Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering

| Insights & Views

As gerontologists social scientists who study aging populations we envision a future in which older people leave a doctors visit with a prescription to go volunteer for something. Does that sound far-fetched? Theres...

As federal environmental priorities shift, sovereign Native American nations have their own plans

| Insights & Views

Long before the large-scale Earth Day protests on April 22, 1970 often credited with spurring significant environmental protection legislation Native Americans stewarded the environment. As sovereign nations, Native...

Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs

| Insights & Views

Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from...

Chronic kidney disease often goes undiagnosed, but early detection can prevent severe outcomes

| Insights & Views

For a disease afflicting 35.5 million people in the U.S., chronic kidney disease flies under the radar. Only half the people who have it are formally diagnosed. The consequences of advanced chronic kidney disease are...

From censorship to curiosity: Pope Francis’ appreciation for the power of history and books

| Insights & Views

In January 2025, while doing research at the Vatican archives, I heard Pope Francis Sunday prayers in St. Peters Square. The pope reflected on the ceasefire that had just gone into effect in Gaza, highlighting the role of...

The UK has a lot of people out of work because of mental illness – but listening to those affected reveals that’s rarely the whole story

| Insights & Views

What is going on in the UK when it comes to the massive rise in benefit claims related to mental health? Its complicated, that much is certain. Understanding the causes of mental health-related economic inactivity and what...

My documentary Motherboard follows my first 21 years of motherhood – these films about single mums inspired me

| Insights & Views

On a warm and sunny May bank holiday in 2003, I had one of those rare days that truly changes your life forever. I sat in my bathroom, hands shaking as two pink lines emerged on the pregnancy test I was holding. I was 38,...