New Paper by first author Ashley I. Michnick titled “Sequential Safety Surveillance of RSVpreF Vaccination During Pregnancy Early After Vaccine Approval” published in JAMA Network Open.

A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that patients who received the RSV vaccine ABRYSVO™ during pregnancy had no increased risk of preterm birth. The study also identified hincreased risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy and waters breaking before labor.
Study: tinyurl.com/7847eyaf

News story titled “Closing a Critical Measurement Gap in Pediatric Sepsis”.

In honor of #PediatricSepsisWeek, we’re proud to share a new story featuring work from Chanu Rhee, whose latest study focused on pediatric sepsis. He and his team created the Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE)—a more accurate, data‑driven way to track pediatric sepsis nationwide.
tinyurl.com/59cvhj5u

@deptpopmed.bsky.social’s Marie‑France Hivert, who leads the #nutrition and lifestyle medicine curriculum at Harvard Medical School, was recently quoted in JAMA discussing the importance of evidence‑based training.

Read more here: tinyurl.com/544e2xty

New paper published in clinical infectious diseases by first author Fizza Manzoor titled “Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transmission in Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review of Frequency, Risk Factors, and Exposure Conditions “

A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that #TB transmission is uncommon in modern, well‑ventilated hospitals. Most cases occurred only after prolonged (<8 hours), close contact exposure without an N95 respirator, often in poorly ventilated spaces.

View study: tinyurl.com/4rhmte6v

Happy National Public Health Week!

We’re grateful to our researchers and staff whose research continues to advance the public health field. Their dedication, and leadership lead to meaningful contributions and we’re proud to highlight the impact they create.

View our impact: tinyurl.com/3zpn9pd2

Quote by research fellow Brittany L. Ranchoff states “Access to maternity care is critical for the health of both the birthing person and babies. Our study shows that many birthing people would have to travel much farther for delivery, especially in counties that lost all hospital-based obstetric services.”.

A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social shows declining maternity care access as hospitals close labor and delivery units, pushing many pregnant people to travel farther for essential care—creating growing challenges for families seeking timely, risk‑appropriate services.
tinyurl.com/y9f8c86z

Quote by Chanu Rhee. MD, MPH states "By building a standardized national surveillance framework based on objective clinical data, we can now reliably track how often pediatric sepsis occurs and how many children are affected, creating a stronger foundation for prevention and improvement.”

#ICYMI: A team of investigators developed the Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE)—a first-of-its-kind, scalable tool that lets hospitals nationwide track sepsis in children consistently using electronic health record data.

Read more in @jama.com: tinyurl.com/34p3rt97
#PediatricSepsis #HealthData

New paper, first author Brittany L. Ranchoff, titled “Obstetric Service Availability and Travel Time to Access Obstetric Services in the US, 2010-2021" published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that from 2010 to 2021, access to obstetric care declined across the country as hospitals closed labor and delivery units, forcing many pregnant people to travel farther for care.

Read study: tinyurl.com/y9f8c86z
Press release: tinyurl.com/mspnj6a

⏱️The time for action is now.

Despite ongoing efforts, pediatric sepsis rates —and associated deaths—remained largely unchanged from 2016-2022. Reducing the burden of sepsis will require stronger prevention, earlier recognition, and more effective, system-wide approaches to care.
#PediatricSepsis

The Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition builds on CDC’s Adult Sepsis Event framework and aligns with Phoenix pediatric sepsis criteria, enabling consistent tracking of sepsis incidence and outcomes in children across hospitals.

National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data This cohort study assesses US incidence, mortality, and trends of sepsis in nonneonatal children using a Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition adapted from the 2024 Phoenix criteria for scalable…

A new method allows pediatric sepsis to be tracked reliably nationwide.

In a new @jama.com study, researchers developed and validated the Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition, a scalable surveillance approach using electronic health record data..
tinyurl.com/34p3rt97

Pediatric sepsis is a major cause of illness and death in hospitalized children.

New publication published in the journal of Psychiatric Research by HPHCI researchers: Joshua Petimar, Sheryl Rifas-Shiman, Jessica Young, Han Yu, Pi-L Debby Lin, Sengwee Toh, & Jason Block titled “Associations of common antipsychotic medications with weight gain in youth and adults: a target trial emulation study”.

A new study from @deptpopmed.bsky.social examined how four commonly used antipsychotics affect weight gain in adults and children. Researchers found that adults gained the most weight on aripiprazole in the first 6 months, while children and teens gained the most on olanzapine.
tinyurl.com/mssazpe8

Greater Value Portfolio 2026 Grantees | The Donaghue Foundation The Foundation is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the Greater Value Portfolio grant...

🎉 Congratulations to @deptpopmed.bsky.social's @meganbcole.bsky.social, and Laura Garabedian on being 2026 recipients of the Greater Value Portfolio grant program from the The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation!

Learn more about their work: tinyurl.com/3bx8mups

View press release: tinyurl.com/mwwf9h93

New publication published in JAMA by co-lead first author: Chanu Rhee titled “National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data”.

New in @jama.com: Nearly 1 in 5 pediatric hospital deaths in the U.S. involve sepsis.
Researchers used objective clinical data from electronic health records to produce the first standardized national estimates of pediatric sepsis and enable consistent tracking across hospitals
tinyurl.com/34p3rt97

Pardon Our Interruption As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:

As we continue celebrating #NationalNutritionMonth, we’re excited to highlight Harvard Medical School’s nutrition and lifestyle curriculum. With leadership from Marie‑France Hivert at HPHCI, who is helping strengthen how students learn to integrate nutrition into clinical care.

PLEX shows promising #visual recovery in acute #opticneuritis across multiple causes, with better outcomes when started early. Severe initial #vision loss, older age, prior optic neuritis (ON), and #treatment delays reduce benefit. Major complications were rare.

Read More Here: buff.ly/cNVDmhp

It’s National Nutrition Month!🌱
We’re spotlighting our Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse (CoRAL) and their WeighingIn Blog, which shares research and insights on the science and policies shaping diet and nutrition.

Blog: tinyurl.com/3rve4bzw
About CoRAL: lnkd.in/e8M4wj9s

New publication by first author Pi-i Debby Lin published in JAHA titled “Associations of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances With Cardiovascular Disease Incidence in Adults With Prediabetes: Findings From the Diabetes Prevention Program”

A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that individuals with prediabetes who had higher blood levels of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”, had a higher risk of heart disease, with consistent results across age, sex, and lifestyle groups.
Read Study: tinyurl.com/2sk394a6

Opportunistic #genomic screening for familial #hypercholesterolemia showed a small, non‑significant drop in LDL‑C, with Bayesian #analysis suggesting a likely benefit. Results hint at #clinical value but need larger trials.

#Genomicscreening

Read More Here: buff.ly/pJiZfj0

Heart Health Awareness Month publication published in General Internal Medicine Journal titled “Emulation of a Target Trial of Antihypertensive Medications on Weight Change”. Led by Institute staff: Pi-I D Lin, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Joshua Petimar, Han Yu, Jessica G Young, Jason P Block.

A study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social followed 141,260 adults over two years and found small differences in weight change across blood pressure medications: lisinopril was associated with slight weight loss, while metoprolol and propranolol were linked to modest weight gain.
tinyurl.com/kxskbsbm

Heart Health Awareness Month. Publication titled “Trajectory of Cardiovascular Health Across Childhood and Adolescence” published in JAMA Cardiology. Written by HPHCI researchers: Izzuddin Aris, Sheryl Rifas-Shiman, Li Yi, Marie-France Hivert, & Emily Oken.

A study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that heart health starts to decline in children at age 10, driven mostly by shifts in diet, sleep, and activity. suggesting that strengthening these habits in mid‑childhood and early adolescence could help improve heart health.
Study: lnkd.in/eU2bSsS4

Quote reads: “Nearly one quarter of parents in U.S. households with children reported that at least one of their children did not receive the mental health care they needed, underscoring persistent gaps in access.” by Alyssa Burnett, Lead Author & Project Manager at HPHCI.

A new study from @deptpopmed.bsky.social finds that 1 in 5 households reported a child needing mental health treatment, yet nearly 25% didn't receive it. Uninsured households and those with Medicaid also faced high rates of unmet need due to difficulty accessing care.
Study: tinyurl.com/yt8sa8es

JAMA Pediatrics "Research Letter" titled, "US Child Mental Health Care Need, Unmet Needs, and Difficulty Accessing Services" by Alyssa L. Burnett, MPH@1; Joshua Breslau, PhD, ScD@2; Jonathan H. Cantor, PhD@3; et al. Published Online: February 16, 2026.

Among US households with children, 1 in 5 reported a mental health treatment need; nearly 25% experienced an unmet need and over 21% cited difficulty accessing care, with higher rates among uninsured and Medicaid households.

ja.ma/4aVn1Pk

Heart Health Awareness Month. Publication titled "Estimating sex-specific population-level effects of limiting sugar-sweetened beverages or 100% fruit juices during childhood on insulin resistance, central adiposity, and glycemic outcomes in late adolescence" published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Institute staff: Soren Harnois-Leblanc, Sheryl Rifas-Shiman, Karen Switkowski, Izzuddin Aris, Emily Oken, Jessica Young, Marie-France Hivert.

A study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social found that limiting sugary drinks to one per week throughout childhood led to only small improvements in teen boys’ insulin resistance, belly fat, and blood sugar. It had little to no effect in girls.

Dive into the research: tinyurl.com/58fx8mcd

#hearthealth

New paper published in JAMA Pediatrics by First Author Alyssa Burnett and Senior Author Hao Yu titled “US Child Mental Health Care Need, Unmet Needs, and Difficulty Accessing Services”.

Diagnosed mental health conditions among U.S. children have risen 35% from 2016-2023. Yet there is still a large gap in care. A new study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social finds that 1 in 5 households reported a child needing treatment, with nearly a quarter not receiving it.
tinyurl.com/yt8sa8es

Heart Health Awareness Month. Publication titled “Assessing greenspace and cardiovascular health through deep-learning analysis of street-view imagery in a cohort of US children” led by Institute researchers: Li Yi, Sheryl Rifas -Shiman, Pi-L Debby Lin, Emily Oekn, Marie-France Hivert, and Izzuddin Aris. Published in the journal of environmental research.

A study led by @deptpopmed.bsky.social examined whether street level greenery plays a role in children's heart health as they grow. The findings showed that overall street level greenery was associated with limited heart health benefits.
Read the full study: tinyurl.com/5xvccymr

📄 New survey study shows #primarycare physicians support universal #adolescent #depression screening. Health systems should design programs that match what clinicians value to boost screening uptake. #DepressionScreening #MentalHealth #Pediatrics @wrightcensored.bsky.social

Link: buff.ly/UeGAiFC

We’re hiring! Join our team as a: Junior Faculty (Instructor or Assistant Professor).

📢 We’re Hiring!
@cherpdpm.bsky.social is recruiting for a full‑time position with a proposed academic appointment as Instructor or Assistant Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Full job details: tinyurl.com/233s3vjm
Questions? Contact cherp@hphci.harvard.edu.

Apply today!