What We're Reading

Health Policy Journal Club, December 2025

The health policy journal club is an interdisciplinary, inter-professional group convened monthly by the Farley Health Policy Center to discuss timely topics in health policy. A curated selection of high-yield articles provides the basis for discussion. Past topics have included income inequality and health, professionalism in medicine, patients as consumers, and adjusting payment for measures of social risk. This page presents the reading list from the most recent journal club.

This month’s discussion focused on the growth of health misinformation—a challenge with profound implications for public trust, policy design, and health outcomes. We explored how misinformation spreads, why it persists, and what strategies can help counter its influence.

Science-sploitation

Timothy Caulfield and The Certainty Illusion - Live at KoboCon 2025! August 5, 2025.

Sharfstein JM. What Could Be Wrong with "Gold Standard Science"? Milbank Quarterly Opinion. October 30, 2025.

Public Perspective

Montero A, Sparks G, Mulugeta M, Montalvo III  J, Kirzinger A, Lopes L, Hamel L. KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Tylenol-Autism Link and Vaccine Policies. October 9, 2025.

Nagler RH, Fowler EF, Vraga EK, Rothman AJ, Gollust SE. Public Concern about Threats to Public Health and Science Remains Modest. Milbank Quarterly Opinion. November 13, 2025.

Recent Examples of Misinformation

Autism and vaccines. CDC. November 19, 2025.

Fluoride in drinking water (and our brains). Milbank Quarterly Opinion. October 20, 2025.

Moffit RE. Senate Report Confirms the Wisdom of Secretary Kennedy's Revised COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule. Heritage Foundation. June 9, 2025.

Confronting Misinformation and Disinformation

Confronting Health Misinformation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on Building a Healthy Information Environment. 2021. 

Practical Playbook for Addressing Health Rumors. February 2024 (Updated May 2025). Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Playbook Overview pages vi-vii.