Health

April 11, 2025 0

‘We Don’t Want to Repeat History’: State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven Discusses Activist Fred Korematsu, Öztürk, and Trump

The day before the Sampan had a scheduled interview with State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, her district was suddenly under an international spotlight. Thousands of people had come out to rally in the city of Somerville, part of Massachusetts’ 27th Middlesex District, for Rümeysa Öztürk. Öztürk is the Tufts University doctoral student who was detained by the Department of Homeland Security and was set for deportation back to Turkey — apparently, because she co-wrote an Op-Ed in her university newspaper a […]

March 21, 2025 0

‘Cracking’ the Code: Boston Researcher Jing-Ke Weng Aims to Use Plant Science, AI to Unlock Mystery of Peanut Allergies

by Esther Wang

The peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies in the world, and yet there is still much that we don’t understand about it. This puzzle is precisely what researcher Jing-Ke Weng, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering at Northeastern University, is aiming to solve. In an interview with the Sampan, Weng revealed more about his research on peanut allergies—what pushed him to pursue this particular subject, the work he’s hoping to achieve, and his research’s potential implications […]

March 21, 2025 0

Congress Should Tackle Health, Food Costs, Asians Tell Pollsters

by Adam Smith

The growing costs of healthcare, grocery bills and housing are top concerns for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults – and they want Congress to address all three.That was a key takeaway from a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC Poll of Congressional priorities for Asian and Pacific Islander adults. According to the survey published earlier this month, the price of health care was the top issue for nearly 8 out of 10 people who identify as AAPI. Food inflation came […]

March 21, 2025 0

Dangerous Chemicals Said to Lurk Inside Black Plastics Used in Toys, Utensils, Trays

by Darren Liu

A shocking research study published in Chemosphere late last year revealed a public danger hidden in plain sight: toxic chemicals are present in most if not all black plastics, including fast-food containers, kitchen utensils, children’s toys, and more. That study’s finding have made headlines recently again — after its authors issued a correction that they say does not change their initial concerns about the risk to people who use the plastics. The research comes at a time when health concerns […]

March 7, 2025 0

Immigrant Doctors Now See a ‘Pathway’ to Practice in Mass.

by Jeff Millman

During his first rotation in pediatrics as a medical student in Boston in the late 1960s, Dr. Deeb Salem came across a man performing janitorial work in one of the pediatric wards. Dr. Salem, now a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Tufts Medical School, asked around and learned that the man was in fact a doctor before coming to the U.S.“He had fled Cuba when Castro came to power, but it was too hard for him to get licensed […]

February 21, 2025 0

Time to Brush Up on Kids’ Dental Health

by Cheen Loo

One of the most common questions I hear as a pediatric dentist is, “When should I start bringing my child to the dentist?” I remember a dad walking into my office, his chubby-cheeked one-year-old daughter perched on his hip. He glanced around, a bit unsure, and asked, “So… am I too early? Too late?” I smiled. “Actually, you’re right on time.” He raised an eyebrow. “Wait—you’re telling me my baby, who barely has any teeth, already needs a dentist?” I […]

February 7, 2025 0

Panel of Doctors Agree: Climate Change, Vaccine Distrust Pose Grave Health Risks

by Esther Wang

Climate change, the rise of the “anti-vaccination” movement and several viral diseases are current threats to healthcare and humans, according to a diverse panel of doctors who presented at a Jan. 10 Ethnic Media Services online briefing.The panel of guests included Dr. Nahid Bhadelia from the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University, Dr. Peter Chin Hong from University of California San Francisco, Dr. Benjamin Neuman from Texas A&M University, Dr. Maurice Pitesky from UC Davis, and Dr. William […]

January 24, 2025 0

Expert: Lead, Other RisksLurking in Drinking Water

by Darren Liu

As concerning amounts of contaminants are found in drinking water systems – whether it be “forever chemicals” or lead from corroding pipes – the Environmental Protection Agency has imposed the first national, legally enforceable drinking water standard in the nation. This would reduce levels of contaminants but come at a cost of replacing and upgrading pipes. PFAS – or polyfluoroalkyl forever chemicals – are estimated to contaminate dozens of public drinking water systems in 86 Massachusetts communities since, posing risks […]

January 13, 2025 0

Dr. Yipeng Ge’s Prescription for Injustices: Speak Up

by Adam Smith

Already outspoken on genocide of indigenous peoples, doctor took deep dive into Palestine studies at Harvard While at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health a couple years ago, Dr. Yipeng Ge faced a dilemma – and the decision he would make would profoundly influence the following years of his life. Already outspoken on the genocide of indigenous people and racism in North America, Dr. Ge, during graduate studies at Harvard, discovered the Palestine Program. Also taking courses in […]

January 3, 2025 0

How Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nomination Reflects Nation’s Public Health Skepticism

by Jeff Millman

Two decades ago, a president’s choices for leaders of public health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration would not likely have generated much controversy. But in the years after the Covid-19 pandemic that spurred lasting skepticism from some segments of the American public, that is no longer the case. Especially for president-elect Donald Trump. Over the past month Trump has made nominations for the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the Office of […]

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