Imagine this scenario: In late 2025, a social worker sits down with a transgender teenager and his parents. The family is trying to decide whether, and when, to begin gender-affirming…
Category: Anthropology
Special courts helps veterans stay out of jail
Memorial Day is an apt time to reflect on the long-term consequences of war. Among them are substance use, mental health problems, homelessness and jail time for those who served…
Special courts helps veterans stay out of jail
Memorial Day is an apt time to reflect on the long-term consequences of war. Among them are substance use, mental health problems, homelessness and jail time for those who served…
Ebola strain spreading in Congo and Uganda has no approved vaccine
As a deadly outbreak of Ebola virus spreads in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 17, 2026, that…
Flavored vapes led to a major shake-up at the FDA – 3 health policy analysts explain the science behind the controversial products
The resignation of Marty Makary, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on May 12, 2026, brought to the forefront a heated controversy over fruit-flavored nicotine vapes. Rumors had…
Supreme Court preserves access to mifepristone via telehealth – at least for now
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that patients can continue to get mifepristone, one of the two drugs used for medication abortion, via telehealth and by mail. At least for…
How outbreaks at sea helped to shape the international public health system
Cruise ships are convenient floating hotels by which to see far-flung parts of the world – but as an epidemiologist, I know they are also everything an infectious pathogen could…
Immigrant patients often choose doctors with a shared cultural background – what they are seeking isn’t sameness but connection
At a recent dental appointment, I was unexpectedly seen by a new provider in my longtime dentist’s practice. Early in the visit, he realized we were both Iranian American. Like…
People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder have higher rates of suicidal thinking, planning and attempts
People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder – a more serious form of premenstrual syndrome, commonly known as PMS – are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors than people without…
Health authorities work to contain cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
The MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, was on its way to the Canary Islands on May 7, 2026, after evacuating three ill passengers…
