Rita Hamad

Science or Advocacy? The Global Rise of Policy Claims in Population Health Research (1990-2024) Should original research routinely contain prominent policy claims, such as recommendations for policymakers or broad calls to action? Growing emphasis on “research impact” might be welcome but also h...

Interesting new paper on how research studies increasingly claim policy relevance, especially observational studies with weaker causal evidence: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1.... A cautionary tale; overstating evidence based on a single study harms scientific credibility. @societyforepi.bsky.social

Yes, that's a unique challenge of accessing existing PRAMS data. Other federal health data are archived, e.g., @icpsr.bsky.social... but for PRAMS, users need to request data from each individual state separately (if states share data) & then harmonize them. A huge threat to maternal/child health.

Glad to see continued coverage @wcvb5.bsky.social of loss of critical maternal & child PRAMS data: www.wcvb.com/article/mass...

We need urgent advocacy & action to restore CDC funding & maintain access to existing data.

@datarescueproject.org @hsph.harvard.edu @icpsr.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov

This Friday, December 5 @ Noon ET, join our faculty affiliate @rachel-meltzer.bsky.social for an @areuea.bsky.social Policy Forum: Opportunity Zones: How Have they Changed and How Are They Working?

areuea.memberclicks.net/areuea-polic...

JAMA article, published Nov 25, 2025: "As the 2026 Election Takes Shape, Health Care Is Becoming an Economic Issue for US Voters." Poll results show worry levels about affording healthcare, rent, utilities, food, gas, & insurance.

💬 Viewpoint: @kff.org polling indicates nearly three-quarters of US adults support congressional extension of #ACA premium tax credits, making health care affordability a decisive economic issue in upcoming elections and policy debates.

ja.ma/4oZfvaB

Rent slowly drops in North Texas as region builds more housing — but inequities persist Recent data shows that changing local and state policies are contributing to growing housing stock, but much of it is still out of reach for lower-income renters.

"When there are too few homes, the people with the most resources win and the people who have the fewest resources lose.”

www.keranews.org/news/2025-11...

 #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism

The Financial Consequences of Being Denied Benefit Access Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

New report highlights how administrative burdens in SNAP access can lead to downstream negative financial consequences for families. Important implications given dramatic ⬆️ in admin burden with this administration: www.nber.org/papers/w34434 @nber.org @capolicylab.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social

Wow, so many great upcoming events @iaphs.bsky.social for academics and practitioners, hosted by some of the most thoughtful leaders in #pophealth. Check them out, and consider becoming a member for insider access! iaphs.org/tools-for-su... @societyforepi.bsky.social @popassocamerica.bsky.social

Health Effects of the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion on Young Adults Without Children Policy Points In 2021, young adults without children became (temporarily) newly eligible for the earned income tax credit, the largest US poverty alleviation program. This 2021 expansion was asso...

The study used quasi-experimental difference-in-differences methods, comparing pre-post trends in young adults w/out kids to trends in slightly older adults. It used public national BRFSS data, which is continuously under threat in current moment. @datarescueproject.org doi.org/10.1111/1468... 3/3

Health Effects of the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion on Young Adults Without Children Policy Points In 2021, young adults without children became (temporarily) newly eligible for the earned income tax credit, the largest US poverty alleviation program. This 2021 expansion was asso...

This federal pandemic-era #EITC expansion has expired, but state policymakers are interested in such policy tweaks to improve health & well-being for young adults. Our study informs these anti-poverty policies. doi.org/10.1111/1468... @centeronbudget.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu @itep.org 2/

Latest study by SPHERE postdocs A. Ali & @emilydore.bsky.social finds that expansions of EITC for young adults w/out kids boosted mental heath. This group is often excluded from safety net policies, but they are at a critical juncture of life course. doi.org/10.1111/1468... @mdrc-news.bsky.social 1/

Members of the Interdisciplinary Assoc for Population Health Science will now have their publications featured (and briefly open access!) to help share their important work. Details: iaphs.org/share-your-p....

Moral of the story: join @iaphs.bsky.social! And read more about our members' research!

What's this mean for NIH-funded scientists?

It means the next time that Trump/RFK/JB want to terminate grants on topics they don't like, they'll have less trouble in court defending their actions.

It also means less certainty for scientists, less research, and more harm to US scientific leadership

Challenging The Administration’s Weaponized And Lethal “Gold Standard Science” | Health Affairs Forefront The real gold standard for science, and academic freedom, requires upholding scientific work that investigates who and what is responsible for creating conditions in which only a select few, rather th...

New piece by @hsph.harvard.edu colleague Nancy Krieger on Trump's weaponization of science & hypocrisy in dismantling of research infrastructure: "Challenging The Administration’s Weaponized And Lethal 'Gold Standard Science'" www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore... @popassocamerica.bsky.social

Intersections of Social Policies and Health A collection of articles published by Health Affairs Scholar. Edited by Rita Hamad. This collection examines the effects of social policies on health; differen

I had the pleasure of curating a collection of articles for #HAScholar special collection on social policies & #health. The full collection is now freely available online, including articles on policy impacts, implementation barriers & more: academic.oup.com/healthaffair... @kathrynp-phd.bsky.social

The bodily scars of legal violence: local immigration enforcement, state immigrant policy, and health inequality Abstract. Over the past three decades in the United States, a surge of federal, state, and local laws and policies has increased levels of immigration enfo

🚨 New paper: “The Bodily Scars of Legal Violence: Local immigration enforcement, state immigrant policy, & health inequality” 🚨

Forthcoming in @sfjournal.bsky.social w @ngraetz.bsky.social @atheendar.bsky.social & Robin Ortiz

academic.oup.com/sf/advance-a...

You need to be a member to view recordings if you miss the events. Do consider joining as a member! IAPHS is my favorite professional organization :).

Lots of exciting events @iaphs.bsky.social coming up soon on interdisciplinary #pophealth topics for trainees and researchers. E.g., #scicomm, how to develop research, working with communities, etc. Webinars open to the public! iaphs.org/tools-for-su...

📣 In a new paper using data on >11,000 kids, we find children who are #evicted suffer worse mental health & increased sleep problems... but so do children whose families simply struggle to pay the rent each month, implicating the health of 100,000s of young people in the housing crisis. #episky 🧪

It's often good to precisely quantify these benefits, so that policymakers who are interested in evidence can weigh these benefits against a policy's costs.

New study finds more generous state safety net policies w/ fewer administrative barriers are linked to better birth outcomes, esp for marginalized groups. Very relevant finding in current policy environment!
doi.org/10.1016/j.so... @gabeschwartz.bsky.social @npwf.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social

The aggressive immigration raids we now see across the nation began 10 months ago in California's Central Valley. Their impact on children, families, and communities is an important & active area of research

I'm pleased my study of the initial raid's early impact on students is now out in @pnas.org

Line graphs show cumulative experiences in relation to Medicaid/CHIP and uninsurance by birthday. Graph A: Medicaid/CHIP coverage trends. Graph B: Uninsurance trends. Data covers ages 1-18, showing percentages of US children.

An estimated 61% of US children have been enrolled in #Medicaid or CHIP and 42% have experienced periods of uninsurance by age 18, with insurance disruptions being more common in states with restrictive Medicaid policies.

ja.ma/47Vjn6y

Opinion | It Would Be Trump’s Honor to Pay for Food Stamps

New article @nytimes.com on how SNAP & other safety net programs are inaccurately portrayed as "Democrat" programs, when in fact they help Americans of all stripes: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o... @hsph.harvard.edu @tombedsall.bsky.social @centeronbudget.bsky.social @americanprogress.bsky.social

Reminder: even if administration complies with judges' orders & pays out #SNAP benefits, there will be delays given timeline, and many families will still need support because of reductions to SNAP as part of #OBBBA. Consider donating to your local food bank: www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo...

Reminder: even if administration complies with judges' orders & pays out #SNAP benefits, there will be delays given timeline, and many families will still need support because of reductions to SNAP as part of #OBBBA. Consider donating to your local food bank: www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo...

OECD Child poverty rate by country “On average across OECD countries, 12.2% of children live in relative income poverty (Chart CO2.2.A), but rates differ considerably from country to country. In six OECD countries (Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Spain, Türkiye and the United States), more than 20% of children live in relative poverty; rates are particularly high, at around 30%, in Costa Rica. In 17 other OECD countries (Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden), however, less than 10% of children live in relative income poverty. In Denmark and Finland, the child relative income poverty rate is only around 4%.” Source: https://webfs.oecd.org/els-com/Family_Database/CO_2_2_Child_Poverty.pdf

Did you know? The US has one of the highest child poverty rates of OECD countries.

The average child poverty rate across OECD countries is 12.2%

In the US, it’s over 20%

It’s partly why many children rely on SNAP

High rates of child poverty warrant a national conversation.

Calvin and Hobbes, speaking deep truths even about our world today. Thanks, @billwatterson.bsky.social.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

SNAP boosts households' average monthly income by 31%.

For households with kids, it's 42%.

SNAP prevents food insecurity, but it also enables households use scarce non-SNAP resources for other things... rent, utilities, diapers, school supplies...

from: www.fns.usda.gov/data-researc...

🥗 🛟

The Trump Administration Is Endangering Women’s Reproductive Health The Trump administration is dismantling programs to prevent, treat, and cure diseases that affect women as well as threatening access to basic reproductive and maternal health care—and the One Big Bea...

Great reporting from @americanprogress.bsky.social on other ways that the administration is endangering women's health, beyond cancelling this key maternal and child health data set. E.g., hacking of safety net programs, misinformation. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-... @npwf.bsky.social