Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
@rachelhoopsick.bsky.social
First Gen Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at University of Illinois | Studying drug use & mental health | UB alum🤘🏼🌹🌈🍉
A great summary of our recent work with reservists on PTSD and alcohol: www.psypost.org/hyperarousal...
Hyperarousal symptoms drive alcohol problems in male soldiers, new research suggest
A new longitudinal analysis suggests that specific PTSD symptoms, particularly hyperarousal, drive hazardous drinking in military reservists. The findings indicate that male soldiers are uniquely at r...
www.psypost.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:51 AM
A great summary of our recent work with reservists on PTSD and alcohol: www.psypost.org/hyperarousal...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
This is shameful. The man spent years working to undermine faith in public health, amplified by right-wing think tanks backed by big money to oppose anything big business doesn’t like.
His contribution to our discourse was a declaration that we should let people get mass infected for herd immunity.
His contribution to our discourse was a declaration that we should let people get mass infected for herd immunity.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of N.I.H., was called a “fringe epidemiologist” during the Covid era. On this episode of “Interesting Times,” he tells Ross Douthat that the elites broke the public’s trust, and now it’s up to outsiders to restore it.
Opinion | A Plan to Restore Trust in Science From a ‘Fringe Epidemiologist’
Jay Bhattacharya, the N.I.H. director, says authorities broke the public’s trust in the Covid era. Now it’s up to outsiders to restore it.
nyti.ms
January 29, 2026 at 10:08 PM
This is shameful. The man spent years working to undermine faith in public health, amplified by right-wing think tanks backed by big money to oppose anything big business doesn’t like.
His contribution to our discourse was a declaration that we should let people get mass infected for herd immunity.
His contribution to our discourse was a declaration that we should let people get mass infected for herd immunity.
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
The nursing home industry donated $4.8m to MAGA, Inc. Soon after, HHS withdrew a proposal to set standards on nurse-to-patient ratios.
By the data, abandoning standards means more nurses and more nursing home residents will suffer. And god forbid another pandemic... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
By the data, abandoning standards means more nurses and more nursing home residents will suffer. And god forbid another pandemic... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:48 PM
The nursing home industry donated $4.8m to MAGA, Inc. Soon after, HHS withdrew a proposal to set standards on nurse-to-patient ratios.
By the data, abandoning standards means more nurses and more nursing home residents will suffer. And god forbid another pandemic... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
By the data, abandoning standards means more nurses and more nursing home residents will suffer. And god forbid another pandemic... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Our latest paper, published in @acerjournal.bsky.social, suggests that specific PTSD symptom clusters, rather than overall PTSD severity, may influence hazardous drinking among military reservists, with greater risk observed among male soldiers experiencing hyperarousal features of PTSD.
Longitudinal associations between PTSD symptom clusters and domains of hazardous drinking among a cohort of United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers
Among Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers, PTSD symptom clusters, particularly hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative cognitions and mood, were linked to hazardous drinking over time. Findings re...
dx.doi.org
January 23, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Our latest paper, published in @acerjournal.bsky.social, suggests that specific PTSD symptom clusters, rather than overall PTSD severity, may influence hazardous drinking among military reservists, with greater risk observed among male soldiers experiencing hyperarousal features of PTSD.
Sharing this piece I wrote on “Dry January” and stigma published in @medpagetoday.com as a part of my fellowship with The OpEd Project: www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | 'Dry January' Offers a Shot of Stigma
It's meant to celebrate abstinence, but it also adds to substance use judgement
www.medpagetoday.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Sharing this piece I wrote on “Dry January” and stigma published in @medpagetoday.com as a part of my fellowship with The OpEd Project: www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Our latest study shows that methamphetamine-related mortality has intensified nationally, with pronounced geographic variation in timing and magnitude. Recent indications of stabilization in some divisions have occurred at historically high levels. journals.lww.com/journaladdic...
December 23, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Our latest study shows that methamphetamine-related mortality has intensified nationally, with pronounced geographic variation in timing and magnitude. Recent indications of stabilization in some divisions have occurred at historically high levels. journals.lww.com/journaladdic...
And as with all wars, the war on drugs sustains itself through its failures. Every overdose, every new cartel, every surge in trafficking is treated not as evidence of policy collapse but as justification for more of the same.
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
December 3, 2025 at 4:09 PM
And as with all wars, the war on drugs sustains itself through its failures. Every overdose, every new cartel, every surge in trafficking is treated not as evidence of policy collapse but as justification for more of the same.
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
‘Tis the season to resurrect the epicookies from #EpiTwitter circa 2021
December 2, 2025 at 3:06 AM
‘Tis the season to resurrect the epicookies from #EpiTwitter circa 2021
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
One of my team’s newest articles highlighting suicidal behaviors among LGB+ youth. Check it out! Collaborating with the excellent @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social is always a plus!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
One of my team’s newest articles highlighting suicidal behaviors among LGB+ youth. Check it out! Collaborating with the excellent @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social is always a plus!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
This is not good news if you believe we need a steady supply of public health experts in occupational health and safety. aspph.org/department-o...
Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition
Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.
aspph.org
November 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
This is not good news if you believe we need a steady supply of public health experts in occupational health and safety. aspph.org/department-o...
The real threat to the "dignity of work" isn’t entitlement benefits like Medicaid — it’s the policy failings that continue to leave jobs unsafe, wages flat, and healthcare out of reach. theopinionpages.com/2025/11/real...
Real Threat to Dignity of Work? Not Medicaid, It’s Policy | The Opinion Pages
As the federal government is poised to end the longest shutdown in history, it is noteworthy that Rep. Erin Houcin (R-Ind.) recently claimed that reinstating Medicaid work requirements would restore t...
theopinionpages.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The real threat to the "dignity of work" isn’t entitlement benefits like Medicaid — it’s the policy failings that continue to leave jobs unsafe, wages flat, and healthcare out of reach. theopinionpages.com/2025/11/real...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
The new, 7th edition of 'A Dictionary of Epidemiology' will be published in April 2026.
As previous editions, it is sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and published in New York by Oxford University Press.
The book will be published online on www.oxfordreference.com.
As previous editions, it is sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and published in New York by Oxford University Press.
The book will be published online on www.oxfordreference.com.
www.oxfordreference.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:25 PM
The new, 7th edition of 'A Dictionary of Epidemiology' will be published in April 2026.
As previous editions, it is sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and published in New York by Oxford University Press.
The book will be published online on www.oxfordreference.com.
As previous editions, it is sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and published in New York by Oxford University Press.
The book will be published online on www.oxfordreference.com.
The deepest wounds don’t always come from combat. Sharing this piece I wrote in @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social on the National Guard as a fellow of The OpEd Project and the @uofilsystem.bsky.social:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Guarding What? The Moral Cost of Militarizing Our Cities
A federal judge recently blocked plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. But the battle over militarizing American streets is far from over. On Monday, a federal appeals court lifted a temporar...
thefulcrum.us
October 26, 2025 at 6:40 PM
The deepest wounds don’t always come from combat. Sharing this piece I wrote in @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social on the National Guard as a fellow of The OpEd Project and the @uofilsystem.bsky.social:
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
No surprises here - removed or altered data sets include health data, and other data related to climate change, air pollution, etc., which enable threats to health and wellbeing and health inequities to be tracked and intervened upon.
A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed
The scale and scope of federal data and statistics that have been...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
No surprises here - removed or altered data sets include health data, and other data related to climate change, air pollution, etc., which enable threats to health and wellbeing and health inequities to be tracked and intervened upon.
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
The CDC was destroyed last night. Our federal public health infrastructure will no longer exist. It has major & long-lasting repercussions that will impact the health of everyday people in the U.S. &beyond💔
Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers during government shutdown - CNN
Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers during government shutdown - CNN
October 11, 2025 at 10:17 AM
The CDC was destroyed last night. Our federal public health infrastructure will no longer exist. It has major & long-lasting repercussions that will impact the health of everyday people in the U.S. &beyond💔
Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers during government shutdown - CNN
Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers during government shutdown - CNN
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
I'd love to hear from anyone who has been at agencies protecting public health this year (eg CDC, HHS, HRSA, HUD, NIH, OSHA). Privacy respected. Signal is AmyMaxmen.25
🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
Hi! I'm a public health reporter moving from THERE to here. Give me a follow if you're interested in my writing & take:
Public health isn't only about outbreaks & vaccines. It's about making society healthier outside of clinics. It requires systemic change, equity, a belief in the common good.
Public health isn't only about outbreaks & vaccines. It's about making society healthier outside of clinics. It requires systemic change, equity, a belief in the common good.
October 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
I'd love to hear from anyone who has been at agencies protecting public health this year (eg CDC, HHS, HRSA, HUD, NIH, OSHA). Privacy respected. Signal is AmyMaxmen.25
🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
No pizza party or company swag is going to fix the reality of what it’s like to be a healthcare worker in the US. Our pilot data suggest that moral injury is prevalent among HCWs and may affect suicidal thoughts and behaviors doi.org/10.1080/1555...
October 11, 2025 at 12:14 PM
No pizza party or company swag is going to fix the reality of what it’s like to be a healthcare worker in the US. Our pilot data suggest that moral injury is prevalent among HCWs and may affect suicidal thoughts and behaviors doi.org/10.1080/1555...
I wrote for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social about the need for public health.
The dismantling of public health that is unravelling in real time may feel like political theater, but the stakes are measured in lives.
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
The dismantling of public health that is unravelling in real time may feel like political theater, but the stakes are measured in lives.
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Take the Shot: The Country’s Future Hangs on Public Health Support
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met this week at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It linked 25 unverified reports of child deaths to COVID-19 vaccines as they consider further limiting access to this and other immunizations, like those for hepatitis B and...
thefulcrum.us
September 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I wrote for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social about the need for public health.
The dismantling of public health that is unravelling in real time may feel like political theater, but the stakes are measured in lives.
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
The dismantling of public health that is unravelling in real time may feel like political theater, but the stakes are measured in lives.
thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
A kind reminder that a "politics of you deserved this" (cancer, vaccine-preventable disease, natural disaster, etc) has no place in public health. We can hold bad actors to account without punching down on the groups most harmed by their actions and/or resorting to shame, blame, and stigma.
September 3, 2025 at 10:38 AM
A kind reminder that a "politics of you deserved this" (cancer, vaccine-preventable disease, natural disaster, etc) has no place in public health. We can hold bad actors to account without punching down on the groups most harmed by their actions and/or resorting to shame, blame, and stigma.
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American."
It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2025 at 11:23 AM
9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American."
It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Across New York State local health departments are using wastewater to track infectious disease trends. Wastewater data complements case and hospitalization data.
Our group's write-up on how local health departments use wastewater data here.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#EpiSky 🧪
Our group's write-up on how local health departments use wastewater data here.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#EpiSky 🧪
How local health departments use wastewater surveillance data for public health planning and intervention in New York State - BMC Public Health
Wastewater surveillance presents a novel data stream for local health departments to understand infectious disease risk in their communities. We conducted a survey of local health departments in New Y...
link.springer.com
August 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Across New York State local health departments are using wastewater to track infectious disease trends. Wastewater data complements case and hospitalization data.
Our group's write-up on how local health departments use wastewater data here.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#EpiSky 🧪
Our group's write-up on how local health departments use wastewater data here.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#EpiSky 🧪
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research
The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.
www.rwjf.org
August 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM
ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
i don’t write opinion pieces, but i felt compelled to write this one with @colincarlson.bsky.social after my friends and former colleagues at CDC had 500 bullets fired at them.
NEW 🚨 The violence is the point. Elected Dems must call for widespread resignations (RFK, Bhattacharya, Prasad) in response to the CDC shooting. Public health must demand this of them, and the public must demand that of us. With @publichealthguy1.bsky.social in STAT: www.statnews.com/2025/08/15/c...
The CDC shooting was public health’s Jan. 6
“In RFK Jr.’s America, it will never be safe to practice public health or medicine," write an epidemiologist and a former CDC staffer.
www.statnews.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
i don’t write opinion pieces, but i felt compelled to write this one with @colincarlson.bsky.social after my friends and former colleagues at CDC had 500 bullets fired at them.
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Hello, Bluesky! This account automatically posts updates when the Census Bureau APIs add or remove datasets.
See the full tracker at www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...
See the full tracker at www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...
Tracking Census Dataset Changes
See when the U.S. Census Bureau adds or removes datasets.
www.hrecht.com
August 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Hello, Bluesky! This account automatically posts updates when the Census Bureau APIs add or remove datasets.
See the full tracker at www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...
See the full tracker at www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...
Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Jerome Adams was President Trump's Surgeon General. He is calling out the current administration for its dehumanizing language and tying it to the shootings at CDC last week. This isn't a partisan issue. Violence against public health workers is wrong full-stop. www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/c...
Former surgeon general: The CDC shooting must be a wakeup call
“When influential figures amplify falsehoods, they legitimize the anger that leads to violence,” writes former Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
www.statnews.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Jerome Adams was President Trump's Surgeon General. He is calling out the current administration for its dehumanizing language and tying it to the shootings at CDC last week. This isn't a partisan issue. Violence against public health workers is wrong full-stop. www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/c...