Public Health Institute

09/08/2026

Scarcity thinking is one of the quietest barriers to innovation in public health.

In her latest Reimagining Public Health post, PHI CEO & President Melissa Stafford Jones unpacks how it slows progress.

She also shares what each of us can do about it: let go of scarcity-driven thinking and stay open to new approaches that help communities thrive.

👉 Read it, tell us what you think in the comments, and subscribe for new posts: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7503158994530783234/

Part of the challenge of reimagining public health is resisting the pull of scarcity mindset—the tendency to revert to what is familiar and safe—rather than innovate and experiment with new approaches. We come by this tendency honestly, given the field’s experience of true resource scarcity. B...

09/04/2026

📢 New York City—An upcoming event examining the relationship between childcare access and health will feature Free Time 4 Wellness, an NIH-funded study led in collaboration by PHI's Ingrid Oakley-Girvan, PhD, MPH and researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This event will bring together public health researchers, childcare policy leaders and advocates for a film screening and moderated discussion:

🚼 No Country for Parents: Why Childcare Matters for Health
📅 Tuesday, September 22 | 4–5:30pm ET
📍 Columbia University: Allan Rosenfield Building–8th Floor Auditorium
🔗 Learn more & register: [email protected]&recurrenceId=" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.columbia.edu/cal/event/eventView.do?b=de&calPath=/public/cals/MainCal&guid=[email protected]&recurrenceId=

09/04/2026

Study Links Grandfathers’ Smoking and Drinking to Autism Risk in Grandchildren | Attending APHA? Curious About Fiscal Sponsorship? Meet With PHI to Learn More | Impacts of Wildfires on Pediatric Cancer Care & Survivorship | Op-Ed: We Can’t Protect Californians from Heat If We Aren’t Counting Who’s Most Affected | PHI Programs Featured in Health Initiatives Announced by Governor | Now Hiring

All these stories and more in the latest news & updates from the PHI: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-research-grandfathers-smoking-drinking-linked-ekmnc/?trackingId=Lq3mM1ACQd9m1xQesvdgUg%3D%3D

Study Links Grandfathers’ Smoking and Drinking to Autism Risk in Grandchildren Children whose grandfathers drank five or more servings of hard liquor a week during their grandmother’s pregnancy were nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as the grandchil...

09/04/2026

Later this month, join Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units - PEHSU (National Program Office) for the next webinar in their series from Childhood Cancer & the Environment Program:

🔉 Impacts of Wildfires on Pediatric Cancer Care & Survivorship
📅 Monday, September 28 | 12pm PT
⏩ Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nGkEupvDSDmNq3w8BIucLg #/registration

Join PEHSU’s Childhood Cancer & the Environment Program on September 28, 2026 from 3 to 4pm Eastern. Learn more about the impacts of wildfires on pediatric cancer care and survivorship from Judy Ou, PhD MPH, Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of ...

09/04/2026

New research is shedding light on how exposure to alcohol and to***co can impact health over generations.

A study recently published in Autism Research found that grandchildren of grandfathers who drank five or more servings of hard liquor a week or used any type of to***co products during their grandmother’s pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) then the grandchildren of those who did not consume alcohol or to***co.

The study draws on 6,336 families first interviewed in the 1950s and 60s as part of PHI’s Child Health and Development Studies, a longitudinal cohort following three generations of births in California. Because at the time neither smoking nor drinking was widely understood to be a risk in pregnancy, their candid answers have become one of the few datasets in the world capable of asking a question most studies cannot.

“Understanding risks that carry across generations may help explain why more children are being diagnosed with autism today given profound changes in environmental exposures and risky behaviors around the 1950s and 1960s,” said Barbara Cohn, Ph.D., a senior author on the study and director of PHI’s Child Health and Development Studies.

Read more: https://www.phi.org/press/science-spotlightstudy-links-grandfathers-smoking-and-drinking-to-autism-risk-in-grandchildren/

Children whose grandfathers drank five or more servings of hard liquor a week during their grandmother’s pregnancy were nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to new research.

09/04/2026

How do you communicate clearly when everything feels urgent?

Communications is an essential part of public health—from conveying meaning behind new research, to shaping public policy that can promote healthier living, to sharing critical information with communities during crises. But communicating in today’s complex political and media landscape presents unique challenges.

Where can we step back from an individual’s story to understand the broader issues facing communities? How can public health practitioners cut through confusion while building trust?

A new Health Affairs perspective piece from PHI’s Berkeley Media Studies Group examines how health communicators can inform clearly, thoughtfully and contextually in this moment. It also provides practical guidance for speaking about both the challenges facing public health today, and the opportunities for transforming it into the future.

“We do not need to make a trade between protecting people and accuracy, but we do need to know the best practices for communicating effectively.”

Read the full piece: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00921

Today’s decisions about what and how to communicate about population health occur amid very real fears and expectations of harsh reprisal that have had far-reaching impacts, both for people’s health and for the health professions. It is in this context that health researchers must share their fi...

09/04/2026

In her most recent blog, PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones explores what a new relational infrastructure in public health might look like, shifting from a top-down vertical approach to one that is horizontal. That means viewing communities as partners in design of public health interventions. "We need to find ways to bring evidence and community priorities into the same conversation, around the same table. A horizontal approach doesn't automatically resolve difference; it offers a way to navigate it together."

Read more & subscribe to Reimagining Public Health: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/toward-new-relational-infrastructure-public-health-stafford-jones-tlrke/?trackingId=UkRCdmItSgWpbVyM3deXmQ%3D%3D

08/26/2026

A CASp is a qualified individual who is certified by the California Division of the State Architect to review buildings and facilities for compliance with state and federal construction-related accessibility codes and standards.

Disability experts at Beyond Access Consulting, a program of PHI’s Center on Disability, offer this five-day online training course, featuring a comprehensive review of the relevant knowledge, skills and abilities covered on the examination to become a CASp in California:

✨ Certified Access Specialist (CASp) Exam Preparation Course
📅 September 21-25 | 8am–noon PT Daily
🔗 Learn more and register: https://web.cvent.com/event/9d17cc84-2162-47ca-9eb8-f12a19298385/summary

This course explores California laws and relevant federal disability laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. This course also qualifies for ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program credits.

BeyondAccess Consulting offers a five-day virtual training course to review information covered on the examination to become a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) in the State of California. Note: BeyondAccess Consulting has the same knowledgeable staff as the Pacific ADA Center and offers the same g...

08/26/2026

Immediate, evidence-based and compassionate addiction care is now available, by phone, throughout California. Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the statewide launch of CA Bridge Connect—a call and text helpline that provides same-day connection to resources and treatment for substance use disorder.

CA Bridge Connect, an initiative of PHI's CA Bridge Center with funding from California Department of Health Care Services, is just one part of broader efforts addressing the opioid epidemic and preventing overdose. The confidential helpline offers navigation to treatment options regardless of insurance coverage.

“Accessing treatment can be difficult in fragmented health systems,” said Arianna Campbell, DMSc, MPH, PA-C, co-founder of Bridge. “Through strong clinical partnerships and dedicated Behavioral Health Navigators, we are committed to making it easier for anyone to access care quickly. No one should face addiction alone.”

Read the full announcement: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/08/25/new-helpline-connects-californians-to-same-day-opioid-treatment-support/

State of California

08/21/2026

Multipurpose Prevention technologies, or MPTs, are health intervention products that address two or more reproductive health considerations in one, such as preventing pregnancy and protecting against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections (STI). Today, 26 MPT product candidates are in development, spanning a range of delivery methods and combinations of HIV/STI prevention and contraception.

The The Initiative for MPTs - IMPT—a project of PHI's CAMI Health—tracks MPTs in the development pipeline, providing a comprehensive resource following the up-to-date progress of these innovations around the world.

✨ Explore the MPT Development Database: https://mpts101.org/

📰 Read more about the annual database update in IMPT's August Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cami-health/mpt-insider-august

This issue highlights recent developments across the MPT field, including the annual update of the MPT Pipeline Database, encouraging health care provider perspectives on the Dual Prevention Pill, and a recap of our July webinar exploring how user preferences can inform MPT development. As always, w...