de Beaumont Foundation

06/02/2026

"For decades, administrations of both parties relied on independent science boards because facts don't change with elections. The greatest concern here is turning an evidence-based government into an opinion-based government."

Read de Beaumont President and CEO Brian C. Castrucci's full interview with Governing, in which he explains what dismantling the National Science Foundation means for public health.

The dismissal of the entire National Science Board breaks down guardrails that protect public health, says epidemiologist Brian Castrucci.

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

Public health's student loan burden has far-reaching implications for individual borrowers and the entire workforce; it threatens employee recruitment and retention, which in turn affects public health's ability to protect and serve communities.

New on our blog, de Beaumont's Rachel Hare Bork and Brian C. Castrucci explain why public health careers are becoming financially unsustainable and what that means for the future of the workforce.

Many public health workers now face a growing financial strain: significant student loan debt paired with wages that are not keeping pace with inflation.

05/18/2026

As a parent, it’s easy to think of the FDA as something distant in Washington. But the agency affects everyday decisions families make all the time—about vaccines, medicines, infant formula, ni****ne products, food safety, and more.

That’s why leadership changes at the FDA matter more than many people realize. In this column, Brian Castrucci looks at how the FDA shapes public trust, why scientific process matters, and how decisions made at the agency can directly affect families across the country.

https://bit.ly/4nBzeNG

The FDA commissioner influences vaccines, medicines, food safety, ni****ne regulation, and public trust. Here’s how leadership changes at the FDA can affect everyday life.

05/14/2026

A lot of parents are hearing about food dyes right now—and it’s easy to think removing them will make a big difference.

But here’s the reality: a dye-free cereal or snack isn’t necessarily a healthier one.

This column looks at what really shapes kids’ eating habits.

Most Americans support banning food dyes—but what drives diet quality is behavior, marketing and access. Removing dyes won’t fix what’s wrong with how we eat.

05/12/2026

Businesses play a powerful role in shaping the conditions that allow communities to thrive — factors like workforce stability, economic vitality, and local policy. Yet they’re often left out of public health partnerships, and that’s a missed opportunity.

Launching today, our research-based toolkit, Engaging Business Leaders in Public Health Partnerships, gives public health professionals a practical roadmap to understand what matters most to private sector leaders and how to engage with them effectively.

Read the toolkit. https://debeaumont.org/news/2026/new-toolkit-engaging-business-leaders-in-public-health

05/05/2026

What is shingles, who gets it, and how effective is the vaccine? de Beaumont President and CEO Brian Castrucci reflects on the experience of a 26-year-old NBA star and what we can learn from it.

Tyrese Haliburton’s shingles diagnosis highlights why the virus can affect younger adults, what symptoms look like and who should get vaccinated.

05/04/2026

Data used to make decisions on behalf of communities has long been weaponized to create and sustain inequities. Rebuilding trust requires us to embrace shared values that guide data collection, interpretation, and use.

"If we want to increase trust among the people we serve and whose data we interact with, we must go above and beyond to be transparent, accountable, and people-centered," write de Beaumont's Jamila M. Porter, Zamir Bradford, Lynne Le, and Kay Schaffer for the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Read their article, part of the Transforming Data for Equity and Justice series. https://bit.ly/4w6R3YX

A values-driven, accountable approach to data isn't optional—it's essential.

04/23/2026

As our information environment rapidly transforms, traditional sources of health information must adapt to remain trusted and relevant. A new Grantmakers In Health "Views from the Field" column offers insights for researchers, practitioners, funders, and others in this space to develop stronger health information ecosystems. https://bit.ly/4mHd0te

Our information environment is transforming—including the places and people who help us make decisions about our health. Those health information ecosystems are fragmented; filled with information from a wide range of expertise and sources; and platform algorithms exert tremendous and unseen contr...

04/21/2026

While public health professionals debate AI in broad, abstract terms, other sectors are already building it into how decisions are made and how information is delivered.

Americans are using AI even as they distrust it. For public health leaders, the bigger risk isn’t the technology—it’s failing to engage with it and shape how it’s used.