Yale Equity Reseach and Innovation Center (ERIC)

CT Health Foundation just released its blueprint outlining steps to achieving maternal health equity in CT! 💌 🎉 We at ERIC are honored to have helped support the creation of this report and grateful for CT Health’s leadership🌟

Congratulations to our Postgraduate Associates (PGAs) for their incredible End-of-Year Presentations last week! They shared their progress on their projects for the year, with projects on topics from digital health for Black women, food insecurity, and post-incarceration support.

We are excited to share our next ERIC spotlight on Amelea Lowery, MPH, a ERIC community member and former Staff, and current Community Outreach Manager for the Yale Cancer Center! #yale #publichealth #yalecancercenter #community #leadership

Congratulations to ERIC Postgraduate Associate Lisbette Acosta, BS, for her acceptance to and upcoming matriculation to the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF) for the Doctor of Medicine program as a member of the Class of 2030! @ucsf @ucsfmed #medicine #ucsf

Congratulations to ERIC Research Associate II Vivien Wambugu, MSc, for her acceptance to and upcoming matriculation to the University of Oxford Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Population Health! We could not be more proud! #healthequity #doctor #oxford #yale #medicine #publichealth

Congratulations to ERIC Project Manager Kate Fraser, PMP, MPH for her graduation from the Yale School of Public Health with her Master in Public Health as a member of the Class of 2026! We are so proud! #healthequity #graduation #yale #medicine #publichealth #mph #graduate #ivyleague #ysph

Congratulations to ERIC Student Research Intern Samantha (Sam) Liu on her graduation from Yale College with a BA in English (magna cum laude) and Global Health Studies Certificate. Sam has also been awarded the US Fulbright Scholar Award. Congrats, Sam!

We are proud to announce that ERIC Faculty Karen Wang, MD, MHS was recognized as Recipient of the 2026 JCTS Publication Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS)! Learn more and read the paper here: medicine.yale.edu/news-article...

We are proud to announce that ERIC Faculty Dr. Cece Calhoun, MD, MPHS, MBA, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology) and (Hematology/Oncology), is receiving the Health Award at the NAACP Greater New Haven Branch 109th Annual Freedom Fund Celebration on May 14, 2026. Congrats, Dr. Calhoun!

By 2060, oncology still won’t reflect the U.S.—even with faster URiM growth. Roberts et al. project URiM representation among cancer physicians rising only to 12.5% vs 43.2% population share in baseline. #ERICSpotlight #Oncology #CancerCare #WorkforceDiversity pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41074755/

Data can’t advance health equity if it’s built without equity. As public health data infrastructure erodes, we apply a data equity lens to deliver actionable steps to build clearer data equity, leading to strong health equity frameworks. Read our publication here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41060023/

Please welcome our next ERIC spotlight on Daniel Sarpong, PhD, the Executive Director of the Office of Health Equity Research (OHER) and Senior Research Scientist in the Department of General Internal Medicine!

CT ranks 35th for severe maternal morbidity. Black women face twice the risk. This is a public health failure we can fix. Marcella Nunez-Smith on data, accountability, and collective action. Read the interview: medicine.yale.edu/news-article...

Congrats to Mark Abraham, DataHaven (@datahaven.bsky.social) Executive Director, who won the Elm Award as part of the 2026 Annual Seton Elm-Ivy Awards Ceremony on April 8th, 2026!

Please welcome our next ERIC spotlight, our Postgraduate Associate Cassandra Michel, MPH. Swipe to learn more!

Our next ERIC spotlight series features Vivien Wambugu, MSc, ERIC's Research Associate II. We are so proud of Vivien! Learn more about her and what makes her such a critical part of the ERIC community.

Congratulations to ERIC Core Faculty Kristina Talbert-Slagle, Ph.D. on being appointed Co-Chair of the Connecticut Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health 🎉 wp.cga.ct.gov/creph/person...

Meet our third ERIC featured member, Imran Saeed, PharmD, MPH for our ERIC Spotlight Series! We are so grateful to have Imran in our community. Read on to learn more about him and his work!

Meet our second featured ERIC member, Lisbette Acosta, BS, Postgraduate Associate and ERIC Social Media Coordinator! Learn more about her and her work here at ERIC.

Welcome to the first of our ERIC spotlight series, with Corrine Liu, MPH, to start us off! Learn more about Corrine and what makes her such a special part of the ERIC community.

New ERIC study finds that most patients are willing to share race/ethnicity/language data, but lower willingness still exists in key populations: people with less trust in providers, poorer health, and certain racial/ethnic groups. Equity needs data, and data needs trust www.i-jmr.org/2025/1/e67288

How can using Western and Indigenous knowledge shape better research? 🌱 In their new paper, Wali et al. and ERIC Faculty Dr. Jeremy Schwartz share how learning Indigenous methods helped researchers adapt a digital health program for remote Ugandan communities. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41100180/

Of the 172 medicines approved by the FDA from 2015-18, only 24% of countries had physical access to every drug they helped test, even after 5 years, with lowest access in African countries. New research from ERIC Affiliate Faculty Jen Miller, PhD and team lays it out clearly: tinyurl.com/ycxehhy4

In 2023, cancer caused nearly 1 in 6 deaths worldwide, with over 2/3 of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, where access to screening and treatment remains limited. Here’s why this growing crisis demands our attention, and why the next 25 years is critical. bit.ly/48FoKGa

💉Critics say the revised panel—now including several vaccine skeptics—ignored strong scientific evidence on Hep B. ⚠️As US childhood immunisation stability wavers, clinicians warn: this vote could put millions of infants at risk. @ameracadpeds.bsky.social @acpimphysicians.bsky.social 📖⬇️ & 🙏🔁

Did you know that over half of rural counties lack hospital-based obstetric services? Source: American Hospital Association www.aha.org/news/headlin...

Over half the world still lives without essential health services — 4.6 billion people in 2023. New @who.int - World Bank Data warns the world is far off track for UHC by 2030, as financial hardship & stalled public spending widen inequities. @gatesfoundation.bsky.social @gavi.org 📖⬇️ & 🙏🔁

🌍 #Africa bears 25% of the disease burden but hosts only 4% of clinical trials. 💡 “Africa is critical for advancing science and for ensuring medicines work for everyone.” Unlocking this potential means investment, collaboration, and stronger systems. #IFPMA @h3dfoundation.bsky.social 📖⬇️ & 🙏🔁

Almost every U.S. state has a policy to support infants exposed to substances before their birth, but many are unclear, hard to access, or lack clear standards. The result? Challenges for families affected by prenatal substance exposure.

NEW STUDY by SPH researchers: #Incarceration, #Arrests Casts Long Shadow Over Health Going to prison or even just getting arrested negatively affects a person’s health long after the experience, worsening age-related health problems such as chronic pain, sleep quality and memory. brnw.ch/21wYbxV

Did you know that the U.S. has the second-lowest number of midwives and ob-gyns per 1,000 births compared to other high-income countries? Source: Commonwealth Fund www.commonwealthfund.org/publications...

New analysis on rural primary care finds: 🏥 Demand for rural primary care physicians is projected to exceed supply by 2037 🚑 Nearly 1 in 4 rural adults used the ER for needs that could be treated in primary care 💻 Only 19% received primary care via telehealth, compared to 29% nationally Details ⤵️

There’s still time to register! Join Urban on 12/10 @ 1:00 p.m. ET for a virtual workshop on using #data to set strategic priorities for upward mobility in your #community, using guidance from the Toolkit for Increasing Upward Mobility. Reserve your spot. #LiveatUrban

Rolling out soon: NEJM Clinician NEJM Clinician keeps you informed and prepared through expertly curated and contextualized summaries of the most impactful and practice-changing advances in internal medicine. Learn more: nej.md/48djv0c

WIC participants who redeem fewer fruits, veggies, milk, eggs and formula are more likely to leave the program early, this study finds. Understanding redemption patterns can help improve retention and maximize WIC’s positive impact on child nutrition. ja.ma/4rpeev4

@solomonctryls.bsky.social faculty affiliate and @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social Prof. @carygross.bsky.social spoke to Cancer Network about his new research on health outcomes among incarcerated cancer patients and how to improve their quality of care. www.cancernetwork.com/view/data-sh...

Families with low redemption of WIC benefits were more likely to leave the program, highlighting the need to reduce administrative burdens and improve access. ja.ma/4opIqDV

"We, as a country, can improve health care affordability,” Professor @rozmurray.bsky.social says. Oregon was the first US state to limit how much hospitals can charge. Hit the link to learn how much $$$ caps saved (without impacting quality). https://sph.brown.edu/news/2025-12-02/hospital-price-caps

Learn more about telePrEP and our HIV research on our News Center.

💊 #SouthAfrica Dablapmeds programme cut clinic queues, reduced default rates, and reached 3.7M patients with #HIV and #NCDs — at less than $5 per person per year. 🌎But shrinking global health aid threatens the model’s sustainability ✍️ @kerrycullinan.bsky.social #globalfund #pepfar 📖⬇️ & 🙏🔁

Did you know that American Indigenous and Black people are over three times as likely as White people to die from pregnancy-related causes? Source: CDC www.cdc.gov/womens-healt...

Honored to have ERIC’s Marcella Nunez-Smith as the chair of the advisory committee behind this blueprint & incredibly important project by @cthealth.org. Special thanks also to our partners at Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. Check out the blueprint toward maternal health equity below:

Covid-19 has been linked to cardiovascular complications, but the long-term impacts, particularly for mild infections, are not well understood. A study in Nature Communications demonstrate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease after Covid-19, also among mild cases. #medsky #cardiosky 🧪

Does #SNAP cover the cost of a meal in your county? Evidence shows that the maximum SNAP benefit often falls short of covering a modest meal, leaving many families vulnerable to #foodinsecurity. Explore county-level #data with Urban’s interactive tool.

#ICYMI: our @bmj.com Collection on women’s health innovation, exploring how better data, leadership, and policy can drive equity in women’s health. @jocalynclark.bsky.social @gatesfoundation.bsky.social Explore the full collection: www.bmj.com/collections/...

Immigrants report significant health and economic challenges: Nearly half say they struggle to pay for housing, food, or health care — up from 31% in 2023. 40% of immigrants, and 77% of likely undocumented immigrants, say immigration-related worries have negatively impacted their health since Jan.

Congratulations to ERIC Faculty Dr. Josefa Martinez-Brockman, PhD, MHS, for her publication on dyadic care models, a model focused on providing medical care to mothers and infants together, to improve health outcomes. Learn more here: publications.aap.org/pediatrics/a...

Did you know rural residents face a 64% increase in pregnancy-related mortality compared to urban residents? (Source: Bossen et al, 2022 academic.oup.com/aje/article/...)

Over thirty-six million views, one woman’s pain, and a question: Who listens when Black women are in crisis? My latest in @msnowreports.bsky.social Daily unpacks the viral moment and what it reveals about healthcare, racism, and urgency. 🔗: www.ms.now/opinion/msnb...