Benjy Renton

Congratulations to the USA women's curling team on advancing to the semifinals, the biggest US Olympic win in 24 years. Among them:

- Tabitha Peterson: Works as a pharmacist
- Tara Peterson: Works as a dentist
- Cory Thiesse: Works as a lab tech

Big day for the health sciences!

Thinking of the talented colleagues at the Washington Post whose stories have been critical to a healthy democracy and society.

From making sports accessible to producing incisive journalism abroad to informing the local DC community, cuts in these areas are a tremendous loss.

Congrats Gabby!!

It was an honor to speak to more than 100 students and alumni at a vigil hosted by the Brown Club of New York in Central Park yesterday afternoon. Heartened by the courage and bravery by many current students who shared their stories and the outpouring of support by alums. #EverTrue

Looks so good!

In its darkest hour, Providence stepped up.

Thank you to the hundreds of state, local and federal law enforcement officers who were on the case.

Thank you to the journalists, critical in getting information out to the public.

Most importantly, thank you to our community.

Effectiveness of 2024–2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Children... This report describes COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among children ages 9 months to 17 years.

Given recent evidence free pronouncements from FDA it’s interesting to see this *evidence* for the effectiveness of Covid vaccines at preventing visits to the emergency room or urgent care *in children*

Especially the 76% effectiveness in the 9mo-4yrs age group
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

New York’s Basic Health Program Increased Subsidized Insurance Coverage From Preconception To The Postpartum Period | Health Affairs Journal Prepregnancy access to care and continuous health insurance coverage from preconception to postpartum are modifiable drivers of maternal health. The Basic Health Program (BHP) provision of the Afforda...

New in Health Affairs last week, we evaluated the impact of New York’s Basic Health Program (BHP) on pregnancy-related insurance coverage: www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Congrats on this work, Julia!

A school transformed Over the past five years, the Brown University School of Public Health has undergone a profound transformation, evolving into one of the nation’s most impactful public health institutions. During the ...

The story of the School of Public Health in the last five years is one of immense transformation, shaped by our world’s most critical health issues. 51 new faculty, 3 new degree pathways and 4 new research centers are part of the results of that growth.
sph.brown.edu/news/2025-12...

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults in France This cohort study uses the data from all adults aged 18 to 59 years living in France on November 1, 2021, to evaluate whether there is an association of receipt of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with long-t...

This study is getting a lot of attention for different reasons, but I wanted to address one thing about it quickly:

It does show that there is a lower risk of mortality for non-COVID causes of death among the vaccinated and unvaccinated. At least some of this reflects the bias that plagues all...

In the last five years under Dean Jha’s leadership, the School of Public Health has experienced tremendous growth and has become a leading institution addressing our most urgent health and social challenges — from pandemics to the health impacts of climate change to addiction.

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...