Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Commentary

Destined to Suffer. How Prosperity Theology Is Shaping U.S. Health Policy

What if your health wasn’t just a matter of biology or economics, but of divine judgment? For centuries, American culture has been shaped by an unspoken theology: that the healthy are favored, and the sick are suspect. Today, as proposed cuts to Medicaid target the most vulnerable, it is worth asking. Are we still living […]

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Resources

Seeing the Big Picture: How System Dynamics Can Transform Public Health

Public health challenges rarely have simple causes or single solutions. Obesity, addiction, pandemics, and climate change all emerge from complex systems: interacting networks of behavior, policy, economics, and environment. To make lasting change, public health leaders need tools that help them see the bigger picture. That’s where System Dynamics comes in. What Is System Dynamics? […]

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AI

The AI-Driven Infodemic Threatening Public Health

A few years ago, “publish or perish” was an academic cliché. Today, it’s being supercharged by machines. Since ChatGPT burst into the scene in late 2022, artificial intelligence has infiltrated nearly every corner of science—writing, reviewing, and even summarizing research papers. The result? A flood of AI-generated studies that could overwhelm even the most diligent […]

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Health tips

Why Connection Is Public Health’s Missing Link

“Sometimes,” a local health director recently said, “I can get someone an appointment faster than I can find them a friend.” That quiet admission captures the paradox at the heart of the new U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. While clinical interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help individuals manage […]

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Policy

When Cannabis Laws Change, So Do Crash Risks

Picture this: It’s 1:45 a.m. on a quiet stretch of highway. A state trooper responds to a crash that looks like a tangle of metal and glass. Toxicology reports will later show what the eye cannot — both alcohol and cannabis were involved. It’s a scene that’s become increasingly familiar across the United States, where […]

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News

Next Week in Public Health, October 23, 2025

APHA is coming up, and we’ll have more details about that soon. We’re partnering with WE in the World to share tools, strategies, and methods to help continue the work from a grassroots perspective. Here’s what’s in the research. And what’s in the news. Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over […]

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Environment

Zero-Fare Transit: Can Free Buses Improve Public Health?

I’m a Philly guy, and our public transportation system is a mess. There’s a lot of reasons for that, but I doubt you’ll find anyone who is satisfied with SEPTA. And this is a negative for public health throughout the city. But this happens in other cities, too. On a humid July morning in Kansas […]

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Wellbeing

How a Low-Budget Campaign Saved Lives in Barnet

In Barnet, a borough in North London, public health officials faced a grim reality: three-quarters of suicides in the UK are by men, yet only one in four had recent contact with mental health services. For many, help comes too late—or not at all. In 2021, Barnet launched a bold, low-budget initiative: a mix of […]

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Wellbeing

3 Ways “Voice to Vision” Is Rebuilding Trust in Civic Decision-Making

Only 14% of Americans say they trust their local government to do the right thing. A new MIT-led project, Voice to Vision, may change that—by turning community feedback from “black box” to open book. 🗣️ 1. Every Voice Gets Logged, Linked, and Seen Voice to Vision connects every piece of community input—every survey response, town […]

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Resources

The Game-Changing HIV Protection Jab in England and Wales

A new HIV protection jab, Cabotegravir (CAB-LA), has been approved for use in England and Wales. This injectable treatment, considered ‘game-changing’ by health professionals, is set to become available to patients on the National Health Service (NHS), offering a significant alternative to traditional daily pills used for HIV prevention. The Breakthrough Injection Cabotegravir is a […]

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