Latest news with #AmericanPublicHealthAssociation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Should Be Junked': RFK Jr.'s Bogus MAHA Report Is Just AI Slop
Artificial intelligence researchers claim there's 'definitive' proof that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his team used AI to write his 'Make America Healthy Again' report. Kennedy's report projected a new vision for America's health policy that would take aim at childhood vaccines, ultraprocessed foods, and pesticides. But a NOTUS investigation published Thursday found seven studies referenced in Kennedy's 68-page report that the listed study authors said were either wildly misinterpreted or never occurred at all—and researchers believe that AI could be partly to blame. Some of the 522 scientific references in the report include the phrase 'OAIcite' in their URLs—a marker indicating the use of OpenAI. 'This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point,' Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told The Washington Post. 'It cannot be used for any policymaking. It cannot even be used for any serious discussion, because you can't believe what's in it.' AI researcher Oren Etzioni, a professor emeritus at the University of Washington, felt similarly, referring to the report as 'shoddy work.' 'We deserve better,' Etzioni told the Post. During a White House press briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged direct questioning as to whether Kennedy's department had leaned on AI to draft the report. 'I can't speak to that, I'd defer you to the Department of Health and Human Services,' Leavitt said while lauding the Kennedy report as one of the most 'transformative reports ever released by the federal government.' Leavitt added that the 'MAHA report' was backed by 'good science' that had 'never been recognized' at the national level. But what the administration will likely brush off as a temporary flub actually sets a horrifically dangerous precedent for the government, as it starts the slow encroachment of unvetted and unverified AI usage to form the basis of America's public health policy.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Make America ChatGPT again: Experts say AI was used to create RFK Jr health report that cited false studies
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. 's 'Make America Healthy Again' report appears to have used garbled artificial intelligence to generate scientific citations, in addition to referencing studies that do not exist. Kennedy's MAHA report, released last week, decried America's food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. It cited hundreds of studies, but the outlet NOTUS found that some of those studies did not actually exist. Now experts have found evidence that scientific citations in the report were generated by AI, which experts slammed as 'sloppy' and 'shoddy,' The Washington Post reports. Experts told the newspaper that there are definitive signs that the references in the report were generated by the U.S. artificial intelligence company OpenAI. Some citations included 'oaicite' attached to URLs, a marker that the company's chatbot was used to generate the references. The use of AI in citations undermines the credibility of the report, George C. Benjamin of the American Public Health Association told the outlet. 'This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point,' the executive director said. 'It cannot be used for any policymaking. It cannot even be used for any serious discussion, because you can't believe what's in it.' Analysis conducted by The Post found that at least 21 links in the original version of the report to scientific studies or articles were dead. On Thursday afternoon, the report was updated to remove mentions of 'oaicite' markers and it continued to be worked on overnight, according to the newspaper. The Department of Health and Human Services characterized it as 'minor citation and formatting errors' in a statement to outlet and said that they have since been corrected. 'The substance of the MAHA report remains the same — a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children,' department spokesperson Andrew Nixon said. 'Under President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, our federal government is no longer ignoring this crisis, and it's time for the media to also focus on what matters.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also questioned about the bungled report at Thursday's briefing and maintained it was 'backed on good science.' 'I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated.' Leavitt told reporters. 'But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.' But experts told The Post that the report should be discarded. 'The idea that they would envelop themselves in the shroud of scientific excellence while producing a report that relies heavily on AI is just shockingly hypocritical,' said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and a former Food and Drug Administration official in the Obama administration.
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
US judge grills government lawyer on DEI in suit against massive health cuts
The lawsuit, filed in April by a group led by the American Public Health Association, argues that the The suit's plaintiffs, represented in part by the ACLU of Massachusetts, also allege that the NIH's use of 'vague and undefined criteria' to decide on the cuts violated the Fifth Amendment's due-process protections. Advertisement The cuts in March abruptly terminated tens of millions of dollars in grants in New England and across the country and heavily targeted the medical research infrastructure in Greater Boston. The decision also has endangered long-running research into disease prevention and health disparities among long-underserved populations. Dr. Brittany Charlton, another plaintiff and associate professor at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, has said she lost several grants for the research center she founded to improve the health of LGBTQ people. Advertisement Young took the request for dismissal under advisement, as well as a request for a preliminary injunction to block the NIH's cancellation of the grants. But before Young made those procedural decisions, scheduling further arguments for June, he pressed Khetarpal for more clarity about the government's approach to DEI initiatives, which the Trump administration is working to scrub from American education, government, social services, and the workplace. 'Does that mean our policy is homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion? I mean, are you going to stand there and tell me, that now is the policy of the National Institutes of Health?' Young asked. 'Your honor,' Khetarpal replied, 'I am not making that assertion.' 'It would be a breathtaking assertion,' Young said. The cancellations targeted projects classified as 'DEI research programs, gender identity, vaccine hesitancy, climate change,' and other topics proscribed by the Trump administration, according to the lawsuit. In addition to revoking the grants, the NIH decision would imperil more than $1.3 billion already invested in research that now is in danger of being terminated. At one point Thursday, Young turned to the plaintiffs' attorneys to ask how they believed the government has defined DEI. 'Someone in this administration says DEI, there's apparently something wrong with that. As neutrally as you can, what does that mean?' Young asked. Kenneth Parreno, an attorney for Protect Democracy, told the judge that the plaintiffs he represents have not been given a working definition, and that the cuts have been 'arbitrary and capricious.' Advertisement 'It's the defendant's burden to show what that definition was when the decision was made,' Parreno said. Khetarpal, the federal attorney, said that decisions to cancel some grants, such as funding for COVID-related research, had been made because the work no longer aligned with the government's 'ongoing priorities.' Young ordered the government to produce documents by June 2 demonstrating the reasoning behind each of the NIH's new policy directives. He also called for a conference on consolidating this lawsuit with a related one filed against the NIH in April by 16 state attorneys general, including Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. The attorneys general argue that the cancellations were unlawful and 'seek relief for the unreasonable and intentional delays currently plaguing the grant-application process.' Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
Business Insider
08-05-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
Living on $270 monthly: How a millennial trans woman crowdfunds to pay her bills
Dishes, check. Laundry, check. Take out the trash, check. Each day, Stephanie Todd meticulously budgets her time and energy to accomplish basic chores around the house. Todd has chronic pain from a myriad of physical disabilities and illnesses that make it difficult to walk or work full time. The 42-year-old makes around $270 a month and relies on crowdfunding to meet the rest of her monthly expenses. Compounding her health complications, Todd is also a transgender woman living in Idaho who relies on Medicaid in a state that has banned public funds from covering gender affirming care. It means Todd asks on Bluesky for donations via Venmo to cover her daily expenses and to raise money for her medical transition. "I am absolutely dependent on donations from strangers to meet my day-to-day medical needs, because my paycheck isn't sufficient and the food stamps don't cover medications," Todd said. Although there aren't nationwide numbers on transgender people who crowdfund for medical expenses, a study published by the American Public Health Association shows that transgender people are more likely to be uninsured and face barriers to accessing quality medical care. Todd is worried about the future and what potential Medicaid cuts might mean for her financial situation. "I already got a text from the pharmacy with a bill for a med that should have been covered," said Todd. "I'm already facing an uncertain situation today." Barriers to healthcare access Todd said she faces cost barriers and discrimination when trying to access healthcare. "It's not just difficult getting gender affirming care. It's difficult just getting basic healthcare in Idaho," Todd said,adding that sometimes pharmacists have refused to refill her prescription for hormones. "A lot of healthcare providers and pharmacies and urgent care places refuse to even provide medical care at all, of any nature, to trans people due to supposed religious objections," Todd said. The Medical Ethics Defense Act, signed into law on March 19, 2025, allows healthcare providers in Idaho to deny patients procedures, prescriptions, and services based on moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. Todd has a permanently broken foot, neuropathy in her legs, carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, and gastroparesis, which requires her to see multiple specialists to address all her health conditions. Even if her physicians are supportive of transgender people, doctors sometimes have to navigate the legal minefield of providing gender affirming care in Idaho. "Doctors in Idaho have to get creative in how they prescribe things in order to still be able to bill Medicaid," Todd said. House Bill 668 restricts the use of public funds for gender affirming medical care for someone's transition. Passed on March 27, 2024, the law makes it illegal for transgender people like Todd to use their Medicaid insurance to pay for hormones or gender affirming surgery. Other procedures that Todd is seeking, from bottom surgery and breast augmentation to laser hair removal, are not cheap and can cost, on average, tens of thousands of dollars without health insurance coverage, per a study published in the Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics. Relying on mutual aid Todd lives with a friend for free and works as a caregiver for an autistic adult once a week for 12 hours, earning her about $135 every two weeks. It's not enough to cover her bills, but because of her physical disabilities, she cannot seek other work. "Walking is incredibly painful," Todd said of her permanently broken foot. "My foot pain is about an 8 to a 9 on the pain chart every day, all day, it never goes away." She can't afford the things she needs, like orthopedic shoes, and asks her community to donate to meet her daily needs. Her costs per day run roughly $35 to purchase lidocaine and ibuprofen for pain, a diet of protein shakes and Gatorade that won't trigger her gastroparesis, and her hormone replacement therapy of estradiol. "I personally have been pretty effective at crowdfunding for myself and for other trans women," Todd said of her social media outreach. "I am well connected with supportive people who have a big, massive reach who care about trans issues." One of those people is DC and Marvel comic book writer Gail Simone. Todd said she has asked Simone for her help amplifying other trans women's GoFundMe pages to her hundreds of thousands of followers, and Simone has always obliged. But for Todd and other transgender people publicly asking for help, there's a delicate balance between the power and danger of visibility online. She said she's been harassed online by users on 4chan, an anonymous platform. Regardless of the risks, Todd is out and proud and wants to speak up about "the institutional transphobia that causes a lot of real, tangible hardships" in her community. 2025 is the fifth year in a row that a record-breaking number of anti-transgender laws are being considered and passed, many of them pertaining to restricting access to healthcare, per the Trans Legislation Tracker. It's important to Todd to explain to the public why she prioritizes her gender transition alongside all her other hardships. "A lot of my complications go above and beyond just being trans and poor in a red state," Todd said. She said there's the constant trauma she experienced alongside her peers, of being rejected and shunned by family members and a transphobic society. "Getting gender affirming care, at the bare minimum, alleviates some of that. Which allows us to feel a little bit of euphoria, a little bit of peace, so that we can live in a hostile environment," Todd said. jdeng@
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Earlier spring warm-ups extend seasonal allergies long into summer
Earlier spring warm-ups extend seasonal allergies long into summer If you have allergies, you know allergy seasons can be rough with the constant sneezing, watery eyes and stuffy sinuses. In the past few decades, scientists have found that seasonal allergens like mold, tree pollen and other spores have proliferated because of warmer temperatures and various environmental factors. As spring temperatures rise, so does pollen production. Allergens are not only surviving longer than they used to – extending the pollen season by up to three weeks in some regions of North America − but they are also reproducing more frequently, which makes allergy symptoms worse for many people, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. How does a 'normal' spring compare with this one? Across the nation, spring approaches to differing degrees. Some areas have seen an earlier start than the long-term average between 1991 to 2020, according to the USA National Phenology Network. In just the week of April 21, spring arrived in Bismarck, North Dakota, three days earlier than normal. It began to slow in the Northeast and northern Midwest. Portland, Maine, is three days later this year. Depending on the region where you live, spring can arrive anywhere from a week late to two weeks earlier in California, Arizona and Nevada. It's one to two weeks late on the Pacific Northwest coast. Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. Where spring temperatures are on the rise The number of unusually warm spring days has increased throughout the United States. On average, springtime temperatures have risen 2.4 degrees in 241 cities in the past 55 years, according to Climate Central. Compared with the 1970s, 4 out of 5 cities are experiencing at least one extra week of warmer-than-normal springtime temperatures. In the southern half of the country, especially in the Southwest, spring has warmed the most. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have continued to warm the Earth. Warmer temperatures have led to earlier springs and warmer, shorter winters, which extend growing seasons. The American Public Health Association says that as global average temperatures rise, these trends will continue and make allergies an increasing public health concern. Massive pollen plume rises from fallen tree A tree full of pollen had to be cut down due to construction in Georgia. More: Allergies are bad right now. Here's what you can do about it. Which US cities are the most challenging to live in with seasonal allergies? People with seasonal allergies may find the spring and summer months particularly challenging, especially if you live in an area prone to high pollen counts. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its yearly report ranking the nation's top allergy capitals and explores how challenging it is to live with seasonal allergies. The map below shows the top 36 metropolitan cities with the worst overall average of seasonal allergies this year: Is it a cold, COVID-19 or seasonal allergies? It can be tricky to tell the difference between a common cold, the early signs of a COVID-19 infection or seasonal allergies because their symptoms tend to overlap. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 26% of adults and 19% of children in the United States have seasonal allergies. These figures highlight the number of seasonal allergies and the importance of being aware of their symptoms. How seasonal allergies, cold and COVID-19 symptoms compare How to help ease allergy symptoms Check pollen counts. Before heading outside, check the local news or visit the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's National Allergy Bureau for up-to-date readings. Before heading outside, check the local news or visit the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's National Allergy Bureau for up-to-date readings. Treat symptoms early. Most medications work best if taken before pollen hits the air. Ask your doctor when you should start treatment; some allergists recommend treatment about two weeks before symptoms typically surface. Most medications work best if taken before pollen hits the air. Ask your doctor when you should start treatment; some allergists recommend treatment about two weeks before symptoms typically surface. Use high-efficiency filters. They can help keep indoor air cleaner by trapping pollen and other allergens if you use forced air conditioning or heating systems. They can help keep indoor air cleaner by trapping pollen and other allergens if you use forced air conditioning or heating systems. Shut the windows. This is good advice for at home and in the car to help keep pollen out. Cool with the air conditioner instead. CONTRIBUTING Jim Sergent SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Climate Central, USA National Phenology Network and USA TODAY research
