Health in the Headlines

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Experts at the School of Health Professions and Human Services, the Saltzman Community Services Center, the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell are available to offer commentary on the most important health and wellness topics of the day, including:

Measles – More than 940 cases have been confirmed in 26 states this year, the greatest number reported in the United States since measles was declared eradicated in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts who can discuss the impact of the outbreak on the general population, the misinformation that has spread about vaccinations, the debate over booster shots, and the difficulties faced by municipalities as they struggle to stem the spread of measles include public health professor Anthony Santella, DrPH, family nursing expert Maureen Houck, DNP, and infectious disease specialist Bruce Farber, MD.

Pregnancy and Depression -- New research led by Professor Maria Sanmartin, PhD found that more than half of pregnant women who are depressed do not seek treatment, and many instead turn to alternatives such as drugs and alcohol, marijuana, and painkillers. The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, looked at data from the five-year National Survey on Drug Use and Health of 12,360 women of reproductive age (18 to 44 years old) who reported symptoms of a major depressive episode in the last year. She can discuss how healthcare models can be improved to address the needs of this vulnerable group.

Suicide - Psychology professors William Sanderson, PhD and Mitchell Schare, PhD, director of the Phobia & Trauma Clinic, can discuss how to talk about this sensitive topic with vulnerable individuals including children, who went to ERs for suicidal thoughts and attempts in 2015 at twice the rate they did in 2007. Public health professor Martine Hackett, PhD can discuss trauma and traumatic grief as an underlying cause of many public health issues, including infant mortality, maternal mortality, substance use disorder, and sexually transmitted infections. She can also address how “diseases of despair” have contributed to a decline in life expectancy in the United States for two years in a row.

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Martine Hackett

Associate Professor of Population Health

Dr. Hackett's research focuses on public health and health inequities, particularly in the American suburbs and minority communities.

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Aug 3, 2026

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James Sample Authors Guest Essay in The New York Times

Professor James Sample of the Maurice A. Deane School of Law has published a guest essay in The New York Times examining a U.S. Supreme Court case that could reshape how courts interpret the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause. In the essay, Sample analyzes Jouppi v. Alaska, a case involving an Alaska pilot whose $95,000 airplane was ordered forfeited after a passenger transported a six-pack of beer to a dry village. He argues that the case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to clarify when government-imposed financial penalties become so disproportionate that they violate the Constitution’s prohibition on excessive fines, reinforcing an important constitutional safeguard against excessive government power. The essay is the latest example of Sample’s national thought leadership on constitutional law, the Supreme Court, and the rule of law. Throughout the month, he has been a frequent legal analyst for leading national and regional media outlets, offering insight on major Supreme Court decisions, executive power, freedom of the press, immigration, election law, judicial ethics, and other pressing constitutional issues.

Jul 28, 2026

1 min

Deaths, resignations in Congress test narrow majority

United Press International (UPI wire service) interviewed Meena Bose, Hofstra University professor of political science, executive dean of the Public Policy and Public Service program, the Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies and director of the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, about the death of Senator Lindsey Graham and President Donald Trump‘s choice of the late Senator’s sister Darline Graham Nordone, to succeed him. Until the midterm elections, Nordone will hold that position in an honorary capacity. There are four active vacancies on Capitol Hill with Nordone filling Graham’s seat. “The issue here is really that there have been vacancies and resignations and that the margin is so narrow for party control, particularly in the House of Representatives,” Dr. Bose told UPI. “The number of resignations or decisions not to run for re-election is indicative of questions about why people want to serve in office or indicative of a question of are people hesitant to serve in public office, and if so, why?”

Jul 20, 2026

1 min

Poor Air Quality Moves Summer Activities Indoors

Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, was interviewed by WCBS-TV News about the poor air quality across parts of the United States, caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. These conditions have prompted many summer camps to bring activities indoors. “Children are more vulnerable to low air quality because their lungs are still developing,” said Dr. Bernhardt. “They have to breathe in more air to replenish their body and kids are likely to be more active outside.”