BALTIMORE, MD, February 6, 2025 – As local newsrooms continue to shrink and news deserts grow, citizen journalists are stepping in to sustain coverage, but a new study in the INFORMS journal Management Science reveals just how critical their role is – and the consequences of their absence.

Exposure therapy, in which patients gradually face the things and situations they fear, is among the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders, yet it remains underutilized (Pittig, Kotter, & Hoyer, 2019). Some patients may find it too intimidating while clinicians may struggle with the lack of control and the challenge of repeatedly creating experiences such as flying in a plane or talking in front of a large crowd. 

A new paper in Clinical Psychological Science highlights virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as an effective option and explores how it may work. The research suggests that patients may be more willing to try virtual reality as they can be assured it is not actually real, and clinicians can manipulate the simulated experiences. 

Shinsuke Tanaka, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, wanted to use his expertise in environmental and health economics to help understand what was at the root of this puzzle. Tanaka published a paper in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management showing that counties with more days of downwind pollution from power plants had higher COVID-19 mortality rates. This impact was more pronounced in under-resourced communities.