Public Health Institute

08/21/2026

Multipurpose Prevention technologies, or MPTs, are health intervention products that address two or more reproductive health considerations in one, such as preventing pregnancy and protecting against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections (STI). Today, 26 MPT product candidates are in development, spanning a range of delivery methods and combinations of HIV/STI prevention and contraception.

The The Initiative for MPTs - IMPT—a project of PHI's CAMI Health—tracks MPTs in the development pipeline, providing a comprehensive resource following the up-to-date progress of these innovations around the world.

✨ Explore the MPT Development Database: https://mpts101.org/

📰 Read more about the annual database update in IMPT's August Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cami-health/mpt-insider-august

This issue highlights recent developments across the MPT field, including the annual update of the MPT Pipeline Database, encouraging health care provider perspectives on the Dual Prevention Pill, and a recap of our July webinar exploring how user preferences can inform MPT development. As always, w...

08/20/2026

Every school in California is about to have a life-saving asthma inhaler on hand.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced an initiative today that will supply free emergency asthma medication to more than 10,000 public and charter schools statewide. The School Albuterol Access Initiative creates dependable statewide distribution of no-cost emergency inhalers and spacers, protecting the roughly 1 million California students with asthma and reducing absenteeism from asthma-related sickness.

“We applaud Governor Newsom for increasing access to life-saving asthma medications in California’s schools,” said Director Anne Kelsey Lamb, MPH, RAMP - Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, a program of the Public Health Institute, that supports school-based health centers reduce environmental asthma triggers. “California has been leading the way in comprehensive asthma management, including Medi-Cal coverage of home-based asthma interventions and innovative policies to reduce outdoor air pollution. Providing access to quick-relief medications, with appropriate training for school staff, is a critical component of a comprehensive approach to improving asthma outcomes — another example of California’s leadership that will quite literally help children breathe easier.”

Read the full press release: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/08/20/california-sends-free-life-saving-asthma-inhalers-to-all-schools/

State of California

08/19/2026

: Findings from research published earlier this summer in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs indicate that drinking even at levels long considered “moderate” raises the risk of premature death and more than 200 diseases, including cancer, heart disease and liver disease. Dr. Priscilla Martinez-Matyszczyk, study co-author and Deputy Scientific Director at PHI's Alcohol Research Group (Public Health Institute) recently joined PBS News' Horizons to discuss study results, how public health policy can shape drinking culture and how Americans weigh associated risks.

Watch:

Alcohol is a product so tightly woven into our society that we stru...

08/19/2026

Brands selling intoxicating h**p products are using memes, cartoons and pop-culture references to market on Instagram while rarely warning about health risks or age limits, according to a new study published today in Addiction, the journal of the Society for the Study of Addiction. Researchers with PHI's Getting it Right from the Start, Rutgers University and partners analyzed posts published between February 2024 and February 2025 from nine leading brands of products containing intoxicating intoxicating h**p.

Among their findings:

⏩Nearly half (49.6%) of posts included youth-oriented content, including imagery and cultural cues.

⏩Recreational marketing was widespread, with just over half of the posts promoting effects like relaxation and happiness

⏩Safety information was rare: Health and age warnings appeared in just 2.5% of posts.

“These findings show how brands selling intoxicating h**p products target youth audiences with dangerously few safeguards,” said Alisa Padon, Ph.D., a study co-author and research director of Getting it Right from the Start “As Congress considers the future of these products, maintaining the federal prohibition scheduled to take effect in November is critical."

Prior research shows that cannabis marketing, especially on social media, increases both positive perceptions of cannabis and its use, and that youth-oriented visuals are particularly appealing to young audiences.

Read more: https://www.phi.org/press/youth-oriented-marketing-intoxicating-h**p-products/

**pindustry

Brands selling intoxicating h**p products are rarely warning about health risks or age limits, according to a new study.

08/13/2026

In her latest blog post, PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones explores the importance of relational infrastructure for renewing trust in public health, moving from a vertical, top-down model to horizontal, in partnership with communities.

“Building relational infrastructure in public health takes intention and humility. Sustaining it requires commitment over time, grounded in respect for the wisdom, expertise, lived experiences, and current local realities of community members.”
Read the post and subscribe: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/toward-new-relational-infrastructure-public-health-stafford-jones-tlrke/

Shifting to horizontal approaches to create relational infrastructure with communities will help rebuild trust in public health.

08/11/2026

New Blog: Reimagining Public Health with PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones | Unhoused Californians Face Higher Risk for Heat Illness, Yet Are Missing in Data | Upcoming Webinar: Art as an Intervention for Mental Health | PHI’s Bridge: Opt-Out Testing Key to Fighting Hepatitis C | New Jobs

All these stories and more in the latest news & updates from the Public Health Institute:

New Blog: Reimagining Public Health with PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones In a newly launched blog, PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones is sharing her observations and insights on what’s happening in public health. Reimagining Public Health is a space for reflection and discussion...

08/07/2026

This past June, PHI's Roots of Change once again joined farmers, ranchers, business leaders and advocates—all working to create a healthier food U.S. system—at the Old Salt Festival in Montana. To kick off a special, six episode series in their Flipping the Table , host and ROC director Michael Dimock sat down with two leaders building stronger regional food systems through the power of network and collaboration.

🔊Listen:

08/07/2026

Join PHI's Alcohol Research Group (ARG) for the next webinar in the I-STARR series, exploring how to address obstacles and challenges to providing and conducting research on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in recovery housing:

🏚️ The Role of Peer Respite Housing in the Recovery Housing Continuum
📅 Tuesday, August 18 | 11am PT–noon
⏩ Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZCyUd498Tn6Dwp7FdhkT_w #/registration

Drawing on a pilot of five Peer Respite Crisis Stabilization programs in Missouri, this webinar explores the role of peer respite housing within the addiction recovery continuum and examines initial outcomes related to residents’ recovery experiences and housing stability.

Originally developed as an intervention for individuals experiencing an acute mental health crisis, the peer respite model has been reimagined to support individuals experiencing homelessness or awaiting treatment who may not be ready for immediate placement into available recovery housing. Drawing....

08/07/2026

New from PHI's Steve Downs and the Building H team examines how to measure the economic cost of health impacts from corporations and their products. While still in development, this methodology could help connect the dots between the products that we use everyday—from fast food to entertainment to lifestyle brands—and how that use can translate to changes in behavior that present increased risk of developing obesity, depression, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and more.

⏩Read the study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08901171261473735
⏩Learn more about Building H's work: https://www.buildingh.org/economic-measures

Our work on the Building H Index provides a framework for understanding how commercial products and services can influence the health of their users by affecting key health behaviors such as diet, sleep and physical activity. These influences can be considered economic externalities – costs that a...

08/07/2026

An estimated 2.2-4 million U.S. adults may be infected with hepatitis C, but because early symptoms can take years to develop, less than one-third may be aware they have the disease or seek treatment. Experts at PHI's Bridge to Treatment Center spoke with Roll Call about efforts to increase opt-out testing in emergency departments, which can help increase identification of undiagnosed infections.

"We have populations who are not connected to traditional outpatient sources of care. If you want to see people who are not really seen well and frequently in their primary care office, the emergency department is a great place to access those folks," said PHI's Dr. Aimee Moulin, Principal Investigator with Bridge Center and a leading expert in emergency medicine.

In 2023, the Bridge Center partnered with the California Department of Public Health on a $15M initiative to implement routine opt-out testing for hepatitis C, in addition to HIV and syphilis, in 28 emergency departments across the state. The initiative also uses Bridge’s navigator model to provide patients with education, arrange care and help overcome barriers like transportation or lack of phone access.

Read the full story: https://rollcall.com/2026/08/05/opt-out-testing-for-hepatitis-c-seen-as-key-to-fighting-disease/

LONDON — At King’s College Hospital in the south of London, anyone who has blood drawn in the emergency department is automatically tested for hepatitis B and C. Posters throughout the facility inform patients that the screening is routine, part of a new approach helping find and treat thousands...