Benjy Renton

Due to the continued government shutdown, 42 million people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will no longer get federal food benefits starting Saturday.

This program serves 1 in 8 Americans and 39% are children.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/u...

Nanyao, A Decade Later: Returning Home to a Village in Transition - Off the Silk Road Preface: I have recently completed a recent two-week stay in China, my 21st since 2006 and first since September 2023. I wanted to share with you all a series of reflections from this trip, the Read m...

Over the summer I had the chance to visit the Nanyao village in southwest China, 10 years after my first visit in 2015. I wrote about the Zhang family, the changes they have witnessed over the past 25 years and their grandson’s career aspirations.
offthesilkroad.com/2025/09/21/n...

In my weekly podcast, I had a fabulous conversation with a brilliant Obstetrician about how she advises pregnant women about the risks and benefits of taking a medicine

Dr. Elizabeth Langen is really good

This is worth your time

What Do Data and Science Tell Us About Advising Women on Tylenol and Pregnancy? Podcast Episode · A Moment in Health with Dr. Ashish Jha · 09/23/2025 · 15m

How should we think about the data and evidence on Tylenol during pregnancy? On this week's episode of @amomentinhealth.bsky.social, @ashishkjha.bsky.social and Dr. Elizabeth Langen discuss how to weigh the risks and where to go from here.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Day care measles exposure forces Iowa family to take weeks off work for baby: 'It only takes one' There have been at least 1,309 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. this year. Hundreds or thousands of other families have most likely had their lives upended after being exposed.

An important story on the effects of measles outbreaks in day cares: A nine-month-old who was exposed is too young to be vaccinated and his parents have to take unpaid vacation days to stay home. Many do not have the savings to stay home for weeks.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Thank you as always for your advocacy!

Firearm Storage and Firearm Suicide This case-control study assesses the association between firearm storage practices and suicide method (firearm vs nonfirearm) among individuals who lived in a home with firearms in the last year of th...

Important new case-control study in @jama.com - Insecure firearm storage is associated w/adolescent suicide - but not adult suicide.

In other words, secure storage [locked, unloaded] is IMPORTANT for reducing kids' suicide, but may not be sufficient for adults.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

More than 10,000 people subscribe to the @pandemiccenter.bsky.social's Tracking Report, a newsletter led by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social and her team.

Have you subscribed? Go to thepandemiccenter.org.

www.wpri.com/news/local-n...

Kennedy Withdraws Funding Pledge to International Vaccine Agency

Gavi works in close partnership (operationally and financially) with governments around the world to distribute life-saving vaccines to children. Their work has saved nearly 20 million lives since 2000.

Kennedy is either misinformed or lying, but either way children will die as a result.

Opinion | ‘I Think He Is About to Destroy Vaccines in This Country’

Thank you to @dwallacewells.bsky.social for featuring our work (led by @jeremyfaust.bsky.social) on the political divides of vaccine exemptions.

"It is a war from above on public health — and public trust."
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/o...

U.S. Soft Power: Next Steps After the Foreign Aid Withdrawal | Think Global Health A former White House official on the future of advancing strategic interests while saving lives and growing economies

"In considering what comes next, U.S. policymakers should strive for a balance that maintains a focus on saving lives and promoting economic growth while maximizing soft power benefits to advance U.S. strategic interests,"
@spsaki.bsky.social writes.
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/us-s...

Regulators Approve a Twice-Yearly Shot to Prevent H.I.V. Infection

Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV, was approved yesterday by the FDA. It's the longest-acting prophylactic drug to date. We need to do more to ensure this scientific innovation is accessible to all in the US and around the world.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/h...

Opinion | RFK Jr. is sabotaging the vaccine program. Here’s how to stop him. States must act swiftly to protect their residents — especially children and the vulnerable.

In the aftermath of the recent firing of previously serving members of CDC's ACIP, @ashishkjha.bsky.social calls for states + medical societies to step up in protecting access to vaccines — committing to science-based policy and ensuring vaccines remain free.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

In 1944, the USS LST-510 carried 200 soldiers and 70 vehicles (including tanks) and landed near Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

Today, 81 years later, she shuttles passengers and cars between Long Island and Connecticut. What a cool piece of history.

Congrats on your graduation Sarah!

Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.

In the last 20 years we've seen significant advances in vaccines for older adults — most namely shingles and RSV. We need to continue to increase access for this population as the benefits from averted hospitalizaitons and deaths are significant.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/h...

Grateful for the opportunity to work on this with you!

Firearm Laws and Pediatric Mortality in the US This study attempts to measure excess mortality due to firearms among US children aged 0 to 17 years after the McDonald v Chicago US Supreme Court decision (2010).

Excited that my JAMA Pediatrics article with @jeremyfaust.bsky.social @bhrenton.bsky.social @hmkyale.bsky.social and others is now published. It turns out that permissive firearm laws aren’t great if you want to reduce pediatric firearm deaths. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Firearm Laws and Pediatric Mortality in the US This study attempts to measure excess mortality due to firearms among US children aged 0 to 17 years after the McDonald v Chicago US Supreme Court decision (2010).

“permissive firearm laws contributed to thousands of excess firearm deaths among children living in states with permissive policies”

- the study by @jeremyfaust.bsky.social @mirandayaver.bsky.social @bhrenton.bsky.social @hmkyale.bsky.social

et al (more tags!) in @jama.com Peds

Trends in County-Level MMR Vaccination Coverage in Children in the United States This study examines county-level vaccination rates for children from 2017 to 2024 for all US states.

Declining measles vaccination rates hurt us all. A new study with data from 2,066 counties in 33 states found a mean 2.7% decrease in MMR vaccine coverage. with many counties below the recommended 95% level to prevent spread.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Canceling Moderna’s bird flu contract could be Robert Kennedy’s most reckless act yet - The Boston Globe The federal government should be investing and working to expand the nation’s scientific and public health arsenal, not shrinking it.

In his latest @bostonglobe.com opinion, Dean @ashishkjha.bsky.social reacts to HHS cancelling Moderna’s bird flu vaccine contract—a decision he calls RFK Jr.'s "most dangerous yet." www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/03/o...

Last week we heard from Rhode Island healthcare leaders (in conversation with @danmcgowan.bsky.social and @alexagagosz.bsky.social) about the ongoing crisis that many facilities in the state face. With fewer Medicaid dollars going into the system, the whole population suffers.

3. Already long ER wait times (an ER visit in Rhode Island is on average nearly 5 hours) would get longer.

In 2003 Oregon's Medicaid disenrolled 50,000 patients. The result? A 20% increase in ER visits. More visits = longer wait times.
www.annemergmed.com/article/S019...

5 Key Facts About Nursing Facilities and Medicaid | KFF The substantial Medicaid savings in the reconciliation bill that has been passed by the House could have major implications for nearly 15,000 federally certified nursing facilities and the 1.2 million...

2. What's the primary payer for nursing homes? Medicaid — covering 63% of 1.2 million residents.

Cuts to Medicaid could force nursing homes to reduce staffing or close entirely. That could mean that loved ones would be unable to get long-term care.
www.kff.org/medicaid/iss...

1. Your health insurance premiums have been constantly increasing, jumping by 7% in 2023. With more people uninsured and hospitals/providers lose Medicaid dollars, they shift the cost onto private insurers. Consolidation could also push prices up.
www.thirdway.org/memo/medicai...

Why should you, someone who gets insurance through your employer, care about Medicaid cuts? Senator Jack Reed brought up some good points tonight:

1. Insurance premiums (for all) will go up
2. Nursing homes will close, hindering long-term care
3. Longer ER wait times for everyone

This was truly an exceptional speech by my friend
@scienceyael.bsky.social.

"Imagine a generation of Harvard PhDs who count impact not in citations, but in how many communities we reach."

A critical reminder on how we communicate science and how we restore public trust.

It’s such a joy to work with Gabby Chalker at Brown — so happy we were able to be connected through Middlebury. Thank you to the Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement for the feature!
www.middlebury.edu/community-en...

Trump policies threaten brain drain in biomedical research - The Boston Globe Three-quarters of US-based researchers and graduate students are considering working abroad, according to a recent study.

"The most transformative innovations in medicine, health, biomanufacturing, and national security could still come from the United States if we choose to not squander our advantages."
Dean @ashishkjha.bsky.social writing in the @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2025/05/27/o...

3,310 degrees. Over 3,000 alumni. 11,000 families and guests. 15,000 attendees at Campus Dance. 13,000 seats on the Green. And 1 musical performance by Jon Batiste.

Brown's 257th Commencement was an incredible weekend — congratulations to the Class of 2025!