In the News
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April 23, 2026
“Mental health disparities in the Black community are not accidental. They are the predictable result of structural racism” in schools, employment and other aspects of society, said Daphne Watkins, professor of social work and founder of the YBMen Project, which provides young Black men with a safe place to discuss their mental health. “For a long time, in the Black community, we didn’t talk about anxiety. Now, you have to talk about it hand in hand along with depression.”
The Associated Press -
April 22, 2026
Research shows that neighborhoods inhabited by communities of color and lower-income residents are exposed to greater environmental hazards. “We’re really trying to look at how that shows up alongside schools. Lots of different populations are susceptible to environmental exposures, but children are among the most vulnerable,” said Natalie Sampson, professor of public health at UM-Dearborn.
Great Lakes Echo -
April 22, 2026
The need for urgent action on aging, crumbling dams in Michigan is colliding head-on with unprecedented spring weather impacts, said Mike Shriberg, director of the U-M Water Center: “What we are seeing now is this conglomeration of forces, including the increased volatility of the atmosphere, which is leading to increased storms and the increased runoff. We are seeing disaster after disaster around the state related to water.”
Detroit Free Press -
April 22, 2026
“It’s entirely about shifting profits to low-tax jurisdictions,” said Reuven Avi-Yonah, professor of law, about Tesla’s decision to move some of its intellectual property rights to subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Singapore, shifting $18 billion in untaxed profits offshore and saving at least $400 million in U.S. taxes.
Reuters -
April 21, 2026
Bad Bunny’s success reflects cultural and demographic transformations that are redefining music consumption in the U.S., said Gustavo Souza Marques, assistant professor of musicology: “By incorporating ‘hyperlocal’ musical elements into a Global North language, Bad Bunny re-centers what it means to be Puerto Rican in a global society, placing his cultural background at the forefront of the international music scene.”
Al Servicio (Spain) -
April 21, 2026
“Global warming is supercharging El Niños and the atmospheric warming they drive. We saw this in 2016 and more recently in 2023. We’re likely to see another jump in global temperatures if a strong El Niño develops later this year as being predicted,” said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability.
Earth.com -
April 21, 2026
Record-high deaths in ICE custody in fiscal 2026 took place in a system with “longstanding failures” compounded by Trump administration policies “that rapidly expanded detention to historically high levels, weakened oversight mechanisms, and worsened conditions of confinement,” co-wrote Michele Heisler, professor of internal medicine and public health.
NBC News -
April 20, 2026
Although opioid prescriptions have declined dramatically, more than 4 million Americans still have a long-term prescription, putting them at ongoing risk of overdose, according to Thuy Nguyen, assistant professor of health management and policy, and Pooja Lagisetty, associate professor of internal medicine. “Most clinicians are likely to care for someone using prescription opioids for pain, highlighting the pressing importance for investing in better treatment models for pain,” Lagisetty said.
U.S. News & World Report -
April 20, 2026
“The most corrosive myth in today’s climate discourse … is the belief that because individual actions are small, they do not add up to anything meaningful,” wrote Alexander Rabin, clinical associate professor of internal medicine. “Modest substitutions in how we use energy help to rewire what feels normal. Energy stops feeling like an abstraction and more like something you actively choose to use … turning down the thermostat, buying a more efficient appliance, eating less beef or flying less.”
Planet Detroit -
April 20, 2026
This spring’s rampant flooding across Northern Michigan is part of a pattern of increasingly variable precipitation fueled by climate change, said Drew Gronewold, associate professor of environment and sustainability and of civil and environmental engineering. “The warming atmosphere can carry and transport more moisture, more water. So, this water that’s getting dumped on us is being carried by a bigger bucket in the sky,” he said.
MLive
