In the News
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April 17, 2026
“I’m so frustrated. I feel like the people who are getting hurt are the babies that are getting delivered. There’s very good data that the better prenatal care you get during pregnancy, getting early care, identifying risk factors, getting treated, improves outcomes,” said Katherine Gold, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who is the medical director for a free prenatal clinic in Detroit.
Michigan Public -
April 17, 2026
Talking to ourselves helps regulate our emotions and clarify what we want to say to others, said Ethan Kross, professor of psychology and of management and organizations: “Our ‘inner voice’ lets us keep information active in our minds … simulate and plan for the future, motivate and control yourself, and weave together narratives that help us understand who we are.”
USA Today -
April 17, 2026
Caregivers in midlife tend to feel less stressed and burdened than younger adults who are caregivers, said Kira Birditt, research professor at the Institute for Social Research: “Plenty of research shows emotional regulation improves over the life course … (Middle-aged people) are more prone to cognitively reappraise a situation and choose not to get upset.”
TIME -
April 16, 2026
COVID broadened the coalition of anti-vaccine activists that had long been dominated by women by mobilizing men and right-leaning individuals who opposed masking and stay-at-home requirements, said Anna Kirkland, professor of women’s and gender studies. Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time anti-vaccine advocate, is the country’s top health official, “he is reaching a lot of people, including people who haven’t paid much attention before” to vaccines.
Politico -
April 16, 2026
“For many people, the dismantling of DEI at U-M was a betrayal of the core institutional values that U-M purports to hold,” wrote Kevin Cokley, professor of psychology. “U-M’s pretext for ending DEI has been knocked down by a federal court, and there is no legal impediment to bring back DEI programming … Doing so will be a step in the right direction toward restoring confidence in our leadership and being a true embodiment of U-M’s slogan, “Leaders and best.”
Detroit Free Press -
April 16, 2026
People who avoid small talk may be missing out on meaningful connections, said Elizabeth Trinh, doctoral student at the Ross School of Business: “If people avoid talking to a co-worker at the coffee machine or a stranger at an event or a neighbor in the elevator because we assume it will be boring and unenjoyable, we may be depriving ourselves of small moments of connection that could improve our mood, our sense of belonging and decrease loneliness.”
NBC News -
April 15, 2026
A new dashboard developed by the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention aims to provide publicly accessible data on Michigan firearm fatalities at the county and state levels. “The idea is we want this data to be as useful as possible to the people who could use it. We would like to eliminate barriers to their work that timely data can help alleviate,” said Jason Goldstick, IFIP director of statistics and methods.
Michigan Public -
April 15, 2026
Adults over 50 who provide unpaid care for a senior are much more likely than those who have never been caregivers to say the government should shoulder the costs of such care. “While … adults over 50 appeared to be evenly split between seeing government and families as primary payers, when we took caregiver status into account, a clear divide emerged,” said Sarah Patterson, research assistant professor at the Institute for Social Research.
U.S. News & World Report -
April 15, 2026
The Trump administration has refused to spend money Congress has appropriated, like for foreign aid, and has spent money that Congress has not appropriated, like to pay DHS employees despite a shutdown. “We really are at a moment when the power of the purse is in a crisis,” said Sam Bagenstos, professor of law. “If Congress doesn’t stand up, I don’t see why every executive in the future isn’t going to follow some playbook like this.”
National Public Radio -
April 14, 2026
When the Artemis II crew re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down last week, it was one of the riskiest parts of the mission, said former astronaut Jim Bagian, professor of engineering practice: “Anyone that’s a crew member, you always know that this is a serious undertaking. It’s not flying an airliner to go on vacation to Disney World. If it was, nobody would be going to Disney World.”
WXYZ Detroit
