Jon Scaccia, Author at This Week In Public Health

Research

Boosting Drug Recycling: What’s Driving Success?

Imagine a world where expired drugs don’t pile up in medicine cabinets and eventually in our landfills, where their harmful effects seep into ecosystems. Instead, these drugs find their way to proper recycling channels. Picture a bustling community pharmacy, bustling with residents dropping off their expired or unused medications, supported by store staff eager to […]

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AI

AI Tailors Medical Discharge Letters

Imagine a nurse sitting at her desk, overwhelmed by a stack of medical paperwork, each containing a discharge letter that’s more complex and impersonal than the last. In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, these letters are crucial for ensuring patients receive seamless care after leaving the hospital. However, their length and complexity often hinder healthcare professionals […]

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News

Vaccine Vigilance Lost: Pennsylvania’s Public Health in Peril

Just a couple of decades ago, Pittsburgh’s Arsenal Elementary was the frontline of a historic triumph: a sprawling trial of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine that helped defeat a devastating epidemic. Today, in a tragic echo, the very same schools that once pioneered medical breakthroughs are at high risk of harboring measles outbreaks, a preventable disease […]

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Social media analysis

Social Media’s Health Marketing Trap: What’s at Stake?

A high school student scrolls through her social media feed. Between photos of friends and trending memes, a post catches her eye: a new herbal supplement that claims to boost fitness without exercise. Intrigued, she clicks the link, influenced by the influencer’s perfect physique and accessible tips. How Digital Misinformation is Shaping Health Decisions In […]

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Environment

Minimum Wage and the Public Health Workforce

Raising the minimum wage in public health isn’t just about pay. It’s about quality vs reach. Higher wages can improve care but may reduce how many people get served. Here’s what the evidence suggests.

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Global

War’s Health Crisis in Gaza

On a bustling morning in Gaza, amidst the din of ambulances and crumbling infrastructure, a healthcare worker stood helpless outside a half-demolished hospital. The scene was one of despair. Broken equipment, long patient queues, and children missing lifesaving vaccines. This is daily life in the Gaza Strip, where the consequences of war extend far beyond […]

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Communication

Can We “Fix America’s Food System”? A Closer Look at RFK Jr.’s Claims and What the Evidence Actually Says

In April 2026, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched The Secretary Kennedy Podcast, a government-backed platform designed to bring public health conversations directly to the public. On its surface, the pitch is compelling: cut through bureaucracy, speak plainly, and confront the chronic disease crisis head-on. The debut episode, featuring Robert Irvine, zeroes in on a familiar […]

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AI

Balancing Transparency and Privacy in Healthcare Data

In a bustling urban hospital, a young doctor reviews an electronic health record (EHR) before stepping into a patient’s room. Unbeknownst to him, the data in that record could soon enter the marketplace, where it would be traded and analyzed by parties far removed from patient care. The commodification of health data presents a unique […]

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AI

AI Bias: Tackling the Butterfly Effect

In a bustling office in downtown Los Angeles, a data scientist named Lucy is hard at work developing an algorithm meant to improve loan approvals. She believes her efforts will lead to a fairer, more efficient system that can transcend human biases. However, Lucy soon faces a challenge many in the field are grappling with: […]

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News

Cutting Through the Clutter: Innovation, Medicare, and the Stakes for Public Health

This week’s public health headlines pull back the curtain on the tangled dance between innovation, policy, and the real-world impact on patients and caregivers. From a freshly proposed Medicare policy shakeup to the behind-the-scenes hurdles slowing cutting-edge diagnostics, and even practical help for seniors navigating medical equipment reuse, the news pulses with the tension between […]

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Health equity

Antimicrobial Resistance Is Accelerating: Here’s What Public Health Needs to Do Now

Here’s a number that should stop you in your tracks. By 2050, antimicrobial resistance is projected to kill more people than cancer. That’s not a fringe estimate from a sensationalist headline. That’s what leading scientists said in Davos in January 2026, in front of the world’s most powerful decision-makers. In 2026, the evidence is clear […]

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Global

Food as Medicine Is No Longer a Fringe Idea: The Evidence Is Catching Up Fast

Here is a number worth sitting with. One in five deaths globally is attributable to poor diet, more than tobacco, more than high blood pressure, more than any other single risk factor. Not in low-income countries alone. Everywhere. And yet the dominant model of healthcare in the United States still treats food as something that […]

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Latest Insights & Research

All Posts

Boosting Drug Recycling: What’s Driving Success?

AI Tailors Medical Discharge Letters

Vaccine Vigilance Lost: Pennsylvania’s Public Health in Peril

Minimum Wage and the Public Health Workforce

War’s Health Crisis in Gaza

Can We “Fix America’s Food System”? A Closer Look at RFK Jr.’s Claims and What the Evidence Actually Says

Balancing Transparency and Privacy in Healthcare Data

AI Bias: Tackling the Butterfly Effect

Cutting Through the Clutter: Innovation, Medicare, and the Stakes for Public Health

Antimicrobial Resistance Is Accelerating: Here’s What Public Health Needs to Do Now

Food as Medicine Is No Longer a Fringe Idea: The Evidence Is Catching Up Fast

Latest Insights & Research

All Posts

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