Danielle Solomon

Really looking forward to speaking about intersectionality in our approach to abortion access at the @bsacp.org.uk conference later today - do come along and say hi if you're there!

So...we're just letting this happen again, are we?

"It doesn't work reliably, so just don't use it for anything, like, super important" is a wild thing to say about your own product

I feel like this is happening in the AI space - billions in investment for nebulous health interventions on the promise that they might save money down the line. Can we please remember that health technologies are expensive to implement, and this has an impact on healthcare expenditure!

Meanwhile, interventions that tackle the structural determinants of health often don't attract investment (despite being much cheaper!), because it's difficult to prove that they would save money in the short term. Even if it's clear that there would be significant benefit to populations.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Health Care Expenditures With Semaglutide This cohort study evaluates changes in cardiovascular risk factors and health care expenditures after initiation of semaglutide.

Interesting paper - semaglutide increases healthcare costs despite lowering incidence of some high-cost outcomes. Preventative technologies often don't produce the cashable savings that they're marketed on, but this usually isn't a barrier to investment.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

As someone who grew up in a family that was obsessed with football, young me could never have imagined the journey that women's football has taken to get this point. Huge congratulations to the #Lionesses ⚽️

It's maddening to me how much Covid is at the root of so many of today's crises and we just...don't talk about it?

Take the spike in children needing SEND provision. Did anything huge and traumatic happen recently that might have affected thousands of kids? No? Must be parents making it up

Massive NIH study challenges use of race as a proxy for genetic ancestry in research A large government study shows that Americans’ self-reported race is a poor proxy for their genetic ancestry.

More powerful evidence that race is not genetic (from AllofUs)

But “The screening of [NIH] scientists’ communications contrasts with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s promise to foster a culture of free speech.”

www.statnews.com/2025/06/05/n...

Today's @ukhsa.bsky.social report shows a ⬇️in gonorrhoea infections - a testament to the hard work of public health teams and their commissioned sexual health services - but there is still work to be done.

👀Read our response ➡️ www.adph.org.uk

Stark social divides in infectious disease admission rates in England, study finds UKHSA says people in most deprived areas almost twice as likely to be admitted to hospital as those in least deprived

#HealthInequalities: Stark social divides in #InfectiousDisease admission rates in England, study finds

UK Health Security Agency says people in most deprived areas almost twice as likely to be admitted to hospital as those in least deprived.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Line chart showing the decline in smoking among adults over age 16 in Great Britain from 1974 to 2023. In 1974, around 51% of men and 41% of women reported smoking cigarettes. Over the decades, these rates fell steadily. By 2023, only about 12% of men and 10% of women reported smoking. The gap between men and women remained fairly consistent, with men having slightly higher rates throughout the period. The chart illustrates a dramatic and sustained decline in smoking for both sexes. The data is sourced from the GLS & OPN surveys (2023) and published by OurWorldinData.org under a Creative Commons BY license.

Once widespread, smoking is now uncommon in Great Britain 🧵

Graph summarising Health Foundation / Ipsos polling data. It shows levels of public support across a range of population-level public health policies, some of which are summarised in the thread.

Today, we've published new @healthfoundation.bsky.social / @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social showing the public supports bolder policy approaches to tackle alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food. 1/n

www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/art...

This is probably obvious to all who follow me here, but when a very contagious infection leads to rare terrible outcomes (measles, COVID), it can both be devastating at a population level, & also most patients will recover without therapy, which makes any therapy look like it works, anecdotally.

I stand in solidarity with all of my colleagues who do health equity research. This work matters for the communities we serve.
This week has been catastrophic for grant cancelations and our communities are hurting terribly.
Please share and stand with us in solidarity.

Chart showing Change in annual income as a result of tax and benefit policy changes announced since the 2024 general election, by income vigintile: UK, 2029-30 (2024-25 prices)

Tax and benefit policies have cut incomes since the election, with low-to-middle income households being the most affected.

Households in the bottom half of the income distribution will lose on average 1.4 per cent of their income, compared to 0.7 per cent for households in the top half.

“We’re seeing a rise in broken legs being diagnosed.”

The discourse about this would not be about ‘over-diagnosis’, but about investigation into why this was happening, prevention and support. Perhaps we could do the same for other diagnoses.

Feeling very sorry for anyone working at NHS England today - I feel like this has been incredibly poorly handled.

Public health is almost always characterised as 'bureaucracy' when one of these organisational changes happens, but it's particularly galling after living through a pandemic where policy analysis and expert decision making was so clearly necessary as part of the frontline response.

✨My essay in @thelancet.bsky.social this week has made the front page!✨ (I didn’t know about this 🤗)

‘Reflect, Collaborate and Listen’ looks at why doctors don’t listen and the urgent need to rebalance the power dynamic in the patient - doctor relationship.

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Thank you!

The opinion piece that I was commissioned to write as part of the BMJ's "Racism in Medicine" special issue was published today! Do have a read.

‘AI can’t just be overlaid on a failing health service’ Hetan Shah, chief executive of The British Academy, said that the NHS "can't just overlay tech on a failing service”.

Hetan Shah, chief executive of The British Academy, said that the NHS and UK government “can’t just overlay tech on a failing service”.

Full story 👉 ow.ly/iQxl50V054A

McDonald’s triumphs over councils’ rejections of new branches—by claiming it promotes “healthier lifestyles” The fast food giant used a GP to support appeals against planning decisions in some deprived areas with the worst rates of food related ill health in England. Then it threatened councils with bills fo...

Our Vice President Alice Wiseman is quoted in the BMJ investigation on tactics used by industry to overturn council attempts to prevent new fast food outlets.

“It’s very undermining in the role of local government in being able to shape a healthy environment".

bit.ly/4hNQAmH

Calorie labels on menus could make eating disorders worse Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study.

Calorie labels on menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders.

A new study from @kingsnmpc.bsky.social published in the BMJ Public Health found that people with eating disorders changed their behaviours if presented with calorie labels on a menu.

www.kcl.ac.uk/news/calorie...

High risk pregnancy

"Society is convinced weight is under an individual’s control and so the sense that I had brought this on myself—and the developing baby—was overwhelming."

Sue Fletcher-Watson describes the pressures of constant monitoring in a pregnancy deemed high risk
www.bmj.com/content/388/...

Interesting to see the parallels between the arguments against congestion charging in NYC and London. Particularly the (erroneous) idea that people who use public transport are more affluent than people who drive. How has this idea held on, despite it not making logical sense? Cars are expensive!!

We HAVE solved social care. Our soluition is 'you don't get any local government'.

Hospital admissions for flu quadruple in England as NHS bosses warn of ‘huge’ strain Cold snap expected to add to pressure as NHS England figures show 5,074 flu patients in hospital by 29 December The number of people admitted to hospital with flu in England has quadrupled in a month, as health leaders said “huge” pressure in the NHS…

Hospital admissions for flu quadruple in England as NHS bosses warn of ‘huge’ strain

It is scary, but also absolutely exhilarating - my main advice would be to make sure that you have a good network of new consultants that you can talk to about all the ups and downs. Good luck!