Newsletters

An elderly doctor with glasses places a stethoscope to a baby in a doctor's office.

Employers are failing to insure the working class – Medicaid cuts will leave them even more vulnerable

Sumit Agarwal, University of Michigan

Two small sacks of cocaine, a syringe, cocaine on a spoon and opioids spilling out of a pill bottle sit on a table.

Speedballing – the deadly mix of stimulants and opioids – requires a new approach to prevention and treatment

Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi

The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands

Paul Shafer, Boston University and Kristefer Stojanovski, Tulane University

A woman in a light blue raincoat holds a sign covering her face that says SAVE THE ACA.
Keeping brain-dead pregnant women on life support raises ethical issues that go beyond abortion politics

Lindsey Breitwieser, Hollins University

A photo of a silhouette in profile of a young woman, with curly hair in a bump, stands and holds her hands on her back.
Philadelphians with mental illness want to work, pray, date and socialize just like everyone else – here’s how creating more inclusive communities is good for public health

Mark Salzer, Temple University

View from behind of man sitting on edge of bed looking out of window lined with houseplants.
Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

Gregory J. Dick, University of Michigan

Green streaks swirl in the water of Lake Erie. Farm fields are evident nearby.

News in context

Read the latest Health + Medicine articles

A preservative removed from childhood vaccines 20 years ago is still causing controversy today − a drug safety expert explains

Terri Levien, Washington State University

Influenza vaccine bottles lined up in rows on a white table
Supreme Court rules that states may deny people covered by Medicaid the freedom to choose Planned Parenthood as their health care provider

Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia and Sonia Suter, George Washington University

A protester holds a sign aloft that says 'Women on Medicaid deserve choices too,' with another sign in the background that says 'Keep Abortion Legal,'
I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what RFK Jr. gets wrong

Jake Scott, Stanford University

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. holds up his hand at a Make America Healthy Again event.
How to stay safe during heat waves – and heat stroke warning signs to watch for

Brian Bossak, College of Charleston

A young man stands under a waterfall and splashes water onto his face. The photo catches the rippling waves of the water falling.

Health Policy

Close-up of manila folders with color-coded numbered stickers on their sides

Data on sexual orientation and gender is critical to public health – without it, health crises continue unnoticed

John R. Blosnich, University of Southern California

When you lose your health insurance, you may also lose your primary doctor – and that hurts your health

Jane Tavares, UMass Boston and Marc Cohen, UMass Boston

Female doctor reviews test results with a male patient at health clinic examination room.
RFK Jr’s shakeup of vaccine advisory committee raises worries about scientific integrity of health recommendations

Santosh Kumar Gautam, University of Notre Dame

A nurse in a face mask administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a woman.
Cuts to school lunch and food bank funding mean less fresh produce for children and families

Marlene B. Schwartz, University of Connecticut

A middle school boy stands in line at his school cafeteria.
US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that’s no accident – a public health historian explains how the system was shaped to serve profit and politicians

Zachary W. Schulz, Auburn University

Near a nurses' station in a busy hospital, staff make the rounds and a patient in a gurney is wheeled down the hallway.

Read more about health policy

Healthy lifestyles

Nostalgic foods and scents like fresh-cut grass and hamburgers grilling bring comfort, connection and well-being

Chelsea Reid, College of Charleston

Two children in swimsuits shoot water at one another in the foreground as a grandfather-aged man grills in the background.
Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh

Freshly awakened young woman stretches her arms upward, facing a sunny window.
Your brain learns from rejection − here’s how it becomes your compass for connection

Begüm Babür, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Child sitting on bench watching other children play with a ball
MAHA report on children’s health highlights harms of ultraprocessed foods – a food scientist explains the research

Paul Dawson, Clemson University

An assortment of unhealthy foods
Read more about healthy lifestyles

Reproductive health

Rear view of a woman taking a pregnancy test at home

3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk

Cynthia H. Chuang, Penn State and Carol S. Weisman, Penn State

How abortion laws focusing on fetal viability miss the mark on women’s experiences

Katrina Kimport, University of California, San Francisco and Tracy A. Weitz, American University

A couple looks anxiously at an ultrasound screen.
Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women

Matthew Nudy, Penn State

Older women in an exercise class
Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents

Kate Coleman-Minahan, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

An abortion clinic with an ultrasound machine and an empty clinic bed.
Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent preterm birth − new research

Mary J. Scourboutakos, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Pregnant woman sitting on couch with a plate of healthy food on her pregnant belly.
Read more about reproductive health care

COVID-19

A wall painted with hearts of varying sizes, with a person leaning against it, looking forlorn.

5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data

Dylan Thomas Doyle, University of Colorado Boulder

5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis

Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University

Inside a white tent, doctors wearing masks test a patient for COVID-19.
5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19

Rachel Besharat Mann, Wesleyan University and Gravity Goldberg, Wesleyan University

Four green pop up tents are arranged in a classroom with students seated inside them.
COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

Powel H. Kazanjian, University of Michigan

person enters city pharmacy advertising COVID-19 vaccinations
Is it COVID-19? Flu? At-home rapid tests could help you and your doctor decide on a treatment plan

Julie Sullivan, Emory University and Wilbur Lam, Georgia Institute of Technology

Plastic rapid test with COVID-19 and Flu A+B testing strips
Read more about COVID-19

Caregiving

When doctors don’t believe their patients’ pain – experts explain the all-too-common experience of medical gaslighting

Elizabeth Hintz, University of Connecticut and Marlene D. Berke, Yale University

View of a person clutching their groin area as if in pain.
Shaken baby syndrome can cause permanent brain damage, long-term disabilities or death – a pediatrician examines the preventable tragedy

Lori Frasier, Penn State

A brown-eyed infant with a downturned mouth and a sad look.
How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care

Jason Blomquist, Boise State University

Health care worker in blue scrubs standing by the window, arms crossed, rubbing their eyes
Stroke survivors may be saddled with an invisible disability known as spatial neglect – but a simple treatment offers significant improvement

A.M. Barrett, UMass Chan Medical School and Kevin Houston, UMass Chan Medical School

An elderly woman holding on to a cane looks out a window.

Read more about caregiving

Mental health

A view of people sitting in grass in leafy, grassy park

Philly psychology students map out local landmarks and hidden destinations where they feel happiest

Eric Zillmer, Drexel University

Chronic stress contributes to cognitive decline and dementia risk – 2 healthy-aging experts explain what you can do about it

Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, Penn State and Martin J. Sliwinski, Penn State

An elderly woman, looking sad and lonely, sits on a park bench.
Gratitude comes with benefits − a social psychologist explains how to practice it when times are stressful

Monica Y. Bartlett, Gonzaga University

Close-up view of a person's hand holding a blue-colored pencil, beginning to write in a journal.
Touch can comfort and heal, but also harm − a psychologist explains why gestures don’t always land as intended

Brian N. Chin, Trinity College

Two middle-aged women lean in and hold each other's hands.
Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions

Jordan Batchelor, Arizona State University; Charles Max Katz, Arizona State University, and Taylor Cox, Arizona State University

a black male adult stands at the front of a classroom as school-age children sitting at desks raise their hands
Read more about mental health

Mind and body

A page of a comic book that shows two Black women having a conversation about sex

I’m an expert in crafting public health messages: Here are 3 marketing strategies I use to make Philadelphia healthier

Sarah Bauerle Bass, Temple University

Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite

Sean Lawrence, West Virginia University

A closeup of a tick crawling on wood.
Is methylene blue really a brain booster? A pharmacologist explains the science

Lorne J. Hofseth, University of South Carolina

Methylene blue in a glass bottle in front of other chemical containers in a laboratory
Adolescents who smoke or vape may believe tobacco’s perceived coping benefits outweigh accepted health risks

Adriana Espinosa, City College of New York and Lesia M. Ruglass, City College of New York

Young person facing backward in red hoodie exhaling a thick cloud of vaping smoke.
LGBTQ+ patients stay up-to-date on preventive care when their doctors are supportive, saving money and lives throughout society

Nathaniel M. Tran, University of Illinois Chicago

Close-up of rainbow flag sticker on the pocket of a doctor's white coat, also adorned with a stethoscope, glasses, pen and surgical mask
Read more about the mind and body connection

Technology in health care

How 3D printing is personalizing health care

Anne Schmitz, University of Wisconsin-Stout and Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout

a girl with brightly colored prosthetic hands walks beside a woman pushing a baby in a stroller
Are you one of the millions about to have cataract surgery? Here’s what ophthalmologists say you need to know

Allan Steigleman, University of Florida and Elizabeth M. Hofmeister, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

A close-up photograph of a green eye.
Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues

Nancy S. Jecker, University of Washington and Andrew Ko, University of Washington

Brightly colored threads in the outline of a brain shape float against a dark background with constellation-like patterns.
A blood test that screens for multiple cancers at once promises to boost early detection

Colin Pritchard, University of Washington

Gloved hand holding a tube of blood
Read more about technology in health care

Research insights

1 in 3 Florida third graders have untreated cavities – how parents can protect their children’s teeth

Olga Ensz, University of Florida

Little girl holds her hand on her face in a dentist chair.
More than half of US teens have had at least one cavity, but fluoride programs in schools help prevent them – new research

Christina Scherrer, Kennesaw State University and Shillpa Naavaal, Virginia Commonwealth University

A group of elementary school children crowding before the camera and smiling.
Older adults with dementia misjudge their financial skills – which may make them more vulnerable to fraud, new research finds

Ian McDonough, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Cropped shot of a senior couple doing their household finances while sitting at home
Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows

Katherine G. Hastings, University of British Columbia and Rebeccah Sokol, University of Michigan

Happy teenagers laughing while sitting with their friends on a bench on an autumn day.
Read more health research