Advances September 2025

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) have established that gene expression evolves at different rates. A team led by Dr. Jeffrey Townsend, PhD, Elihu Professor of Biostatistics and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology analyzed over 3,900 genes in fungal species. They found that genes evolve very slowly, over millions of years, when they are involved in fundamental processes such as meiosis—how egg and sperm cells are formed. But for more adaptive tasks, such as carbon metabolism, they can evolve much more rapidly. These findings will be a useful frame for future research as well as for applied science.

The Pulse of Life: YSPH study reveals how gene expression evolves;

Rates of Evolution of Developmental Changes in Gene Expression in Sordariomycetes, Molecular Biology and Evolution, June 2025

In July, Yale School of Public Health awarded one-year-long Transformational Pilot Funding grants worth up to $100,000 each to three teams of researchers. The pilot grants are a new program meant to provide internal seed funding for interdisciplinary research into complex public health issues, with the expectation that these will yield larger, externally funded research projects. The grants awarded were for:

• Genes, Environment, and Childhood Diseases: Investigating the interaction between genetic risks and environmental exposures in causing diseases like type 2 diabetes, ADHD, and thyroid cancer in children. Led by Dr. Andrew DeWan, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology (chronic diseases); Dr. Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS, associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health); and Dr. Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health).

• Cost-effectiveness of Public Health Interventions: Developing statistical methods and software to assess the cost-effectiveness of health interventions within longitudinal trials. Led by Dr. Fan Li, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics with Dr. Drew Cameron, PhD, MA, assistant professor of public health (health policy), and Dr. Joseph Ross, MD, MHS ’06, professor of medicine (general medicine) and of public health (health policy and management).

• Climate-driven Health Threats: Creating a framework to quantify deaths indirectly caused by climate change through infectious diseases. Led by Dr. Colin Carlson, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases), with a team including Dr. Kai Chen, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health sciences); Dr. Virginia Pitzer, ScD, professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases); Dr. Daniel Weinberger, PhD, professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases); Dr. Gregg Gonsalves, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases); and Dr. Nathan Grubaugh, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases).

New YSPH pilot grants support innovative interdisciplinary research

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will undergo significant changes, impacting millions in the United States. The federal budget reconciliation bill, signed by President Donald J. Trump, introduces expanded work requirements for SNAP recipients, now including individuals up to age 64. States with high erroneous SNAP payments will also share the cost of benefits, in an effort to reduce fraud. Critics argue this could lead to stricter state eligibility rules, endangering individuals and families. Dr. Chima Ndumele, PhD, MPH, professor of public health (public policy), an expert on SNAP, notes that work requirements often lead to the neediest losing benefits, with many unable to re-enroll even if compliant.

New work requirements for SNAP benefits could hurt families

A research partnership has formed between residents in East Palestine, Ohio and Dr. Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS, associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health). In an essay, Deziel wrote about her interest in studying the ongoing effects of a 2023 train derailment that released toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water. Deziel, who had ties to the area due to her previous research into fracking’s health effects, was invited by a member of the Ohio chapter of Make America Healthy Again to join a small group that planned to meet with residents. She accepted, knocked on doors, and talked with people. “What I learned in just one day reshaped the research proposal I was developing—changing what questions we would ask, what resources we’d offer, and how we’d engage the community over time,” Deziel said. She and Professor Michelle L. Bell, PhD, led the submission of a 40-page proposal for NIH funding to study health impacts on the rural community and were awarded funding in late September.

Your Local Epidemiologist, July 30, 2025

The problem posed to the YSPH class was clear: Why did more than 1.5 million children under 5 die annually from diseases vaccines would prevent? The answer proposed by Dr. Ruchit Nagar, MD, MPH ’16, was a digital pendant with Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to track infant vaccine records. That grew into Khushi Baby, which would launch the Community Health Integrated Platform, or CHIP, a digital health platform in use by more than 75,000 community health workers in 48,000 villages across India. It has received nearly $30 million in backing from the Indian government and philanthropists to expand into new areas. Khushi Baby also is working on new features.

Khushi Baby Looks Ahead

A recent study led by Yale economists highlights a significant rise in U.S. hospitals acquiring private physician practices, which has consequently increased medical care prices without improving quality. Using innovative data analysis and machine-learning, researchers found that hospital ownership of physician practices surged by 71.5% from 2008 to 2016, putting 47.2% of practices in the hands of hospitals. Researchers investigated the effect of acquisition on childbirth costs and found that after obstetrics-gynecology practices were acquired, hospitals raised labor and delivery prices by $475 (3.3%), while physicians’ fees increased by $502 (15.1%). The study found a broad trend of price increases across specialties following such mergers. The research underscores how federal regulators struggle to monitor the plethora of small-scale mergers reshaping the health care industry. The study was led by Dr. Zack Cooper, PhD, associate professor of health policy at YSPH and of economics at Yale University, and Dr. Fiona Scott Morton, PhD, professor of economics at Yale School of Management.

Hospital takeovers of physician practices drive up health care prices, study finds

National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series, July 2025

Oral anticancer medications for kidney cancer offered the potential to increase treatment access by making it possible for patients to take them at home. A six-year study, however, revealed that significant disparities in access persisted. The study, led by Dr. Michaela Dinan, PhD, professor of epidemiology (chronic diseases), showed that Black patients were less likely to receive the medications than white patients, and that women were less likely to receive them than men. Additionally, patients in poor neighborhoods, older individuals, and those with chronic conditions had lower access rates. The study also found adherence challenges, as some patients did not follow their treatment regimens, leading to higher mortality rates. This was partially attributed to the high costs of these medications, even though out-of-pocket costs remained stable. The findings, cited by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in their 2022 guidelines, underscore the need for physicians to discuss treatment costs and alternatives with patients, and for insurance companies to cover more costs to improve access and adherence.

Boosting access to kidney cancer treatments

Yale’s Clarity AI tool was used to create initial summaries of these research items.