In the News
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February 23, 2026
“It looks like the department has abandoned its commitment, which is required by law, to provide equal access to program services and activities for people with disabilities. It’s doing that in a way that is dangerous, and people are going to die as a result,” said Margo Schlanger, professor of law, about the dismantling of the DHS civil rights office that investigates violations in immigrant enforcement and other departmental work.
Mother Jones -
February 20, 2026
More than 40% of people over 50 did not receive a shot for COVID-19 or the flu in the past six months, according to U-M’s National Poll on Healthy Aging. “For people in that age group … we would recommend that they receive those vaccines in order to reduce their risk for adverse outcomes,” said Jeffrey Kullgren, associate professor of internal medicine and public health. “I think coming from a place of concern and of benevolence … is important in this messaging at a time where many people continue to be distrustful of vaccines in general.”
Michigan Advance -
February 20, 2026
While phonics-related skills are indeed critical for young students, they are far from the only skills required to master true literacy, says Elizabeth Birr Moje, professor and dean of the Marsal Family School of Education: “There is so much more to reading and learning to read than just decoding. … If all I’m doing is reading stories that are meant to just help me decode, and I’m never asked, ‘What do you think about that? Why do you think that happened?’ I’m not developing the skills I need.”
Michigan Public -
February 20, 2026
“Society has brainwashed us all to certain beauty standards that are not always in alignment with health standards … just because someone can starve themselves to get down to a lower weight doesn’t mean that we should make that easier by giving them an injection to promote anorexia,” said Andrew Kraftson, clinical associate professor of internal medicine, about patients who want to continue to take weight loss drugs even when there was no clear medical benefit to doing so.
The New York Times -
February 19, 2026
Although the climate is changing, Michigan’s forests provide a buffer that mitigates the impact. “Michigan, with and without forests, would be a completely different climate,” said Inés Ibáñez, professor of environment and sustainability and of ecology and evolutionary biology. “If you think about winds coming from the west, the reason we don’t experience the full force is that we have all these forested areas,” that slow down the winds and make tornadoes less common here.
Planet Detroit -
February 19, 2026
“An increase in ground-level ozone concentrations has been linked to respiratory health problems,” said Tom Luben, senior research scientist in epidemiology, after the EPA removed the scientific and legal basis that requires federal regulation of greenhouse gases. “Certain parts of the population are especially vulnerable to these effects, including children, older adults, pregnant people, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions.”
The Detroit News -
February 19, 2026
“We are seeing cases where there was a threat, law enforcement removed firearms, and the threat isn’t there anymore,” said April Zeoli, associate professor of public health and policy core director at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, about Michigan’s two-year-old red flag law, which allows judges to issue extreme risk protection orders to temporarily seize guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or others.
WKAR Radio -
February 18, 2026
“I’ve had multiple patients come to me (who) used heroin 10 years ago. They’ll say, ‘Doc, like I started using this, and five days later I felt like I was just right back on heroin,’” said Eliza Hutchinson, clinical assistant professor of family medicine, on the use of kratom and its derivative 7-OH to boost energy, lift mood or relieve pain. Sean Esteban McCabe, professor of nursing and director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, worries that kratom products could set Michigan back in its battle against drugs: “A drug like 7-OH — that has the potential to really derail us.”
Bridge Michigan -
February 18, 2026
While AI already plays a crucial role in advancing global health security, it could also potentially be used to enable bioweapons to trigger a new pandemic, said Michael Imperiale, professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology: “AI is progressing so rapidly that it’s really hard to put a number when that’s going to be. But I would say it’s going to be sooner than decades. Much sooner, perhaps.”
The Telegraph (U.K.) -
February 18, 2026
Donald Trump has long used civil litigation to hit back at critics and continues to do so as president, but claims he is too busy to be burdened by responding to such lawsuits brought against him. “It’s like saying, ‘We’re going to play baseball and only I get to bat,'” said Richard Primus, professor of law. “Trump is a vexatious litigant. If he has a legitimate legal claim for something, he could file a suit and ask the court to stay proceedings until he’s out of office.”
Reuters
