HSPP / Health Services, Policy & Practice

A new study highlights how geography and regulations can block a lifesaving treatment for people in custody.

After witnessing stark racial disparities in Alzheimer’s care, Jada Owens pivoted from medicine to policy. The Brown Health Equity Scholar is headed to D.C. for a one-year Winston Fellowship to help shape the future of U.S. health care.

Using new statistical methods, researchers from Brown University find that rapid treatment of at least 70% of residents with antivirals within 48 hours reduces hospitalizations by 21%.

Erin Fuse Brown, professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown University School of Public Health, offers comments in this article.

This article covers Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Ateev Mehrotra's research showing that telemedicine coverage in Medicare may not substantially improve access for low-resourced and rural communities.

Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Ateev Mehrotra led a study that showed that greater use of telemedicine among mental health specialists did not substantially change whether they were seeing patients from rural or underserved areas.

A new study by Dr. Michael Barnett published finds found that Tylenol orders fell for pregnant women who visited the ER in the months after Trump’s statements, while prescriptions for leucovorin, a drug the administration touted as a potential autism treatment, rose.

In an opinion piece, Lauren Micalizzi, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences, and Liz Tobin-Tyler, a professor of health services, policy and practice and associate director of the School of Public Health, argue that laws pertaining to the use of cannabis by pregnant people need to be updated. 

Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Jason Buxbaum provided commentary for this article.

A study by Brown researchers found that Medicare’s “three-day rule” keeps patients in the hospital longer than needed without improving health outcomes or lowering Medicare costs.

Researchers find that differences in drug availability are driven more by when companies submit drugs for approval than review speed, especially for medicines that offer little added benefit to patients.

Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Ateev Mehrotra provided commentary in this article. 

Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice David Meyers provided commentary in this article. 

This article references survey findings from the RI Life Index, an annual survey by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Brown University School of Public Health.

A local pilot study between School of Public Health researchers and Meridian Senior Living has paved the way for a CDC-funded initiative to keep seniors safer across the country.

Professor Andrew Ryan and postdoctoral fellow Emily Shearer write how consolidating behavioral health beds and creating a freestanding emergency department could be a solution.

In this interview, the co-directors of Brown University’s new AIM Lab, emergency physician Dara Kass and legal expert Liz Tobin-Tyler, discuss the chaotic intersection of medicine and law.

Health Policy and Law Lab Director Erin Fuse Brown provided commentary in this article. 

Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Yashaswini Singh led a study that found private equity firms acquired more than 500 autism therapy centers during the past decade, with nearly 80% purchased between 2018 and 2022.

A Brown University School of Public Health analysis shows Oregon’s cap on hospital payments for the state employee health plan led to major savings without reducing services, staffing or patient satisfaction.

Young adults are turning to AI chatbots like ChatGPT for mental health advice, highlighting a massive shift in how people seek support. In this interview Dr. Ateev Mehrotra discusses the urgent need to balance AI's capacity for providing accessible, cost-effective care with its potential to cause harm.

A Brown University School of Public Health analysis shows Oregon’s cap on hospital payments for the state employee health plan led to major savings without reducing services, staffing or patient satisfaction.

Gabriella Stern details the challenge of fighting geopolitical scapegoating and false narratives amid America’s abrupt exit from the WHO at the latest Public Health in Practice Seminar.

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

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

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.

A new study linking pharmacy and Medicare data sheds light on pain management regimens for hip fracture patients in rehabilitation, and raises concerns about potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions.

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

The work highlights how current rules may allow health care giants that run both insurance and doctor networks to profit in ways that drive up costs and limit patient choice.

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.

In a new report, STAT Network highlights increasing threats and shows how states are rewriting playbooks in real time to protect American health, safety and economic vitality.

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.

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.

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

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

As the U.S. population ages, a study on the Older Americans Act Nutrition program reveals it delivers more than just food—recipients say it prevents nursing home placements, supports caregivers and provides a crucial daily social link.

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.

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.