Rutgers researchers examined particulate matter from a June 2023 fire that triggered advisories for more than 100 million Americans in the Northeast.

As the United States government considers major policy decisions regarding social media, including a potential forced sale of TikTok and new legislation to protect young users, the comprehensiveness of research informing these decisions faces scrutiny. Jon-Patrick Allem, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, discussed the NASEM report in a recent American Journal of Public Health editorial. He laid out his ideas for improvement with Rutgers Today.

The wellness industry is unregulated with few rules governing marketing claims often made by social media influencers, who present themselves as subject-matter experts providing “relatable” content to thousands, if not millions, of followers.

Rutgers Health researchers are recruiting participants for a study examining cigarillo perceptions and use in young adults. These products come in brands like Swisher Sweets, Black & Mild, White Owl, and Dutch Masters. 

Compared with their heterosexual peers, thinking about suicide, attempting suicide, bullying in school and cyberbullying are happening at least double the rates among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents – with these trends increasing among Black LGB adolescents, according to Rutgers Health research.

Systems designed to treat arsenic in private well water may be malfunctioning and endangering the health of people who count on them to keep their water safe, according to Rutgers researchers.

A fungal toxin that hinders animal fertility and fetal development may also disrupt human sex hormones in pregnancy, according to a Rutgers Health study.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced new federal rules requiring water companies to reduce the amount of so-called forever chemicals – which have been linked to increase cancer risk and other illnesses – in drinking water nationwide. Robert Laumbach, a clinical researcher with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute who has been studying forever chemicals in the drinking water in Gloucester County, talked to Rutgers Today about what they are and how they impact human health.

Samuel ‘Sam’ Nemeth, a Master of Public Health student specializing in Population Aging at Rutgers School of Public Health, is currently investigating how prosocial behaviors help increase the chances of recovering from physical and cognitive impairments, and how using an mHealth app, the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices, may improve mental health in older adults.

We spoke with Sam about his passion for population aging and public health, and why this intersection is crucial to recognize during Older Americans Month and beyond.

Rutgers researchers, aided by international collaborators, have tracked the devastation war has made on Ukraine’s hospital system. Hundreds of hospitals in Ukraine have been forced to close or operate at a reduced capacity since Russia’s invasion of the Eastern European country in February 2022. Damage, destruction and supply shortages caused by the war have impaired the nation’s hospital system and taken a serious toll on human health.