Epidemiology

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Disability justice in public health

Kara Mannor

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act was just a first step in a journey toward equity for disabled communities. PhD student and disability advocate Kara Mannor describes how the disability justice movement can help institutions rethink a better future for research and health for people with disabilities.

A burned cigarette sits on the edge of an ash tray.

Why is the FDA seeking to ban menthol cigarettes? 4 questions answered

David Mendez and Rafael Meza

The FDA has opened the public comment period for the agency’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. As experts on the behavioral and public health aspects of smoking, Michigan Public Health professors David Mendez and Rafael Meza explain the role of menthol in smoking-related illness and death.

Public health worker in Africa distributing vaccines

Is Africa Truly Free of Wild Polio?

Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14 and Uju Okeke

Without a case on the continent for several years, the World Health Organization declared Africa free of wild polio in 2020. But questions remain about the ability to reach remote areas for vaccination programs and for disease surveillance as well as questions around the security of infectious agents held in labs for research.

Microscopic image of a coronavirus

Teaching Infectious Disease History in 2020

Jon Zelner

Teaching a course on the social history of infectious disease during a pandemic poses particular challenges. Jon Zelner decided to put his students’ energies to work on public-facing content aimed at helping people make sense of this pandemic and its implications in context.