

Climate change is in the air
The Canadian wildfires that affected air quality in New York City hundreds of miles away illustrate climate change's global reach, writes Felipe De La Hoz for Epicenter-NYC. The unsettlingly orange, Blade Runner-esque hue that dominated the City's skies shows us that "we should all get comfortable with the idea that somewhat unpredictable clouds of hazardous particulate matter will occasionally drift to NYC from [Canadian province Nova Scotia], or the Pacific Northwest, or wherever." Minor shifts in temperature and humidity can have significant and dire consequences.

Gun violence is our nation's public health emergency
Mass shootings have become an alarming and pervasive issue in the United States, affecting schools, stores, shopping malls — just about every aspect of American life. Even people who have not been directly affected by gun violence still feel trapped by the crisis our nation is enduring, and feel a loss of public safety. Our Body Politic addresses the impact of gun violence, featuring a special panel on the intersection of gun violence and reproductive justice recorded live at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.


The African origins of cupping therapy
Cupping therapy involves applying cups to a person’s body to create suction on their skin and improve blood circulation and relieve tense muscles. The practice has been trending in the U.S., and while many attribute cupping’s origins to China, PushBlack cited ancient Egyptian writings describing cupping dating back to 1550 BCE — even earlier than when some scholars date use of the technique in China. African practitioners, writes PushBlack, traditionally used horns to achieve these circulatory benefits.Read more about this history →

Meet the Game Changers
Highlighting the innovators transforming health outcomes in our communities
Cameron PajYeeb Yang is a queer, transgender, nonbinary Hmong activist who works on issues from law enforcement's use of force to gender-based violence in Minnesota
+: Have you watched our URWell video series?
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