Public Health Institute

11/07/2025

PHI's Pacific ADA Center is currently accepting presentation proposals for their 2026 Virtual Conference, Beyond Compliance: Access, Equity and the ADA. This call for speakers aims to broaden perspectives and highlight innovative work related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Pacific ADA Center encourages proposals from speakers of varied backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including individuals with disabilities and those from underrepresented communities, and is seeking engaging and informative sessions that:

- Are focused on the ADA and relevant to people with disabilities, service providers, employers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
- Reflect current trends, best practices, and practical applications of the ADA.
- Are led by speakers who are comfortable presenting and engaging with a diverse audience in a virtual setting.
- Come from individuals affiliated with a professional organization, non-profit, business, state or local government agency, or academic institution.

Find more information, including examples of topic areas and how to apply by the deadline next Friday, November 14:

11/06/2025

PHI staff were honored to attend a screening and panel discussion last weekend featuring “Out of Plain Sight," a documentary that explores the short- and long-term impacts of DDT—a toxic chemical commonly used as a pesticide beginning in the 1940s and later banned in the U.S. due to its negative health and environmental impacts. PHI's Dr. Barbara Cohn, Director and Senior Research Scientist at PHI’s Child Health & Development Studies (CHDS), is featured in the documentary and attended the screening held at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

PHI’s CHDS investigates how health and disease are passed on between generations through its landmark study featuring cohorts spanning over 60 years, including nearly four familial generations. These intergenerational cohorts provide a unique opportunity to investigate the relationships between biological, behavioral, social, genetic and environmental factors in early family life to health outcomes in adulthood and over generations, making it possible for researchers to understand social determinants of health in ways not available before. In 2021, CHDS published the first findings to show that exposure to DDT can lead to the intergenerational transmission of health risks for up to three human generations.

In the film, Dr. Cohn underscores the alarming reality that chemicals like DDT will stay in our environment for the long term, posing health threats to humans and entire ecosystems for generations. "This is another interpretation of what 'forever chemical' means, right?" said Barbara. "When people use that term, they often think that forever means that it just sits in the environment and it never goes away. Well, the impact may be forever too."

Read more about Out of Plain Sight: https://www.phi.org/press/phis-dr-cohn-featured-in-out-of-plain-sight-documentary-on-ddt-and-health/

Learn more about PHI's CHDS: https://www.phi.org/our-work/programs/child-health-and-development-studies/

11/04/2025

People with alcohol use disorders experience significantly better recovery outcomes when attending mutual-help group meetings in person rather than online only, according to a new study from PHI's Alcohol Research Group (Public Health Institute) (ARG). The study, published last month in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, examined people attending 12-step groups (like AA), SMART Recovery, LifeRing Secular Recovery, and Women for Sobriety, concluding that those seeking peer support for an alcohol use disorder should attend at least some in-person meetings to achieve the maximum benefits for alcohol use and problems.

"The benefits of mutual-help group participation seem to come largely from social engagement with other attendees. By this I mean establishing a regular meeting where you know others, volunteering for the group, leading meetings, and ultimately making friends who support your recovery," said PHI's Sarah Zemore, PhD, senior scientist at ARG and lead study author. "So, the recommended path is to attend at least some in-person meetings where you can genuinely connect with others."

Read more:

In Person or Online? Study Reveals Greater Benefits for In-person Mutual-help Group Attendance in Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery New research from PHI's Alcohol Research Group finds that people with alcohol use disorders experience significantly better recovery outcomes when attending mutual health g...

11/04/2025

Sipping Tea is a new podcast from See Her Bloom, a program of PHI’s Center for Collaborative Planning, that explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use prevention and treatment resources for themselves, their families and communities.

Their second episode features a conversation with Stephanie Yancey, Co-Founder of Yancey Recovery Services, who shares about her work as a recovery counselor for youth and adults experiencing substance use and mental health crises. Stephanie breaks down what it means to provide trauma-informed and culturally appropriate care amid stigma, lack of trust, and historical injustices in handling substance use disorders. Listen to the full episode:

This podcast series from See Her Bloom, a program of PHI's Center for Collaborative Planning, explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use…

10/31/2025

Every day, our teams at the Public Health Institute work with and in communities across this country—from rural towns to urban centers, in schools, health institutions, and neighborhood organizations. We provide nutrition education, support community-led food initiatives, and witness firsthand how federal food assistance programs sustain families. We urge federal policymakers to swiftly restore full SNAP funding. The families and communities we serve cannot afford further delay. Read PHI's full statement:

Statement from the Public Health Institute on SNAP Funding“Every day, our teams at the Public Health Institute work with and in communities across this country—from…

10/31/2025

A documentary featuring PHI’s Dr. Barbara Cohn, director of PHI’s Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS), will be screening at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco on Saturday, November 1. Out of Plain Sight follows LA Times environmental journalist and Pulitzer Prize-finalist, Roseanna Xia, as she searches to determine the health and environmental impacts of DDT—a toxic chemical commonly used as a pesticide beginning in the 1940s and later banned in the U.S. in 1972 due to rising evidence of its health threats to wildlife and humans. In 2020, Xia broke the story that as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been quietly dumped into the ocean decades ago, just off the coast of Los Angeles.

Learn more about the documentary and purchase tickets for the screening:

Dr. Barbara Cohn, Director and Senior Research Scientist at PHI's Child Health and Development Studies is featured in Out of Plain Sight, a new documentary…

10/31/2025

Attending the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting and Expo next week in Washington D.C.? PHI and its programs are returning to share their research, expertise and new ideas at hashtag . Join PHI's Carmen Nevarez, co-founder of Dialogue4Health and senior advisor at the PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact, as she moderates, "Champion Conversations III: Women Leaders Making the Public’s Health a National Priority." The panel will feature:
● Nadine Burke Harris - Founder of ACE Action Network,
● Congresswoman Lauren Underwood - Illinois’ 14th Congressional District
● Jodee Winterhof - Senior Vice President, Federal State and Affairs, Human Rights Campaign

Learn more and explore the full PHI Digital Guide to APHA 2025:

PHI and its programs are returning to share their research, expertise, and new ideas at APHA 2025, which is being held in-person in Washington, D.C.…

10/31/2025

Next week at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting: Join PHI's Public Health Alliance of Southern California for a powerful conversation on The Healthy Places Index, a powerful data, mapping and policy platform designed to identify opportunities to improve neighborhood health and help guide investments, programs, and policy changes to where they will have the strongest impact on life expectancy. Learn how positive framing reshaped the Healthy Places Index into a tool that highlights community assets rather than deficits, enabling policymakers and communities to advance health equity. hashtag

Explore the full PHI at APHA Digital Guide: https://www.phi.org/about/phi-at-apha-2025/
Learn more about the Healthy Places Index: https://www.phi.org/our-work/programs/healthy-places-index-hpi/

The Healthy Places Index (HPI) is a powerful data, mapping and policy platform developed by PHI's Public Health Alliance of Southern California. HPI is designed…

10/31/2025

Indigenous Mixtec and Zapotec populations in both Oaxaca and California face numerous, but similar, social, economic and health barriers. However, there is often no opportunity for culturally similar but geographically separate organizations and communities to connect and learn from one another to accelerate the cross-pollination of ideas and solutions to achieve positive change both locally and globally. A film from PHI's Center for Wellness and Nutrition, Unidad Ñuu Savi: Solidarity Beyond Borders, shows how collaboratively planned learning exchanges can foster engagement, catalyze discussion and generate place-based solutions.

Attending APHA 2025 in Washington D.C. next week? Join PHI's Cassie Chandler, Assistant Director-Global Nutrition and Partnerships at PHI's Center for Wellness and Nutrition, at a brown bag lunch session on Tuesday, November 4, as part of the APHA Film Festival. View a preview of the film below and explore the full PHI at APHA 2025 Digital Guide at phi.org: https://www.phi.org/about/phi-at-apha-2025/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhu1bhZNkhs

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

10/28/2025

Last month, PHI’s The Lotus Project invited mental health service providers, researchers, community-based organizations and Asian American and Asian Immigrant (AAAI) community members to discuss trends and insights for trauma-informed care for AAAIs in the Greater Boston area. Building on their past experience of hosting workshops on trauma-informed care for AAAI children and families, they centered AAAI children and women to address age-specific mental health challenges among youth and the unique mental health concerns experienced by AAAI women and other subgroups. This workshop also aimed to cultivate collaborations among local AAAI-focused agencies and mental health professionals and to foster advocacy efforts to create more resources and opportunities for trauma-informed care and prevention.

View recordings and materials from the workshop:

This workshop from PHI's Lotus Project invited mental health service providers, researchers, community-based organizations and AAAI community members to discuss trends and insights for trauma-informed…

10/28/2025

A new podcast from See Her Bloom, a project of PHI's Center for Collaborative Planning, explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use prevention and treatment resources for themselves, their families and communities. Sipping Tea aims to uncover strategies to better serve the Black community by elevating the voices and perspectives of Black mothers, educators, advocates, behavioral health providers and faith leaders,

Their first episode features Dr. Flojaune Cofer, a public health advocate and a champion for health equity who discusses the cultural and community contexts that put Black women at risk for opioid use as well as opportunities to improve access and use of proven tools and resources. Listen:

This podcast series from See Her Bloom, a program of PHI's Center for Collaborative Planning, explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use…

10/28/2025

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Medicare restrictions were relaxed to enable seniors to access telehealth more easily. Despite the policy’s popularity, it was set to expire at the end of September 2025. In Time, Mei Kwong, program director at PHI’s Center for Connected Health Policy, offers insights on how the telehealth flexibilities have been extended so many times in the past that many providers may assume they will be extended again.

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Congress and the Trump administration relaxed many Medicare restrictions for seniors to access telehealth more easily. Despite the popularity of the…