Image of first page from the journal article mentioned and linked in post, Acceptability of a Culturally Tailored eHealth Video Intervention “Put Yourself First” to Promote Preexposure Prophylaxis Awareness and Knowledge Among Young Black Women: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Check out the latest study from CDUHR investigator Keosha Bond-

Acceptability of a Culturally Tailored eHealth Video Intervention “Put Yourself First” to Promote Preexposure Prophylaxis Awareness and Knowledge Among Young Black Women: Mixed Methods Pilot Study
formative.jmir.org/2026/1/e74132

No humans allowed: scientific AI agents get their own social network Autonomous agents aren’t just creating their own research — on the Reddit-style website Agent4Science, they’re chatting about it, too.

The latest scientific social network is here — but there’s no room for human users

go.nature.com/48f15Nz

Study finds widening racial and gender inequities in polysubstance overdose deaths U.S. overdose deaths involving polysubstance use—particularly opioids combined with stimulants—have risen sharply in recent years, with disproportionate increases among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic...

Study finds widening racial and gender inequities in polysubstance overdose deaths
medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04...

US lawmakers intensify scrutiny of scientific-publishing practices A congressional hearing covered the rise of paper mills and the costs of open-access publishing — but there was little agreement on what reform would entail.

A congressional hearing covered the rise of paper mills and the costs of open-access publishing — but there was little agreement on what reform would entail

go.nature.com/4to6MkE

Image of first page from the journal article mentioned and linked in post, Scaffolding Responsible Software Use: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Causal Inference Tool.

Check out the latest from CDUHR associate core director Jennifer Hill - Scaffolding Responsible Software Use: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Causal Inference Tool
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Banner for the 2026 Conference on Intervention Optimization with white and light blue text on a dark blue background. Large headline reads “Funding conversations,” with subheading “Wednesday panel and roundtable discussions.” Along the bottom, the banner lists “Day 3 • Wednesday, May 20,” “Bethesda, MD,” and “Register: bit.ly/ioptimize26.” The conference logo appears in the lower right corner.

The Wednesday program at #IOptimize26 @ioptimize.bsky.social includes a funding-focused panel with NIH program staff, followed by roundtable discussions. It is one part of a broader program on intervention optimization, implementation, digital health, and methods. Register: bit.ly/ioptimize26

Trump Reportedly About to Issue Executive Order on Ibogaine Research The order, which is reportedly still being drafted, would pertain to federal funding to explore therapeutic benefits and safety

The move is reportedly “meant to open the door to federal funding for further research on its effectiveness with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, especially among veterans.”

Tom Angell reports:

Historic decline in U.S. overdose deaths threatened by changing street drug supply Drug overdose deaths are plummeting in the U.S. in ways never seen before. Experts worry new, toxic "synthetic" street drugs could derail the recovery.

"Fentanyl and methamphetamines have been around for years. Now, illicit chemists are adulterating batches of street drugs with a fast-changing and often baffling mix of compounds, ranging from Novocaine to a stabilizer used in plastics manufacturing called BTPMS."
www.wunc.org/2026-04-14/h...

Lancet HIV: Ending HIV requires research in and with South Africa

Danielle Giovenco et al

bit.ly/48OqFsI

Clusters of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Type b Disease Among Adult This report describes two clusters of invasive of Haemophilus influenzae type b among adults with special risk factors in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.

Clusters of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Type b Disease Among Adults Using Substances or Experiencing Homelessness or Housing Instability — Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, 2023─2025

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

Medical schools must continue to teach students about structural barriers to care “Patients don’t experience illness in a vacuum,” writes Uché Blackstock.

Medical schools must continue to teach students about structural barriers to care

"Patients don’t experience illness in a vacuum. Their health is shaped by where they live, where they work, what they can afford, and what systems they can access."
www.statnews.com/2026/04/15/l...

Generative AI-driven chatbots & medical misinformation: an accuracy, referencing & readability audit
"Approximately half of all outputs were deemed problematic, citations were frequently incomplete or fabricated, and chatbot response readability tended to be complex."
bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/4...

Rollout of powerful new HIV prevention tool in lower income countries gets a boost Global Fund and U.S. government plan to make injectable lenacapavir available to 3 million people by 2028

Rollout of powerful new HIV prevention tool in lower income countries gets a boost
Global Fund and U.S. government plan to make injectable lenacapavir available to 3 million people by 2028
www.science.org/content/arti...

Opinion | Here's What Joining a 'Street Team' Taught Me About Medicine We cannot treat or prevent disease without understanding our patients' lived environment

Here's What Joining a 'Street Team' Taught Me About Medicine

We cannot treat or prevent disease without understanding our patients' lived environment
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

Our last Virtual and Accessible Rally was such a success we thought we would do it again...FOR EARTH DAY!!!

Join us April 22nd, 8pm ET. We will have ASL interpretation, Spanish interpretation, captioning, and visual descriptions. We would love to have you.

Check out the latest study from CDUHR investigator Chenglin Hong

High rates of intimate partner violence among diverse young sexual minority men who use substances
connectsci.au/sh/article-a...

On 4/15 I’ll give a virtual talk with Dr. Jerome Jaffe, Nixon’s deeply misremembered drug czar who was actually responsible for launching a nationalized system of addiction treatment clinics in 1971. The talk is hosted by @librarycongress.bsky.social, where I did most of my research. See you there!

Federal Bill Would Roll Back Modest Progress on Methadone Access - Filter When it comes to methadone treatment for opioid use disorder, Representative Erin Houchin, a Trump–supporting Republican from Indiana, wants to ...

“Eliminating take-home doses could make it impossible for someone to continue care."

Rep. Houchin's bill would undo modest but hard-fought gains in methadone access as the overdose crisis continues, reports @helenredmond.bsky.social:

Timeline of key events and drug-monitoring metrics related to the emergence of medetomidine in the illicit drug supply of New York state from May 2024 through January 2026.

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝑵𝑬𝑱𝑴 𝑬𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆!

A new Public Health Alerts report, published in partnership with @cidrap.bsky.social: Emergence of Medetomidine in New York’s Illicit Drug Supply eviden.cc/4tCd1RC

#InfectiousDisease

Image of first page from the journal article mentioned and linked in post, Patients Use AI—Clinicians Should Ask How.

Check out the latest from CDUHR investigator Shaddy Saba- Patients Use AI—Clinicians Should Ask How

"They should approach these conversations with curiosity rather than judgment, but be ready to inform, trust existing clinical skills, and stay current as AI evolves."
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Lots of Social Science Didn’t Replicate. Does That Mean It’s Bunk?
A recent study has scholars debating whether dismal-looking repeatability rates are as damning as they seem.
www.chronicle.com/article/lots...

A new paper says mental health therapists should talk to patients about their AI use A new paper in JAMA Psychiatry argues that mental health care providers should ask clients routinely about their use of AI for emotional support and health information.

As more people turn to risky AI tools for mental health support, how should clinicians respond? In an interview with NPR, Asst Prof Shaddy Saba said therapists should encourage, not avoid, conversations about their clients’ AI use. Learn why: www.npr.org/2026/04/06/n...

Diagram outlining steps for successful HBOT implementation. The diagram includes the following steps: Champion supports, Champion characteristics, Champion actions, and Successful HBOT implementation.

Champions without addiction medicine expertise but with systems change skills, leadership backing, and protected time successfully expanded hospital-based opioid care for patients with opioid use disorder.

ja.ma/40FTL9d

The Fast-Changing Chemistry of New, Dangerous Drugs

Today’s illicit chemists can quickly cook up drugs far more dangerous than fentanyl.
"By the end of 2024, at least 22 nitazene molecules had been identified. New variants are prized because of their inexpensive production costs, high potency and vague legal status"
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The Infrastructure of Compassion: Rethinking Public Health in the Fentanyl Era MacArthur Fellows Nabarun Dasgupta and Gregg Gonsalves on their life-saving work

If you're in Chicago, come join me, Nabarun Dasgupta and Mary Pounder a week from Saturday. www.chicagohumanities.org/events/atten...

Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. So why did AI chatbots warn people about this fictional illness?

Yeah this is an issue. “Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. So why did AI chatbots warn people about this fictional illness?”

USC Street Medicine: Unhoused, but Not Uncared for In Los Angeles County, six homeless people die every day. The USC Street Medicine programs aim to reverse that statistic.

USC Street Medicine: Taking It to the Streets to Save Lives
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Image of first page from the journal article mentioned and linked in post, Development and Validation of a Provider-Specific Anticipated Stigma Scale for People Who Inject Drugs.

Check out the latest study from CDUHR investigators Chuck Cleland, Sam Friedman, Danielle Ompad, and Suzie Walters - Development and Validation of a Provider-Specific Anticipated Stigma Scale for People Who Inject Drugs
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Super-potent opioids could be safer-than-expected alternatives to conventional painkillers Modified nitazenes, opioids 1,000 times stronger than morphine, show remarkably few adverse effects in rodents, renewing the potential of these drugs for pain relief.

Modified nitazenes, opioids 1,000 times stronger than morphine, show remarkably few adverse effects in rodents, renewing the potential of these drugs for pain relief

go.nature.com/4m54mo1

Engaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetry Some researchers use verse to visualize complex problems or translate the wonders of science for wider audiences.

Some researchers use verse to visualize complex problems or translate the wonders of science for wider audiences

go.nature.com/4mc6U3Q