During 2024, the nation experienced a significant number of public health emergencies, ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to weather-related disasters. These emergencies demonstrate the urgent need for sustained investment in public health infrastructure and emergency preparedness, both of which are critical to the nation's overall health and national and economic security.

Ready or Not 2025: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, released by Trust for America's Health (TFAH), measures states' readiness for a range of health emergencies based on 10 indicators, including healthcare system readiness, state public health funding, public health laboratory surge capacity, employee access to paid time off, and community water system safety.

Key findings from the study include:

1. Eating Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) is linked to greater mental resilience: WFPB respondents reported higher levels of mental clarity, emotional stability, and better-coping mechanisms, particularly during the peak of burnout and stress during the pandemic.
2. Respondents who ate a WFPB or vegan regimen were most likely to report their COVID severity as asymptomatic or mild: People following a WFPB or vegan nutrition plan experienced fewer severe symptoms and shorter illness duration.
3. Food access disparities persist: Access to fresh, whole foods is correlated with race and income inequality.

"Burnout isn't just about stress -- it's a crisis fueled by systemic issues, from poor nutrition to a lack of access to resources that support mental and physical well-being," said Nivi Jaswal, MBA, NBC-HWC, founder and President of the Virsa Foundation. "These findings highlight how food is a powerful tool for resilience, recovery, and long-term health. To address burnout at its roots, we must rethink how we approach nutrition, health and wellness, and public health as a whole."

The relationships that the organization has achieved during this period of time yielded programs, the launch of clubs and chapters, the use of curriculum and resources, and other collaborations with schools nationwide. Since 2003, Active Minds has been at the forefront of mobilizing youth and young adults to lead a transformative movement in mental health and this achievement demonstrates the expansive reach and influence the organization has built to forever change how mental health is valued and prioritized in society.

"Exceeding reaching over 1,000 K-12 schools in 1,000 days is a significant milestone, but it's just the beginning," said Alison Malmon, Founder & Executive Director of Active Minds. "This achievement underscores the growing need for mental health education and support in our schools. With the alarming rise in youth and young adults' mental health struggles, we're committed to expanding our programs and equipping students to become advocates within their schools and communities. Together we can create a future where mental health is a priority and every student feels safe, supported, and equipped to reach their full potential."

The strategic partnership between Sensi.AI and Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care (PAC) is taking a critical step toward changing this reality, giving care teams the real-time guidance they need to deliver proactive care to seniors.

Sensi, the AI Care Agent, works with over 80% of major home care networks across the U.S. to detect subtle but serious changes in seniors' holistic health and behavior -- signs that often go unnoticed until they lead to a crisis.

"Most care partners are sent into homes with little to no training. They're dealing with unpredictable situations and don't always understand what's happening. When care partners don't know how to respond, seniors suffer -- emotionally, physically, and socially." -- Teepa Snow, Founder of Positive Approach to Care

Chunhui Xu and her team leveraged the ISS National Laboratory for cardiac cell research to accelerate the development of cell-based regenerative therapies that could one day reverse heart damage. Results from these studies have led to multiple peer-reviewed publications, including findings recently published in the high-impact journal Biomaterials. Follow along on Xu's journey to space-based research in a story featured in the latest issue of Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab.

It all began with an eye-opening seminar on science in space and a surprising observation about cancer cells during spaceflight. Researchers found that exposure to microgravity increased cancer cell proliferation and survival. Xu hypothesized that heart cells might exhibit similar behavior, which would address two current roadblocks in developing cell-based therapies for heart disease.

In February 2025, National Debt Relief partnered with Talker Research to survey 1,000 Gen X (over 55 years old) and 1,000 baby boomer Americans. The results show that debt is not only common, but also deeply disruptive to the financial and emotional well-being of older Americans.

Debt has become a near-universal experience for older Americans -- one that affects every aspect of their financial lives.

• 72% of survey respondents have accumulated at least some debt, with over half saying their debt has "held them back" in life.
• Likewise, over half reported they feel overwhelmed by debt and fear they will never pay it off.
• Credit card debt is the most common form of debt, with 45% of respondents carrying a balance. On average, they owe nearly $9,000 and pay $418 towards it each month.
• Medical debt is also a significant burden. Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) reported having an average of $9,144 in outstanding medical bills.

Medicaid is a lifeline for more than 72 million Americans, providing important access to health care coverage. Medicaid pays for one in four dollars spent on mental health and substance use care in this country and covers 40% of non-elderly adults with a mental health or substance use condition. New research, conducted with Ipsos, highlights widespread support for Medicaid, which 84% of Americans agree is an essential program for providing health care to vulnerable populations -- with support high across the political spectrum. With this new data, NAMI urges members of Congress to vote against any budget resolution that would require cuts to Medicaid.

"We often hear that our country is divided on nearly everything -- but this polling shows that, across party lines, Americans agree on two important priorities: protecting Medicaid and doing more to address mental health," said NAMI Chief Executive Officer Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. "We are facing a mental health crisis in our country, and the message from the American public is clear: they want our policymakers to do more, not less, to address it."

Across six episodes, Elliot weaves together scientific explanations with personal stories, including her own, from the many women who know ADHD all too well. Through their lived experiences and candid conversations with experts, she explores big questions around the surge in ADHD diagnoses, like why women? And why now? Among those Elliot speaks with are Sari Solden, MS, a psychotherapist and pioneer in the field of ADHD counseling, and Terry Matlen, MSW, a psychotherapist and ADHD coach specializing in women's experiences.

"When I was diagnosed with ADHD at 36, I didn't understand how we'd missed this -- not just in me, but in, apparently, an entire generation of women and all those who came before us," says Elliot. "I wanted to know if there was something different about the world now, or different about women, or something else underlying this rise in diagnosis."

As Elliot searched for answers to her original questions in Climbing the Walls, new ones arose. Now that the diagnosis gap between men and women with ADHD is closing, more women require medical and emotional support in ways that differ from men. Are our systems equipped to support these women? And how do we ensure that women with ADHD get the support they need?

As a partner of Tusk, DHL used its expert and specialist logistics services to provide point-to-point air transfer for the Bongos. Meeting the requirement that the full herd be transported together; DHL provided a dedicated aircraft which carried the Antelopes 7146 nautical miles directly from Palm Beach International Airport (Florida) to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya.

The Bongos were transported in custom-built crates, alongside 6 tonnes of pelleted feed and 3 specialist animal care staff including a veterinarian and 2 Bongo specialists from the US. The Mountain Bongos were released into a 20-acre sanctuary, which has been set aside for their long-term management and recovery by the Kenya Forest Service. The sanctuary plays a critical role in the national recovery plan and is key to the ongoing success of the project.

For years, Dr. Elsey's has been at the forefront of feline wellness as an industry leader, offering scientifically backed, veterinarian-formulated solutions that support a cat's natural instincts. While the company previously produced scented litter in order to accommodate consumer demand, recent scientific research and the latest veterinary insights have mandated the immediate need to eliminate artificial fragrances from its product lineup.

"Cats rely on their sense of smell to navigate their world, and artificial fragrances can significantly disrupt their instincts, causing stress and discomfort," said Dr. Bruce Elsey, founder of Dr. Elsey's. "We've always been committed to doing what's best for cats, and breakthrough scientific studies now show us that scented litters introduce unnecessary risks. We're acting on that knowledge and making this important change, and we are hoping and advocating that other manufacturers do what is right and follow our example."

"Control of only invasive shrubs will reduce native cover and not improve tree regeneration," says David Gorchov, Ph.D., and Miami University (Ohio) biology professor. "Managing only deer will increase woody plants but reduce native cover. Management of both stressors is needed to promote tree regeneration and plant community restoration."

These conclusions summarize research, recently published online in Invasive Plant Science and Management (IPSM), volume 17, issue 1, by Cambridge University Press, a Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) research journal. For this study, Gorchov and his coauthors, M.S. student Marco Donoso and undergraduate honors student Hanna Leonard, investigated deer pressure and Amur honeysuckle effects for 11 years in a split-plot experiment in the Miami University Natural Areas in southwest Ohio, where both were at high density.