Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
Wilkes University: Pharmacist-to-Be Awarded Outstanding Adult Learner Award
WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania, June 13 -- Wilkes University issued the following news release:
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Pharmacist-to-Be Awarded Outstanding Adult Learner Award
"Mommy is going to be a doctor," is what Cindy Rosario's oldest son says of her journey to becoming a pharmacist. Rosario, who will be a P3 pharmacy student in Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy this fall, recently received the Luzerne County Council on Adult Higher Education's Outstanding Adult Learner Award.
Rosario was nominated by Faith Wellings, assistant professor of pharmacy practice. "When this award was announced, I
... Show Full Article
WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania, June 13 -- Wilkes University issued the following news release:
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Pharmacist-to-Be Awarded Outstanding Adult Learner Award
"Mommy is going to be a doctor," is what Cindy Rosario's oldest son says of her journey to becoming a pharmacist. Rosario, who will be a P3 pharmacy student in Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy this fall, recently received the Luzerne County Council on Adult Higher Education's Outstanding Adult Learner Award.
Rosario was nominated by Faith Wellings, assistant professor of pharmacy practice. "When this award was announced, Iimmediately thought of Cindy. She embodies the spirit of this award to the highest degree," says Wellings, who shared Rosario's story on her dedication and commitment to her studies, despite how long it has taken and the difficulties Rosario has faced along the way.
Rosario is in her thirties with a family, including two young sons. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Rosario moved to Paterson, New Jersey, when she was a teenager. Beginning in her twenties, she held multiple part-time jobs while working as a pharmacy technician at an independent pharmacy. She later advanced to more opportunities with other organizations, such as Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, to gain experience and further her career. She is currently a pharmacy intern at The Cigna Group.
"While working with medications and helping patients, I realized that I wanted to become a pharmacist," says Rosario. She switched her major from criminology to science at Passaic County Community College. Over 10 years ago, she began completing the prerequisite courses and earned an associate degree in biology as she worked toward her goal of attending pharmacy school.
"I thought, 'I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm going to become a pharmacist, even if I graduate at 35.' And guess what? In two years, I'll be graduating at 35!" says Rosario.
Once she got accepted into Wilkes, Rosario and her family packed their bags and uprooted from New Jersey to northeastern Pennsylvania. "I applied to four different schools, and Wilkes was the first to reach out to me way before everyone else. They were so kind and so warm," she says, noting that the genuine kindness shown by faculty, staff and fellow students have been evident throughout her entire academic journey at Wilkes. "The classroom sizes are much smaller, and I wanted to be able to talk to the teachers. I needed something more personalized, warm and supportive, especially with having kids," says Rosario. "I have no regrets."
It wasn't the easiest transition for Rosario, especially after moving away from her mother, who had been a huge source of support. Northeastern Pennsylvania was a different change in pace and a different challenge, with fewer resources. "It took an incredible amount of grit and personal sacrifice for her to care for her family, including helping her children settle into their new environment, while also transitioning to being a full-time student and still working outside of school," says Wellings.
Rosario didn't know anyone in the area, except for her brother. She credits Julie Olenak, professor and associate dean of admissions and student affairs for the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, for sharing resources to help with the transition, even helping to find daycare for her younger son. In addition to Wellings and Olenak, she acknowledges Kimberly Ference, professor of pharmacy practice and director of pharmacy care labs, and Marie Roke Thomas, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences, as her mentors. "They've been incredible. Everyone is so kind, genuine and always willing to help," says Rosario, who pays it forward in kind. "I push myself to do more and keep going. I never want anyone to think I'm making excuses or taking advantage of the help I receive. When people go out of their way to support me, it motivates me to work even harder."
Even when time seems impossible, Rosario finds ways to make an impact on the community through volunteering for Script Your Future, a national consumer education campaign that helps to raise awareness about the importance of medication adherence as a vital first step toward better health outcomes. She has also served as an interpreter at Volunteers in Medicine, a non-profit organization where she helps patients communicate more effectively with their healthcare provider to ensure they are informed and educated about their medical conditions to improve their health.
"Cindy's ability to persevere and advocate for herself, doing the often-hard work of supporting her own well-being so that she can continue to help others, is admirable," says Wellings.
In managing her family, career, community service and education, Rosario leans on her faith and the support of her loved ones. Her biggest support is her husband. "He cooks and makes sure I'm fed, hydrated, comforts me when I'm crying and, if I'm too tired, he takes over to help. Also, my oldest son has chipped in to help," says Rosario. Her optimism and faith keep her grounded, believing that one can always do better the next day, and so on and on, because at the end of the day, "I'll be a pharmacist," she says. "I might as well just do it."
The time away from her family takes its toll, and Rosario admits it is a heavy sacrifice, even though it will pay off eventually. She reminds herself, "I'm doing a good job, keep going," and that her dream is a shared dream for her and her family. This award symbolizes all the hard work, the tears, uncertainty and risk, moving to a different state and all the ongoing support from her mother, children and husband. Together, they look to the future, and Rosario is keeping an open mind with no specific plan, other than to become a pharmacist and focus on her family.
"It means more than you realize, and it really inspires me," says Rosario, reflecting on her accomplishments so far. "Sometimes, you just have to look back and say, 'Wow, I really did all that.'"
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Original text here: https://news.wilkes.edu/2026/06/11/pharmacist-to-be-awarded-outstanding-adult-learner-award/
Virginia Tech: Ancient Millipedes Still Had Secrets to Tell
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 13 (TNSjou) -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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Ancient millipedes still had secrets to tell
Researchers completed the first evolutionary history of Earth's first land animals, pushing their origins tens of millions of years deeper into the past.
By Marya Barlow and James Mason
Long before vertebrates walked on land, millipedes had the place to themselves.
Hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs arrived, these early decomposers were helping establish Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. But despite their ancient history, scientists still hadn't
... Show Full Article
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 13 (TNSjou) -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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Ancient millipedes still had secrets to tell
Researchers completed the first evolutionary history of Earth's first land animals, pushing their origins tens of millions of years deeper into the past.
By Marya Barlow and James Mason
Long before vertebrates walked on land, millipedes had the place to themselves.
Hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs arrived, these early decomposers were helping establish Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. But despite their ancient history, scientists still hadn'tfully unraveled their evolutionary story.
Now, a Virginia Tech-led team of international scientists has solved one of the last major mysteries in millipede evolution, revealing new clues about a group of animals that helped pave the way for life on land.
The findings, published in Current Biology, complete the first evolutionary history of all living millipede orders. By combining genomic data from living species with morphological evidence from fossils, researchers traced the group's origins to nearly 460 million years ago -- suggesting millipedes may have been present long before the oldest known millipede fossils.
"Millipedes beat vertebrates onto land by more than 80 million years," said Paul Marek, the study's lead investigator and associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Entomology. "They really set the stage for later life on land, including humans and vertebrates."
Reconstructing the missing pieces
For more than a century, scientists knew that two rare groups of millipedes -- Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida -- existed, but without fresh specimens for DNA analysis, they couldn't confirm where they belonged in the millipede family tree.
One of the groups includes millipedes barely a centimeter long that spend their entire lives underground. The other survives in just a few known locations.
"These last two were kind of like our white whales," Marek said.
Researchers traveled to Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, and Spain's Canary Islands to collect Siphoniulus neotropicus and Hirudicryptus canariensis, two millipedes whose DNA had never been included in an evolutionary analysis.
"It took 10 people over a week just to find this one tiny 10-millimeter adult," said Luisa "Fernanda" Vasquez-Valverde M.S. '21, Ph.D. '24, the paper's first author and an assistant in Marek's lab. "Finding them in the field was hard because we were just seeing this little white nematode. We didn't know for sure it was a millipede until we looked under the microscope."
By sequencing DNA from the two groups, comparing hundreds of genes across 82 millipede species, and combining those results with evidence from 29 fossils, researchers were able to determine where the groups fit in millipede history and when their lineages emerged. The effort generated terabytes of genetic data and relied on Virginia Tech's Advanced Research Computing resources to reconstruct relationships stretching back hundreds of millions of years.
One group, Siphonocryptida, turned out not to be a distinct order after all, but part of an existing lineage. The other, Siphoniulida, was finally placed among its closest relatives on the millipede evolution timeline.
Colonizing an alien Earth
The analysis revealed that millipedes may have originated nearly 460 million years ago -- roughly 35 million years before the oldest known millipede fossils and much earlier than previously believed.
"The biggest surprise was just how ancient some of these lineages turned out to be," Marek said.
Back then, life on Earth looked dramatically different. Marek said millipedes helped pioneer life on land by breaking down organic material and recycling nutrients in some of the planet's first ecosystems.
"There were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, no plants with seeds," Marek said. "Millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk on the surface of the Earth."
The completed family tree also helped reveal when one of millipedes' most important adaptations first emerged.
"They made the first chemical weapons," Marek said. "They're little chemical factories."
The study traces those chemical defenses to about 260 million years ago, providing the clearest picture yet of when millipedes first developed them.
Unheralded heroes of the ecosystem
Today, millipedes remain among nature's most important detritivores, breaking down decaying plant material and returning nutrients to ecosystems.
"It's really kind of puzzling that they have such an important function in the ecosystem, and yet they're so poorly known," Marek said.
For all that scientists have learned, millipedes still hold many new discoveries. Scientists have described more than 14,000 millipede species worldwide, but experts estimate there could be tens of thousands still undiscovered. Marek and his students have helped identify new millipedes in locations ranging from Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus to the city of Los Angeles.
For a new generation of millipede researchers like Vasquez-Valverde, that's part of what makes the animals so compelling.
"There is all this potential for discovery," she said. "It keeps me wondering what else we're going to find."
The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, also included scientists from the Field Museum of Natural History, Hampden-Sydney College, Universidad de La Laguna, Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, the Australian National Insect Collection, West Virginia University, and Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo.
Original study: DOI.10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.035
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Original text here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/06/cals-millipede-evolutionary-tree.html
University of the District of Columbia: Summer Session - Beyond the Classroom With Hossain Azam
WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The University of the District of Columbia issued the following Q&A on June 12, 2026, involving Hossain Azam, associate professor of environmental engineering:
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Summer Session: Beyond the Classroom with Hossain Azam
Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen
Summer Session: Beyond the Classroom is a summer series highlighting the many ways University of the District of Columbia faculty continue advancing the university's mission beyond the academic year. Through research, professional development, community engagement and preparation for the year ahead, faculty remain actively
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WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The University of the District of Columbia issued the following Q&A on June 12, 2026, involving Hossain Azam, associate professor of environmental engineering:
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Summer Session: Beyond the Classroom with Hossain Azam
Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen
Summer Session: Beyond the Classroom is a summer series highlighting the many ways University of the District of Columbia faculty continue advancing the university's mission beyond the academic year. Through research, professional development, community engagement and preparation for the year ahead, faculty remain activelyconnected to their disciplines, students and communities.
For the second installment of the series, we spoke with Hossain Azam, associate professor of environmental engineering, about mentoring the next generation of environmental engineers, advancing research on emerging contaminants and preparing innovative learning experiences for UDC students.
PLJ: What does summer typically look like for you once the academic year ends?
HA: My typical summer varies from year to year. It is mainly focused on advising student research, preparing for upcoming fall and spring courses, and supporting summer programming for high school students.
PLJ: Are there any projects, research, professional development opportunities or community initiatives you are focusing on this summer?
HA: This summer, I am focusing on several ongoing funded projects supported by organizations including the USDA, DC Water and the DC Water Resources Research Institute. I will be advising two PhD students and four master's students as they make significant progress in their research.
I am also working to complete several journal manuscripts currently in development. In addition, I will be redesigning at least one future course to incorporate an entrepreneurial mindset into the curriculum. Having recently completed several seed grants, I plan to build on those findings by developing competitive federal grant proposals for submission during the upcoming academic year. I will also be preparing grant proposals for fall 2026.
PLJ: What trends or changes in your field are you paying the closest attention to right now?
HA: I am particularly interested in environmental engineering research within the framework of the water-energy-food-climate nexus. The relationships among renewable energy, agriculture and food systems, water resources, wastewater and waste management are of great interest.
I am also closely following developments related to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which have emerged as a major environmental concern. PFAS research has become an important focus within the field, and it is an area I continue to explore in my own work.
PLJ: How does the work you do during the summer help shape the student experience at UDC during the academic year?
HA: Summer is a time for preparation and reflection. The effort devoted to course development helps ensure that students receive current and relevant information in the classroom.
The research progress made by students under my supervision during the summer also helps advance their thesis work and provides strong direction for continued success during the academic year.
PLJ: What is one thing you are especially looking forward to in the upcoming academic year?
HA: Students are the key to our success. I am looking forward to engaging students through redesigned courses and securing new grants that support innovative research opportunities.
PLJ: What is something people might be surprised to learn about how you spend your summers?
HA: Apart from ongoing research, course preparation and proposal development, I am planning to spend time with my newborn baby girl, Tahireen, over the summer. I am also planning to have a get-together with my current and former students who live in the area at the end of the summer.
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Original text here: https://www.udc.edu/news/2026/06/summer-session-beyond-the-classroom-with-hossain-azam
University of Michigan: Brain Workouts Both Inside and Outside School Walls May Shape Dementia Risk
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 13 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news:
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Brain workouts both inside and outside school walls may shape dementia risk
The experiences children have in classrooms, at home and in their communities may help build a cognitive buffer that protects against or delays dementia later in life.
A new University of Michigan study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia proposes a new way of thinking about how childhood education affects Alzheimer's risk--looking beyond just years of schooling to examine the quality of schools, home learning environments
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ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 13 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news:
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Brain workouts both inside and outside school walls may shape dementia risk
The experiences children have in classrooms, at home and in their communities may help build a cognitive buffer that protects against or delays dementia later in life.
A new University of Michigan study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia proposes a new way of thinking about how childhood education affects Alzheimer's risk--looking beyond just years of schooling to examine the quality of schools, home learning environmentsand students' sense of belonging and confidence in the classroom.
With students spending nearly 15,000 hours in K-12 schools, the quality of those experiences--not just how long they stayed in school--may leave a lasting imprint on brain health decades later.
"But to truly understand that impact, we must also measure what happens outside the school's walls," said Kimson Johnson, postdoctoral research fellow at U-M's Institute for Social Research. "It is the combination of experiences inside and outside school that may be driving different outcomes and understanding this earlier in life is key to better prevention and resources."
Educational attainment is widely recognized as a critical determinant of brain health, but the environment in which you receive that education matters just as much, she says.
The study introduces a framework that views early education as a complex system of social, financial and institutional experiences. Rather than focusing only on the number of years a person spends in school, the model examines how early learning environments may build cognitive reserve--the brain's ability to maintain function despite damage.
"Nationally representative datasets allow us to examine different types of educational exposures starting as early as midlife and their impact on cognition and (Alzheimer's) risk," Johnson said. "Paired with biological measures, these datasets help us understand how early educational environments leave lasting imprints on cognitive health into late life."
Researchers can use this data to better understand a person's lifelong risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, or ADRD.
"Think of it like a camera with three lenses," Johnson said. "Did you believe in yourself as a learner? Did you have books and support at home? And was your school well resourced?
"Each lens captures a different part of the educational experience: academic self-efficacy, home and community learning resources, and institutional learning contexts. Together they create a fuller, more holistic picture of education than years of schooling alone."
This framework highlights large national studies that provide data across the K-12 settings into older adulthood, linking school quality, home environments and academic confidence to later-life cognitive health and its potential impact on biological markers of ADRD.
"Crucially, this framework treats these domains not as separate silos but as distinct and overlapping experiences that accumulate over time," Johnson said. "These experiences can leave biologically imprints in ways that may shape cognitive trajectories decades later."
The findings suggest that it is important to consider not only the school a child attends, but also whether that child feels supported as a learner. Those experiences may shape brain health for decades.
Investment in schools during a critical period of brain development is not just an education issue, it may also have long-term implications for cognitive health, Johnson says.
"For us researchers, this framework offers a pathway to examine which specific educational environments impact cognitive health," she said. "Also, what may reduce risk or support resilience.
The framework can use existing nationally representative datasets to identify which specific educational environments most strongly predict cognitive decline.
"The ultimate goal is to pinpoint what can be changed today to improve educational environments and reduce ADRD tomorrow," Johnson said.
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Study: The Educational Exposome: A life-course socioenvironmental framework for advancing Alzheimer's disease and ADRD research (DOI: 10.1002/alz.71413)
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Original text here: https://news.umich.edu/brain-workouts-both-inside-and-outside-school-walls-may-shape-dementia-risk/
Penn State Health Announces Leadership Transition for Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors
HERSHEY, Pennsylvania, June 13 -- Pennsylvania State University Penn State Health issued the following news:
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Penn State Health Announces leadership transition for Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors
Penn State Health today announced a planned leadership transition for the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors, with Kathy Pape appointed chair and Rob Bowman named vice chair, effective July 1.
Pape succeeds Dennis Brenckle, a founding board member who is stepping down after many years of dedicated service and leadership on the board. Brenckle has served as
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HERSHEY, Pennsylvania, June 13 -- Pennsylvania State University Penn State Health issued the following news:
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Penn State Health Announces leadership transition for Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors
Penn State Health today announced a planned leadership transition for the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors, with Kathy Pape appointed chair and Rob Bowman named vice chair, effective July 1.
Pape succeeds Dennis Brenckle, a founding board member who is stepping down after many years of dedicated service and leadership on the board. Brenckle has served aschair of the board since 2018 and was vice chair from 2014 to 2018. A longtime member of the health system community, Brenckle has played a significant role in advancing Penn State Health's mission for more than 25 years, including his leadership of the For The Future campaign, which raised nearly $307 million to support patient care, education, research and community outreach.
"Denny's leadership and deep commitment to our mission have made a lasting impact on our organization and the communities we serve," said Dr. Michael Kupferman, CEO of Penn State Health. "We are grateful for his years of service and the strong foundation he has helped build."
"Denny's dedication to Penn State Health and to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board has been extraordinary," said Mark H. Dambly, chair, Penn State Health Board of Directors. "He has played a key role in building and sustaining our boards--both through his leadership and his ability to bring together dedicated community leaders in support of our mission."
Pape, a retired shareholder of Saxton & Stump and an experienced attorney and executive, previously served as vice chair of the board and brings extensive expertise in government affairs, regulatory strategy and business leadership. Prior to her legal career, she led American Water's Mid-Atlantic Division and served as president of Pennsylvania American Water, where she guided operations across multiple states and played a key role in advancing water infrastructure and policy.
"Kathy has been an integral member of our board and a trusted advisor to our leadership team," Kupferman said. "Her experience, perspective and commitment to our mission make her exceptionally well suited to serve as chair as we continue to advance our strategic priorities."
Bowman, president of Charter Homes & Neighborhoods, will serve as vice chair. Since founding the company in 1990, he has led its growth into one of the leading privately held homebuilders in Pennsylvania, earning national recognition for innovation, quality and workplace excellence.
This leadership transition reflects the board's ongoing commitment to thoughtful succession planning and strong stewardship of Penn State Health's mission.
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Original text here: https://pennstatehealthnews.org/2026/06/penn-state-health-announces-leadership-transition-for-milton-s-hershey-medical-center-board-of-directors/
Michigan Medicine: Findings on a Decade of Medicaid Expansion in Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 13 -- Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, issued the following transcript of a podcast involving John Z. Ayanian:
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New Findings on a Decade of Medicaid Expansion in Michigan
Michigan's Medicaid expansion improved both health and finances
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A new U-M report shows that individuals, hospitals and primary care clinics all experienced positive impacts in the first decade of Michigan's Medicaid expansion, but the report also raises concerns about the cost-sharing provisions that all states must soon enact.
Read the full article
... Show Full Article
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 13 -- Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, issued the following transcript of a podcast involving John Z. Ayanian:
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New Findings on a Decade of Medicaid Expansion in Michigan
Michigan's Medicaid expansion improved both health and finances
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A new U-M report shows that individuals, hospitals and primary care clinics all experienced positive impacts in the first decade of Michigan's Medicaid expansion, but the report also raises concerns about the cost-sharing provisions that all states must soon enact.
Read the full article(https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/michigans-medicaid-expansion-improved-both-health-and-finances) on Health Lab.
Transcript
Host: Welcome to Health Lab, your destination for news and stories about the future of healthcare.
Today we're talking about Michigan's Medicaid expansion.
A newly released report from the University of Michigan shows that individuals, hospitals and primary care clinics all experienced positive impacts, but the report also raises concerns about cost-sharing provisions that all states must soon enact.
Just over a decade ago, Michigan expanded its Medicaid health coverage program, opening it to all adults with very low incomes through the Healthy Michigan Plan.
Now, a new report shows the long term benefits of this expansion - not just for individuals but for primary care clinics and hospitals that serve all Michiganders.
The report also finds that some of the unique features of Michigan's Medicaid expansion showed mixed results, such as cost-sharing in the form of copays and monthly premiums, and financial incentives for healthy behaviors.
The findings could inform the 39 other states that have expanded Medicaid, as they implement federal changes to Medicaid policy; changes that include work requirements for enrollees, as well as copays for some enrollees.
After analyzing a large amount of data from multiple sources, the U-M report shows a positive impact of the first 10 years of Michigan's Medicaid expansion - from 2014 to 2023 - including:
A large and sustained drop in the percentage of Michiganders with no health insurance.
An increased use of primary care services.
Reduced use of emergency care by enrollees.
The improved health of many of those who enrolled, including significant improvements for some who reported sizable health challenges when they first gained coverage.
Medicaid expansion in Michigan also increased employment among people who had previously been unemployed, regardless of health status, over the time period.
Additionally, the report found less financial stress for both individuals and hospitals in Michigan as a result of expanding Medicaid, and included decreases in personal debt in collections and low credit scores for enrollees on average, as well as a substantial reduction in hospitals' uncompensated care.
During the same period of time, the report shows that hospitals in states that did not expand coverage also did not experience similar reductions in uninsurance or uncompensated care.
Previous reports by the same U-M team have shown that the Healthy Michigan Plan improved other aspects of enrollees' lives as well, including the ability to work or seek work.
The new report also concludes that Medicaid expansion has increased the efficiency of other Michigan-wide health programs, and helped the state weather the economic upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic by covering those who lost jobs and income.
John Z. Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P., who led the team that compiled the report says, "We hope our team's robust evaluation can help all states understand the impacts of Medicaid expansion, including some of the cost-sharing features required under our state's expansion legislation. Our findings are especially timely as states prepare to meet the requirements of new federal Medicaid cost-sharing provisions."
Ayanian directs the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and leads the team of IHPI members and staff who have evaluated Michigan's Medicaid expansion since shortly after it began.
The evaluation was funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and was required under the state's waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The report includes multiple recommendations, some of which have already been implemented by the state government and the private health plans that partner with it to serve HMP enrollees.
The Healthy Michigan Plan is open to adults ages 19 to 64 who have incomes up to 133% of the poverty level, which currently sits at about $21,600 for a single adult. As of February 2026, more than 690,000 Michiganders were enrolled in HMP managed care plans or fee-for-service coverage.
In all, more than 1 in 4 residents of the state have some form of Medicaid coverage, including HMP, traditional Medicaid and the MIChild program for those up to age 19.
MiChild is Michigan's program under the federal Children's Health Insurance Program.
The report concluded, "Medicaid expansion has become a key component of the state's healthcare system and safety net over the past decade and the Healthy Michigan Plan is likely to continue to play a vital role in promoting and supporting health and well-being in Michigan into the future."
More findings from the report are included in the full article on Health Lab. The link for the article will be posted in the episode description.
A reminder that all Health Lab content including health news, best practices and research insights are for informational purposes only, and are not a substitute for professional medical guidance. Always seek the advice of a health care provider for questions about your health and treatment options.
For more on this story and for others like it, visit michiganmedicine.org/health-lab where you can also subscribe to our Health Lab newsletters to receive the latest in health, wellness and medical research information to your inbox each week. Health Lab is a part of the Michigan Medicine Podcast Network, and is produced by the Michigan Medicine Department of Communication. You can subscribe to Health Lab wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Original text here: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-lab-podcast/new-findings-decade-medicaid-expansion-michigan
Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Research Indicates That in the Future, Trees May Store Less Carbon Than Expected
NEW YORK, June 13 (TNSjou) -- Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory issued the following news:
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New Research Indicates That in the Future, Trees May Store Less Carbon Than Expected
Even as trees photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer, which impacts their carbon uptake.
Highlights
* Researchers found that oak forests can continue taking up carbon after their seasonal wood growth has ended.
* Aridity and heat limit tree growth more strongly than photosynthesis.
* As the climate warms, forests may keep absorbing carbon without storing as much
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, June 13 (TNSjou) -- Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory issued the following news:
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New Research Indicates That in the Future, Trees May Store Less Carbon Than Expected
Even as trees photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer, which impacts their carbon uptake.
Highlights
* Researchers found that oak forests can continue taking up carbon after their seasonal wood growth has ended.
* Aridity and heat limit tree growth more strongly than photosynthesis.
* As the climate warms, forests may keep absorbing carbon without storing as muchof it in wood.
* The findings suggest climate models may overstate the long-term carbon sink provided by forests.
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It's intuitive to think that if a tree is photosynthesizing, it's also growing. But that's not necessarily so--and a new study of oak trees, published in the journal Science Advances, found that even as they photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer.
Much of the long-term carbon storage that forests provide depends on trees converting the carbon they absorb through photosynthesis into new wood. Many researchers have predicted that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will enhance photosynthesis and stimulate tree growth, putting some of that planet-warming carbon into long-term storage inside wood. However, the observed decoupling of photosynthesis from growth suggests that increased carbon uptake does not necessarily translate into greater wood production. Instead, some of the absorbed carbon may be used to produce foliage or used in short-lived metabolic processes rather than being locked away long term, reducing the amount of carbon stored in forests compared with previous expectations.
The finding has climate implications.
"Right now, most models assume that if you have photosynthesis, you have growth. We find that's not the case," says lead author Mukund Palat Rao, an ecoclimatologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School. "Just because there is more photosynthesis might not necessarily mean more tree growth in the future."
During photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 from the air and then use sunlight to power the conversion of CO2 and water into sugars. Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere while the carbon stays in the plant. In a tree, some of that carbon goes into the woody biomass of trunk, branches and roots. The rest goes into foliage and fruits and is temporarily stored as starch, or is converted into compounds that are released into the soil to feed microbial communities, make nutrients available for uptake and defend against pathogens.
Carbon stored in woody biomass may take decades, centuries or even millennia--depending on conditions--to re-enter the atmosphere, making it an important carbon sink. That also makes it important to understand the relationship between photosynthesis and tree growth. "Understanding how photosynthesis and growth are linked is very important from the perspective of understanding how forests will store carbon over long time scales," says Rao.
Earlier research has suggested that carbon uptake and tree growth might not be synonymous, but detailed measurements were in short supply and the mechanisms unclear. To study the question, Rao and his colleagues used photosynthesis-detecting satellite imagery of trees at 137 sites across the eastern United States and California; readings from instruments that provided hour-by-hour measurements of treetop CO2 levels; and trunk-borne sensors that yielded real-time measurements of minute fluctuations in tree size. (Trees tend to expand at night as roots take up water, then shrink slightly in daytime as they transpire water, with the long-term trajectory adding up to growth.) They also drew on growth ring records and temperature data from 1950 to the present.
All this produced daily recordings of photosynthesis, carbon uptake and tree growth--and the researchers found that oak growth in their eastern sites generally took place from May through July, even though trees continued to photosynthesize well into October. Roughly 36 percent of all carbon assimilation through photosynthesis occurred after growth had stopped in late summer. At the California sites, oak grew from December through April, but growth slowed in mid-summer and ceased by August even as photosynthesis continued. About 26 percent of those trees' annual carbon uptake occurred after growth ceased.
This makes mechanistic sense: when water is scarce, trees lose the internal water pressure they need to grow. "The moment you have dry and hot conditions, growth activity stops pretty instantly while photosynthesis seems to continue at a slightly decreased rate," says Rao.
Some fraction of that post-growth carbon is used to kick-start growth the following year, says Rao. The rest is used to grow new leaves and roots or is oxidized to keep cells alive through winter. Exactly how much is sequestered long-term in woody biomass and how much is released at shorter time scales is unknown, but it seems likely that projections of trees growing larger and storing more carbon in a warmer, CO2-saturated world will need to be revisited.
The researchers also observed that the decoupling between photosynthesis and growth was especially pronounced in years when local climates were most variable, oscillating between extremes of wet and dry. This pattern is expected to become more common as the climate changes.
Rao and his colleagues are now studying whether the decoupling of photosynthesis and growth is taking place in other tree species, ecosystems and regions. Rao expects that decoupling will be found to varying degrees in different forest types and climates, but "I don't really have answers yet," he says. "There are many questions still left to address."
In addition to Rao, Lamont coauthors include Kevin Griffin and Laia Andreu-Hayles, as well as colleagues from UC Davis, the University of Virginia, Cornell, Harvard and other institutions in the United States, Europe and Argentina.
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Original text here: https://lamont.columbia.edu/news/new-research-indicates-future-trees-may-store-less-carbon-expected
