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Stay updated with the latest public health research, commentary, and field notes from our editorial team.

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Can America’s Public Health System Survive the Next 3.5 Years?

August 28, 2025 · 5 min read

Recent leadership upheavals, budget cuts, and shrinking programs are reshaping the nation’s approach to preparing for health crises and managing chronic diseases. The next few years will depend heavily on politics, funding, and the balance between federal and state roles. The Current Trajectory (2025–2027) 1. A smaller, more politicized federal center. The removal of CDC […]

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Commentary

Reflections on the Next Week in Public Health

Every day is like some horrible day of roulette. Some outcomes are a loss. Some are neutral. Some seems okay, until you realized that you’re already in the hole and are just trying to get back to neutral. It gets fatiguing. We want to plug the data rescue project, who are doing yeoman’s work trying […]

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Communication

How Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Spread Faster Than the Pandemic

In August 2021, as the world was grappling with the Delta variant of COVID-19, another crisis was unfolding—this time, in the realm of information. A survey of over 10,000 Americans revealed a troubling truth: a significant portion of the population believed in alternative theories about the origins and purpose of the pandemic. These ranged from […]

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Communication

Better Communication Training Can Revolutionize Epidemiology

A single statistic, taken out of context, can shift healthcare decisions for millions. In the early 2000s, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for postmenopausal women was thrust under a glaring spotlight. A major trial found small but significant health risks, yet those numbers were presented in ways that seemed alarming without clear explanations of absolute risk. […]

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Commentary

Trump Speech Recap: Public Health in the Crosshairs

Trump’s address to Congress made it abundantly clear that federal public health efforts are being dismantled under the guise of “efficiency” and “common sense.” The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is tasked with eliminating waste, but as Trump noted, this includes funding for programs that address structural inequities. He […]

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Wellbeing

Could a Walk in the Park Be the Medicine We Need?

Picture this: You’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed by the demands of daily life. Instead of reaching for a screen or a sugary snack, you step outside into a park. Within minutes, your heart rate slows, your muscles relax, and your mind clears. Science backs this up—greenspaces don’t just beautify our cities, they transform our health. A […]

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Global

A Silent Crisis in Iraq’s Public Health

For years, Iraq has grappled with the devastating effects of war, economic instability, and shifting societal norms. While these challenges dominate headlines, another crisis has quietly escalated—one that kills just as indiscriminately but lacks the visibility of conflict or disaster. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major public health threat in Iraq, accounting for more […]

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Commentary

How an NSF Report Set the Stage for Current Anti-DEI Policies

Something slipped by last October when America’s attention was focused on the election. The NSF Politicized Funding report, chaired by Texas’s Ted Cruz and released by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s minority staff, asserted that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has increasingly allocated funding to research projects influenced by diversity, equity, […]

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Commentary

We Got Scammed: A Cautionary Tale About Research Recruitment Fraud

Online research recruitment is a powerful tool—until it backfires. We recently learned this the hard way when we and our colleagues over at Dawn Chorus posted a call for participants on Facebook for parents to share their experiences and perceptions of substance use patterns within a specific community. What happened next left us stunned, frustrated, […]

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