia’s Soda Tax Help Kids Lose Weight?

When Philadelphia implemented its soda tax in 2017, many hoped it would be a game-changer in the fight against childhood obesity. The logic seemed simple: tax sugary drinks, reduce consumption, and improve health outcomes for kids. But did it work? A new study provides some surprising answers, challenging assumptions and sparking questions about the most […]

Read more →
Funding

How New York’s Ground Ambulance Law Impacted Emergency Prices

Imagine being in a medical emergency, vulnerable, and unable to choose your ground ambulance provider. When the ambulance arrives, the last thing on your mind is whether it’s in-network. This was the reality for many people until New York took a bold step in 2015 by enacting surprise billing regulations to shield patients from unexpected […]

Read more →
Health equity

How FIFA’s Playbook Could Revolutionize Global Health Equity

When you think about FIFA, global health probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, a recent article suggests (will download a .pdf) that the international governing body of soccer could offer valuable lessons for achieving fairer benefit-sharing in global health. Specifically, the authors propose adapting FIFA’s training compensation and solidarity mechanisms to […]

Read more →
PubTrawlr News

Next Week in Public Health, November 29, 2024

It’s been a doozy of a month. We’re on the cusp of a major policy change in public health in America, and it’s not clear how to move forward yet. We’ll be talking to people, consulting the literature, and basically doing what we have to do to make all people can achieve wellness, broadly defined. […]

Read more →

Get the public-health insights you need—
every Thursday morning.

We scan 70+ journals so you don't have to.
One email. Zero jargon. Unsubscribe anytime.

Want to see what you'll get?

View Sample: Americans Back Social Media Health Warnings

🔒 No spam. 1-click opt-out. Privacy-first.