Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · 20d

🚨 Federal #Science #ResearchFunding is at risk—putting health, safety & innovation on the line. Join #SpeakUp4Science to urge Congress to protect scientists driving progress in public health, climate, & more. 📣 Act now: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/get-involved...

Distinguished Professor Arthur L. Reingold’s enduring impact on public health

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · 28d

Retiring this year after 40 years at #UCBerkeley, Professor Art Reingold leaves a lasting #PublicHealth legacy through mentorship, outbreak investigations, pioneering programs, and leadership in #COVID #vaccine safety and global #InfectiousDisease policy.

ow.ly/ikzu50WURB8

More than 75 years of transformational research and hands-on social impact for a better world.

Study: Hospitals acquired by Catholic health systems unlikely to eliminate obstetrics

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · 29d

A new study led by #HealthPolicy PhD candidate Alex Schulte finds Catholic-run hospitals are less likely to cut #obstetrics than non-Catholic acquisitions, though religious directives may still restrict #abortion, #contraception, and sterilization.
#FamilyPlanning #UCBerkeley
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The study is the first national analysis to rigorously compare how hospital operations change following acquisition by Catholic vs. non-Catholic systems.

What’s going on with the COVID-19 vaccine?

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Sep 8

Read the full interview with UC Berkeley’s Dr. John Swartzberg on what to expect for #COVID #Vaccine access this fall.
🔗 ow.ly/wrHF50WTmeB

#COVID #COVID19 #PUBLICHEALTH #UCBERKELEY

We asked infectious disease expert John E. Swartzberg for insight into what’s going on, and who will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines this fall.

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Sep 8

Many states, including #California, may broaden #COVIDVaccine access in defiance of new federal restrictions. Upcoming #FDA, #CDC, and #ACIP decisions could further shape availability.
#COVID #RFKJR #HHS

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Sep 8

Dr. Swartzberg says confusion—and even disinformation—around #COVIDPolicy is growing. But the #vaccine will still likely be available for people 65+ and those with health risks.
#COVID #COVID19 #COVIDVACCINE #PUBLICHEALTH

What’s going on with the COVID-19 vaccine?

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Sep 8

What do shifting federal policies under HHS Secretary RFK Jr. mean for #COVID #COVID19 vaccine access? We asked #UCBerkeley infectious disease expert Dr. John Swartzberg to explain. 👇
🔗 ow.ly/wrHF50WTmeB
@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social
#COVIDvaccine #InfectiousDisease #HealthPolicy

We asked infectious disease expert John E. Swartzberg for insight into what’s going on, and who will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines this fall.

New study sheds light on racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal health during the COVID-19 pandemic period

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Aug 26

Meet Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for #Health #AI, first in our Impact Fellows series! He leads efforts to set #HealthAI standards for governance, testing & monitoring, advancing health & well-being. Learn more: publichealth.berkeley.edu/research/soc...

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Aug 22

How did #COVID worsen racial & ethnic disparities in #PerinatalHealth? A new #UCBerkeley #PublicHealth study reveals systemic inequities impacting mothers and newborns — and why equity-centered solutions are critical.
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#BlackHealth #AsianHealth #COVID #InfantHealth

Results reveal how infection and the pandemic separately contributed to substantial racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal outcomes.

Center of Excellence in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health secures $1.8 million five-year federal funding

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Aug 19

@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social UC Berkeley #PublicHealth has received a five-year, $1.8 million federal grant renewal from the #HRSA Maternal and #ChildHealth Bureau to support interdisciplinary training, research, & leadership development in maternal, child, & #AdolescentHealth. bit.ly/4lx5lvD

The competitive grant renewal supports UC Berkeley’s long-standing commitment to excellence in MCAH education and training.

What do the looming cuts to Medicaid really mean?

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Reposted by UC Berkeley School of Public Health

UC Berkeley UDAR @berkeleyinspire.bsky.social · Aug 12

Join @uofcalifornia.bsky.social and alums from all 10 UC campuses for the HireUC Alumni Career Summit!

Expand your network, attend skill workshops, and more. Plus, connect with fellow UC alums at the networking mixer the day before!

Learn more: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/get-involved...

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Aug 13

Join us Sept. 20 at our #HealthFutures Unconference!
In a time of upheaval, how do we build the future of health? Join community leaders, #entrepreneurs, #policymakers, funders, and students for a vibrant, participant-led gathering.
Space is limited, register now! #Health
ow.ly/fYv050WEWPV

Text: health futures unconference, bold ideas for uncertain times, september 20, 9 am-5 pm, uc berkeley school of public health, register now

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jul 31

In our latest newsletter: The legacy of retiring Professor of #Epidemiology Jack Colford, how #BigTobacco drove the rise of #ProcessedFoods, Ugandan MPH student/research pharmacist Nigel Okot Kinyera, and more.
Read: ow.ly/lrlt50WygL9
Subscribe: ow.ly/CYeI50WygL8
#PublicHealth #UCBerkeley

Collage: Processed snacks on a store shelf, Nigel Okot Kinyera, Jack Colford standing on a pier at a lake, a graphic of a torn dollar bill with medical symbols and a person falling out of the bill.

Reposted by UC Berkeley School of Public Health

UC Berkeley @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social · Jul 22

What do the looming cuts to Medicaid really mean? @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social Health policy expert Dr. Will Dow breaks down the risks—and potential state-level response. publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...

Health policy expert Will Dow breaks down the risks—and potential state-level response.

Berkeley Public Health student profile: Nigel Okot Kinyera

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jul 15

As a #ResearchPharmacist at Baylor Foundation Uganda (BFU) in Kampala, Nigel Okot Kinyera's work supporting #NIH/DAIDS -funded clinical trials gave him a frontline view of the HIV epidemic in #Uganda. He chose Berkeley’s flexible
#OnlineMPH to enhance his #HIV research skills.
bit.ly/4lW0VPi

Nigel is an Online MPH student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics concentration, and the winner of 2025 Dean’s Health Equity and Leadership Scholarship.

With high schoolers’ help, UC Berkeley researchers investigate why so many students are chronically absent

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jul 8

What drives chronic #absenteeism in secondary school students? #UCBerkeley researchers partnered with #SanFrancisco youth to find out. #Students identified barriers—like transit & #MentalHealth issues, work & caregiving roles, and #bullying —then helped shape possible solutions.
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Students in San Francisco’s public schools have worked alongside Berkeley researchers to explore the root causes of chronic school absenteeism.

UC Berkeley School of Public Health welcomes second cohort of impact fellows

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jul 3

🎉 #UCBerkeley School of #PublicHealth announces the 2025–26 Impact Fellows cohort —10 visionary leaders 🔥advancing bold solutions in #AI, #HealthEquity, #ViolencePrevention, #aging, and more. Fellows will engage with students and faculty to turn ideas into action.
ow.ly/rjjG50Wk3oL #SocialImpact

The program is grounded in our belief that universities exist to create positive change in the world and do so by bridging from knowledge to action.

Berkeley Public Health’s Filipa Rijo-Ferreira wins prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute award for outstanding early career faculty

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jun 26

Filipa Rijo‑Ferreira, assistant professor of #InfectiousFiseases & #vaccinology at #UCBerkeley #PublicHealth, was named a 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholar by Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The award is given to early career faculty with potential to become leaders in their fields. ow.ly/IGaH50Wh1OM

The award is given to early career faculty who have the potential to become leaders in their fields.

Study finds addictive screen use, not total screen time, linked to youth suicide risk

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UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jun 23

A #UCBerkeley & Weill Cornell–led study has found that teens with high or increasing addictive patterns of screen use had 2–3× higher risk of suicidalality, depression, aggression, & rule‑breaking.
#CellPhones #TeenHealth #AdolescentHealth #TeenSuicide #MentalHealth #PublicHealth
ow.ly/BcLJ50Wf22p

Adolescents exhibiting high addictive use behavior with social media, mobile phones or video games face roughly double the risk of suicidal behavior.

How UC Berkeley’s Online MPH can prepare you for a digital shift

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jun 17

#UCBerkeley’s 27-month Online #MPH equips working professionals with data-driven, tech-savvy skills suited for today’s #PublicHealth landscape. Learn how three alums used their new skills in programming, #data visualization, #GIS, and AI-based tools to boost their careers: ow.ly/Kq9O50Wag7A #AI

Academic and pedagogical excellence combined with a focus on real-world change make UC Berkeley’s Online MPH the best choice for professionals.

Newly minted PhD Nikolina Walas plans a career fighting infectious diseases

UC Berkeley School of Public Health @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social · Jun 16

As a PhD student at #UCBerkeley #PublicHealth, Nikolina Walas studied antimicrobial-resistant E. coli from human & dog feces on San Francisco's streets, revealing potential cross-species transmission. Walas plans a career in #InfectiousDisease. publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spo...

Walas earned her MPH in infectious diseases; then switched to environmental health studies for her doctorate.