Feb 18, 2025
1 min
A Newsday story on racial disparities in maternal mortality rates in New York featured an interview with Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health. While national statistics have improved overall in recent years, experts say it will take more time to close the gap.
National statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show overall maternal mortality across the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row. However, while the rate for white women, decreased from 19 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 14.5 in 2023, it rose from 49.5 to 50.3 for Black women.
Dr. Hackett, cofounder of Birth Justice Warriors, called the disparity “shocking” and said, “When you’re looking to address a problem as big and complex as maternal mortality, it is going to take a long time.”
Dr. Hackett's research focuses on public health and health inequities, particularly in the American suburbs and minority communities.
1 min
Starting with the class of 2028, high school students will no longer need to pass their Regents exams in order to graduate. Professor Emeritus of Education Alan Singer talked to WNYW-TV Fox 5 and WCBS-TV about the change. “I don’t have confidence that many districts will actually maintain a high standard with these alternatives,” he said.
1 min
Alan Singer, professor emeritus of learning, teaching, and technology, appears in a Newsday article about how teachers are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in their classrooms. “For the generation that lived through 9/11, it was a day that will live in infamy,” he said. “But for [younger] people, it may not. So the question then becomes, what do we want kids to learn about 9/11?”
1 min
After an EF1 tornado touched down in Atlantic Beach on August 20, Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, talked to Newsday about this rare occurrence. Some parts of the country – particularly in the central United States – are more likely to have the atmospheric conditions required to form a tornado. One key condition these cyclones require is “a clashing of contrasting air masses,” said Bernhardt. “We just don’t have the ingredients that are necessary. The water around the island tends to moderate the climate a bit.”
Check out some other posts from Hofstra University
1 min
Starting with the class of 2028, high school students will no longer need to pass their Regents exams in order to graduate. Professor Emeritus of Education Alan Singer talked to WNYW-TV Fox 5 and WCBS-TV about the change. “I don’t have confidence that many districts will actually maintain a high standard with these alternatives,” he said.
1 min
Alan Singer, professor emeritus of learning, teaching, and technology, appears in a Newsday article about how teachers are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in their classrooms. “For the generation that lived through 9/11, it was a day that will live in infamy,” he said. “But for [younger] people, it may not. So the question then becomes, what do we want kids to learn about 9/11?”
1 min
After an EF1 tornado touched down in Atlantic Beach on August 20, Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, talked to Newsday about this rare occurrence. Some parts of the country – particularly in the central United States – are more likely to have the atmospheric conditions required to form a tornado. One key condition these cyclones require is “a clashing of contrasting air masses,” said Bernhardt. “We just don’t have the ingredients that are necessary. The water around the island tends to moderate the climate a bit.”
