Rita Hamad
@ritahamad.bsky.social
Professor, social epidemiologist @hsph.harvard.edu • Social policy + health equity • Director https://hsph.me/sphere • Mama, immigrant • Opinions mine
Public Health
41%
Medicine
22%
Pinned
Rita Hamad
@ritahamad.bsky.social
· Aug 8
Our latest study @jamahealthforum.com shows the harms of work requirements for safety net programs. Women who were subject to harsher requirements and who received less cash assistance from TANF were less likely to breastfeed. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @donmoyn.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/
Thanks @dataindex.us for hosting webinar on Trump administration's cancellation of PRAMS, the only national long-term survey data on perinatal & infant health. Register to learn more, including action steps: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... @popassocamerica.bsky.social @societyforepi.bsky.social
Reposted by Rita Hamad
US plan for $1.6m hepatitis B vaccine study in Africa called ‘highly unethical’
Experts decry ‘neocolonialist’ Guinea-Bissau study after Trump administration changed advice for US babies
www.theguardian.com
I was interviewed for @theguardian.com by the wonderful @melodyschreiber.com, one of the finest health reporters in the world, about what I called a “neocolonialist” study planned by Danish researchers in Guinea-Bissau, funded by RFK Jr. So many red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
!["I strongly support extending PRAMS for another 3 years. My work [insert text]. PRAMS is the only national data source that examines women’s experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. PRAMS allow states, practitioners, and researchers to identify emerging risks and design programs to address maternal and child health. Without PRAMS, we lose a critical national tool for monitoring maternal and infant health and for guiding policies that improve outcomes for families. Continued investment in PRAMS is essential to protecting maternal and infant well-being."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev44uvidti3vnfgxhptvalm6/bafkreic4ipvznmemet22kknrays2avg26nm7y3ifbnwd7h3pugz6uzd2tq@jpeg)
Here's the link to leave an actual comment: www.regulations.gov/document/CDC...
See this screenshot (and it's alt-text) for sample language.
See this screenshot (and it's alt-text) for sample language.
Hoping that key professional organizations will spread the word! We need to tell the feds that these data are critical. @popassocamerica.bsky.social @apha.org @societyforepi.bsky.social @ameracadpeds.bsky.social @defendpublichealth.bsky.social @ashecon.bsky.social @iaphs.bsky.social @acog.org 2/2
Reposted by Sarah Burgard
CDC PRAMS office is still non-operational, but there's an opportunity for public comment on proposal to support continued collection of state PRAMS data. Please leave even a few sentences, stating support for this critical maternal & child health resource: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20... 1/
Statistical Analyst/Programmer
careers.harvard.edu
🚨Job alert! We're hiring experienced programmer to analyze national Medicaid claims data, along w/ colleague Ari Ne'eman @hsph.harvard.edu. Details & application instructions: careers.harvard.edu/job/statisti...
@societyforepi.bsky.social @popassocamerica.bsky.social @ashecon.bsky.social @apha.org
@societyforepi.bsky.social @popassocamerica.bsky.social @ashecon.bsky.social @apha.org
Reposted by Rita Hamad
Child behavioral health improved with expanded Child Tax Credit | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Pandemic-era expansions to the Child Tax Credit—one of the largest income transfer programs in the U.S.—was associated with improved child behavioral health, according to a new Harvard Chan School stu...
hsph.harvard.edu
Study by faculty affiliate @ritahamad.bsky.social & colleagues finds an association between the expanded child tax credit, temporarily distributed monthly during the pandemic, and a reduction in child behavioral problems...
hsph.harvard.edu/news/child-b...
hsph.harvard.edu/news/child-b...
Paid Family Leave Can Be a Lifeline
A week before I gave birth last February, the research team I work with published a study in a prominent scientific journal on how paid family leave affects maternal and child health. The study found ...
scholars.org
@whitneywells.bsky.social has also authored an op-ed with support of @scholars.org describing the importance of #paidleave for young families: scholars.org/contribution...
She was inspired by her own personal experiences & her research @amjepi.bsky.social on this topic: doi.org/10.1093/aje/... 2/2
She was inspired by her own personal experiences & her research @amjepi.bsky.social on this topic: doi.org/10.1093/aje/... 2/2
New research brief by UCSF PhD student and SPHERE affiliate @whitneywells.bsky.social on #paidleave. The US is the only high-income country without such a policy, despite clear health benefits, summarize here: hsph.harvard.edu/wp-content/u... @paidleaveforall.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu 1/
Reposted by Florencia Torche
New article out in print with @donmoyn.bsky.social
How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens in Health and Health-Protective Programs
doi.org/10.1002/wmh3...
How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens in Health and Health-Protective Programs
doi.org/10.1002/wmh3...
Important new paper on policy implementation and how to reduce stigma and boost participation in safety net policies.
The 2021 Child Tax Credit and Children's Health and Well‐Being: Evidence From a National Longitudinal Study
Policy Points
Evidence suggests the 2021 temporary Child Tax Credit expansion reduced material hardship and improved parental mental health, but less is known about its effects on child well-bein...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Study has implications for design of tax policies, esp reviving CTC & making payments monthly. Conducted using valuable @umpsid.bsky.social data and rigorous quasi-experimental methods. @itep.org @mdrc-news.bsky.social @centeronbudget.bsky.social @epi.org onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 2/2
New paper led by G Wang @ucsf-ihps.bsky.social is among first to examine #childhealth impacts of 2021 #ctc, finding improved behavioral health. After policy expired, #childhealth worsened. This suggests policymakers should focus on more frequent payments. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 1/
Reposted by Rita Hamad
New article out in print with @donmoyn.bsky.social
How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens in Health and Health-Protective Programs
doi.org/10.1002/wmh3...
How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens in Health and Health-Protective Programs
doi.org/10.1002/wmh3...
Reposted by John Mullahy, Rita Hamad
Going back to school during the pandemic linked to improved child mental health
A new study finds that school reopenings during the pandemic were associated with declines in diagnoses of anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions in children.
www.washingtonpost.com
Thanks to @sabrinamalhi.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com for covering this study, including the fact that recent cuts in spending for youth #mentalhealth are likely going to prevent us from addressing the long-term consequences of school closures: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Youth Mental Health Improved When Schools Reopened, Study Finds
www.nytimes.com
Thanks to @ellenbarry.bsky.social @nytimes.com for covering this story with some thoughtful insights into the broader school and pandemic context! www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
journals.lww.com
We used quasi-experimental diff-in-diff analysis & commercial claims data on 180,000 kids. Of course, usual limitations apply in terms of possible time-varying confounding, like other COVID policies. Also, healthcare *utilization* does not necessarily = health. journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... 5/5
The gender gap in math widened in the pandemic. Schools are trying to make up lost ground
Efforts to close the gender gap in STEM education are gaining momentum after setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
apnews.com
Our study findings resonate with another recent study @stanfordeducation.bsky.social finding that kids' test scores dropped during the pandemic, especially math scores for girls. Gendered patterns in social interactions may help explain this. apnews.com/article/math... 4/
journals.lww.com
Does this mean schools shouldn't have closed during pandemic? No, #publichealth folks were making decisions based on available evidence under uncertainty. It does mean policymakers should balance physical well-being (infections) & mental well-being in the future. journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... 3/
journals.lww.com
These commercial claims data primarily include kids in high-income neighborhoods. Effects might be different (and likely larger) for kids in low-income neighborhoods, as they rely even more on resources at school (e.g., food, counseling). A focus of future work! journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... 2/
In our latest study, we examined effect of pandemic-era school re-openings on kids' use of #mentalhealth services, finding reductions esp for older girls. This speaks to importance of schools for kids' mental health.
journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... @hsph.harvard.edu @harvardeducation.bsky.social 1/
journals.lww.com/epidem/abstr... @hsph.harvard.edu @harvardeducation.bsky.social 1/
Rhetoric vs Reality on Immigrants’ Health Care Spending
This JAMA Forum discusses eligibility restrictions for emergency Medicaid coverage, cuts to health care coverage for legal immigrants, and the broader pattern of health care cuts made by the Trump adm...
jamanetwork.com
New piece @jamahealthforum.com by @hsph.harvard.edu colleague Sommers on "Rhetoric vs Reality on Immigrants' Health Care Spending." Latest policies mostly cut coverage for documented immigrants and US-born people. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @nilc.org @centeronbudget.bsky.social @immcouncil.org
Reposted by Rita Hamad
New National Archives data on WIC rollout shows access during pregnancy reduces low birth weight, specifically for Black infants—narrowing the racial gap by 3.6 percent, from Marianne Bitler, Danea Horn, Esra Kose, Maria Rosales-Rueda, and Arian Seifoddini www.nber.org/papers/w34521
Science or Advocacy? The Global Rise of Policy Claims in Population Health Research (1990-2024)
Should original research routinely contain prominent policy claims, such as recommendations for policymakers or broad calls to action? Growing emphasis on “research impact” might be welcome but also h...
www.medrxiv.org
Interesting new paper on how research studies increasingly claim policy relevance, especially observational studies with weaker causal evidence: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1.... A cautionary tale; overstating evidence based on a single study harms scientific credibility. @societyforepi.bsky.social
Yes, that's a unique challenge of accessing existing PRAMS data. Other federal health data are archived, e.g., @icpsr.bsky.social... but for PRAMS, users need to request data from each individual state separately (if states share data) & then harmonize them. A huge threat to maternal/child health.
Glad to see continued coverage @wcvb5.bsky.social of loss of critical maternal & child PRAMS data: www.wcvb.com/article/mass...
We need urgent advocacy & action to restore CDC funding & maintain access to existing data.
@datarescueproject.org @hsph.harvard.edu @icpsr.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov
We need urgent advocacy & action to restore CDC funding & maintain access to existing data.
@datarescueproject.org @hsph.harvard.edu @icpsr.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov
Reposted by Rita Hamad
This Friday, December 5 @ Noon ET, join our faculty affiliate @rachel-meltzer.bsky.social for an @areuea.bsky.social Policy Forum: Opportunity Zones: How Have they Changed and How Are They Working?
areuea.memberclicks.net/areuea-polic...
areuea.memberclicks.net/areuea-polic...
Aaron Schwartz
@aschwartz.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Payments to Physician Practices and Incentives to Serve Different Racial and Ethnic Groups
This study measures disparities across patient racial and ethnic groups in per-visit payment to physician practices from health insurers and other sources, adjusted for visit content, geographic marke...
jamanetwork.com
🚨New Paper🚨 US doctors are paid very different amounts for treating different patients—even when providing identical services.
How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients?
In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7)
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients?
In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7)
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Rita Hamad
@ritahamad.bsky.social
· Nov 26
The Financial Consequences of Being Denied Benefit Access
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
New report highlights how administrative burdens in SNAP access can lead to downstream negative financial consequences for families. Important implications given dramatic ⬆️ in admin burden with this administration: www.nber.org/papers/w34434 @nber.org @capolicylab.bsky.social @donmoyn.bsky.social
Reposted by Rita Hamad
Eviction Lab
@evictionlab.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Rent slowly drops in North Texas as region builds more housing — but inequities persist
Recent data shows that changing local and state policies are contributing to growing housing stock, but much of it is still out of reach for lower-income renters.
www.keranews.org
"When there are too few homes, the people with the most resources win and the people who have the fewest resources lose.”
www.keranews.org/news/2025-11...
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
www.keranews.org/news/2025-11...
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism