Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Emily Mendenhall

@emendenhall.bsky.social

880 followers 610 following 59 posts

Professor @Georgetown SFS, writing on medical anthropology, global health, chronic illness, mental health, health politics, syndemics Author of Invisible Illness, https://www.ucpress.edu/books/invisible-illness/hardcover .. more

Videos

Emily Mendenhall is a medical anthropologist and Professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Her research considers syndemics, mental health, cultural idioms of distress, health politics and systems, migration and health, flourishing, and complex chronic conditions. She was awarded the George Foster Award for Practicing Medical Anthropology in 2017 from the Society for Medical Anthropology for her work on syndemics. In 2023, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in recognition of her anthropological work on COVID-19. .. more

Public Health 31%

Psychology 25%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · 25d

Take a look at this bit about: How to talk with people you disagree with! I did not realize this was video podcast before we started rolling--a very summered look but a great conversation. #unmasked #talkingacrosspoliticaldivides

youtube.com/watch?v=MLnB...

youtube.com

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Sep 5

New piece on thinking about innovative solutions for addiction care in the USA, drawing from south-north learning. Fun DC-area collab in GMH! #globalmentalhealth #peercounselors

www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...

The opioid epidemic is a persistent problem. These researchers think they have a solution.

Peers are one potential solution to help address the massive gaps in access to substance use and mental health care in the U.S.

www.usatoday.com

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

William Adler @williamadler78.bsky.social · Sep 4

Also, if you want to learn about the Department of War and its origins, you should read my book: www.pennpress.org/978081225348...

Engineering Expansion – Penn Press

Engineering Expansion examines the U.S. Army's role in U.S. economic development from the nation's founding to the eve of the Civil War. William D. Adler sta...

www.pennpress.org

2 4

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

ghpoliticspodcast.bsky.social @ghpoliticspodcast.bsky.social · Sep 2

Our latest episode explores the efforts of @joinchic.bsky.social to professionalize community health work globally. Check out the conversation at globalhealthpoliticspodcast.buzzsprout.com/2364394/epis... @pih.org @madhupai.bsky.social @dadakim.bsky.social @sorchabrophy.bsky.social #globalhealth

Season 2, Episode 4: The Community Health Impact Coalition's Campaign to Professionalize Community Health Work Globally - The Global Health Politics Podcast

Many health systems around the world rely on community health workers (CHWs) who play vital roles in health promotion, disease prevention, and primary care. While CHWs in some countries are not paid o...

globalhealthpoliticspodcast.buzzsprout.com

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Think Global Health @thinkglobalhealth.org · Aug 19

From the Cough of Perinthus in ancient Greece to Long COVID in the modern world, societies have toiled under post-viral illnesses.

@emendenhall.bsky.social and Phil Fink describe the history of these conditions, which have struggled to breach mainstream policy.

From Long Flu to Long COVID: A Brief History of Postviral Illness | Think Global Health

Despite centuries of examples, long-term maladies after flu and other viruses remain absent from mainstream policy

www.thinkglobalhealth.org

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Aug 9

Love this review of Unmasked.

www.instagram.com/reel/DNI85dk...

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall, Julia Lynch

ghpoliticspodcast.bsky.social @ghpoliticspodcast.bsky.social · Aug 5

The #GlobalHealth #Politics #Podcast for inspiring & powerful conversations on issues that matter with scholars, activists & policymakers @dadakim.bsky.social @victorroy.bsky.social @jlynch13.bsky.social @emendenhall.bsky.social @ethnography911.bsky.social globalhealthpoliticspodcast.buzzsprout.com

The Global Health Politics Podcast

Hosted by Joseph Harris, the Global Health Politics podcast features intimate, one-of-a-kind conversations with leading scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and activists working on critical issues ...

globalhealthpoliticspodcast.buzzsprout.com

4 2

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Aug 5

We are so proud of our colleague Megan Lickley in the STIA Program at Georgetown University who was awarded a multimillion dollar grant to strengthen monitoring of potent greenhouse gases! Congrats Megan!

stia.georgetown.edu/2025/08/05/p...

Professor Megan Lickley Awarded $4M to Strengthen Global Monitoring of Potent Greenhouse Gases - STIA

Dr. Megan Lickley, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Earth Commons Institute for Environment & Sustainability and the Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA) Program, has bee...

stia.georgetown.edu

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Jul 29

I'm often blown away by the ingenuity and impact of our STIA alums. Our community is bright and bold! Check out this fantastic new film about deep sea mining. STIA scientific comms at its best!

www.scientificamerican.com/video/polyme...

Millions of Mysterious Deep-Sea Nodules Offer Clues to Life—And Riches to be Mined

When researchers discovered evidence of “dark oxygen” last year, the news spread around the world, but the biggest challenge to the science comes from its funders

www.scientificamerican.com

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, Emily Mendenhall

Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · Apr 16

I’m about to board my flight to El Salvador, where I hope to meet with senior government officials to discuss the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

I also hope to see Kilmar and check on his condition — and remind him that we won’t stop fighting until he’s home.

Headed to El Salvador to meet with government officials and discuss return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen

youtube.com

4.1K 11K 55K

Reposted by Clare Bambra, Emily Mendenhall

Julia Lynch @jlynch13.bsky.social · May 31

New podcast just dropped!

It was good fun to shoot the breeze with Joe Harris about my research on the political economy of public health for his Global Health podcast.

You can listen in at the link here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Season 2, Episode 1: Julia Lynch on Political Science and the Political Economy of Health - The Global Health Politics Podcast

In this episode of the Global Health Politics Podcast, Joseph Harris sits down with University of Pennsylvania political scientist Julia Lynch to discuss her work on politics, pandemics, public health...

urldefense.com

3 8

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Tania J. Spencer @taniaspencer.bsky.social · Jul 22

"Time and again, society has failed to reckon with these conditions, relegating their sufferers to the fringes of medical understanding and societal concern":

@emendenhall.bsky.social
Via @rfh1955.bsky.social

www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/long...

From Long Flu to Long COVID: A Brief History of Postviral Illness | Think Global Health

Despite centuries of examples, long-term maladies after flu and other viruses remain absent from mainstream policy

www.thinkglobalhealth.org

5 8

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Jul 21

Take a look at my new piece on the history of post-viral syndromes and get a sneak peak into some of the topics in my new book!

www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/long...

From Long Flu to Long COVID: A Brief History of Postviral Illness | Think Global Health

Despite centuries of examples, long-term maladies after flu and other viruses remain absent from mainstream policy

www.thinkglobalhealth.org

2 8 22

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Georgetown School of Foreign Service @georgetown-sfs.bsky.social · Jul 8

How are online communities changing the conversation around Long COVID? SFS Prof @emendenhall.bsky.social shares insights on Long COVID, vaccine politics and digital activism.

Read the full Q&A: bit.ly/4nCaEfr

Five questions about Long COVID and patient activism online - SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University

SFS Professor Emily Mendenhall answers questions about Long COVID, vaccine politics and how digital activism has helped Long COVID patients find resources and community.

bit.ly

1 2

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Jul 7

sfs.georgetown.edu/news-five-qu...

Five questions about Long COVID and patient activism online - SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University

SFS Professor Emily Mendenhall answers questions about Long COVID, vaccine politics and how digital activism has helped Long COVID patients find resources and community.

sfs.georgetown.edu

Reposted by Benjamin Mason Meier, Emily Mendenhall

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · Jul 2

Hot off the presses in The Lancet: Building a resistance to US assaults on public health. With Alicia Ely Yamin and Emma Joanna Lengle. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Building a resistance to US assaults on public health

The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched a full-fledged assault on science and public health;1 its “flood the zone” strategy created chaos and initially overwhelmed potential oppos...

www.thelancet.com

1 54 140

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Jussi T. Eronen @jussiteronen.bsky.social · Jul 1

Change in the air.

Anil Dash @anildash.com · Jul 1

This @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social video is absolutely INCREDIBLE. The numbers he cites, the strategy and results they produced — it’s the future. When have you heard *any* campaign talk about this, ever? (Video split in 2 to fit in Bluesky’s limits)

1 1

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

NPR @npr.org · Jul 1

This is the union's first major strike in nearly 40 years, when a 20-day work stoppage led to trash piling up on city streets. Leaders say the workers can't afford to live in the city they serve. (via ‪@whyy.org)

Philly’s largest city workers' union is on strike. Here’s what to know

AFSCME District Council 33 represents 9,000 employees ranging from sanitation workers to crossing guards. Trash pick-up, pools and 911 calls are among the services impacted.

n.pr

15 97 410

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Dec 13

Unmasked: COVID, Community, and the Case of Okoboji... what happened in the early pandemic in rural Iowa when COVID denialism was common and businesses put profits over people. Good primer for the next four years--lean into the grey areas. www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com/978082650452...

Unmasked – Vanderbilt University Press

Unmasked is the story of what happened in Okoboji, a small Iowan tourist town, when a collective turn from the coronavirus to the economy occurred in the COV...

www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com

1 5

Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · Jun 30

Loving this podcast with @kenworthy.bsky.social. Check it out, in the meanwhile!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...

Ep 1: Welcome

Podcast Episode · In the Meanwhile · 06/13/2025 · 35m

podcasts.apple.com

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Jun 25

legend.

VIRAL MOMENT: NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Confronts Border Czar Tom Homan

YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News

youtu.be

14 170 1.4K

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall, Jennifer A. Johnson

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · Jun 23

I rarely post personal things. But I need to talk about my 4-year-old niece, Hope.

She has a rare disease. A drug called elamipretide has helped her survive.

But the FDA recently denied its approval.

Now, her health hangs in the balance.

Please share her story & urge the FDA to reconsider. 🧵

210 4.8K 7.9K

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · Jun 21

Zohran doing the “from the tippity top to the tippity bottom” broad city walk is peak millennial mayor content

Zohran Kwame Mamdani &
@ZohranKMamdani
Follow
Good evening from Inwood Hill Park, the very top of Manhattan.
For the first time in a long time, I'm wearing my sneakers because tonight we're walking the whole island.
See you in the streets.

14 88 860

Reposted by Ruth Mace, Nichola Raihani, Emily Mendenhall

Michael Gurven @mgurven.bsky.social · Jun 18

Your next Fall read, my new book: SEVEN DECADES: HOW WE EVOLVED TO LIVE LONGER

Longevity is shaped by our evolutionary past—imagine aging as opportunity rather than burden.

Out Sept 16, preorder w/ code PUP30 for 30% discount: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

@princetonupress.bsky.social

Seven Decades

An anthropologist uncovers new evidence for the evolutionary origins of human longevity—and explains why growing old is an opportunity, not a burden

press.princeton.edu

1 20 25

Reposted by Brady T. West, Benjamin Mason Meier, Valerie Mueller , and 2 more Brady T. West, Benjamin Mason Meier, Valerie Mueller, Emily Mendenhall, Barrett

ACLU @aclu.org · Jun 16

BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity.

This is a major win for public health.

370 8.4K 33K

Reposted by Michael Barnett, Andrew R. Morral, Naomi Priest , and 2 more Michael Barnett, Andrew R. Morral, Naomi Priest, Emily Mendenhall, Anand Iyer

Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · Jun 16

📢BREAKING: Just left the courthouse for our NIH grant termination case

Judge ruled terminations are “VOID & ILLEGAL”

As a plaintiff, I felt a wave of relief & hope; he acknowledged the discrimination & harm

Closed by asking, ‘Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?’

86 1.3K 5.9K

Reposted by Sherry Hamby, Jason Stajich, Emily Mendenhall , and 1 more Sherry Hamby, Jason Stajich, Emily Mendenhall, Sofia Stathi

Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · Jun 16

I am excited to share that @standupforscience.bsky.social is growing!

We are looking to hire several positions including:
- Event and volunteer coordination
- Copywriting (press releases, emails, website, blogs, some social media)
- Data analytics and research (marketing, not science 😉)

🧵

6 100 200

Reposted by Emily Mendenhall, Mona Lena Krook

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jun 16

Walz: "This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country ... Talk to a neighbor rather than arguing. Debate an issue. Shake hands. Find common ground. This is who Melissa Hortman was."

750 4.7K 23K

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Jesse H. Kroll, Timothy J. Bartik , and 10 more Jason Mittell, Jesse H. Kroll, Timothy J. Bartik, Hugo Mercier, Erica Chenoweth, Emily Mendenhall, Mona Lena Krook, Véronique Altglas, Erica Weintraub Austin, Matt Grossmann, Joost van Spanje, Lynette H. Ong, Richard Moorhead

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · Jun 15

Based on crowd-sourced records of No Kings Day event turnout, and extrapolating for the cities where we don't have data yet, it looks like roughly 4-6 million people protested Trump across the U.S. yesterday. That's nearly 2% of the U.S. pop!

Mobilized anti-Trump resistance is exceeding 2017 levels

"No Kings Day" protests turn out millions

Our unofficial estimate is that around 4 million people attended a protest event yesterday. Anti-Trump resistance is outpacing 2017.

www.gelliottmorris.com

270 3.1K 11K