Brown SPH in the news

Research Associate Abdullah Shihipar penned this column on how public engagement and storytelling are intertwined with public health. 

A study led by researchers at Brown University suggests that while other risks remain, smoking marijuana can temporarily cut down how much people drink.

A Brown-led study of the nation’s first state-level SNAP fruit and vegetable incentive program finds small gains for some in the Rhode Island program but highlights overall need for better outreach and access.

School of Public Health Dean Ashish Jha writes about three things in public health to be thankful for this year.

Associate Professor Christopher Whaley comments on why health care is so expensive in the US and what can be done.

A new study led by researchers at Brown University suggests that while other risks remain, smoking marijuana can temporarily cut down how much people drink.

Researchers from Brown University School of Public Health, Harvard and RAND report that young people are turning to generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, for emotional support at unexpectedly high rates.

Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown, provided commentary in this article. 

At the Children’s Health Defense conference in Texas, Craig Spencer saw what public health is up against at the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering

Distinguished Senior Fellow Stephanie Psaki argues that the world is at a rare moment in history where science could stop the next pandemic before it starts — if we choose to act.

A study by researchers at the Center for Health System Sustainability shows that a rising premature death rate means Medicare isn’t helping as many people as intended.

Researchers at Brown, including Director of the Center for Climate, Environment & Health Joseph Braun, led a study in that found poor air quality had a negative effect on marathon finish times.

The number of Rhode Island households experiencing food insecurity more than doubled from 18% in 2021 to 38% in 2024, according to survey data from the School of Public Health and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Dean Ashish Jha explains why undermining vaccines will endanger Americans’ freedom in the Boston Globe.

Kaley Hayes, associate director of pharmacoepidemiology at Brown University’s Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, interviewed on pharmacy deserts.

Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice and Biostatistics Alyssa Bilinski and her work on the impact of excluding pregnant women from controlled trials of medications a focus of this news feature.

A new study researchers at CAAS on the benefits of going one month sober.

Experts from the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research comment on this Providence Journal investigation.

Professor of Behavioral and Social Science Tara White is quoted and her 2021 paper on dignity neuroscience is cited in this Globe Ideas essay.

Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown, commented on the top worries around bird flu in the U.S.

Many parents believe their children are getting plenty of sleep—but new research from Brown University suggests that notion may be far from the truth. “What parents often don’t see is how long it takes for kids to fall asleep or how often they wake up during the night,” explained paper author and behavioral scientist professor Diana Grigsby-Toussaint in a statement.

Biostatistics Alyssa Bilinski led a new study to quantify the impact of excluding pregnant women from controlled trials of medications.

Distinguished Senior Fellow Nikki Romanik wrote this op-ed with Demetre Daskalakis on how the name change of mpox will erode years of progress in vaccination and treatment, undermine trusted mpox communication and stigmatize the communities most impacted.

Among its many painful lessons, the COVID-19 pandemic taught us that America’s defenses against a devastating health crisis were far weaker than most had reason to expect. More than 1.2 million Americans lost their lives to COVID, the most of any country. It’s puzzling and frightening to watch the Trump Administration dismantle initiatives aimed at keeping us safe from another pandemic.

The Trump administration’s claims about Tylenol and autism — and the weak science used to support them — must be called out for what they are: reckless, disappointing, and dangerous, says Ashish K. Jha.

Keeping women out of randomized controlled trials has let uncertainty flourish, says Alyssa Bilinksi.

Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, joins ‘Fast Money’ to discuss new government guidance on Tylenol use during pregnancy, why leading studies show no link to autism, the reaction from obstetricians, and the challenges facing women navigating medication options, and much more.

Commenting for PBS Newshour, Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist who directs the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health says the manner in which the ACIP was reshaped in recent months, and Kennedy’s statements and actions on vaccines, has worked to undermine public health workers and institutions.

Republicans pushed for more oversight, or complete removal, of nonprofits’ tax-exempt status. Democrats warned restrictions could cause hospital closures. Christopher Whaley, associate director of Brown University’s Center of Advancing Health Policy through Research comments.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, says the problem with RFK Jr.’s MAHA report is it falls short in its honesty, its innovation, and the evidence.

“It is estimated that essential medicines are unaffordable or unavailable to 1 in 4 people worldwide,” wrote the authors of a recent article published in a JAMA Health Forum that was led by Olivier J. Wouters, PhD, of Brown University School of Public Health.

Under the guidance of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., rather than relying on evidence-based recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to inform vaccination decisions, it is now recommended that vaccination involve a discussion between patients and their physicians, says Scott Rivkees, a professor of practice at the Brown School of Public Health.

With the CDC in disarray and its future uncertain, this episode explores what’s driving the exodus of agency staff and what this means for national health security. Jennifer Nuzzo is a featured guest.

Ashish Jha comments on the Food and Drug Administration scrutinizing the common practice of giving coronavirus and flu shots together.

The only way out is a new HHS secretary.

A study of how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to queries about suicide found that they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm people.

Texas health officials on Aug. 18 declared the end of a measles outbreak that had sickened more than 760 people across the state and killed two children. Doctors and public-health officials involved in the outbreak, most of whom had previously never encountered a measles patient, are now taking stock of what they’ve learned about the virus and the best ways to prevent and control outbreaks of the disease.

Stephanie Psaki writes that our best chance to reverse the decline in births is through a pro-family policy that gives Americans the freedom and support to build the lives—and families—they want.

Despite the health claims made about red wine, it turns out it’s no better than white wine, according to researchers from Brown University School of Public Health and Warren Alpert Medical Schools, who studied nearly 96,000 participants.

Randomized controlled trials should include pregnant women by Alyssa Bilinski, Peterson family assistant professor of health policy.

We had a playbook for handling biothreats. Then Trump pushed out the people who knew how to use it -- by Beth Cameron, Jon Finer, and Stephanie Psaki

A big, new study shows women who are victims of stalking are at significantly higher risk of heart disease. Liz Tobin-Tyler comments.

The Trump administration is canceling almost $500 million in contracts to develop mRNA vaccines to protect the U.S. against future viral threats. The move thrilled critics of the technology but horrified many public health and biosecurity experts like Jennifer Nuzzo of the Brown Pandemic Center.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha is dean of Brown University School of Public Health and a contributing Globe Opinion writer:

Over the past decade, the United States has made meaningful progress in expanding health coverage and improving care for millions of Americans. But that progress is now in jeopardy. The newly passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will have far-reaching consequences for the health insurance of millions of Americans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nearly 10 million Americans could lose their health insurance by 2034 as a result of the new legislation. In Massachusetts, officials estimate 300,000 people are at risk of losing their health coverage.

“You’re not going to restore trust in public health until you take some accountability for the mistakes you’ve made,” says Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator under President Joe Biden. “Then you’ve got to just keep spreading good information and you’ve got to build allies to do that across the political aisle.”

Stephanie Psaki was the U.S. coordinator for global health security at the Biden White House. She is currently a distinguished senior fellow in global health security at the Brown University School of Public Health:

Last week, the Trump administration rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a global treaty that the United States has been a part of since 2007. The rejection cited concerns about sovereignty, scientific freedom, and World Health Organization overreach.

Originally launched to track major pandemic outbreaks in the US and around the world, Brown University School of Public Health’s Pandemic Tracker now helps with a wide range of public health efforts. Led by Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center and professor of epidemiology at SPH, the tracker helps public and policy makers stay on top of disease outbreaks during a time of economic strain and political polarization.

A bill signed by Gov. Dan McKee to ban cell phones in schools will start in August 2026. Dr. Caroline Kistin from Brown University’s Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute has researched the topic of school cell phone bans. Kistin joined 12 News at 4 Friday to discuss what her research has shown and the legislation lawmakers approved last session.

If you’ve been outside on a smoggy day, you’ve probably noticed that your body reacts poorly to bad air quality. Maybe you coughed, or got a headache. But what actually happens to your body when you breathe in polluted air?

Craig Spencer, an associate professor of public health and emergency medicine at Brown penned this guest essay on the moral imperative of global health care.