In the News
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March 19, 2021
Nearly half of parents say their teenagers faced new or worsening mental health conditions since the pandemic began, says Gary Freed, professor of pediatrics, and health management and policy. Restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19 have kept teens at home “at the age they were primed to seek independence from their families,” so relaxing family rules could include allowing teens to spend more time on social media connecting with friends.
CNN -
March 19, 2021
As birds begin to migrate north, many will crash into buildings with lights on, said Ben Winger, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. “And a city that produces a lot of artificial light at night … in a place with a lot of bird migration is going to have a high risk for bird mortality. Based on monitoring birds with radar, we can better predict when the really heavy migration routes are going to be.”
Michigan Radio -
March 18, 2021
“Social belonging is one of our deepest needs, and when we can’t get that met, that can pose real problems for how we feel, both mentally and physically,” said Amie Gordon, assistant professor of psychology, who worries about the mental health of people who have been navigating the pandemic mostly alone, especially if that “feeling (is) imposed on you in a way that creates loneliness and a desire for connection that you’re not able to satisfy.”
Michigan Radio -
March 18, 2021
“We, in many ways, are living in this post-truth era where whether it’s a lie or truth doesn’t matter to many people. What matters is that whatever the alternative facts are, so called, they actually resonate and make sense to them,” said Alexandra Minna Stern, professor of American culture, history and women’s studies, and associate dean for the humanities.
National Public Radio -
March 18, 2021
Discriminatory housing practices from nearly a century ago continue to influence a person’s risk of suffering a stroke, according to a study by Helen Meier, assistant research scientist at the Institute for Social Research: “When you’re systematically denying certain portions of the population access to the best ways to build wealth, that disadvantage then accumulates over generations. Socioeconomic disadvantage is very tied to health.”
U.S. News & World Report -
March 17, 2021
Erin Hunter, interim director of the University Center for Child and Family, says we’re “in a much more hopeful spot, but some of our day-to-day realities are very similar to where we were a year ago and that is really, really draining. So I think one of the No. 1 things to do is be kind … and compassionate to yourself and to others because this is hard and our coping resources are not built to be able to manage this amount of stress.”
WXYZ/Detroit -
March 17, 2021
As President Biden tries to turn the page on Trump-era immigration policies, his administration must have systems in place to manage the practical effects of changes, said Margo Schlanger, professor of law: “If you do away with family detention, you don’t do away with families coming to the border. … If you do away with the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, then you’ve got this pent-up reservoir with people who are seeking admission to the U.S.”
The Hill -
March 17, 2021
Megan Tompkins-Stange, assistant professor of public policy, says while the pandemic has been a boon to America’s big-tech billionaires, Silicon Valley has invested relatively little of that increased wealth into COVID-related causes. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, she says, has donated a quarter of a percent of the profits he accrued during the pandemic, “while also having his workers work in Dickensian conditions.”
The Washington Post -
March 16, 2021
“It adds to the idea that Americans should not have to have a bake sale to afford their essential clinical services, whether it be the COVID vaccine, their insulin or their physical therapy,” said Mark Fendrick, director of U-M’s Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, who hopes insurance companies will embrace improving coverage for their patients by reducing cost-sharing for necessary preventive care.
Roll Call -
March 16, 2021
Research by Alicia Ventresca Miller, assistant professor of anthropology, suggests that the Scythians, popularized by myth and historical accounts as horse-riding warrior nomads of the Eurasian steppe, may not have moved quite as much as previously thought: “Scythian-era individuals do seem to be moving longer distances than people in previous periods. But it’s very few people that are actually moving these long distances.”
Gizmodo
