Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Communication

Beyond “Trust the Science”: How Public Health Must Relearn How to Engage Communities

Public health is facing a paradox. On the one hand, never before has scientific evidence played such a visible role in public life. During COVID-19, epidemiological models shaped national policy. Scientists became household names. Research moved at historic speed. On the other hand, trust fractured. Scientists were harassed. Communities disengaged. Evidence was reframed as ideology. […]

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Climate

When Cyclones Fade, the Mental Health Toll Grows

क्या आप जानते हैं कि दिस वीक इन पब्लिक हेल्थ अब हिंदी को भी सपोर्ट करता है? बस नीचे बाईं ओर दिए गए आइकन को टॉगल करें! In the days after a cyclone makes landfall, the focus is clear: restore power, rebuild roads, distribute food, reopen clinics. On India’s eastern and western coasts, these routines […]

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Society

Can Sports Drive Racial Justice? What the Evidence Says

Note: This article is cross-posted from our sister site: This Week in Public Health. On a warm summer night in 2020, a local health department staffer scrolls through her phone after a long shift. The headlines aren’t about COVID case counts or vaccination clinics. They’re about athletes—kneeling, striking, refusing to play. In between emergency briefings […]

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Commentary

How “Gold-Standard Science” Has Been Weaponized in Public Health

As we close out the year, I want to revisit one of my least favorite trends. The misappropriation of scientific language. In public health, few phrases carry more authority than “gold-standard science.” It signals rigor, objectivity, and trustworthiness. But increasingly, this language is being repurposed—not to improve decisions, but to shut them down. What was […]

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Health tips

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions That Actually Work

Just after midnight on January 1, a woman in Stockholm opened her notes app and typed a simple line: “Take better care of my health.” Like millions of people around the world, she was fueled by the optimism of a fresh start. But she also wondered—as most of us do—Will this actually work? A recent […]

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Funding

The Impact of Privatization on Healthcare Access and Public Health Outcomes

In recent years, many countries have shifted toward privatizing healthcare systems, reshaping the global landscape of public health. This trend, driven by various factors including economic pressures, promises improved efficiency and innovation. However, it has also sparked debates about its impacts on access, quality, and health equity. Privatization in Healthcare: An Overview Healthcare privatization involves […]

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Epi

The Hidden Rise of Human Bite Injuries in Ghana

It starts with a moment of conflict—a heated argument, a domestic dispute, a fight that escalates too quickly. At a small clinic in the Volta Region of Ghana, a young man arrives with a deep injury on his arm. He’s embarrassed and reluctant to explain what happened. The nurse knows the pattern: the wound isn’t […]

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Epi

Navigating the Flu Surge This Season: Implications for Public Health Systems and Policy

This week, public health agencies around the world are alarmed as a new variant of the influenza virus is gaining momentum, putting additional strain on healthcare systems already grappling with COVID-19 aftermaths and various seasonal illnesses. According to reports from the United Nations and the BBC, the flu season has started early this year, with […]

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Society

Does Economic Growth Really Improve Health? New Evidence Says “It Depends”

A public health planner reviews the latest economic report: GDP is up, unemployment is steady, and investment is flowing. On paper, things look good. But emergency departments are busier, chronic disease rates remain stubborn, and disability claims keep climbing. The question lingers in the background: if the economy is growing, why doesn’t health seem to […]

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