FACT FOCUS: Trump says drug trafficking by sea is down 98.2%. The numbers don't show that President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the flow of drugs into the U.S. by sea has been nearly eradicated under his administration.

“Drug seizure data measure interdiction activity, not actual trafficking volume,” says Professor Dessa Bergen-Cico. “As drug policy researchers have noted, no one knows how much goes uncaught, and changes in seizure data are insufficient to make definitive claims about policy outcomes.”

Population Health Research Brief Series | Institutes, Centers and Organizations | Syracuse University Follow

Change starts with understanding what shapes health, from local conditions to policies and programs. But research alone isn't enough. At the Lerner Center, we turn findings into plain-language briefs so policymakers, practitioners, and the public can act. Explore the series:

Making Every Identity Count A Syracuse University professor has created a free tool to help researchers handle complex identity responses with greater care and transparency in surveys.

🖥️ After experiencing firsthand how demographic forms failed to acknowledge his multiracial identity, A&S professor Gabriel “Joey” Merrin created CATAcode, a free software tool to help researchers handle complex identity responses with greater care and transparency in surveys.

#AcademicSky

Is Home Birth a Choice? Racial and Geographic Differences in Unintended Home Births in the U.S. Home births that happen without planning or medical support (i.e., unintended home births) carry a higher likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and hypothermia. This...

Unintended home births (i.e., those without planning or medical support) carry high risk of adverse outcomes. Rates of unintended home births are 6–8% among White women but 33–61% among Black women, depending on region and metro status. @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner surface.syr.edu/lerner/295/

Good health doesn’t just happen. It takes research, policy, and community action.

This week, we're shining a light on the researchers, policies, and public health achievements that have shaped healthier communities, and the work still ahead. #NPHW

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Will Deepen the Farm Crisis, Not Solve It The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) promises billions in new farm subsidies, but most of that money won’t go to the farmers who need it most. This brief describes how the OBBB’s changes to agricultural ...

The One Big Beautiful Bill will deepen the farm crisis, not solve it. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #CPRMaxwell policy brief #OBBB #OBBBA #farmcrisis: surface.syr.edu/cpr/529/

How Does Striving Against Adversity Impact Emotional Well-being and Cardiovascular Risk in Children? Working hard and persisting through challenges (i.e., striving) are often encouraged for children who face adversity.  But for children facing severe adversity, striving can come with hidden costs. Th...

High-striving children have better mental health, but high-striving children living in high adversity also have higher cardiovascular disease risk than their lower-striving peers. @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner surface.syr.edu/lerner/294/

Working hard and persisting through challenges (i.e., striving) are often encouraged for children who face adversity, but these coping strategies come with hidden costs. ⬇️

Living in Liberal Areas Reduced COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Conservatives Political divisions shaped public health responses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with conservatives expressing higher vaccine hesitancy than liberals. But does where conservatives live matter? Thi...

Where you live may have shaped your #COVID19 vaccination decisions. Conservatives in liberal communities had lower vaccine hesitancy and higher vaccine uptake than conservatives in conservative communities. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner brief: surface.syr.edu/lerner/293/

Tax credit meant to help struggling workers mostly helps employers, Wisconsin study finds Lawmakers want to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which for three decades has rewarded companies that hire people with barriers to employment. New research shows it doesn’t work.

“They’re not passing it along to the workers in the form of higher wages. They’re just sort of being like, ‘Awesome, I got more money,’” says Professor Sarah Hamersma, who studied the WOTC as a grad student and also found it didn't work. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social

Merrin Named Inaugural Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi Endowed Faculty Fellow The fellowship supports scholarly work focused on men’s mental health and related issues.

Congratulations to Lerner Affiliate Gabriel "Joey" Merrin, who has been selected as the inaugural Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi Endowed Faculty Fellow! This fellowship supports scholarly work focused on men’s mental health and related issues.

Learn more: news.syr.edu/2026/03/04/m...

How Do State Labor Policies Impact Disability for Latino Adults in the U.S.? Latino adults in the United States experience a greater burden of disability than non-Latino White adults. This brief summarizes findings from a study using data from the 2000-2016 American Community…

From 2000 to 2016, the average disability rate among Latinos ages 45-85 in the U.S. was 21.6% in states with the most conservative labor policies vs. 17.6% in states with the most liberal policies. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner #PopHealth brief:

Researcher Examines Use of AI in Young Adults’ Romantic Lives Associate Professor Rebecca Ortiz surveyed young adults about AI companions and found both potential benefits and troubling behaviors with the technology.

360 of 1,500 surveyed young adults reported using AI for romantic companionship. Lerner Affiliate Rebecca Ortiz and colleagues find both potential benefits and concerning patterns with the technology. @syracuseutoday.bsky.social

Learn more: news.syr.edu/2026/02/05/r...

Are the Kids Alright? Maxwell Expert Panel Examines Youth Mental Health Are the Kids Alright? Maxwell Expert Panel Examines Youth Mental Health

Are the kids alright? 🧠

Maxwell School faculty met in Washington, D.C., to explore youth mental health, risky behavior and how social and economic changes are affecting young people today.
@johncawley.bsky.social @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

Comparison of self-reported survey and wastewater-based epidemiology measures of cocaine use on a college campus Background Wastewater–based epidemiology (WBE) has the potential to produce reliable, efficient, and non-invasive measures of current psychoactive drug use. The aim of this study was to assess the fea...

Wastewater testing and student surveys produced similar estimates of cocaine use on campus. This study coauthored by Dessa Bergen-Cico & David Larsen shows anonymous, community-level data could help track public health trends more efficiently. @maxwellsu.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

No Joy in Cooking Secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins recently suggested Americans can get the nutrition they need on $3 meals. Here’s what happened when I tried to follow her plan.

WATCH: Professor Colleen Heflin discusses Ag Sec. Rollin's $3 meal claim. “I was very confused. USDA has several established meal plans that they estimate the cost of each month. And none of those comes out to $3,” she says. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social https://bit.ly/46etCla

CATAcode is a new free tool that helps researchers systematically handle multiracial and multi-identity data in health research. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner brief: surface.syr.edu/lerner/291/

February is American Heart Month.
Show your heart some love by adding more plants to your meals. Focus on whole grains, fiber-rich foods, plant-based proteins, colorful fruits and vegetables, and whole foods when possible.
Learn more: buff.ly/Br8xi94

COVID-19 masking requirements and activity restrictions were linked to increased gun violence during 2020-2021. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner brief: surface.syr.edu/lerner/290/

Today at 7pm! A panel of experts, including CPR Senior Research Associate @johncawley.bsky.social, will examine how government regulation, labeling practices and industries shape public policies.

Learn more or register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Trump's USDA is hiding the data on food stamp cuts The agency's food insecurity survey was pointless "liberal fodder," a spokesperson said.

“It’s really important for states to be thinking about the administrative burden,” says Lerner Affiliate Colleen Heflin. “All these things become a little bit harder as people become older, and they may have declines in hearing, sight or cognitive function.”

www.motherjones.com/food/2026/01...

Professor Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern's new book “goes under the hood of the Fair Food Program to tell a remarkable story of transformation and hope,” says the CIW. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social

Contemporary Land Transitions in the United States: Critical Questions of Concentration and (Re)Distribution Agricultural land in the United States is currently undergoing a major transition. Seventy percent of land is expected to change hands in the next 20 years, with many existing farmers ready to…

A major shift is underway in U.S. agriculture: 70% of farmland is expected to change hands over the next 20 years, raising urgent questions about access and equity. Learn more in this article led by Lerner Affiliate Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern:

Colleen Heflin Examines Impact of Changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program Colleen Heflin Examines Impact of Changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program

How do child care subsidies affect work and income? 👶📊

Maxwell Professor Colleen Heflin is part of a research team studying how changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program influenced employment and earnings outcomes for families. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

CONNECT NY | Food Insecurity | Season 11 | Episode 12 On the December edition of Connect NY, David Lombardo covers food insecurity in New York State

“I think it's important to note that while poverty is a really significant risk factor for food insecurity, there are more people that live above the poverty line, actually, who are food insecure,” says Professor Colleen Heflin. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social

Only 55% of eligible older adults received SNAP benefits in 2022, compared to 88% of adults overall. In a new article, Lerner Affiliates Colleen Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer examine three flaws in SNAP's design when it comes to older adults: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Latin American Refugees to the U.S. Experience More Discrimination than Refugees from other Regions Discrimination is a serious challenge for refugees trying to rebuild their lives in new countries. This data slice presents findings from the 2022 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR), a nationally represe...

Latin American refugees to the U.S. have a 62.4% probability of experiencing discrimination, the highest rate among all refugee groups. Learn more in this new @maxwellsu.bsky.social #SULerner data slice: surface.syr.edu/lerner/289/

As we look back on 2025, we're excited to share our most downloaded Population Health Research Briefs of the year!

To view these briefs and more, visit: surface.syr.edu/lerner/

Vermont Edition Federal agents have arrested more than 100 people in Vermont over the last 10 months. Those arrests have heightened fears in tight-knit communities across the state. Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld ...

“The food system perspective is really important here. It's not just about how do they pay for labor costs and compete, but why do we have this system where so little of the money is going to farmers,” says Professor Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social @sulernercenter.bsky.social

A group photo of the Public Health Department

Maxwell’s Public Health Department, by the numbers:

🍊 125 undergraduates
🍊 27 graduate students
🍊 21 countries in which alumni live and work
🍊 43 U.S. states and territories in which alumni reside

➡️ Read more about what the department brings to our school: https://bit.ly/48yGiF5