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Yale: Inci Yildirim Named the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, July 18 -- Yale University issued the following news:
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Inci Yildirim named the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics
Yildirim, a member of the Yale School of Medicine faculty since 2020, is a globally recognized expert in vaccinology and infectious diseases among high-risk populations.
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Dr. Inci Yildirim, a globally recognized expert in vaccinology and infectious diseases, was recently appointed the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Disease). Her appointment was effective July 1, 2025.
A member of the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty since
... Show Full Article
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, July 18 -- Yale University issued the following news:
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Inci Yildirim named the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics
Yildirim, a member of the Yale School of Medicine faculty since 2020, is a globally recognized expert in vaccinology and infectious diseases among high-risk populations.
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Dr. Inci Yildirim, a globally recognized expert in vaccinology and infectious diseases, was recently appointed the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Disease). Her appointment was effective July 1, 2025.
A member of the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty since2020, she has a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. She also serves as chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, founding director of the Yale Pediatric Vaccine Trials Program, and founding director of the Yale New Haven Health Children's Hospital Transplant Infectious Diseases Program.
As a pediatric infectious disease specialist and an epidemiologist, she studies the burden of infectious diseases and innate and adaptive immune signatures of vaccine responses in vulnerable populations, such as transplant recipients and individuals with sickle cell disease. She has extensive experience as a clinical trialist and works with collaborators in low- and middle-income settings to develop novel strategies to reduce childhood mortality.
She also leads the Yale Network of Vaccine Initiatives, is an affiliated faculty member at the Yale Institute for Global Health, is a member of the Yale Center for Infection and Immunity, and serves on the Steering Committee of the Yale Center of Clinical Investigation. She is also a fellow of Yale's Pauli Murray College.
Among her external leadership roles, she is the elected chair of the Connecticut State Medical Exemptions Advisory Committee.
Yildirim has established and led multiple clinical and educational programs across several institutions, including immunocompromised host and transplant infectious diseases programs designed to improve health care access and outcomes for medically vulnerable children. She has developed educational initiatives for fellows and residents in pediatric infectious diseases and immunocompromised host care, as well as graduate-level public health courses on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Her research program has been consistently supported over the last decade by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, industry, supporting studies in vaccinology, immune responses in vulnerable populations, pneumococcal disease surveillance, and global child health initiatives.
Beyond her institutional roles, she also participates in national vaccine policy and scientific advisory efforts through her service on immunization advisory committees, NIH grant review panels, and international scientific advisory boards. A prolific scholar, Yildirim has authored more than 160 original scientific publications. Her work focusing on infectious diseases and vaccinology has appeared in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, JAMA, Nature, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Science Immunology, Nature Communications, Pediatric Transplantation, Science Translational Medicine, Genome Biology and Evolution, Clinical Infectious Diseases, JAMA Pediatrics, and Pediatrics.
She is an active public voice on infectious diseases and vaccines, with her expertise featured in numerous national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox, the New Haven Register, Newsweek, and the Financial Times.
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Original text here: https://news.yale.edu/2026/07/16/inci-yildirim-named-john-f-enders-professor-pediatrics
Utrecht University: Executive Courses Strengthen Financial Decision-making for Professionals
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, July 18 -- Utrecht University issued the following news:
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New executive courses strengthen financial decision-making for professionals
Financial expertise is becoming increasingly important across organisations. Not only for finance professionals, but also for managers, project leaders, policy advisors, and business leaders. To meet this growing demand, Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) has launched two new executive education programmes: Finance for Non-Financials and Impact Investing for Finance Professionals. Registration is now open.
Finance
... Show Full Article
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, July 18 -- Utrecht University issued the following news:
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New executive courses strengthen financial decision-making for professionals
Financial expertise is becoming increasingly important across organisations. Not only for finance professionals, but also for managers, project leaders, policy advisors, and business leaders. To meet this growing demand, Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) has launched two new executive education programmes: Finance for Non-Financials and Impact Investing for Finance Professionals. Registration is now open.
Financefor Non-Financials is designed for professionals without a formal finance background who increasingly encounter financial decisions in their work. Over four sessions, participants learn how to interpret financial statements, evaluate investments, and use financial information to support better decision-making. The programme combines academic insights with practical cases based on real organisations.
More information (https://professionals.uu.nl/en/programme/course-finance-for-non-financials)
The one-day course Impact Investing for Finance Professionals responds to the growing importance of integrating social and environmental impact into investment decisions. Participants explore the concepts, frameworks, governance, and instruments of impact investing while working on practical case studies that reflect current developments in the field.
More information (https://professionals.uu.nl/en/programme/course-impact-investing-for-finance-professionals)
Together, these new programmes reflect Utrecht University's commitment to equipping professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate today's increasingly complex financial landscape. Both courses are taught by leading academics from Utrecht University School of Economics and combine scientific expertise with immediate practical relevance.
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Original text here: https://www.uu.nl/en/news/new-executive-courses-strengthen-financial-decision-making-for-professionals
University of New Hampshire School of Law: Bystander Videos are 'Fundamentally Changing How the News is Made'
CONCORD, New Hampshire, July 18 -- The University of New Hampshire School of Law issued the following news:
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Bystander videos are 'fundamentally changing how the news is made'
A Justice & Journalism discussion on the challenges of navigating the onrush of online information
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While covering the Minneapolis ICE protests in January, NPR reporter Jasmine Garsd learned of a shooting incident and rushed to the scene where ICE Agents had killed Alex Pretti. A video of the fatal shooting, taken by a bystander, had already been shared online. "I got there, and we're reporting, we're talking to
... Show Full Article
CONCORD, New Hampshire, July 18 -- The University of New Hampshire School of Law issued the following news:
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Bystander videos are 'fundamentally changing how the news is made'
A Justice & Journalism discussion on the challenges of navigating the onrush of online information
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While covering the Minneapolis ICE protests in January, NPR reporter Jasmine Garsd learned of a shooting incident and rushed to the scene where ICE Agents had killed Alex Pretti. A video of the fatal shooting, taken by a bystander, had already been shared online. "I got there, and we're reporting, we're talking topeople, we're seeing videos, and immediately our standards team is looking at these videos and looking into the veracity," Garsd said during a recent panel discussion, The Rise of the Civic Documenter, hosted by NHPR and the Warren B. Rudman Center for justice, Leadership & Public service.
Panelists discussed the challenges of navigating the onrush of online information produced by an engaged public equipped with recording devices. At times, these bystanders, also known as citizen journalists or civic documenters, have captured historic events and moments, "fundamentally changing how the news is made and how those in power may act," said moderator and NHPR senior reporter Todd Bookman in his introduction.
Quotes in this piece have been edited slightly for clarity and brevity. For the full audio, visit here (https://www.nhpr.org/latest-from-nhpr/2026-07-09/listen-justice-journalism-rise-of-the-civic-documenter).
Panelists included Jasmine Garsd, immigration reporter with NPR; Melanie Plenda, co-organizer of the Civic Documenters program and director of the Granite State News Collaborative, a statewide nonprofit network of more than 20 local news, education, and community organizations; and Greg Sullivan, president of the New England First Amendment Coalition.
Soon after Alex Pretti was killed, government officials characterized the killing in ways that were contradicted by multiple videos deemed credible by news organizations. "This is where a standards team or a fact-checking team comes in," Garsd said. "I was able to confidently go on the air and say, this is the amount of times this man was shot, and that he was shot in the back. And that was so powerful and important," she said. "I think it really illustrates this circle of citizen journalism, professional journalism, citizen journalism, professional journalism -- working in tandem."
Just weeks before Pretti's death, Renee Good was shot and killed by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale ICE deployment in Minnesota. In the Good case, too, bystander videos analyzed by professional journalists contradicted the government's account of the incident.
Garsd described a climate of intimidation and violence created by federal agents in Minneapolis. "It was Orwellian," she said. "We were getting tear gassed," she said. " It was so disproportionate, the level of force being used. And then I would go to the hotel to file a story, and I would turn on CNN or I would turn on NBC, and I would see a press conference by either the White House or former Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino talking about violent protesters, and I can unequivocally say that is not what we were seeing."
Plenda defined citizen journalists in this way: "Someone who sees something happening that they feel is not being looked at, that's happening sort of in the dark, that no one knows about. And they have a need to tell other people about it so that maybe there's some collective action."
"Sometimes those folks are advocates. Sometimes they're just concerned citizens, and they don't have a dog in the fight, and they just want their community members to know what's going on. I would say we have a lot of both in New Hampshire, and I think when there are communities that go uncovered, I think the citizen journalist is the one who takes the mantle onto their own shoulders to help educate and inform their community."
Citizen journalists have the same protections under the First Amendment as professional journalists, said Greg Sullivan. "All of us, if we're in a place we have a right to be, we have a right to film whatever's going on, whether it's a sporting event or an ar
rest," he said. "Obviously no one should interfere with a law enforcement action, but so long as the person doing the filming is staying a reasonable distance -- and that's to me the most important word in the law, is reasonableness -- you don't want to get in the way, but you also don't want to be intimidated to the point where you're not able to accurately film what is happening."
Citizen journalists also help bolster a depleted news workforce, Plenda said. "Because there are not that many reporters in the United States anymore, we need people who are on the ground seeing what's happening, who know the community, who know what's going on, to provide that level of information, " she said. In this interest, GSNC, in partnership with the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications and the New England First Amendment Coalition, trains community members to observe, document, and explain what happens in local public meetings across New Hampshire. For info, visit here (https://www.collaborativenh.org/about-civic-documenters).
News organizations must also vet information obtained from citizen journalists. "Our job then is take that information and find out the context, ask the questions," Plenda said. This can include identifying AI-generated images, all of which can take time, slowing the dissemination of news. But that delay can mean the difference between spreading misinformation and sharing trustworthy news.
"You want to have the scoop, the breaking news," said Garsd. "Sometimes it's good to just sit on it and wait until you're sure. Maybe you'll lose out to someone less responsible than you, but in the long run I think you will be more trusted," Garsd said. "There have been multiple times where I was so ready to hit publish on this story, but I'm just not quite there yet with the facts. Maybe that puts me a little bit behind someone else, but I also know that with listeners and readers, I have a reputation, and that's invaluable."
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Original text here: https://law.unh.edu/blog/2026/07/bystander-videos-are-fundamentally-changing-how-news-made
University of Cincinnati: Eric Levin Builds Communities Through Development
CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 18 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
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From DAAP to Chicago
Eric Levin builds communities through development
By Claudia Rebola, rebolacb@ucmail.uc.edu
As DAAPworks 2026 opens at the Design Museum of Chicago, bringing the creativity of this year's graduates to one of the world's great design cities, University of Cincinnati DAAP alumnus Eric Levin demonstrates how a design education can lead to leadership in real estate development and city building.
Levin, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art,
... Show Full Article
CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 18 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
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From DAAP to Chicago
Eric Levin builds communities through development
By Claudia Rebola, rebolacb@ucmail.uc.edu
As DAAPworks 2026 opens at the Design Museum of Chicago, bringing the creativity of this year's graduates to one of the world's great design cities, University of Cincinnati DAAP alumnus Eric Levin demonstrates how a design education can lead to leadership in real estate development and city building.
Levin, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art,and Planning (DAAP) and director of development at Mac Properties, where he oversees residential and mixed-use developments throughout Chicago.
Levin's career reflects the diverse opportunities available to architects beyond traditional practice. After earning a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati, he completed a Master of Science in Real Estate Development at Columbia University, combining architectural education with expertise in real estate development, construction management and finance.
Before joining Mac Properties, Levin held development leadership positions at MB Real Estate and IAC. Earlier in his career, he practiced architecture at KlingStubbins and Gary Lee Partners while building professional experience through internships and UC's nationally recognized cooperative education (co-op) program.
Today, Levin's work spans the full lifecycle of development from evaluating sites and coordinating design teams to managing construction and delivering projects that contribute to Chicago's evolving urban landscape. His career illustrates how a DAAP education prepares graduates to move across disciplines, applying design thinking to leadership roles that influence the future of cities.
That interdisciplinary perspective reflects the collaborative approach that defines a DAAP education. Successful development requires architects, planners, engineers, designers, contractors, clients and community stakeholders to work together to transform ideas into places that serve communities for generations.
Levin has also remained connected to DAAP by hiring graduates and supporting cooperative education opportunities at Mac Properties, helping create pathways for students and alumni to begin their careers in Chicago's design and development community.
His continued engagement reflects one of DAAP's defining strengths: a network of alumni who mentor students, create professional opportunities and help strengthen connections between the college and industry.
Alumni like Levin demonstrate that the impact of a DAAP education extends far beyond the classroom. Through leadership, collaboration and a commitment to the built environment, DAAP alumni continue to shape not only individual buildings, but the communities and cities where people live, work and thrive.
As visitors explore DAAPworks Chicago this summer, Levin's career offers a glimpse of where today's graduating students may one day lead, transforming creative ideas into projects that shape cities and improve everyday life.
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Original text here: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/07/daap-eric-levin-builds-communities-through-development.html
University of Birmingham: Generation Rent or Generation Spent?
BIRMINGHAM, England, July 18 (TNSrpt) -- The University of Birmingham posted the following news:
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Generation Rent or Generation Spent?
Kris Fuzi introduces new research on the experiences of financial insecurity in the private rental sector.
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For millions of people in England, private renting is no longer a secure stepping stone to homeownership. Instead, it has become a long-term reality increasingly defined by rising rents, financial pressure, and uncertainty about the future. New research from CHASM at the University of Birmingham shows how unaffordable housing costs are consuming
... Show Full Article
BIRMINGHAM, England, July 18 (TNSrpt) -- The University of Birmingham posted the following news:
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Generation Rent or Generation Spent?
Kris Fuzi introduces new research on the experiences of financial insecurity in the private rental sector.
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For millions of people in England, private renting is no longer a secure stepping stone to homeownership. Instead, it has become a long-term reality increasingly defined by rising rents, financial pressure, and uncertainty about the future. New research from CHASM at the University of Birmingham shows how unaffordable housing costs are consumingincomes and limiting opportunities to save. More fundamentally, it reveals how insecure housing, insecure work, and rising living costs combine to trap many renters in a cycle of financial insecurity.
The UK government continues to present the private rented sector (PRS) as a secure and flexible housing option. However, a review by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (2026) has highlighted the need for stronger protections for vulnerable tenants. While these proposals are welcome, they do not fully address the immediate financial pressures affecting renters across the income distribution.
CHASM's research, based on interviews with 50 private tenants across the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, paints a stark picture of these financial pressures observed across tenants' housing, work, and spending.
When rent consumes the budget
Unaffordable housing was a significant challenge for many participants, with 32 out of 50 spending more than one third of their income on rent costs alone. This exceeds the accepted housing affordability threshold (Affordable Housing Commission, 2019). A sense that rents had risen much faster than incomes compounded this insecurity.
Participants frequently described a monthly cycle of paying rent, covering bills, and purchasing essentials, with little or nothing left over. For families, particularly single parent households, these pressures were especially acute. Parents spoke of carefully calculating every expense while worrying about future rent increases:
"If you look at our overall financial monthly budget, we literally can't afford to pay anymore [...]. If we are left with pound sterling500 a month [after essentials], ... by end of the month that goes. So, literally, we start from the beginning again every month."
When disproportionate levels of income are absorbed by housing, opportunities to save, prepare for emergencies, or invest in the future disappear.
"I manage. I'm quite frugal. [...] Some nights, you know, we might have beans on toast. Some nights, we might have McDonalds. It depends how much months left at the end of the money."
Good conditions or good tenants?
Many tenants reported poor housing conditions such as damp, mould, poor insulation, plumbing issues, and inadequate maintenance. Others described concerns about neglected communal areas and poor personal safety.
Relationships with landlords and letting agents often reinforced these challenges. Some tenants were reluctant to report problems because they feared rent increases, conflict, or even losing their tenancy. Others chose to absorb repair costs themselves rather than risk damaging the relationship.
The consequence is a housing system where security often depends less on tenant rights and more on the ability to appear as a "good tenant." Therefore, new protections in the form of the Renters' Rights Act mean very little without effective regulation to rebalance tenant-landlord power dynamics.
The myth of flexibility
A central finding concerns the widespread assumption that private renting offers flexibility. While government policy often promotes renting as an adaptable housing solution, only a minority of participants viewed their situation in this way. These tenants were typically younger, had no children, with relatively higher incomes.
Rather than a stepping stone, renting was often described as a dead end.
For many, moving was not a realistic option. High rents elsewhere, limited savings, childcare responsibilities, and school commitments trapped tenants in their current circumstances. Participants wanted greater stability, security, and control over their housing futures but lacked the financial resource to achieve it.
Housing, work and income
Housing costs alone do not explain financial insecurity. Working conditions were equally important, with 21 of the 50 participants in forms of precarious work, including fixed-term and zero-hour contracts, self-employment, platform work, and jobs with variable hours.
Low incomes and income volatility were recurring themes. Participants struggled not only because earnings were insufficient but because volatility made budgeting difficult. Some people in secure work reported working substantial overtime simply to maintain a sense of financial security.
This highlights how financial security depends not just on having work, but secure, stable, and adequately paid work.
Three financial mindsets
The research categorised tenants into three financial mindsets according to the level of structural disadvantage they faced:
Half of participants fell into a surviving mindset. This was an experience of financial insecurity characterised by unaffordable housing, low or insecure incomes, debt, and little capacity to absorb unexpected costs.
Although still facing disadvantage, those with a securing mindset were more likely to have very modest savings and a manageable use of credit. However, their position remained fragile and vulnerable to rent increases, job loss, or unexpected expenses.
Typically benefiting from affordable housing, secure work, and higher or dual incomes, tenants with a saving mindset were able to build savings, plan ahead, and consider long-term goals such as homeownership.
Collectively, these findings demonstrate how structural conditions matter enormously for individuals to realise and build financial security.
What needs to change?
The research concludes that financial insecurity has become a defining feature of private renting. Housing insecurity, work insecurity, and financial insecurity combine to constrain lives and limit opportunities.
Addressing these challenges requires more than modest reforms. The UK government must:
* Recognise the immediate financial pressures facing tenants.
* Introduce policies that address affordability challenges.
* Deliver stronger regulatory bodies to enforce housing security.
* Target support to more vulnerable tenants beyond income distribution.
The evidence suggests that measures such as rent controls, alongside wider reforms to support affordable housing (Worsdale et al, 2026), deserve serious consideration.
Ultimately, however, the challenge extends beyond affordable housing. At stake is whether millions of people in the UK can build stable lives and plan confidently for the future from a secure foundation.
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References
Affordable Housing Commission (2019) Defining and Measuring Housing Affordability - an Alternative Approach. London, Affordable Housing Commission.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (2026) Housing Conditions in the Private Rented Sector: Fourth Report of Session 2026-27. London, House of Commons.
Worsdale, R, Elliot, J, Baxter, D, Blower, R (2026) How Tax Reform would make Rent Controls Feasible to Deliver. York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
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REPORT: https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/307571582/The_Experience_of_Financial_Insecurity_in_the_Private_Rental_Sector_WEB.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2026/generation-rent-or-generation-spent-financial-insecurity-is-the-new-reality-of-private-renting
Penn State-Schuykill: Grassroots Innovation Meets Academic Research at Community-Driven Research Day
SCHUYKILL HAVEN, Pennsylvania, July 18 -- Pennsylvania State University Schuykill Campus issued the following news:
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Grassroots innovation meets academic research at Community-Driven Research Day
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute brings together community leaders and researchers to showcase grassroots innovations and build partnerships addressing rural health challenges across Berks, Dauphin and Schuylkill counties
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In northern Dauphin County, the nearest hospital is a 45- to 60-minute drive away. For residents facing poverty and a lack of transportation, that distance
... Show Full Article
SCHUYKILL HAVEN, Pennsylvania, July 18 -- Pennsylvania State University Schuykill Campus issued the following news:
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Grassroots innovation meets academic research at Community-Driven Research Day
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute brings together community leaders and researchers to showcase grassroots innovations and build partnerships addressing rural health challenges across Berks, Dauphin and Schuylkill counties
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In northern Dauphin County, the nearest hospital is a 45- to 60-minute drive away. For residents facing poverty and a lack of transportation, that distancecan turn a simple health concern into a crisis.
But the community isn't waiting for outside help to solve the problem. Instead, local leaders are training everyday citizens to become Community Health Workers, helping their neighbors navigate the healthcare system and find the resources they need.
This grassroots solution was one of 19 showcased at a regional Community-Driven Research Day, hosted by Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) in partnership with Penn State Schuylkill.
Building on past events in 2023 in Northern Dauphin County, in 2024 in Schuylkill County and in 2025 in Berks County, the 2026 gathering united 87 community leaders, healthcare providers and Penn State researchers from all three regions for the first time.
"It is incredibly inspiring to see how these communities have united to tackle their most pressing health challenges," said Jennifer Kraschnewski, director of Penn State CTSI. "As we look to the future, I am thrilled to see these regional collaboratives taking the lead. The true power of this initiative lies in their hands, ensuring that our research is driven by the very people who know their communities best."
Flipping the script on research
Historically, academic research often involves universities studying communities from the outside. This event flips that script. Nearly 60% of attendees were community organization representatives, ensuring local voices guided conversations on three urgent priorities: access to care, healthy behaviors and food security.
A recurring theme was the need to take healthcare outside the four walls of a clinic. Penn State's LION Mobile Clinic showcased its "tailgate medicine" approach, which operates as a traveling clinic and research hub that brings medical resources directly to where rural residents live and gather.
"We are taking medicine outside of brick and mortar to our rural communities," said Michael McShane, associate professor of medicine from the Penn State College of Medicine. "We view this as a resource where we can mobilize as a hub on the road where people are located."
In a similar effort to break down travel barriers, Penn State Cancer Institute shared its mobile HPV self-screening pilot, a program that provides no-cost, self-collection testing kits to expand early cancer detection for women in rural areas.
Mental health and basic needs were also front and center. Attendees learned about "Threads of Success" at Governor Mifflin High School, a student-led nonprofit creating a stigma-free space for students to get clothing, food and hygiene supplies.
"Peer-to-peer relationships are key to reducing stigma around participation and accepting help," explained Ashley Berg and Kristi Bonanno, advisers for the Threads for Success program.
Food as connection
When it comes to healthy eating, rural areas often face a lack of nearby grocery stores and the high cost of fresh food. Local organizations are tackling this creatively.
Courtney Shober of the Berks Agricultural Resource Network (B.A.R.N.) emphasized the power of urban agriculture.
"The opportunity isn't just to grow food, but to grow healthier and more connected communities," she noted.
Other highlighted programs included the Interfaith Health Network's "community sharing boxes" at local libraries, and "Veggie Rx," which pairs cooking classes with fresh ingredient boxes. Meanwhile, Breadcoin gives people tokens to buy prepared meals from local vendors.
"We recognize that food is more than fuel; it's an opportunity for connection," explained Aisha Mobley, who represented Breadcoin along with David Vader. "It keeps money in our communities longer by using local businesses and creating wealth within the community."
Building lasting bridges
For the Penn State researchers and healthcare providers in the room, the day offered an eye-opening look at the power of community action.
"It made me realize how little I know about members of the community and their efforts," reflected a Penn State Health internal medicine resident who attended the event. "My interactions with people are largely restricted to the hospital, and this made me realize how far I practice from where my patients live."
By the end of the day, 86% of attendees said they were interested in forming new community-academic partnerships.
"Community-Driven Research Day is just one step in an ongoing journey of partnership and collaboration," said Miriam Kelly Miller, community engagement coordinator for Penn State CTSI. "Together, we can build on the strengths that already exist across our region and create lasting impact through community-driven action."
According to Miller, by building trust and listening to the people who know their communities best, Penn State is helping ensure that future health research is deeply rooted in the real-world needs of rural Pennsylvania.
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Original text here: https://schuylkill.psu.edu/story/25346/2026/07/17/grassroots-innovation-meets-academic-research-community-driven-research-day
Free University of Brussels-VUB: Genetic Study Redefines a Form of Excessive Sweating as a Treatable Neurological Condition
BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 18 (TNSjou) -- Free University of Brussels-VUB issued the following news release:
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Genetic study redefines a form of excessive sweating as a treatable neurological condition
Ten years of research by VUB Professor Dr Frank Bosmans uncovers a genetic switch that keeps sweat glands constantly in overdrive
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An international research team led by Prof. Dr Frank Bosmanbs (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) has discovered a major genetic cause of hyperhidrosis (chronic and excessive sweating). The study, published in the scientific journal *Science Advances*, provides strong
... Show Full Article
BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 18 (TNSjou) -- Free University of Brussels-VUB issued the following news release:
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Genetic study redefines a form of excessive sweating as a treatable neurological condition
Ten years of research by VUB Professor Dr Frank Bosmans uncovers a genetic switch that keeps sweat glands constantly in overdrive
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An international research team led by Prof. Dr Frank Bosmanbs (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) has discovered a major genetic cause of hyperhidrosis (chronic and excessive sweating). The study, published in the scientific journal *Science Advances*, provides strongevidence that a genetically determined form of hyperhidrosis arises from overstimulation of the nerves that control the sweat glands. The discovery removes the stigma surrounding the condition and paves the way for targeted treatments using existing medicines.
Excessive sweating affects an estimated 2 to 5 per cent of the population. The symptoms are far more severe than mere 'awkward discomfort'. Patients sweat so profusely that they have to change their clothes several times a day. The impact on daily life is enormous. Many patients avoid social contact, feel deeply ashamed and develop depression. Yet the condition is still too often dismissed as a superficial skin problem, meaning patients encounter a lack of understanding and do not receive the right care.
An overactive 'thermostat' in the nerves
Bosmans' team spent ten years searching for answers to this problem, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University. By analysing the DNA of more than 180 patients, they discovered defects in a specific protein channel in our nerves: the Nav1.8 ion channel. This channel normally functions as a biological gate that regulates electrical signals in the nervous system. In patients with hyperhidrosis, this gate is left too wide open due to a genetic predisposition. As a result, the nervous system that controls the sweat glands is constantly overstimulated. The nerves are constantly in a state of activity, resulting in excessive sweating. This is consistent with the clinical picture in which sweating is often triggered by emotional or stress-related stimuli, without the condition being of psychological origin.
Strong evidence from experimental models
To substantiate the theory, the researchers developed an experimental model. As mice only sweat from their paws, the team spent two years developing a microscopic measurement method to count sweat droplets using an iodine-starch mixture. Mice with the same genetic defect were indeed found to sweat excessively. As soon as the researchers administered a substance that blocked the overactive nerve signals, sweating decreased significantly and reversibly in the mouse model.
The genetic reality is, however, complex. The team also discovered a patient who had actually inherited an 'inhibitory' nerve mutation, but who nevertheless sweated excessively due to an additional, unique mutation in a local water channel within the sweat gland itself. This proves that hyperhidrosis is a condition in which different biological pathways can lead to the same overstimulation that becomes visible on the skin.
Hope for targeted therapy without unnecessarily invasive procedures
The discovery offers the prospect of better, more targeted treatments. Today, severe forms of hyperhidrosis are sometimes treated with procedures that sever the sympathetic nerve pathways in the chest. Such treatments can be effective, but they are invasive, not suitable for everyone and can cause unwanted side effects. By gaining a better understanding of the biological cause, in-depth genetic and functional research may, in the long term, help to better predict in advance which patients are likely to benefit most from localised treatment of the sweat glands, systemic medication or nerve-targeted therapies.
A second important avenue is drug repurposing: the targeted re-evaluation of existing medicines based on the new mechanism. In the mouse model, several clinically relevant agents reduced excessive sweating, including treatments that act on cholinergic signalling - a way in which nerve cells communicate with one another - or on the excitability of nerve cells. This also provides a biological context for patient reports regarding cannabis products, as some cannabinoids can influence sodium channels. This does not mean that these agents can already be recommended as standard treatment, but it does mean that the research lays a rational foundation for controlled clinical trials. In this way, the management of hyperhidrosis is shifting from symptomatic treatment towards a more mechanism-based approach.
Broader implications for the autonomic nervous system
The study places hyperhidrosis within a broader context of autonomic nervous system disorders. Sweating is a visible function of the autonomic nervous system and can therefore serve as a measurable indicator of biological dysregulation. Whether similar ion channel mechanisms also contribute to other forms of dysautonomia, for example following infections, requires further investigation.
For patients, the message is clear: primary hyperhidrosis is not merely a cosmetic problem or a matter of stress; for at least some patients, it is a genuine, biological and potentially treatable disorder of the nerves and sweat glands.
Reference:
Suguru Yamauchi, Jolien Vander Cruyssen, Michele Cervellera et al. (2026) A Neurocutaneous NaV1.8 Channelopathy Underlies a Genetic Subtype of Primary Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis. Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed3221
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Original text here: https://press.vub.ac.be/genetic-study-redefines-a-form-of-excessive-sweating-as-a-treatable-neurological-condition
