March 2026
March 2026
In the Simmons MPH Monthly, we share news, media, and other highlights important for public health and health equity. We aim to amplify voices and perspectives from the Simmons community and beyond. This month we share an update from alum Thu Theresa Tran, '23MPH and an interview with Jackie Jahn, PhD, MPH from Drexel University's Ubuntu Center on her reserach into how structural racism in the U.S. shapes population health and health inequities and how her activism informs her work.
A few things we want to be sure you don't miss.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced a temporary policy change allowing the hiring of assistant US attorneys directly out of law school, waiving the previous one-year experience requirement. While the move aims to address staffing shortages and increased caseloads across federal prosecutors’ offices, it raises concerns about civil rights and the rule of law.
A judge temporarily blocked the US CDC's decision to decrease the recommended vaccines for children and several appointments to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The status of ACIP is unclear as mixed messages about disbanding and/or recreating the committee come from Department of Health and Human Services.
A California jury found Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and YouTube liable for intentionally building addictive products and failing to adequately warn users of potential dangers. This ruling came just a day after a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for failing to protect children from sexual predators on its platforms, ordering the company to pay $375 million in damages.
The CDC has lost more than 3,000 public health workers over the past year due to mass firings, funding cuts, and the ongoing fallout from a shooting at its Atlanta headquarters. One year after the shooting, former and current employees warn of the ripple effects locally in Atlanta and the damage to the nation's public health infrastructure.
Some of our favorite articles, podcasts, and videos.
The ongoing government shutdown is being used as leverage to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and increase voter ID requirements at polls. On this episode of The Excerpt, USA TODAY Congressional Reporter Zach Schermele explains the bill and its potential impact.
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel about his new book, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life. Dr. Emanuel explains why he wrote a wellness guide for the general public, what frustrates him about today’s “wellness industrial complex,” and why evidence‑based habits—not trendy supplements or extreme routines—are key to long‑term health.
A 2019 study found that people who engaged with the arts monthly—concerts, museums, and theater—had nearly half the risk of developing depression compared to those who didn't. If you want to dig deeper into the science behind that, the New Books Network podcast recently featured an interview with Fancourt, walking through the research and why so few people know about it.
The Invisible Shield is a four-part PBS documentary series that reveals how public health has saved countless lives—often without people even realizing it. It makes the case that public health is underfunded, undervalued, and widely misunderstood, even as it continues to make modern life possible. All four episodes are free to stream—worth a watch, especially right now.
Since graduating with her MPH from Simmons, Thu Theresa Anh Tran, '23MPH has stepped into impactful leadership roles in public health and community engagement. Theresa currently serves as Associate Director of the Office of Racial Equity and Community Engagement for the Boston Public Health Commission, where she focuses on building community relationships and advancing health equity.
Theresa is the daughter of Vietnamese refeguees who struggled to navigate systems in the US due to language, cultural, and other barriers. Theresa says she "often found [herself] acting as the cultural broker for [her] parents." Driven by this lived experience, Theresa is deeply committed to improving language access and culturally responsive care as well as building meaning relationships with communities in ways that will, she says, "help shift power so that policies and programs better reflect their needs." Her Simmons MPH equipped her with the skills to translate health equity theory into practice. She emphasizes that these skills guide her work to advance racial and health equity through building trust, fostering collaboration, centering community voices in decisionmaking.
Beyond her work with the Boston Public Health Commission, Theresa also serves as a Community Program Resident for the nonprofit Boston Little Saigon, sits on the Board of Directors at VietAID, and is collaborating with fellow alumni to launch a new MPH alumni program.
Her advice to current MPH students? "Stay rooted in [your] 'why'". Theresa says that although public health work can be complex and challenging, clarity of purpose will carry you through: "Don’t underestimate the value of your story, it is a powerful tool that can shape how you lead, advocate, and show up in this field!" While encouraging patience and perseverance at the time it takes for meaningful change to happen, Theresa emphasizes, "The work you are stepping into is important, and your voice and perspectives are needed."
Below are highlights from our interview with Jackie Jahn.
Read the full conversation.
This month, we spoke to Jackie Jahn, social epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health and the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity about her research, activism, and inspiration.
Will you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your current role, focus and a little bit about what you do?
I'm Jackie Jahn, an assistant professor in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health where I am also a part of the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity. I'm a social epidemiologist and my work focuses on the people who come into contact with the criminal legal system in the US–as well as their families and communities–and the ways that structural racism through the criminal legal system shapes population health and health inequities.
Do you mind just sharing a little bit about your background and journey? What sparked your interest in what you do now?
My very first public health internship was when I was an undergrad, at a syringe exchange in New York City, and it was an incredibly fun and formative experience for me. I didn't really know what public health was (it’s so many things!), and entering through that very humble and justice-oriented world of harm reduction was very lucky.
My work on incarcerated populations really started not so much from my academic work, but from activism I did outside of school. When I was in grad school, I was part of a coalition called Deeper Than Water, led by currently incarcerated people in Massachusetts that formed around concerns over the water quality and safety in Massachusetts state prisons. The work expanded to focus on heat waves and other environmental justice issues as well as medical care and inadequate medical care for people who are currently incarcerated.
Your activism played a huge role in setting you on this path. Can you talk a little bit more about how you bring the two together?
There's a lot of really important science for science's sake, and that just has never been what called me to this. When I am at the early stages of a research project, I always think, “Why do this work?”–what is really the goal, and what would this work mean for changing policy, practice, etc. That has really driven the work that I do, because I came to public health because of the field's potential to change population distributions of disease.
There's a research question, and then there are the political implications of the question: What would it mean politically if we found a certain answer to our research question; what would it mean politically if we found the opposite? It's really thinking through critically what would it mean for policy, what would it mean for changing our world if we found this was true, or if we found that actually there's no relationship when we expected to see one. I think that kind of approach makes for a really rigorous, impactful science.
Do you have any advice for students, people early in their public health career, or maybe people who want to plug into activism and don't know how?
I think for people that are interested in doing health equity and social justice work, in these times especially, it might feel like there isn't a future in this–as if there is not a clear job for you, or there's not a clear mentor who has done exactly what you want to do and can help you get there. I think seizing those chances to believe in yourself and believe in the importance of that calling is what I would encourage people to do, and the way will present itself. You will meet your people. You will find your community.
Thanks very much, Jackie, for taking the time to speak with us!
Events focused on health, wellness, equity and education.
April 1, 2026 (Online)– Epidemiologic Study on the Health of Veterans Who Served at Fort McClellan, 1979-1999 (Meeting 2)
The Committee on the Epidemiologic Study on the Health of Veterans Who Served at Fort McClellan, 1979–1999, will hold its second meeting virtually on March 16, 20, 26, and 27, and April 1. The meeting will include both open sessions and closed deliberative sessions.
As part of this meeting, the committee will hold public sessions to hear perspectives from veterans and other members of the public. The public sessions will be held virtually on:
April 6, 2026 (Webinar) – Public Health in the Age of Deception: Confronting the Misinformation Crisis
When misinformation spreads as fast as a virus, public health must respond quickly. False and misleading information is eroding trust in public health, widening inequities, and undermining prevention efforts. APHA's National Public Health Week Forum will dig into what’s driving the problem of misinformation—and what we can do about it.
Leading experts will share lessons from recent successes, the importance of cross-sector partnerships, and how to prepare today’s workforce to respond effectively in real time.
April 8, 2026 (social media) | – Flood The Feed During National Public Health Week
Join APHA for it's "Flood the Feed" social media event on April 8. Use the video tool to record and share a message about the importance of public health to improve community health and actions people can take.
April 11-12, 2026 (Webinar) – Health Equity Leadership Virtual Conference
Join a dynamic virtual public health leadership conference hosted by United Against Inequities in Disease on April 11-12, 2026; explore real-world leadership challenges and emerging issues in public health while earning 8 hours of continuing education or professional development credit!
Please let us know what you'd like to see in this monthly update...news, events, or your own updates!