Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected…

COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed over the past five years from a catastrophic threat that has killed over 7 million people to what most people regard today as a tolerable annoyance…

How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care

“Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point.” Sentiments like this echo across American hospitals and health care facilities, capturing…

Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show

Denver saw an increase in youth homelessness from 10% to 25% between 2017 and 2021, according to our study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal “Pediatrics.” We are two physicians…

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even though President Donald Trump has previously…

Texas records first US measles death in 10 years – a medical epidemiologist explains how to protect yourself and your community from this deadly, preventable disease

On Feb. 26, 2025, Texas health officials announced the death of a child in a measles outbreak – the first measles death in the United States since 2015. The outbreak…

As flu cases break records this year, vaccine rates are declining, particularly for children and 65+ adults

In February 2025, flu rates spiked to the highest levels seen in at least 15 years, with flu outpacing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations for the first time since the beginning…

Just having a pet doesn’t help mental health – but pet-owners with secure relationships with their pets are less depressed

For many people, pets provide unconditional love, companionship and a sense of security. But not all human-pet relationships are beneficial, and some may contribute to stress and anxiety rather than…

USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security

On his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump began a drastic reshaping of the United States’ role in global health as part of the first 26…

How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places

About 19 million children under 5 around the world suffer from severe acute malnutrition every year. This life-threatening condition kills 400,000 of them – that’s one child every 10 seconds.…