Cool new paper by colleagues @hsph.harvard.edu on school districts as proxies for neighborhood. District boundaries are underutilized in #pophealth research, limiting our ability to understand health impacts of school exposures. doi.org/10.1016/j.ss... @iaphs.bsky.social @capolicylab.bsky.social 1/

@christinajcross.bsky.social's fabulous book painstakingly details how family structure is - and isn't - related to children's academic achievements, including insights into why pushing marriage won't alleviate race and ethnic differences in achievement.

Thanks @dataindex.us for hosting webinar on Trump administration's cancellation of PRAMS, the only national long-term survey data on perinatal & infant health. Register to learn more, including action steps: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... @popassocamerica.bsky.social @societyforepi.bsky.social

I was interviewed for @theguardian.com by the wonderful @melodyschreiber.com, one of the finest health reporters in the world, about what I called a “neocolonialist” study planned by Danish researchers in Guinea-Bissau, funded by RFK Jr. So many red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

CDC PRAMS office is still non-operational, but there's an opportunity for public comment on proposal to support continued collection of state PRAMS data. Please leave even a few sentences, stating support for this critical maternal & child health resource: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20... 1/

🚨Job alert! We're hiring experienced programmer to analyze national Medicaid claims data, along w/ colleague Ari Ne'eman @hsph.harvard.edu. Details & application instructions: careers.harvard.edu/job/statisti... @societyforepi.bsky.social @popassocamerica.bsky.social @ashecon.bsky.social @apha.org

Study by faculty affiliate @ritahamad.bsky.social & colleagues finds an association between the expanded child tax credit, temporarily distributed monthly during the pandemic, and a reduction in child behavioral problems... hsph.harvard.edu/news/child-b...

🚨New Paper🚨 US doctors are paid very different amounts for treating different patients—even when providing identical services. How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients? In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7) jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

New National Archives data on WIC rollout shows access during pregnancy reduces low birth weight, specifically for Black infants—narrowing the racial gap by 3.6 percent, from Marianne Bitler, Danea Horn, Esra Kose, Maria Rosales-Rueda, and Arian Seifoddini www.nber.org/papers/w34521

What happens to self-reported race/ethnicity when you change the way you ask it? There is some discordance. And it is consequential for estimating quantities of interest, like disease risks by population group. See our ppr: arxiv.org/pdf/2501.023... #econsky #medsky @johnmullahy.bsky.social

New research brief by UCSF PhD student and SPHERE affiliate @whitneywells.bsky.social on #paidleave. The US is the only high-income country without such a policy, despite clear health benefits, summarize here: hsph.harvard.edu/wp-content/u... @paidleaveforall.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/

Important new paper on policy implementation and how to reduce stigma and boost participation in safety net policies.

New paper led by G Wang @ucsf-ihps.bsky.social is among first to examine #childhealth impacts of 2021 #ctc, finding improved behavioral health. After policy expired, #childhealth worsened. This suggests policymakers should focus on more frequent payments. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 1/

In our latest study, we examined effect of pandemic-era school re-openings on kids' use of #mentalhealth services, finding reductions esp for older girls. This speaks to importance of schools for kids' mental health. journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... @hsph.harvard.edu @harvardeducation.bsky.social 1/

In our latest study, we examined effect of pandemic-era school re-openings on kids' use of #mentalhealth services, finding reductions esp for older girls. This speaks to importance of schools for kids' mental health. journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... @hsph.harvard.edu @harvardeducation.bsky.social 1/

New piece @jamahealthforum.com by @hsph.harvard.edu colleague Sommers on "Rhetoric vs Reality on Immigrants' Health Care Spending." Latest policies mostly cut coverage for documented immigrants and US-born people. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @nilc.org @centeronbudget.bsky.social @immcouncil.org

Interesting new paper on how research studies increasingly claim policy relevance, especially observational studies with weaker causal evidence: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1.... A cautionary tale; overstating evidence based on a single study harms scientific credibility. @societyforepi.bsky.social

Glad to see continued coverage @wcvb5.bsky.social of loss of critical maternal & child PRAMS data: www.wcvb.com/article/mass... We need urgent advocacy & action to restore CDC funding & maintain access to existing data. @datarescueproject.org @hsph.harvard.edu @icpsr.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov

This Friday, December 5 @ Noon ET, join our faculty affiliate @rachel-meltzer.bsky.social for an @areuea.bsky.social Policy Forum: Opportunity Zones: How Have they Changed and How Are They Working? areuea.memberclicks.net/areuea-polic...

💬 Viewpoint: @kff.org polling indicates nearly three-quarters of US adults support congressional extension of #ACA premium tax credits, making health care affordability a decisive economic issue in upcoming elections and policy debates. ja.ma/4oZfvaB

"When there are too few homes, the people with the most resources win and the people who have the fewest resources lose.” www.keranews.org/news/2025-11...  #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism

New report highlights how administrative burdens in SNAP access can lead to downstream negative financial consequences for families. Important implications given dramatic ⬆️ in admin burden with this administration: www.nber.org/papers/w34434 @nber.org @capolicylab.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social

Wow, so many great upcoming events @iaphs.bsky.social for academics and practitioners, hosted by some of the most thoughtful leaders in #pophealth. Check them out, and consider becoming a member for insider access! iaphs.org/tools-for-su... @societyforepi.bsky.social @popassocamerica.bsky.social

Latest study by SPHERE postdocs A. Ali & @emilydore.bsky.social finds that expansions of EITC for young adults w/out kids boosted mental heath. This group is often excluded from safety net policies, but they are at a critical juncture of life course. doi.org/10.1111/1468... @mdrc-news.bsky.social 1/

Members of the Interdisciplinary Assoc for Population Health Science will now have their publications featured (and briefly open access!) to help share their important work. Details: iaphs.org/share-your-p.... Moral of the story: join @iaphs.bsky.social! And read more about our members' research!

What's this mean for NIH-funded scientists? It means the next time that Trump/RFK/JB want to terminate grants on topics they don't like, they'll have less trouble in court defending their actions. It also means less certainty for scientists, less research, and more harm to US scientific leadership

New piece by @hsph.harvard.edu colleague Nancy Krieger on Trump's weaponization of science & hypocrisy in dismantling of research infrastructure: "Challenging The Administration’s Weaponized And Lethal 'Gold Standard Science'" www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore... @popassocamerica.bsky.social

I had the pleasure of curating a collection of articles for #HAScholar special collection on social policies & #health. The full collection is now freely available online, including articles on policy impacts, implementation barriers & more: academic.oup.com/healthaffair... @kathrynp-phd.bsky.social

🚨 New paper: “The Bodily Scars of Legal Violence: Local immigration enforcement, state immigrant policy, & health inequality” 🚨 Forthcoming in @sfjournal.bsky.social w @ngraetz.bsky.social @atheendar.bsky.social & Robin Ortiz academic.oup.com/sf/advance-a...

Lots of exciting events @iaphs.bsky.social coming up soon on interdisciplinary #pophealth topics for trainees and researchers. E.g., #scicomm, how to develop research, working with communities, etc. Webinars open to the public! iaphs.org/tools-for-su...

📣 In a new paper using data on >11,000 kids, we find children who are #evicted suffer worse mental health & increased sleep problems... but so do children whose families simply struggle to pay the rent each month, implicating the health of 100,000s of young people in the housing crisis. #episky 🧪

New study finds more generous state safety net policies w/ fewer administrative barriers are linked to better birth outcomes, esp for marginalized groups. Very relevant finding in current policy environment! doi.org/10.1016/j.so... @gabeschwartz.bsky.social @npwf.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social

The aggressive immigration raids we now see across the nation began 10 months ago in California's Central Valley. Their impact on children, families, and communities is an important & active area of research I'm pleased my study of the initial raid's early impact on students is now out in @pnas.org

An estimated 61% of US children have been enrolled in #Medicaid or CHIP and 42% have experienced periods of uninsurance by age 18, with insurance disruptions being more common in states with restrictive Medicaid policies. ja.ma/47Vjn6y

New article @nytimes.com on how SNAP & other safety net programs are inaccurately portrayed as "Democrat" programs, when in fact they help Americans of all stripes: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o... @hsph.harvard.edu @tombedsall.bsky.social @centeronbudget.bsky.social @americanprogress.bsky.social

Reminder: even if administration complies with judges' orders & pays out #SNAP benefits, there will be delays given timeline, and many families will still need support because of reductions to SNAP as part of #OBBBA. Consider donating to your local food bank: www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo...

Reminder: even if administration complies with judges' orders & pays out #SNAP benefits, there will be delays given timeline, and many families will still need support because of reductions to SNAP as part of #OBBBA. Consider donating to your local food bank: www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo...

Did you know? The US has one of the highest child poverty rates of OECD countries. The average child poverty rate across OECD countries is 12.2% In the US, it’s over 20% It’s partly why many children rely on SNAP High rates of child poverty warrant a national conversation.

Calvin and Hobbes, speaking deep truths even about our world today. Thanks, @billwatterson.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

SNAP boosts households' average monthly income by 31%. For households with kids, it's 42%. SNAP prevents food insecurity, but it also enables households use scarce non-SNAP resources for other things... rent, utilities, diapers, school supplies... from: www.fns.usda.gov/data-researc... 🥗 🛟

Not new, but still a crisis: CDC PRAMS staff were also laid off this year, removing access to the only national survey data on prenatal & postpartum health. HHS is jeopardizing the health of US kids in many ways. hsph.harvard.edu/news/with-fe... @hsph.harvard.edu @icpsr.bsky.social @npwf.bsky.social

Excited to share an op-ed by @ucsfmedicine.bsky.social PhD student @whitneywells.bsky.social on her personal experiences with #paidleave after childbirth, and how they intersect with her research. progressive.org/op-eds/paid-... @paidleaveforall.bsky.social @scholars.org 1/

New article @jamanetworkopen.com showing cash during pregnancy ⬆️ prenatal care among women in Flint. Cash support to low-income families supports healthy babies & kids, but our current safety net falls short. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @monahanna.bsky.social @michiganstateu.bsky.social

Rita Hamad, professor of social epidemiology and public policy, explains why losing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System puts the health of mothers and infants at risk, and how she hopes to help keep its data accessible. “Without data, we can’t fix problems,” says @ritahamad.bsky.social

Important post @ipums.bsky.social showing how unique CPS data are for measuring food insecurity. Other data sets fall short. This reinforces how troubling USDA/Trump's recent cancellation of CPS data on food security is. blog.popdata.org/food-securit... @hsph.harvard.edu @npr.org @bostonglobe.com

Join letter to congressional leaders rejecting USDA's decision to halt data collection and release of food security reports. Support restoring funding for the Food Security Supplement in the Current Population Survey. Individuals: buff.ly/m2pb60w Organizations: buff.ly/VLQjNjg

PAA and Government Affairs Committee member Colleen Heflin, alongside colleagues, authored this op-ed piece in The Hill: Now is not the time to stop measuring food insecurity buff.ly/sFy8n7u

Immigrant Nobel Prize winners exiting the United States

Feel hopeless bc Congress and the President don’t care about families in your community? Send this report to your mayor and city council members!

I looked into research about the short and long-term struggles that children living in poverty face, including access to food, healthcare and education. Thank you to Dr. @ritahamad.bsky.social and Dr. Joseph Llobrera for speaking with me for this story.