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Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-Jun-2026 09:15 ET (12-Jun-2026 13:15 GMT/UTC)

Private equity acquisition can expand primary care use by expanding workforce, study finds

Brown University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When health policy researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health tracked data from primary care practices that had been acquired by private equity firms, they found something surprising: not all of the changes were detrimental.

Journal: Health Affairs
Funder: Arnold Ventures, Commonwealth Fund

Doctors believe preservation has a one in four chance of working, but not without challenges

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Surveyed US physicians believed preservation has a one in four chance of working, though opinions amongst physicians varied. Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston of Monash University, Australia, and colleagues present their findings in the study, published on May 20, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One.

Journal: PLOS One

Celebrating the standouts: Changemakers honored by the world’s largest computing association

Association for Computing Machinery
Grant and Award Announcement

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, today recognized individuals with awards for their exemplary service to the computing field. Spanning diverse disciplines, the 2025 award recipients were selected by their peers for energizing a thriving community that makes a real impact on both their colleagues and the wider world. This year’s awardees drove advancements in learning tools for computer science education, technology policy, and broadening participation in computing—among other areas.

Healthcare utilization disruptions continue in post-COVID China

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A PLOS Medicine analysis led by Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers quantified the enduring impact that China’s health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic had on overall healthcare utilization. As the first country to report COVID-19 cases and implement infection control measures, and among the last to lift such policies, China’s experience presented a unique opportunity to study the relationship between public health measures and healthcare access.

Journal: PLOS Medicine
Funder: Zhejiang Province High-Level Talent Training Program - Medical Rising Star Fund Support, Fred Hutch Cancer Center Public Health Sciences Division

Nearly 60% of college students with a psychosis diagnosis are not receiving the recommended mental health treatment

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher examined the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes that influenced college students’ with a diagnosis of psychosis to seek help for their mental health and found that while a majority of these students believed they needed mental health treatment, 60 percent of students did not meet current recommended guidelines for combined antipsychotic medication and therapy. Published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the study found that nearly 8 in 10 surveyed college students with psychosis reported needing mental health support. While 8 in 10 students did seek therapy or counseling within the past 12 months, only 4 in 10 students reported taking antipsychotic medication.

Journal: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Funder: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program

Carbon markets underestimate the risks U.S. forests face from climate change

University of Utah
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research led by the University of Utah documents how carbon markets, a pillar of climate policy, fail to accurately account for the risks U.S. forests face from climate change. The team produced maps that show where the risk of loss from fire, insects and drought are most elevated, and therefore best avoided for forest preservation projects.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, NASA Headquarters

Food and drink litter dominates global plastic pollution

University of Plymouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research led by the University of Plymouth (UK) brought together and evaluated more than 5,000 beach litter surveys to reveal the dominant items of marine litter across all seven continents, nine ocean systems, 13 regional seas and 112 nations, a combined area representing 86% of the global population.

Journal: One Earth
Funder: UK Research and Innovation, Global Challenges Research Fund

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