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Global

The 1950s WHO Drug Plan That Supplied 70% of India’s Penicillin

In the late 1940s, just as the world emerged from war and penicillin was transforming medicine, the newly formed World Health Organization (WHO) tried something extraordinary. It wasn’t just about distributing medicine—it was about ensuring that every country could make life-saving drugs themselves, free from corporate secrecy and political roadblocks. This is the story of […]

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Research

How to Prove Your Research Makes a Difference in the Real World

Every year, billions of dollars are spent on research, but how much of it actually changes lives, shapes policy, or saves money? A sweeping review by Greenhalgh and colleagues tackles this head-on, offering a roadmap for how to measure research impact so funders, policymakers, and the public can see what’s working. As public funding comes […]

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News

Next Week in Public Health, August 15, 2025

I know we didn’t pay enough attention to the shooting at the CDC last week. I could blame the firehouse of insanity, the bizarre lack of media coverage of this event, the general shrugs that accompany mass shootings, or the fact that I was in a daze working on a project. I don’t know. So […]

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Research

Being Better Ancestors for a Healing and Just Healthcare System

Healthcare in the United States is at a crossroads. Rising costs, declining (or precipitously falling) trust, and persistent racial and social inequities have made it clear: patchwork fixes and short-term programs aren’t enough. In their NEJM Catalyst article, Being Better Ancestors for a Healing and Just Healthcare System,” Somava Saha, MD, MS, Kellie Easton, and […]

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Environment

Living Near Illegal Dumpsites Doubles Respiratory Risks

Every morning in Rocklands, a township in Bloemfontein, South Africa, families step out into air tinged with smoke, dust, and decay. Just down the road lie vast illegal waste dumping sites—three of them—where household garbage, rotting food, and plastics pile up in the open air. It’s unsightly, yes. But as new research shows, it’s also […]

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Climate

Heat Deaths Rise 15% When You Count the Right People

Public health experts know that heat kills. But what if the way we measure heat is hiding just how deadly it really is, especially in the world’s hottest regions? A new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives reveals that the traditional methods used to estimate temperature—like relying on airport weather stations—may significantly underestimate heat-related deaths […]

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Policy

Best Public Health Tools for Local Government:

A Non-Partisan Guide to Data, Action, and Impact In cities, towns, and counties across the U.S., public health decisions are made every day that shape the well-being of communities. Whether you’re trying to lower asthma rates in a city neighborhood or improve maternal health outcomes in a rural area, the challenge is the same: you […]

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Commentary

Science is political

For centuries, science has been romanticized as an impartial pursuit, a process that stands above politics and social conflict. We are told that the scientific method is designed to remove bias and that data simply “speaks for itself.” Yet anyone who has watched science operate in the real world knows this is an incomplete picture. […]

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News

Next Week in Public Health, August 8, 2025

A couple of not-so-great breaking developments this week. First, a lot of new constraints around grantmaking. To be fair, I can get behind some of them (I’ve always thought some organizations’ indirects are bonkers), but others not so hot. You can read about it here. We also have the RFK Jr. news about cancelling mRNA […]

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Health equity

How Tackling Racism Could Reduce Chronic Illness

Imagine living in a neighborhood without parks, struggling to find healthy food, facing job discrimination, and fearing medical systems that have failed your family before. Now imagine that this daily stress doesn’t just wear on your mood—it wears on your body’s cells, your immune system, even your DNA. That’s the unsettling reality laid out in […]

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AI

AI Cannot Stop Misinformation Alone

You’re scrolling through your feed. A friend posts a study showing the safety of vaccines. Right below it, another post claims vaccines cause long-term harm, backed by a slick video and emotional testimonials. (I was actually doing this on an HHS post a few days ago) You click on the study. It’s full of stats, […]

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Health tips

89% Drop in Child Cyclist Deaths—But Adult Fatalities Tripled

Thirteen-year-old Christopher Kelley wasn’t wearing a helmet when a car struck him on a quiet Maryland road in 1989. His tragic death sparked something his community had never seen before: 50 of his eighth-grade classmates rallying lawmakers to pass a local helmet law. That single story helps explain how America’s patchwork of bicycle helmet mandates […]

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