Issue

Fall 2023

On reinventing Medicaid, using social media for good, and South Africa's path to universal health care.

Feature

North Carolina’s radical Medicaid reinvention

Eighty percent of what affects our health happens outside of a medical setting. The state is investing $650 million to address the social drivers of health.

Photo collage: a sunburst pattern has a photo of a bill being signed at center. Four photos are interspersed through the colorful sunbeams. L-R: Middle aged Latina woman smiling, young Latina woman smiling, young Latina woman wearing a “Health Care 4 All” t-shirt speaks in front of a microphone at a protest, and a medical worker wearing a grey sweater and blue mask speaks to a patient off-camera.

Feature

California takes a major step toward universal coverage

California is about to give insurance coverage to every low-income resident, documented or not.

Illustration: Six different hands work to put together a puzzle in the shape of the state of Minnesota with the Medicaid caduceus at the center. The hands are different races and ages. The puzzle pieces are blue, pink, yellow and green.

Feature

Can Medicaid solve the “Minnesota Paradox?”

The state is one of the best places to live in terms of education, health, and quality of life—unless you’re Black. Minnesota Medicaid is trying to change that.

Illustration: Circles move on a series of red, yellow, black, blue and green paths, the colors of the South African flag.

Feature

The path to universal access

South Africa is committed to single-payer health care, but achieving it won’t be easy.

A parent changes an infant on a changing table. A row of oversized diapers looms over the parent like a row of dominos about to collapse. The composition is on a dark purple background.

Feature

Diapers or dinner? An impossible choice

Without access to diapers, both parents and children face health risks.

harvardpublichealth_MichaelFitzgerald_editor-f

From the editor

Some problems, only government can solve

High-profile efforts to improve Medicaid could mean a radical transformation for U.S. public health care.

Illustration: Two different hands hold up opposite online dating profiles. In the negative space between the hands are illustrated hearts but also illustrated STI viruses: syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. The composition is on a pale lavender background.

Ideas

Using Tinder to trace syphilis

Online dating apps mean more people don’t know who their hookups are, making STIs harder to trace. Enterprising public health workers are finding ways to turn the apps into tracing tools.

Opinion

TikTok is a tool for mental health, not a threat to it

TikTok isn’t just a tween fad. It’s a powerful platform for information transmission.

People

Edna Adan Ismail: Opening doors—and minds

Edna Adan Ismail has broken molds and built institutions. She hopes her example will be one that inspires women across Africa.

Bright yellow turmeric powder in a wooden spoon on a yellow background.

News

Fall 2023: Notable news from the world of public health

The staff at Harvard Public Health bring you a round-up of the public health news you need to know.

Medical Illustration of a Black woman breastfeeding a baby.

Ideas

Inclusive medical illustrations

“Illustrate Change” is building the world’s largest collection of medical illustrations of non-White bodies.

A mosquito is examined with a scientific tool on a warm amber surface. The image is repeated six times—two rows of three.

Feature

Can mass-produced mosquitoes slow dengue’s spread?

Lab-grown mosquitoes are infected with Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents dengue virus transmission to humans.

Editorial cartoon: Two men stand by a white picket fence while signs of climate change swarm behind them, including a tornado, tsunami, hurricane and forest fires.

Opinion

It ain’t over when it’s over

An editorial cartoon by Natasha Loder

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Issue

Spring 2023

On indigenous displacement, family leave, and the future of PEPFAR

Harvard Public Health magazine cover: A blond stuffed dog with a red bandana is placed in front of a bright purple and pink sunburst background. The words “Fido! Heal!” extend above and below the animal. Sub-title reads: Technology be an essential tool for treating loneliness. But does it work?

Issue

Winter 2023

On robot companions, making public health more precise, and reforming global aid work.