health topics to research about

Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

100+ Healthcare Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

• Allopathic medicine
• Alternative /complementary medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Physical therapy/ rehab
• Optometry and ophthalmology
• Pharmacy and pharmacology
• Public health
• Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

• The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
• The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
• The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
• The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
• The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
• The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
• The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
• The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
• The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
• The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
• The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
• The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
• The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

• The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
• The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
• The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
• The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
• The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
• The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
• The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
• The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
• The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
• The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
• The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
• The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
• The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
• The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
• The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

• The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
• The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
• The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
• The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
• The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
• The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
• The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
• The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
• The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
• The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
• The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
• The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
• The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
• The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
• The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Tops & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

• The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
• The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
• The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
• The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
• The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
• The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
• The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
• The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
• The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
• The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
• The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
• The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
• The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

• The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
• The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
• The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
• A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
• The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
• The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
• The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
• The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
• The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
• The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
• The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
• The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
• The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

• The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
• The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
• The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
• The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
• The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
• The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
• The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
• The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
• The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
• The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
• The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
• The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
• The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
• The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
• The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

• The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
• The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
• The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
• The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
• The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
• The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
• The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
• The use of technology in medication management in the USA
• The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
• Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
• The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
• The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

• The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
• The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
• The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
• The effects of heat waves on public health
• The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
• The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
• The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
• The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
• The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
• The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
• The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
• The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
• The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
• The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
• On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
• Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
• Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
• Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
• When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
• Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
• Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
• Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
• Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
• The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
• Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
• Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your healthcare dissertation or thesis, check out Topic Kickstarter service below.

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15 Comments

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

Help on problem statement on teen pregnancy

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can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

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77 interesting medical research topics for 2024

Last updated

25 November 2023

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Medical research is the gateway to improved patient care and expanding our available treatment options. However, finding a relevant and compelling research topic can be challenging.

Use this article as a jumping-off point to select an interesting medical research topic for your next paper or clinical study.

• How to choose a medical research topic

When choosing a research topic , it’s essential to consider a couple of things. What topics interest you? What unanswered questions do you want to address? 

During the decision-making and brainstorming process, here are a few helpful tips to help you pick the right medical research topic:

Focus on a particular field of study

The best medical research is specific to a particular area. Generalized studies are often too broad to produce meaningful results, so we advise picking a specific niche early in the process. 

Maybe a certain topic interests you, or your industry knowledge reveals areas of need.

Look into commonly researched topics

Once you’ve chosen your research field, do some preliminary research. What have other academics done in their papers and projects? 

From this list, you can focus on specific topics that interest you without accidentally creating a copycat project. This groundwork will also help you uncover any literature gaps—those may be beneficial areas for research.

Get curious and ask questions

Now you can get curious. Ask questions that start with why, how, or what. These questions are the starting point of your project design and will act as your guiding light throughout the process. 

For example: 

What impact does pollution have on children’s lung function in inner-city neighborhoods? 

Why is pollution-based asthma on the rise? 

How can we address pollution-induced asthma in young children? 

• 77 medical research topics worth exploring in 2023

Need some research inspiration for your upcoming paper or clinical study? We’ve compiled a list of 77 topical and in-demand medical research ideas. Let’s take a look. 

• Exciting new medical research topics

If you want to study cutting-edge topics, here are some exciting options:

COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms

Since 2020, COVID-19 has been a hot-button topic in medicine, along with the long-term symptoms in those with a history of COVID-19. 

Examples of COVID-19-related research topics worth exploring include:

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiac and respiratory health

COVID-19 vaccination rates

The evolution of COVID-19 symptoms over time

New variants and strains of the COVID-19 virus

Changes in social behavior and public health regulations amid COVID-19

Vaccinations

Finding ways to cure or reduce the disease burden of chronic infectious diseases is a crucial research area. Vaccination is a powerful option and a great topic to research. 

Examples of vaccination-related research topics include:

mRNA vaccines for viral infections

Biomaterial vaccination capabilities

Vaccination rates based on location, ethnicity, or age

Public opinion about vaccination safety 

Artificial tissues fabrication

With the need for donor organs increasing, finding ways to fabricate artificial bioactive tissues (and possibly organs) is a popular research area. 

Examples of artificial tissue-related research topics you can study include:

The viability of artificially printed tissues

Tissue substrate and building block material studies

The ethics and efficacy of artificial tissue creation

• Medical research topics for medical students

For many medical students, research is a big driver for entering healthcare. If you’re a medical student looking for a research topic, here are some great ideas to work from:

Sleep disorders

Poor sleep quality is a growing problem, and it can significantly impact a person’s overall health. 

Examples of sleep disorder-related research topics include:

How stress affects sleep quality

The prevalence and impact of insomnia on patients with mental health conditions

Possible triggers for sleep disorder development

The impact of poor sleep quality on psychological and physical health

How melatonin supplements impact sleep quality

Alzheimer’s and dementia 

Cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise worldwide. They currently have no cure. As a result, research about these topics is in high demand. 

Examples of dementia-related research topics you could explore include:

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a chosen population

Early onset symptoms of dementia

Possible triggers or causes of cognitive decline with age

Treatment options for dementia-like conditions

The mental and physical burden of caregiving for patients with dementia

• Lifestyle habits and public health

Modern lifestyles have profoundly impacted the average person’s daily habits, and plenty of interesting topics explore its effects. 

Examples of lifestyle and public health-related research topics include:

The nutritional intake of college students

The impact of chronic work stress on overall health

The rise of upper back and neck pain from laptop use

Prevalence and cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

• Controversial medical research paper topics

Medical research is a hotbed of controversial topics, content, and areas of study. 

If you want to explore a more niche (and attention-grabbing) concept, here are some controversial medical research topics worth looking into:

The benefits and risks of medical cannabis

Depending on where you live, the legalization and use of cannabis for medical conditions is controversial for the general public and healthcare providers.

Examples of medical cannabis-related research topics that might grab your attention include:

The legalization process of medical cannabis

The impact of cannabis use on developmental milestones in youth users

Cannabis and mental health diagnoses

CBD’s impact on chronic pain

Prevalence of cannabis use in young people

The impact of maternal cannabis use on fetal development 

Understanding how THC impacts cognitive function

Human genetics

The Human Genome Project identified, mapped, and sequenced all human DNA genes. Its completion in 2003 opened up a world of exciting and controversial studies in human genetics.

Examples of human genetics-related research topics worth delving into include:

Medical genetics and the incidence of genetic-based health disorders

Behavioral genetics differences between identical twins

Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders

Machine learning technologies for genetic research

Sexual health studies

Human sexuality and sexual health are important (yet often stigmatized) medical topics that need new research and analysis.

As a diverse field ranging from sexual orientation studies to sexual pathophysiology, examples of sexual health-related research topics include:

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections within a chosen population

Mental health conditions within the LGBTQIA+ community

The impact of untreated sexually transmitted infections

Access to safe sex resources (condoms, dental dams, etc.) in rural areas

• Health and wellness research topics

Human wellness and health are trendy topics in modern medicine as more people are interested in finding natural ways to live healthier lifestyles. 

If this field of study interests you, here are some big topics in the wellness space:

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten allergies and intolerances have risen over the past few decades. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, your options range in severity from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to full-blown anaphylaxis. 

Some examples of gluten sensitivity-related research topics include:

The pathophysiology and incidence of Celiac disease

Early onset symptoms of gluten intolerance

The prevalence of gluten allergies within a set population

Gluten allergies and the incidence of other gastrointestinal health conditions

Pollution and lung health

Living in large urban cities means regular exposure to high levels of pollutants. 

As more people become interested in protecting their lung health, examples of impactful lung health and pollution-related research topics include:

The extent of pollution in densely packed urban areas

The prevalence of pollution-based asthma in a set population

Lung capacity and function in young people

The benefits and risks of steroid therapy for asthma

Pollution risks based on geographical location

Plant-based diets

Plant-based diets like vegan and paleo diets are emerging trends in healthcare due to their limited supporting research. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits or risks of holistic, diet-based medicine, examples of plant-based diet research topics to explore include:

Vegan and plant-based diets as part of disease management

Potential risks and benefits of specific plant-based diets

Plant-based diets and their impact on body mass index

The effect of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease management

Health supplements

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Many health-conscious people take supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, and more. 

Examples of health supplement-related research topics worth investigating include:

Omega-3 fish oil safety and efficacy for cardiac patients

The benefits and risks of regular vitamin D supplementation

Health supplementation regulation and product quality

The impact of social influencer marketing on consumer supplement practices

Analyzing added ingredients in protein powders

• Healthcare research topics

Working within the healthcare industry means you have insider knowledge and opportunity. Maybe you’d like to research the overall system, administration, and inherent biases that disrupt access to quality care. 

While these topics are essential to explore, it is important to note that these studies usually require approval and oversight from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensures the study is ethical and does not harm any subjects. 

For this reason, the IRB sets protocols that require additional planning, so consider this when mapping out your study’s timeline. 

Here are some examples of trending healthcare research areas worth pursuing:

The pros and cons of electronic health records

The rise of electronic healthcare charting and records has forever changed how medical professionals and patients interact with their health data. 

Examples of electronic health record-related research topics include:

The number of medication errors reported during a software switch

Nurse sentiment analysis of electronic charting practices

Ethical and legal studies into encrypting and storing personal health data

Inequities within healthcare access

Many barriers inhibit people from accessing the quality medical care they need. These issues result in health disparities and injustices. 

Examples of research topics about health inequities include:

The impact of social determinants of health in a set population

Early and late-stage cancer stage diagnosis in urban vs. rural populations

Affordability of life-saving medications

Health insurance limitations and their impact on overall health

Diagnostic and treatment rates across ethnicities

People who belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to experience barriers and restrictions when trying to receive quality medical care. This is due to systemic healthcare racism and bias. 

As a result, diagnostic and treatment rates in minority populations are a hot-button field of research. Examples of ethnicity-based research topics include:

Cancer biopsy rates in BIPOC women

The prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous communities

Access inequalities in women’s health preventative screenings

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in Black populations

• Pharmaceutical research topics

Large pharmaceutical companies are incredibly interested in investing in research to learn more about potential cures and treatments for diseases. 

If you’re interested in building a career in pharmaceutical research, here are a few examples of in-demand research topics:

Cancer treatment options

Clinical research is in high demand as pharmaceutical companies explore novel cancer treatment options outside of chemotherapy and radiation. 

Examples of cancer treatment-related research topics include:

Stem cell therapy for cancer

Oncogenic gene dysregulation and its impact on disease

Cancer-causing viral agents and their risks

Treatment efficacy based on early vs. late-stage cancer diagnosis

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies

Immunotherapy for cancer

Pain medication alternatives

Historically, opioid medications were the primary treatment for short- and long-term pain. But, with the opioid epidemic getting worse, the need for alternative pain medications has never been more urgent. 

Examples of pain medication-related research topics include:

Opioid withdrawal symptoms and risks

Early signs of pain medication misuse

Anti-inflammatory medications for pain control

• Identify trends in your medical research with Dovetail

Are you interested in contributing life-changing research? Today’s medical research is part of the future of clinical patient care. 

As your go-to resource for speedy and accurate data analysis , we are proud to partner with healthcare researchers to innovate and improve the future of healthcare.

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151+ Public Health Research Topics [Updated 2024]

The important area of public health research is essential to forming laws, influencing medical procedures, and eventually enhancing community well-being. As we delve into the vast landscape of public health research topics, it’s essential to understand the profound impact they have on society.

This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide to selecting and understanding the diverse array of public health research topics.

Overview of Public Health Research Topics

Table of Contents

Public health research encompasses a wide range of subjects, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. From epidemiology and health policy to environmental health and infectious diseases, researchers navigate through various dimensions to address complex health challenges.

Each category holds its own significance, contributing to the overall understanding of public health dynamics.

Key Considerations in Selecting Public Health Research Topics

• Current Relevance: Assess the timeliness of potential topics by considering recent health trends, emerging issues, and societal concerns.
• Impact on Public Health: Evaluate the potential impact of the research on improving health outcomes, addressing disparities, or influencing policy and interventions.
• Feasibility and Resources: Gauge the practicality of conducting research on a particular topic, considering available resources, data accessibility, and research infrastructure.
• Ethical Considerations: Scrutinize the ethical implications of the research, ensuring it aligns with ethical standards and guidelines, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.

Top 151+ Public Health Research Topics

Epidemiology.

• The Impact of Social Determinants on Disease Outcomes
• Patterns and Trends in Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Investigating Health Disparities among Different Ethnic Groups
• Childhood Obesity and its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Contact Tracing in Disease Control

Health Policy

• Universal Healthcare: Comparative Analysis of Global Models
• The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Access
• Evaluating Mental Health Policies and Their Impact on Communities
• Assessing the Impact of Affordable Care Act on Public Health
• Vaccine Policies and Public Perception: A Comprehensive Study

Environmental Health

• Climate Change and Health: Adapting to the Challenges
• Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Urban Environments
• Waterborne Diseases and Strategies for Safe Water Supply
• Occupational Health Hazards: A Comprehensive Workplace Analysis
• The Impact of Green Spaces on Mental Health in Urban Areas

Infectious Diseases

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Strategies for Mitigation
• Vaccination Strategies and Herd Immunity
• Global Health Security: Preparedness for Pandemics
• The Impact of Vector-Borne Diseases on Public Health
• Emerging Trends in Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Chronic Diseases

• Lifestyle Interventions for Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases
• Genetic Factors in the Development of Cancer: A Comprehensive Study
• Aging and Health: Addressing the Healthcare Needs of the Elderly
• Diabetes Prevention Programs: Efficacy and Implementation
• Mental Health in Chronic Disease Patients: Bridging the Gap

Maternal and Child Health

• Maternal Mortality: Understanding Causes and Prevention
• The Impact of Breastfeeding on Infant Health and Development
• Childhood Immunization: Barriers and Strategies for Improvement
• Teenage Pregnancy and Its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Mental Health Support for Postpartum Women: Current Gaps and Solutions

Health Behavior and Promotion

• Smoking Cessation Programs: Effectiveness and Challenges
• Physical Activity Promotion in Schools: Strategies for Success
• Nutrition Education and Its Impact on Healthy Eating Habits
• Mental Health Awareness Campaigns: Assessing Public Perceptions
• The Role of Social Media in Health Promotion

Global Health

• Assessing the Impact of International Aid on Global Health
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programs in Developing Countries
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Global Health
• Communicable Disease Control in Refugee Populations
• Global Access to Essential Medicines: Challenges and Solutions

Community Health

• Community-Based Participatory Research: Best Practices and Challenges
• The Impact of Community Health Workers on Health Outcomes
• Health Literacy and its Relationship to Health Disparities
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Mobile Health (mHealth) Interventions
• Community Resilience in the Face of Public Health Crises

Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

• Hospital-Acquired Infections: Strategies for Prevention
• Patient Safety Culture in Healthcare Organizations
• Quality Improvement Initiatives in Primary Care Settings
• Healthcare Accreditation: Impact on Patient Outcomes
• Implementing Electronic Health Records: Challenges and Benefits

Mental Health

• Stigma Reduction Programs for Mental Health Disorders
• Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care Settings
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Long-Term Implications
• Mental Health in the Workplace: Strategies for Employee Well-being
• Suicide Prevention Programs: Effectiveness and Outreach

Health Disparities

• Racial Disparities in Healthcare: Addressing Systemic Inequities
• LGBTQ+ Health Disparities and Inclusive Healthcare Practices
• Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare Services
• Geographical Disparities in Health: Rural vs. Urban
• The Impact of Gender on Health Outcomes and Access to Care

Public Health Education

• Evaluation of Public Health Education Programs
• Innovative Approaches to Teaching Public Health Concepts
• Online Health Education Platforms: Opportunities and Challenges
• Interdisciplinary Training in Public Health: Bridging Gaps
• Continuing Education for Public Health Professionals: Current Landscape

Digital Health

• The Role of Wearable Devices in Health Monitoring
• Telehealth Adoption: Barriers and Opportunities
• Health Apps for Chronic Disease Management: User Perspectives
• Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: Privacy and Security Implications
• Artificial Intelligence in Disease Diagnosis and Prediction

Health Economics

• Cost-Effectiveness of Preventive Health Interventions
• The Impact of Healthcare Financing Models on Access to Care
• Pharmaceutical Pricing and Access to Essential Medicines
• Economic Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs
• Health Insurance Coverage and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective

Innovations in Public Health

• 3D Printing in Healthcare: Applications and Future Prospects
• Gene Editing Technologies and their Ethical Implications
• Smart Cities and Public Health: Integrating Technology for Well-being
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Potential for Disease Treatment
• The Role of Drones in Public Health: Surveillance and Intervention

Food Safety and Nutrition

• Foodborne Illness Outbreaks: Investigating Causes and Prevention
• Sustainable Food Systems: Implications for Public Health
• Nutritional Interventions for Malnutrition in Developing Countries
• Food Labeling and Consumer Understanding: A Critical Review
• The Impact of Fast Food Consumption on Public Health

Substance Abuse

• Opioid Epidemic: Strategies for Prevention and Treatment
• Harm Reduction Approaches in Substance Abuse Programs
• Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Public Health Outcomes
• Smoking and Mental Health: Exploring the Connection
• Novel Psychoactive Substances: Emerging Threats and Strategies

Occupational Health

• Workplace Stress and Mental Health: Intervention Strategies
• Occupational Hazards in Healthcare Professions: A Comparative Analysis
• Ergonomics in the Workplace: Improving Worker Health and Productivity
• Night Shift Work and Health Consequences: Addressing Challenges
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations: A Global Overview

Disaster Preparedness and Response

• Pandemic Preparedness and Lessons from COVID-19
• Natural Disasters and Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress
• Emergency Response Systems: Improving Timeliness and Efficiency
• Communicating Health Risks During Emergencies: Public Perception
• Collaborative Approaches to Disaster Response in Global Health

Cancer Research

• Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment: Current Advancements
• Cancer Screening Programs: Efficacy and Challenges
• Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk: Exploring Connections
• Survivorship Care Plans: Enhancing Quality of Life after Cancer
• Integrative Therapies in Cancer Care: Complementary Approaches

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Access to Contraception in Developing Countries: Challenges and Solutions
• Comprehensive Sex Education Programs: Impact on Teen Pregnancy
• Reproductive Health Rights: Global Perspectives and Challenges
• Infertility Treatment: Ethical Considerations and Societal Impact
• Maternal and Child Health in Conflict Zones: Addressing Challenges

Cardiovascular Health

• Hypertension Prevention Programs: Strategies and Effectiveness
• Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Gender-Specific Risk Factors
• Innovations in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
• Artificial Heart Technology: Advancements and Ethical Implications
• Impact of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Health: A Global Concern

Social Determinants of Health

• Educational Attainment and Health Outcomes: Exploring Links
• Income Inequality and its Impact on Population Health
• Social Support Networks and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Study
• Neighborhood Environments and Health Disparities
• Employment and Health: The Interplay of Work and Well-being

Genomics and Public Health

• Population Genomics and its Implications for Public Health
• Genetic Counseling and Education: Empowering Individuals and Families
• Ethical Issues in Genetic Research: Privacy and Informed Consent
• Pharmacogenomics: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Individual Genotypes
• Gene-Environment Interactions in Disease Risk: Unraveling Complexities

Public Health Ethics

• Informed Consent in Public Health Research: Current Practices
• Ethical Challenges in Global Health Research: Balancing Priorities
• Confidentiality in Public Health Reporting: Striking the Right Balance
• Research with Vulnerable Populations: Ethical Considerations
• Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

Health Communication

• The Role of Media in Shaping Public Health Perceptions
• Health Literacy Interventions: Improving Understanding of Health Information
• Social Media Campaigns for Public Health Promotion: Best Practices
• Tailoring Health Messages for Diverse Audiences: Cultural Competency
• Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned

Nutrigenomics

• Personalized Nutrition Plans based on Genetic Makeup
• Impact of Nutrigenomics on Chronic Disease Prevention
• Ethical Considerations in Nutrigenomics Research
• Public Perceptions of Nutrigenomic Testing: A Qualitative Study
• Integrating Nutrigenomics into Public Health Policies

Public Health and Artificial Intelligence

• Predictive Analytics in Disease Surveillance: Harnessing AI for Early Detection
• Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven Health Decision Support Systems
• Machine Learning in Epidemiology: Predicting Disease Outbreaks
• Natural Language Processing in Public Health: Text Mining for Insights
• Bias in AI Algorithms: Implications for Health Equity

Health Disparities in Aging

• Geriatric Health Disparities: Bridging the Gap in Elderly Care
• Ageism in Healthcare: Addressing Stereotypes and Discrimination
• Social Isolation and Health Consequences in Aging Populations
• Access to Palliative Care for Older Adults: A Global Perspective
• Alzheimer’s Disease and Ethnic Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment
• Loneliness and Mental Health in the Elderly: Interventions and Support

Research Methodologies in Public Health

Public health research employs various methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Each method brings its own strengths to the research process, allowing researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues they investigate. 

Community-based participatory research is another valuable approach, emphasizing collaboration with communities to address their specific health concerns.

Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health Research

While public health research is immensely rewarding, it comes with its own set of challenges. Funding constraints, ethical dilemmas, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of technology pose both obstacles and opportunities. 

Researchers must navigate these challenges to ensure their work has a meaningful impact on public health.

In conclusion, public health research topics are diverse and dynamic, reflecting the complex nature of the field. As researchers embark on their journeys, they must carefully consider the relevance, impact, and ethical implications of their chosen topics. 

The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of public health research positions it as a powerful tool in addressing the health challenges of our time. By exploring the depths of these topics, researchers contribute to the collective effort to build healthier and more equitable communities. 

As we move forward, a continued exploration of relevant public health research topics is essential for shaping the future of healthcare and improving the well-being of populations worldwide.

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Health sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

The health sciences study all aspects of health, disease and healthcare. This field of study aims to develop knowledge, interventions and technology for use in healthcare to improve the treatment of patients.

mRNA therapy is safe for treating the inherited metabolic condition propionic acidaemia

Propionic acidaemia is an inheirited metabolic condition caused by a lack of a liver enzyme, which leads to accumulation of toxic compounds. In a first-in-human trial, a therapeutic messenger RNA drug (mRNA-3927) led to restored enzyme activity, was well tolerated and showed a promising dose-dependent reduction of potentially life-threatening clinical events.

Overall survival with adjuvant pembrolizumab in renal cell carcinoma — the shock of the lightning

In the KEYNOTE-564 trial, patients with resected clear cell renal cell carcinoma at a high risk of relapse experienced disease-free survival and especially overall survival benefits following treatment with pembrolizumab, which in turn was established as the novel standard adjuvant therapy for these patients. Accurate patient selection is crucial. Managing post-pembrolizumab recurrence is challenging owing to limited evidence for guiding therapeutic decisions based on clinical features.

• Francesco Massari
• Matteo Rosellini
• Veronica Mollica

Can transcriptomics guide the management of SLE-associated APS?

The management of antiphospholipid syndrome is hindered by heterogeneous clinical presentations. Whole-blood transcriptomics have the potential to identify previously unknown disease endotypes, which could inform new treatment strategies. However, such hypothesis-generating data must still account for the results of randomized clinical trials, such as those focused on direct oral anticoagulants in APS.

• Jason S. Knight
• Maria G. Tektonidou

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Latest Research and Reviews

A validated web-application (GFDC) for automatic classification of glaucomatous visual field defects using Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson criteria

• Arun James Thirunavukarasu
• Nikhil Jain
• Rupert Bourne

Microstructure predicts non-motor outcomes following deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease

• Philipp A. Loehrer
• Miriam H. A. Bopp
• Marcus Belke

HLA-A + tertiary lymphoid structures with reactivated tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with a positive immunotherapy response in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

• Dandan Zhang
• Dongxian Jiang

Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized control trials

• Hyunsik Kang

Current evidence on the relationships among five polymorphisms in the matrix metalloproteinases genes and prostate cancer risk

• Jiandong Gui
• Hangsheng Zhou
• Yuanyuan Mi

Vasectomy incidence in the military health system after the reversal of Roe v. Wade

• Benjamin C. Pierson
• Amanda Banaag
• Tracey Pérez Koehlmoos

News and Comment

Tiny teeth in terrified tots - what is the global prevalence of paediatric dental fear and anxiety.

• Lucy Hutton
• John Linden

Kidney health within the broader non-communicable disease agenda

Kidney disease is strongly linked with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, infections and other health conditions, as well as social determinants of health and climate change. Consequently, a holistic approach to promote well-being, protect individual health and improve access to quality primary care will support kidney health.

• Valerie A. Luyckx
• Bianca Hemmingsen

Clinical phenotypes, molecular endotypes and theratypes in OA therapeutic development

Understanding the molecular endotypes that influence clinical phenotypes is a critical step for the stratification of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) into therapeutic subtypes that can help the development of targeted disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) to provide genuine, long-term clinical benefit.

• Ali Mobasheri
• Richard Loeser

Brain functional networks and psychiatric disorders

Mendelian randomization analyses reveal potential causal associations between dysfunction of brain functional networks and psychiatric disorders.

• Isobel Leake

False-positive human immunodeficiency virus nuclear acid amplification technique testing following therapy with transgenic T cell receptor cellular therapy for synovial sarcoma

• Michael Slade
• Dejka Araujo
• Armin Ghobadi

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Global Health Research Topics

Subscribe to Fogarty's Global Health Matters newsletter , and weekly funding news for global health researchers .

The Fogarty International Center and its NIH partners invest in research on a variety of topics vital to global health. For each of these global health research topics, find an in-depth collection of news, resources and funding from Fogarty, the NIH, other U.S. government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and others.

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What are the trending topics in Public Health and related disciplines?

You can identify some of the most discussed and influential topics with the help of Altmetric attention scores, which take into account several outlets including social media, news articles, and policy documents.

Drawing from a selection of Public Health and Medicine journals, we have compiled a list of the articles that have been mentioned the most over the past few months.

Discover the articles that are trending right now, and catch up on current topics in Public Health and related disciplines. We will update our collection every few weeks; come back to this page to be on top of the latest conversations in Public Health and Medicine. Previously featured articles are listed here .

You can also sign up for e-alerts to make sure you never miss the latest research from our journals.

*Last updated October 2021*

Age and Ageing

Alcohol and alcoholism, american journal of epidemiology, annals of work exposures and health, epidemiologic reviews, european journal of public health, family practice, health education research, health policy and planning, health promotion international, international health, international journal of epidemiology, international journal for quality in health care, journal of public health, journal of travel medicine, journal of tropical pediatrics, nicotine & tobacco research, transactions of the royal society of tropical medicine & hygiene, behaviour change interventions to increase physical activity in hospitalised patients: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

There is moderate-certainty evidence that behaviour change interventions are associated with increased physical activity levels among older hospitalised patients.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Alcohol and Other Substance Use Disorders in Young Adulthood: Findings from a Canadian Nationally Representative Survey

This study from Canada found that one in three young adults with ADHD had a lifetime alcohol use disorder, and that young adults with ADHD were also three times more likely to develop a substance use disorder. Targeted outreach and interventions for this extremely vulnerable population are warranted.

Expiring Eviction Moratoriums and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality

According to this study, resuming evictions in summer 2020 was associated with increased COVID-19 incidence and mortality in US states, with an estimated 433,700 excess cases and 10,700 excess deaths. Explore more research on COVID-19 in a curated collection from the AJE: https://academic.oup.com/aje/pages/covid-19

The Development of a Covid-19 Control Measures Risk Matrix for Occupational Hygiene Protective Measures

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) developed a control banding matrix for employers and others to help assess the risks of COVID-19 infection, and calls for further work to validate the reliability of the tool. Browse the Annals' collection on occupational hygiene for virus protection: https://academic.oup.com/annweh/pages/covid-19 

Immunization to Protect the US Armed Forces: Heritage, Current Practice, and Prospects

In 1777, George Washington ordered a mandatory inoculation program for his troops, in what would become the first mass immunization mandate in the US. This archival article discussess and contextualizes immunization practices for US Armed Forces.

Does face mask use elicit risk-compensation? Quasi-experimental evidence from Denmark during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Responding to concerns that that face mask use could elicit a false sense of security and lead to riskier behaviours, this study from Denmark found that mask use overall correlated positively with protective behaviours.

Evidence reversals in primary care research: a study of randomized controlled trials

While medical practice is often undermined by subsequent investigation, randomized trials relevant to primary care generally hold up over time.

Social media influencers can be used to deliver positive information about the flu vaccine: findings from a multi-year study

This study shows the potential for using social media influencers to inspire positive engagements on pro-vaccine health messaging. For more content on accurate information's importance for public health, browse the latest article collection from HER: https://academic.oup.com/her/pages/covid-19

COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plans from 106 countries: a review from a health systems resilience perspective

Current emergency response planning does not have adequate coverage to maintain health systems functionality for essential health service delivery alongside emergency-specific interventions and healthcare. The findings from this study can help align health emergency planning with broader population health needs.

Rise and demise: a case study of public health nutrition in Queensland, Australia, over three decades

This case study shows that that ongoing efforts are needed to improve sustainability of nutrition policy and programmes to address all diet-related diseases.

Institutional and behaviour-change interventions to support COVID-19 public health measures: a review by the Lancet Commission Task Force on public health measures to suppress the pandemic

This review article outlines evidence for a range of institutional measures and behaviour-change measures, and highlights research and knowledge gaps.

Quantifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through life-expectancy losses: a population-level study of 29 countries 

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant mortality increases in 2020 of a magnitude not witnessed since World War II in Western Europe or the breakup of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.

Gender in the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) Checklist

The authors propose an update to the Equator’s Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist, with the aim of enhancing inclusivity.

Rate of reinfections after SARS-CoV-2 primary infection in the population of an Italian province: a cohort study

This study confirms previous findings on a low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. If confirmed, these findings suggest that more targeted restriction policies can be applied to the subjects that recovered after a first infection. Read highly cited papers on COVID-19 from the Journal of Public Health: https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/pages/covid-19

The reproductive number of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far higher compared to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus

Given the Delta variant's high reproductive number associated with higher transmissibility, in a context of globally still low vaccine coverage rates and lower vaccine effectiveness, public health and social measures will need to be substantially strengthened. A high reproductive number also means that much higher vaccine coverage rates need to be achieved compared to the originally assumed.

Neurological Complications of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Neurological complications are rare in children suffering from COVID-19. Still, these children are at risk of developing seizures and encephalopathy, more in those suffering from severe illness.

Reactions to Sales Restrictions on Flavored Vape Products or All Vape Products Among Young Adults in the United States

The researchers examined support for and perceived impact of e-cigarette sales restrictions. Findings suggest that bans on flavored vape products could have a positive impact on lower-risk users, but that other young adult user subgroups may not experience benefit.

Covid-19 and Health at Work 

An editorial from the earlier stages of the pandemic highlights the importance of properly fitted respirators for worker safety and outlines occupational hygiene measures.

Lessons from the field: delivering trachoma mass drug administration safely in a COVID-19 context

Guidelines for safe mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases were developed in a COVID-19 context; training and implementation were assessed through an observation checklist.

For more research on the impact of COVID-19 on NTDs, explore the March 2021 special issue: https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/issue/115/3

Previously featured

Age and frailty are independently associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and increased care needs in survivors: results of an international multi-centre study

Trajectories of Alcohol Use and Related Harms for Managed Alcohol Program Participants over 12 Months Compared with Local Controls: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Estimating the Effect of Social Distancing Interventions on COVID-19 in the United States

Selecting Controls for Minimizing SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission in Workplaces and Conserving Respiratory Protective Equipment Supplies

What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?

Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond?

Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms

The effect of falsely balanced reporting of the autism–vaccine controversy on vaccine safety perceptions and behavioral intentions

Climate change: an urgent priority for health policy and systems research

Power, control, communities and health inequalities I: theories, concepts and analytical frameworks

Research ethics in context: understanding the vulnerabilities, agency and resourcefulness of research participants living along the Thai–Myanmar border

Tobacco smoking and mortality among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in Australia

Quality and safety in the time of Coronavirus: design better, learn faster

Years of life lost associated with COVID-19 deaths in the United States

In-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a review of the attack rates and available data on the efficacy of face masks

Stability of the Initial Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder by DSM-5 in Children: A Short-Term Follow-Up Study

Impact of Tobacco Smoking on the Risk of COVID-19: A Large Scale Retrospective Cohort Study

Mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19

The benefits and costs of social distancing in high- and low-income countries

A classification tree to assist with routine scoring of the Clinical Frailty Scale

Recent Advances in the Potential of Positive Allosteric Modulators of the GABAB Receptor to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder

The recent oubreak of smallpox in Meschede, West Germany

Your Hair or Your Service: An Issue of Faith for Sikh Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Emerging Infections: Pandemic Influenza

Identifying the views of adolescents in five European countries on the drivers of obesity using group model building 

Novel multi-virus rapid respiratory microbiological point-of-care testing in primary care: a mixed-methods feasibility evaluation

Public health crisis in the refugee community: little change in social determinants of health preserve health disparities

In search of ‘community’: a critical review of community mental health services for women in African settings

COVID-19, a tale of two pandemics: novel coronavirus and fake news messaging 

Disrupting vaccine logistics

Use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to identify confounders in applied health research: review and recommendations

Measurement and monitoring patient safety in prehospital care: a systematic review

Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 cases: relationship in two databases

The positive impact of lockdown in Wuhan on containing the COVID-19 outbreak in China

Severe Malnutrition and Anemia Are Associated with Severe COVID in Infants

A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Pilot, and Feasibility Study of a High Nicotine Strength E-Cigarette Intervention for Smoking Cessation or Reduction for People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Who Smoke Cigarettes

Healthcare workers and protection against inhalable SARS-CoV-2 aerosols

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Trust, human-centered AI and collaboration the focus of inaugural RAISE Health symposium

Artificial intelligence experts discuss how to integrate trustworthy AI into health care, why multi-disciplinary collaboration is crucial and the potential for generative AI in research.

May 17, 2024 - By Hanae Armitage

Fei-Fei Li and Lloyd Minor give opening remarks at Stanford Medicine's first RAISE Health Symposium on May 14.  Steve Fisch

Most people captured by artificial intelligence have all had something of an “aha” moment that opens their minds to a world of opportunities. During the inaugural RAISE Health symposium on May 14, Lloyd Minor , MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University, shared his.

Asked to summarize a discovery he’d made related to the inner ear, a curious Minor turned to generative AI. “I asked, ‘What is superior canal dehiscence syndrome?’” Minor told a group of nearly 4,000 symposium attendees. In seconds, a few paragraphs appeared.

“They were good — really good,” he said. “The information was brought together into a concise and, by and large, accurate and well-prioritized description of the disorder. It was quite remarkable.”

Minor’s excitement was shared by many at the half-day event, which was born of the RAISE Health initiative, a project launched by Stanford Medicine and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) to guide the responsible use of AI in biomedical research, education and patient care. Speakers explored what it means to bring AI into the folds of medicine in a way that’s not just helpful for physicians and scientists, but transparent, fair and equitable for patients.

“We believe this is a technology to augment and enhance humanity,” said Fei-Fei Li , a professor of computer science at the Stanford School of Engineering who leads RAISE Health with Minor and is the co-director of HAI. From generating new molecular sequences that could give rise to new antibiotics, to mapping biodiversity, to uncovering hidden bits of basic biology, AI is accelerating scientific discovery, she said. But it’s not all beneficial. “All of these applications can have unintended consequences, and we need computer scientists to work with multiple stakeholders — from doctors and ethicists…to security experts and more — to develop and deploy [AI] responsibly,” she said. “Initiatives like RAISE Health show that we’re committed to this.”

The alignment of Stanford Medicine’s three entities — the School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health — and its connection to the rest of Stanford University puts it in a unique position as experts grapple with AI development, governance and integration in health and medicine, Minor said.

“We’re ideally suited to be a pioneer in advancing and deploying AI in responsible ways, covering the gamut from fundamental biological discovery, enhancing drug development, making clinical trial processes more efficient, all the way through the actual delivery of health care and the way we run our health care delivery system,” he said.

What ethical integration looks like

Some speakers underscored a simple concept: Focus on the user — in this case, the patient or the physician — and all else will follow. “It’s putting patients at the center of everything that we do,” said Lisa Lehmann, MD, PhD, director of bioethics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “We need to be thinking about their needs and priorities.”

From left: Moderator Mohana Ravindranath of STAT News; Jessica Mega; Peter Lee of Microsoft Research; and Sylvia Plevritis, professor of biomedical data science, discuss the role of AI in medical research.  Steve Fisch

Speakers on one panel — which included Lehmann, Stanford Medicine bioethicist Mildred Cho , PhD, and Michael Howell, MD, chief clinical officer at Google — pointed to the complex nature of a hospital system, highlighting the need to understand the purpose of any intervention before implementing it and to ensure that all systems developed are inclusive, with input from the populations it’s meant to help.

One key to that is transparency — being explicit about where the data used to train the algorithm came from, what the algorithm was originally intended for and whether future patient data will continue to help the algorithm learn, among other factors.

“Trying to predict ethical problems before they become consequential [means] finding a perfect sweet spot of knowing enough about the technology that you can make some ascertainment of it, but getting to it before [an issue] spreads further,” said Danton Char , MD, associate professor of pediatric anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine. One of the key steps, he said, is to identify all the stakeholders who could be impacted by a technology and take note of how they would want those questions answered for themselves.

Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, president of the American Medical Association, discussed four drivers of adoption for any digital health tool, including those powered by AI. Does it work? Does it work in my institution? Who pays for it? Who is liable?

Michael Pfeffer , MD, chief information officer for Stanford Health Care, highlighted a recent example in which many of those questions were tested with care providers at Stanford Hospital. Clinicians were offered assistance from a large language model that drafts initial notes to patient inbox messages. While the drafts weren’t perfect, the clinicians who helped develop the technology reported that the model lightened their workload.

“There are three big things that we’ve been focusing on: safety, efficacy and inclusion. We’re physicians. We take this oath to ‘do no harm,’” said  Nina Vasan , MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who joined a panel with Char and Pfeffer. “That needs to be the first way that we’re assessing any of these tools.”

Nigam Shah , MBBS, PhD, professor of medicine and of biomedical data sciences, kicked off a discussion with a jarring statistic, although he gave the audience fair warning. “I speak in bullet points and numbers, and sometimes they tend to be very direct,” he said.

To Shah, the success of AI hinges on our ability to scale it. “Doing the science right for one model takes about 10 years, and if every one of the 123 fellowship and residency programs wanted to test and deploy one model at that level of rigor, with our current ways of organizing work and [testing] it at every one of our sites to make sure it works properly, it would be $138 billion,” Shah said. “We can’t afford it. So, we have to find a way to scale, and we have to scale doing good science. The skills for rigor reside in one place, and the skills for scale reside in another, and hence, we’re going to need these kinds of partnerships.”

Associate dean Euan Ashley and Mildred Cho (at front table) attend the RAISE Health Symposium. Steve Fisch

The way to get there, according to a number of speakers at the symposium, is public-private partnership, such as that being modeled through the recent White House Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence and the Coalition for Health AI , or CHAI.

“The public-private partnerships [with] the most potential are [between] academia, the private sector and the public sector,” said Laura Adams, a senior advisor at the National Academy of Medicine. The government can bring public credibility, academic medical centers can bring legitimacy, and the technical expertise and compute time can come from the private sector, she noted. “All of us are better than any one of us, and we’re recognizing…that we don’t have a prayer of reaching the potential of [AI] unless we understand how to interact with each other.”

Innovating in AI, filling gaps

AI is also making an impact in research, whether scientists are using it to probe the dogma of biology, predict new synthetic molecular sequences and structures to underpin emerging therapeutics, or even to help them summarize or write scientific papers, several speakers said.

“There’s an opportunity to see the unknown,” said Jessica Mega , MD, a cardiologist at Stanford Medicine and co-founder of Alphabet’s Verily. Mega pointed to hyperspectral imaging, which captures features of an image that are invisible to the human eye. The idea is to use AI to detect patterns, for example, in pathology slides, unseen by humans that are indicative of disease. “I encourage people to push for the unknown. I think everyone here knows someone who is suffering from a health condition that needs something beyond what we can offer today,” Mega said.

There was also a consensus among panelists that AI systems will provide new means of identifying and combating biased decision making, whether it’s made by humans or AI, and opportunities to figure out where that bias is coming from.

“Health is more than health care,” was a statement echoed by multiple panelists. The speakers stressed that researchers often overlook social determinants of health — such as socioeconomic status, ZIP codes, education level, and race and ethnicity — when they are collecting inclusive data and enrolling participants for studies. “AI is only going to be as good as the data that the models are trained on,” said Michelle Williams , ScD, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard University and a visiting professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine. “If we are looking for improving health [and] decreasing disparities, we’re going to have to make sure that we are collecting high-quality data on human behaviors, as well as the social and physical environment.”

Natalie Pageler , MD, clinical professor of pediatrics and of medicine, shared that cancer data aggregates often exclude data from pregnant people, creating inherent biases in models and exacerbating an existing gap in health care.

As with any emerging technology, there are ways that AI can make things better and ways it can make things worse, said David Magnus , PhD, professor of pediatrics and of medicine. The risk, Magnus said, is that AI systems learn about inequitable health outcomes driven by social determinants of health and reinforce them through their outputs. “AI is a mirror that reflects the society that we’re in,” he said. “I’m hopeful that every time we get an opportunity to shine a light on a problem — hold up that mirror to ourselves — it will be a spur for things to get better.”

If you weren’t able to attend the RAISE Health symposium, recordings of the sessions can be found here .

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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Celebrating 75 Years! Learn More >>

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Excellent to the “Core”: World Class Neuroimaging at NIMH

Peter Bandettini, Ph.D., Chief of the Section on Functional Imaging Methods and Director of the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core Facility, on behalf of the NIMH Intramural Research Program

May 15, 2024 • 75th Anniversary

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For 75 years, NIMH has transformed the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research—bringing hope to millions of people. This Director’s Message, guest-written by NIMH’s Intramural Research Program , is part of an anniversary series celebrating this momentous milestone.

Our sensations, thoughts, and emotions are grounded in internal physical processes that are difficult to see and measure, much less understand. For well over a century, the links between what is happening in our brains and how we experience the world have started to emerge as brilliant innovations that allow more insightful questions.

As far back as the late 1800s, links between brain lesion locations and specific functional deficits were starting to be identified. Other means for measuring physiologic changes with brain activity were also being developed, ranging from precise balances that detected subtle increases in blood volume in the brain associated with increased mental activity to scientifically rigorous detection in animal models of blood volume changes, showing signal changes that were stunningly like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals now commonly seen 100 years later.

In the past 50 years, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)'s Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP) has been a world leader in developing and implementing advanced brain imaging technology. The division has fostered world-class facilities and seminal scientific advances that have allowed us to delve into the complex circuitry of the human brain. We’ve started shedding light on mechanisms and principles of brain function and are uncovering disease signatures and potential inroads for treatment.

Early innovations in brain imaging

A powerful imaging approach known as positron emission tomography (PET) is used today in research and clinical practice to create a map of metabolic processes or neurotransmitter activity in the brain. This technology was pioneered in the 1970s by NIMH IRP researcher Louis Sokoloff, M.D., Ph.D. He developed a method by which a radioactive tracer accumulated in specific brain regions in proportion to more active areas. He collaborated with computer scientists at NIMH to create a computer program that could measure this radioactivity and translate it into color-coded images representing brain activity. By the end of the 1970s, this technology had been adapted for use with humans, and PET scanners became available for use in medical and research settings.

The tools developed by Dr. Sokoloff have been refined over the years and are still in use today. For example, NIMH researcher Robert Innis, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with radiochemist Victor Pike, Ph.D., and colleagues are using a state-of-the-art PET facility at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new way to deliver radioactive markers to brain cells, improving the mapping of neuroinflammation in the brain. This advance will allow researchers to better understand the role of neuroinflammation in a range of brain-based disorders from depression to Alzheimer’s disease.

The birth of core facilities at NIMH

Since the 1980s, NIH has been at the forefront of developing and nurturing resources to push the boundaries of brain science. Neuroimaging instrumentation can be expensive, and true expertise is rare. Having dedicated, shared groups, or “core facilities,” that develop sophisticated methods and collaborate with other scientists has proven to be an effective way to incubate breakthrough experiments and produce key findings.

An early shared resource, the NIH-wide Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, was created in 1987. It was here that seminal early work pioneering MRI was performed. Robert Turner, Ph.D., pioneered blood-oxygen-level-dependent contrast  used in the most common noninvasive brain imaging methods today. Peter Basser, Ph.D., along with Denis Le Bihan, M.D., Ph.D., invented diffusion tensor imaging  , which was fundamental to the creation of the spectacular fiber track images used today to reveal the connectivity in the human brain.

Decades of discovery, collaboration, and growth

The NIMH IRP has led the way in creating and supporting core facilities, helping push the boundaries of neuroscience research.

One example is the proliferation of fMRI within NIH. The discovery of fMRI in the early 1990s revolutionized brain imaging and neuroscience. NIMH and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) initiated an MRI facility to advance this exciting technology and to accommodate adventurous neuroscience research groups wanting to perform MRI and fMRI—peering into the living human brain not only to understand its structural details but now, thanks to fMRI, to observe functional activation with unprecedented speed, resolution, and fidelity. In 1999, Peter Bandettini, Ph.D., was recruited by NIMH to direct the new Functional MRI Facility (FMRIF) and lead his own research group in developing fMRI methodology, interpretation, and applications.

Over the years, the FMRIF has developed and adopted the latest capabilities and services for a rapidly growing number of investigators who want to use fMRI or MRI in their brain research. For example, the image to the right  shows exquisite resolution fMRI of detailed cortical circuitry activation with individual finger activation. Not only is fMRI able to delineate the somatosensory activation with each finger, but it can show, from the peaks in the graphs, that the activation is in layer IV in the somatosensory cortex, which has only been known from research with animals to be selectively active with stimulation.

In another example, the image to the left shows two cortical layers becoming active for finger tapping and only one layer active for imagining of finger tapping. This higher resolution has tremendous potential to allow the creation of more detailed and informative maps of brain function—delving ever more into the complex circuitry and potentially revealing subtle differences associated with disorders.

Additional NIMH core facilities that develop and disseminate the latest neuroimaging technology to IRP scientists have rapidly emerged following the establishment of the fMRI core facility.

• In 2000, NIMH created a Neurophysiology Imaging Facility for nonhuman primate imaging, led by David Leopold, Ph.D.
• In 2001, Robert Cox, Ph.D., established the Scientific and Statistical Computing Core to help develop and maintain a brain imaging software platform called Analysis of Functional NeuroImages (AFNI), widely used by researchers to analyze MRI and fMRI data. The core is now led by Paul Taylor, Ph.D.
• Also in 2001, the Magnetoencephalography Core Facility  was created to focus on research using magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography. This core facility was initially led by Rich Coppola, DSc., and is now led by Allison Nugent, Ph.D. Dr. Coppola was also instrumental in working with Dr. Sokoloff in the early days, converting his metabolism maps to color images.
• In 2002, the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Core Facility , led by Jun Shen, Ph.D., was added to provide support for researchers using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a method for identifying specific metabolite concentrations in the brain.
• In 2016, the Machine Learning Team , led by Francisco Pereira, Ph.D., and the Data Science and Sharing Team , led by Adam Thomas, Ph.D., began helping IRP investigators analyze and share their data more broadly. 
• Research groups focusing on imaging methods, including the  Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit headed by Sarah Hollingsworth “Holly” Lisanby, M.D., and the Section on PET Neuroimaging Sciences led by Robert Innis, Ph.D., round out the NIMH’s vast neuroimaging resources. Neuromodulation is a method by which the brain is stimulated with high spatial and temporal accuracy—either for treatment or research.
• In 2016, a Center for Multimodal Neuroimaging was created to link all the imaging-related cores together. This center serves as a nexus where the neuroimaging groups can come together to find points of fruitful intersection.

NIMH core facilities today

Today, the brain imaging core facilities remain at the forefront of science, helping NIH researchers undertake cutting-edge work. For example, the fMRI core facility has five MRI scanners, which are managed by five physicist staff scientists and used by more than 30 principal investigators performing both clinical and basic human neuroimaging research. Such a concentration of scanning technology and expertise cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Of note are the two 7T scanners in the core facility. These are the most powerful scanners approved for human use; only about 120 are available worldwide. Such powerful scanners enable NIH researchers to address entirely new questions about human functional brain organization, connectivity, and hierarchy and measure subtle differences and similarities between individuals.

Embraced by NIMH, the concept of core facilities and teams marked a paradigm shift for the institute. Cores scale with demand and foster expertise and strong collaborations with and between principal investigators. The resulting science and productivity demonstrate their success. Since 2000, NIH IRP investigators published more than 1,000 papers using the fMRI core facility. NIH and NIMH IRP investigators have just begun exploring the possible questions that may be asked using this unprecedented collection of world-leading tools.

NIMH has some of the most sophisticated tools for peering into the human brain. It is also home to world-class scientists, engineers, programmers, and clinicians who develop and wield these powerful instruments. The goal is to bridge that elusive connection between our physical brains and our sensations, thoughts, and emotions. The ultimate goal is that, with a deep and precise understanding of these connections, we can make more rapid headway toward improving mental health.

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Researchers identify impacts of Russia-Ukraine war on health care systems impacted by combat

by Rutgers University

Rutgers researchers, aided by international collaborators, have tracked the devastation war has made on Ukraine's hospital system.

Hundreds of hospitals in Ukraine have been forced to close or operate at a reduced capacity since Russia's invasion of the Eastern European country in February 2022. Damage, destruction and supply shortages caused by the war have impaired the nation's hospital system and taken a serious toll on human health.

In a study published in JAMA, Rutgers researchers and collaborators from the United States, Pakistan and Ukraine collected and compared data on hospital services provided both during the period preceding the current conflict (before Feb. 23, 2022) and during the war (Feb. 23, 2022 through May 30, 2023).

Before the invasion, there were about 720 hospitals in Ukraine. By April 2023, 450 hospitals were still operating. Of these 450 hospitals, 74 hospitals from 12 of Ukraine's 24 oblasts (provinces) not under Russian occupation participated in the study.

"The war has devastated Ukraine's hospital system, leaving it ill-equipped to meet the needs of a population in crisis," said Ubydul Haque, an assistant professor at Rutgers Global Health Institute and in the School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "This research helps illuminate the realities facing hospitals in war-affected regions—and their dire need for support."

The researchers found while services related to emergency medical care increased, there were reductions in the number of hospitals offering laboratory testing (13%), tobacco education (13%), cancer screening (24%), gynecological services (26%), rehabilitation services (27%), pharmacy services (25%), and telehealth programs (36%).

Hospitals also reported supply-chain disruptions impacting essential equipment and pharmaceuticals, shortages of laboratory test kits, delayed delivery of crucial medications, medication storage problems caused by power outages , reductions in staff numbers and increased hours hospital staff were required to work.

Maternal and newborn health were negatively affected, and there was a decrease in the availability of essential services, including ambulances, defibrillators, ventilators and hospital beds, including intensive care unit beds.

Some impacts of the war on hospital functioning, and what those impacts mean for health, remain to be seen. The researchers noted that because some regions in active war zones were inaccessible to the study, the most affected areas may be underrepresented, and the hundreds of hospitals that were destroyed or unable to operate couldn't be represented in the data. In addition, the study found the war reduced access to vaccines, which may lead to higher incidences of infectious diseases.

"The weakening of Ukraine's hospital system means that health care workers not only are struggling to meet emergency needs but also to provide essential preventive care, as well as ongoing care for chronic conditions," said Haque. "This can have many negative long-term implications for the health of the people of Ukraine."

The study's co-authors from Rutgers include Emily S. Barrett and Nancy Fiedler of the School of Public Health and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute and Miraj Ahmad of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences.

International collaborators who contributed to the study included several institutions in Ukraine: Kharkiv National Medical University, Poltava State Medical University, Overseas Council—United World Mission, National Aerospace University and Sumy State University.

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May 14, 2024

Understanding how exercise affects the body

At a glance.

• A study of endurance training in rats found molecular changes throughout the body that could help explain the beneficial effects of exercise on health.
• Large differences were seen between male and female rats, highlighting the need to include both women and men in exercise studies.

Exercise is one of the most beneficial activities that people can engage in. Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other health problems. It can even help people with many mental health conditions feel better.

But exactly how exercise exerts its positive effects hasn’t been well understood. And different people’s bodies can respond very differently to certain types of exercise, such as aerobic exercise or strength training.

Understanding how exercise impacts different organs at the molecular level could help health care providers better personalize exercise recommendations. It might also lead to drug therapies that could stimulate some of the beneficial effects of a workout for people who are physically unable to exercise.

To this end, researchers in the large, NIH-funded Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) have been studying how endurance exercise and strength training affect both people and animals. The team is examining gene activity, protein alterations, immune cell function, metabolite levels, and numerous other measures of cell and tissue function. The first results, from rat studies of endurance exercise, were published on May 2, 2024, in Nature and several related journals.

Both male and female rats underwent progressive exercise training on a treadmill over an 8-week period. By the end of training, male rats had increased their aerobic capacity by 18%, and females by 16%. Tissue samples were collected from 18 different organs, plus the blood, during the training period and two days after the final bout of exercise. This let the researchers study the longer-term adaptations of the body to exercise.

Changes in gene activity, immune cell function, metabolism, and other cellular processes were seen in all the tissues studied, including those not previously known to be affected by exercise. The types of changes differed from tissue to tissue.

Many of the observed changes hinted at how exercise might protect certain organs against disease. For example, in the small intestines, exercise decreased the activity of certain genes associated with inflammatory bowel disease and reduced signs of inflammation in the gut. In the liver, exercise boosted molecular changes associated with improved tissue health and regeneration.

Some of the effects differed substantially between male and female rats. For example, in male rats, the eight weeks of endurance training reduced the amount of a type of body fat called subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). The same amount of exercise didn’t reduce the amount of scWAT in female rats. Instead, endurance exercise caused scWAT in female rats to alter its energy usage in ways that are beneficial to health. These and other results highlight the importance of including both women and men in exercise studies.

The researchers also compared gene activity changes in the rat studies with those from human samples taken from previous studies and found substantial overlap. They identified thousands of genes tied to human disease that were affected by endurance exercise. These analyses show how the MoTrPAC results from rats can be used to help guide future research in people.

“This is the first whole-organism map looking at the effects of training in multiple different organs,” says Dr. Steve Carr, a MoTrPAC investigator from the Broad Institute. “The resource produced will be enormously valuable, and has already produced many potentially novel biological insights for further exploration.”

Human trials are expected in the next few years. Information on participating can be found here .

—by Sharon Reynolds

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• Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC)
• Participating in MoTrPAC

References:  Temporal dynamics of the multi-omic response to endurance exercise training. MoTrPAC Study Group; Lead Analysts; MoTrPAC Study Group. Nature . 2024 May;629(8010):174-183. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06877-w. Epub 2024 May 1. PMID: 38693412. Sexual dimorphism and the multi-omic response to exercise training in rat subcutaneous white adipose tissue. Many GM, Sanford JA, Sagendorf TJ, Hou Z, Nigro P, Whytock KL, Amar D, Caputo T, Gay NR, Gaul DA, Hirshman MF, Jimenez-Morales D, Lindholm ME, Muehlbauer MJ, Vamvini M, Bergman BC, Fernández FM, Goodyear LJ, Hevener AL, Ortlund EA, Sparks LM, Xia A, Adkins JN, Bodine SC, Newgard CB, Schenk S; MoTrPAC Study Group. Nat Metab . 2024 May 1. doi: 10.1038/s42255-023-00959-9. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38693320. The impact of exercise on gene regulation in association with complex trait genetics. Vetr NG, Gay NR; MoTrPAC Study Group; Montgomery SB. Nat Commun . 2024 May 1;15(1):3346. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45966-w. PMID: 38693125.

Funding:  NIH’s Office of the Director (OD), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and National Library of Medicine (NLM); Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF).

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