Rita Hamad
LightNews LightNews
ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad
@ritahamad.bsky.social
4.2K followers 220 following 220 posts

Professor, social epidemiologist @hsph.harvard.edu • Social policy + health equity • Director https://hsph.me/sphere • Mama, immigrant • Opinions mine

Videos
Public Health 41%
Medicine 22%
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · Aug 8
Our latest study @jamahealthforum.com shows the harms of work requirements for safety net programs. Women who were subject to harsher requirements and who received less cash assistance from TANF were less likely to breastfeed. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @donmoyn.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 8h
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
Online Events – IAPHS – Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science
iaphs.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 12h
The study used quasi-experimental difference-in-differences methods, comparing pre-post trends in young adults w/out kids to trends in slightly older adults. It used public national BRFSS data, which is continuously under threat in current moment. @datarescueproject.org doi.org/10.1111/1468... 3/3
Health Effects of the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion on Young Adults Without Children
Policy Points In 2021, young adults without children became (temporarily) newly eligible for the earned income tax credit, the largest US poverty alleviation program. This 2021 expansion was asso...
doi.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 12h
This federal pandemic-era #EITC expansion has expired, but state policymakers are interested in such policy tweaks to improve health & well-being for young adults. Our study informs these anti-poverty policies. doi.org/10.1111/1468... @centeronbudget.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu @itep.org 2/
Health Effects of the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion on Young Adults Without Children
Policy Points In 2021, young adults without children became (temporarily) newly eligible for the earned income tax credit, the largest US poverty alleviation program. This 2021 expansion was asso...
doi.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 12h
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/

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 6d
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!
Share Your Publication – IAPHS – Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science
iaphs.org

Reposted by Rita Hamad

scott-delaney.bsky.social
Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 6d
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

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 7d
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
Challenging The Administration’s Weaponized And Lethal “Gold Standard Science” | Health Affairs Forefront
The real gold standard for science, and academic freedom, requires upholding scientific work that investigates who and what is responsible for creating conditions in which only a select few, rather th...
www.healthaffairs.org

Reposted by Kathryn A. Phillips

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 15d
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
Intersections of Social Policies and Health
A collection of articles published by Health Affairs Scholar. Edited by Rita Hamad. This collection examines the effects of social policies on health; differen
academic.oup.com

Reposted by Rita Hamad

courtneyboen.bsky.social
Courtney Boen @courtneyboen.bsky.social · 18d
🚨 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...
The bodily scars of legal violence: local immigration enforcement, state immigrant policy, and health inequality
Abstract. Over the past three decades in the United States, a surge of federal, state, and local laws and policies has increased levels of immigration enfo
academic.oup.com

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 19d
You need to be a member to view recordings if you miss the events. Do consider joining as a member! IAPHS is my favorite professional organization :).

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 19d
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...
Online Events – IAPHS – Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science
iaphs.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 19d
It's often good to precisely quantify these benefits, so that policymakers who are interested in evidence can weigh these benefits against a policy's costs.

Reposted by Christian E. Weller, Daniel S. Goldberg, Stephen D. Murphy

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 20d
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

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 21d
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
Opinion | It Would Be Trump’s Honor to Pay for Food Stamps
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Rita Hamad, Matthew A. Kraft

tomdee.bsky.social
Thomas S. Dee @tomdee.bsky.social · 21d
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

Reposted by Rita Hamad

jama.com
JAMA @jama.com · 21d
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
Line graphs show cumulative experiences in relation to Medicaid/CHIP and uninsurance by birthday. Graph A: Medicaid/CHIP coverage trends. Graph B: Uninsurance trends. Data covers ages 1-18, showing percentages of US children.

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 25d
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...
Find Your Local Food Bank | Feeding America
Find the Feeding America member food bank nearest you. Over 200 member food banks can connect you with free food, food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile pantries in your community.
www.feedingamerica.org

Reposted by Rita Hamad

juliaraifman.bsky.social
Julia Raifman, ScD @juliaraifman.bsky.social · 25d
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.
OECD Child poverty rate by country “On average across OECD countries, 12.2% of children live in relative income poverty (Chart CO2.2.A), but rates differ considerably from country to country. In six OECD countries (Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Spain, Türkiye and the United States), more than 20% of children live in relative poverty; rates are particularly high, at around 30%, in Costa Rica. In 17 other OECD countries (Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden), however, less than 10% of children live in relative income poverty. In Denmark and Finland, the child relative income poverty rate is only around 4%.” Source: https://webfs.oecd.org/els-com/Family_Database/CO_2_2_Child_Poverty.pdf

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 25d
Calvin and Hobbes, speaking deep truths even about our world today. Thanks, @billwatterson.bsky.social.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

Reposted by Rita Hamad

bchrisinger.bsky.social
Ben Chrisinger @bchrisinger.bsky.social · 25d
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...

🥗 🛟

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 27d
Great reporting from @americanprogress.bsky.social on other ways that the administration is endangering women's health, beyond cancelling this key maternal and child health data set. E.g., hacking of safety net programs, misinformation. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-... @npwf.bsky.social
The Trump Administration Is Endangering Women’s Reproductive Health
The Trump administration is dismantling programs to prevent, treat, and cure diseases that affect women as well as threatening access to basic reproductive and maternal health care—and the One Big Bea...
www.americanprogress.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 29d
Great! Happy to chat with you about PRAMS, a critical research resource for my team and others! Feel free to email me if you'd like.

Reposted by Sarah Burgard

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · 29d
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

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · Oct 24
As a reminder, the US is the only high-income country without a national #paidleave policy, but some states have passed their own policies. Whitney's recent paper @amjepi.bsky.social described this policy's positive impacts on breastfeeding: academic.oup.com/aje/advance-... @hsph.harvard.edu 2/2

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · Oct 24
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/
Paid Family Leave Can Be a Lifeline
I study how paid family leave impacts the health of parents. When I gave birth, I became one of my own statistics.
progressive.org

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · Oct 22
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

ritahamad.bsky.social
Rita Hamad @ritahamad.bsky.social · Oct 20
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
Measuring Food Security with U.S. Federal Data – Use It for Good
blog.popdata.org

Reposted by David Lazer, Rita Hamad

hsph.harvard.edu
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health @hsph.harvard.edu · Oct 17
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
With federal maternal health database in limbo, a risk to mother and infant health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Rita Hamad explains why losing PRAMS puts the health of mothers and infants at risk, and how she hopes to help keep its data accessible.
hsph.harvard.edu

Reposted by Rita Hamad

gabeschwartz.bsky.social
Gabe Schwartz @gabeschwartz.bsky.social · Oct 16
📣 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 🧪

Reposted by Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Rita Hamad

popassocamerica.bsky.social
Population Association of America @popassocamerica.bsky.social · Oct 15
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
Individual Sign-on to PAA FFS Letter
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com