Public health communicators play a critical role in preparing communities for complex emergencies, including radiological events. In an upcoming webinar on Thursday, April 09 at 4:00 PM ET - hosted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), radiation readiness communications expert Jessica Wieder will share insights from her career in radiological preparedness and…

A new analysis from Yale’s Health Care Affordability Lab highlights how hospital consolidation may be contributing to rising health care costs across the U.S. The report found every hospital in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming operates in a highly concentrated market, with Maine and Montana close behind. Over the past two decades, roughly 1,300 mergers have occurred among about 5,000 U.S…

New research published in The Lancet suggests a promising new once-daily HIV pill could simplify treatment for people with drug-resistant HIV who currently rely on complex, multi-pill regimens. The medication combines two existing drugs into a single tablet and performed as well as the more complicated treatments in a study of 550 patients. Experts say simplifying lifelong HIV therapy could imp…

As more people turn to AI chatbots for health advice, new studies published in the journal Nature Medicine suggest the technology may not reliably guide medical decision-making. Researchers found chatbots correctly identified health conditions less than half the time in simulated patient scenarios and sometimes failed to signal appropriate urgency for potentially life-threatening symptoms. Wh…

Interest in infectious disease fellowships is declining at a time when vaccine-preventable illnesses and other infectious threats are resurging. According to National Resident Matching Program data, only 61% of infectious disease fellowship positions were filled this year, down from 88% five years ago. Applications have also dropped significantly since their post-pandemic peak.   Experts p…

Recent data from the American Cancer Society highlight a concerning rise in rectal cancer, particularly among adults under 65, who now account for nearly half of new colorectal cancer diagnoses. Rectal cancers alone comprise about one-third of all colorectal cases, and rates are increasing across age groups.   Experts emphasize that younger adults often experience delayed diagnoses, unders…

During her Senate confirmation hearing, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, said she believes vaccines save lives and are an important component of infectious disease strategy, but declined to broadly encourage routine childhood immunizations for measles, influenza, or whooping cough. Instead, she emphasized individualized discussions between parents and physician…

A 2024 outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Agbeni sickened 13 attendees at the Brown County Fair in Mount Sterling, Illinois, highlighting overlooked public health risks at community events. Investigators identified a beer cooler—reused over multiple days without cleaning—as the shared exposure among cases, including attendees who did not eat fair food.   Laboratory confirmation, ep…

Recent research in JAMA Network Open reinforces the connection between American football and long-term brain health risks. Analyzing hundreds of men aged 40 and older, the study found that anyone with football experience—ranging from youth leagues to professional play—tended to score lower on cognitive tests, report more personal cognitive concerns, and experience more severe depressive symptom…