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Nolan M. Kavanagh

@nolankavanagh.bsky.social
284 followers 512 following 37 posts

I study health, policy, and politics • Emergency medicine resident at Beth Israel / Harvard Medical School • MD, PhD, MPH • 🏳️‍🌈 • he/him/his nolankavanagh.com

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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Personally, I’m skeptical of synthetic DIDs unless we have good reason to believe that there’s something wrong with the donor pool of controls, as the pre-trends are unrealistically precise. But I would be more convinced by both approaches than one in isolation.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I agree with Jeffrey that some of the hang up is moral or normative. Also, the typical HSR researcher is an MD or PhD in public health and hasn’t taken many (or any) econ. classes, so a definition blurb goes a long way. E.g. I go out of my way to describe what different fixed effects are doing.
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Reposted by Nolan M. Kavanagh
Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 11/05/2026
Jeremy right now
Hard to swallow pills meme
Hard to swallow pill:
An association, by itself, is not evidence for someone else to do a causal study.

The best way to create evidence for a future causal study is to do the best causal study with the data you have at hand.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Might be field-dependent, but for health journals, my instinct has been to make the limits of my use very clear: “Gen. AI was used for limited coding tasks (e.g. making graphs), and all output was verified by the first author. No AI was used for conceptualization, interpretation, or writing.”
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Reposted by Nolan M. Kavanagh
Atheendar Venkataramani @atheendar.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
1/ Today we @oppforhealthlab.bsky.social are releasing our report: "Stuckness in America." #Stuckness is a #feeling + material #reality that reinforce one another in a self-perpetuating #trap. 1 our of every 5 Americans are #stuck. opportunityforhealth.org/project/stuc...
opportunityforhealth.org
Stuckness in America – Opportunity for Health
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
two days from the submission deadline, i have very much taken the “best thesis is a done thesis” to heart
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
I think this is a simplified description with examples for the infographic. The worrying in GAD is typically “generalized” across multiple domains, but it can easier to see (and clinically interrogate) in some domains over others. cmhrc.org/wp-content/u...
cmhrc.org
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
…then whose scope is it? A lot of health policy research is cheap enough to do without big grants, but that’s because we have good publicly available data, like BRFSS, NSCH, YRBSS, etc. And those public data are also getting cut…
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Thank you, Aaron!!!
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
OK that's enough for now. I want to add that I am so grateful for the many people who have supported me, personally and professionally, during my very, very long schooling. It really takes a village. I wouldn't be here without y'all. Also, my dissertation work is under review, so more to come!
Some more Elle Woods for good measure.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
For that last one, catch me on this @who.int European Observatory webinar, giving practical tips to politically optimize linkages between health systems and public programs. @scottlgreer.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDVn...
youtube.com
Implementing Health in All Policies: Co-benefits across sectors
YouTube video by European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
How can the health system be a politically useful partner to government programs with low public trust? Linking health and social services may be one way to boost engagement with public institutions — if done well. @adrianna.bsky.social @armenon.bsky.social academic.oup.com/eurpub/artic...
Europeans' ratings of various public institutions, including the health system, using pooled data from the European Social Survey, 2004–2024. The health system is viewed more positively than most institutions.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
When people's health is threatened, how does it change what they want from public institutions? Using some very cool placebo tests, we suggest that exposure to COVID-19 boosted support for health reform, specifically Medicare for All. @armenon.bsky.social academic.oup.com/poq/article/...
Maps of support for Medicare for All by state in 2019 and 2020. Many (if not most) states experienced an increase in support between the years.Coefficient plots showing that more COVID-19 cases in a person's area were associated with greater support for Medicare for All in 2020 — but not in placebo tests using support measured before the pandemic. The reverse was true of support for President Trump in the 2020 election.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
How do health and experiences with health systems shape people's political attitudes and behaviors? Turns out, in many ways! We review the literature and discuss implications for clinicians and health systems. @scottlgreer.bsky.social @armenon.bsky.social www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
The role of health and health systems in shaping political engagement and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions
Around the world, institutional trust is declining while democratic discontent is rising. What role do health and health systems play in this crisis? We review decades of interdisciplinary research to...
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Alright, time for a life update: After 7 long years, I finished my MD/PhD!!! I defended my thesis (why yes, it was Legally Blonde themed) and matched to Beth Israel, one of the Harvard teaching hospitals, for emergency medicine residency! Here's a quick roundup of some recent projects:
My partner and me celebrating on Match Day.My dissertation committee and me celebrating my PhD defense.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
this is amazing!!! congratulations, Ben!
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Wow, that might be my first appearance on a syllabus. Extremely flattered, @mirandayaver.bsky.social. :)
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Uhh, so apropos of nothing, my research looks at how declines in health can drive people to the political extremes. Sometimes those extremes are on the far-right. In a forthcoming work, we find it can happen on the left. Here's a helpful review: eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications...
eurohealthobservatory.who.int
Health as a driver of political participation and preferences: Implications for policy makers and political actors
Policy Brief 61 by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Health is central to people’s lives yet an under-appreciated influence on politics. People in poor health often have negati...
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
i only have so many interesting thoughts!!
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Ah yes, in that case, fair call! In general, the election discourse could use some more rigor.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Reminds me of a few papers: www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=... academic.oup.com/ej/article-a...
aeaweb.org
What's in a Surname? The Effects of Surname Initials on Academic Success
(Winter 2006) - In this paper, we focus on the effects of surname initials on professional outcomes in the academic labor market for economists. We begin our analysis with data on faculty in all top 3...
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Heads up to faculty: Consider introducing your program's job market candidates in random order or, better, separate tweets. The drop off in views and engagement in long threads is dramatic, so early-alphabet names tend to get more attention!
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Unsure of the exact context here, but I always struggle to reconcile individual- and population-level explanations. Two individual-level explanations can explain variation without explaining population trends, e.g. apathy drives some people to vote less, anger drives more, but on average cancel.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Unfortunately, RFK Jr. is exactly the kind of politician who resonates with people with poor health and disabilities. This population tends to gravitate towards anti-establishment politicians who promise a "fix." And it's because of what Julia says. 👇 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Two bar graphs showing that as reported general health or disability worsens, support for right-wing populist parties increases substantially. From the article, "Does Health Vulnerability Predict Voting for Right-Wing Populist Parties in Europe?" by Kavanagh, Menon, and Heinze (2021).
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Reposted by Nolan M. Kavanagh
Scott L Greer @scottlgreer.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
This isn’t just a review of exciting research, done by two fantastic scholars. It’s also very, very important stuff that helps explain some of what’s been going wrong in politics - distrust, radicalization - and things health policymakers and clinicians can do to address it.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Lastly, some health politics folks who might be interested: @ddiamond.bsky.social @metrauxjulia.bsky.social @brittanytrang.bsky.social @lizszabo.bsky.social @lizhighleyman.bsky.social @reportergoodman.bsky.social @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social @owermohle.bsky.social @megtirrell.bsky.social.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
This review is a love letter to the health politics community, and I'm so grateful for their work: @adrianna.bsky.social @jacobwswallace.bsky.social @povertyscholar.bsky.social @askellyphd.bsky.social @dhopkins1776.bsky.social @oberlanderunc.bsky.social @aaronreeves.bsky.social and so, so many more.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Here's our WHO European Observatory webinar, where we preview the brief and answer questions about it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIME...
youtube.com
The co-benefits of health and health systems for democracy
YouTube video by European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Link to the brief: eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications... Co-authored with Anil Menon. Grateful for @scottlgreer.bsky.social and Flavia Topan.
eurohealthobservatory.who.int
Health as a driver of political participation and preferences: Implications for policy makers and political actors
Policy Brief 66 by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Health is central to people’s lives yet an under-appreciated influence on politics. People in poor health often have negati...
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
We talk about the limits of causal identification in the review, but health is clearly tied to people's politics. If we want functional, accessible democratic institutions, then we must have a population that is healthy enough to participate in them. 🧵 8/8
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Policy makers can engage patient advocacy groups and make it easier for people in poor health to vote. Also, they can support health-promoting policies with universal, easily identifiable benefits. This can create a virtuous cycle — rather than the vicious one we face. 🧵 7/8
Diagram showing that health, social structures, and politics exist in a self-reinforcing cycle. People's health shapes their politics, their political engagement leads to government policies, and those policies, in turn, shape people's socioeconomic conditions and health.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
What can we do about it? For one, clinicians and health systems can support affirming health care experiences, rebuild trust, and encourage their patients to civically engage. We especially love the example of Vot-ER. 🧵 6/8
Screenshot of Vot-ER's website, with a banner emphasizing the potential to strengthen democracy in clinics and hospitals.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
2. Partly due to stigmatizing and demeaning experiences, people in poor health trust the health system, public institutions, and democracy less. 3. As a result, people in poor health are more likely to gravitate toward anti-establishment populist parties. 🧵 5/8
Four bar graphs showing that European who report worse health have less trust in politicians, less trust in parliament, less satisfaction with democracy, and less satisfaction with the health system.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
1. People in poor health are much less likely to vote, but they engage in politics in other ways, like signing petitions and writing letters. Patient advocacy groups are especially helpful in politically engaging this population. We love the example of European Patients Forum. 🧵 4/8
Screenshot of the European Patients Forum website, with a banner highlighting "The Patient Organizations' Manifesto."
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
As a result, health may be a powerful influence on people's political preferences and behaviors. We reviewed over 170 articles on the topic, ranging from political science to economics to public health. We summarized the literature in a few key points. 🧵 3/8
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Trust in democratic institutions is low, and anti-democratic parties are flourishing. There are many determinants of people's politics, but an underappreciated one is health. After all, good health and ability allow us to work, socialize, and engage in civic activities. 🧵 2/8
Four maps of Europe showing widespread mistrust in political actors and dissatisfaction with democratic and health institutions.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
🚨 NEW REVIEW 🚨 Who participates in the democratic process? Who trusts public institutions? And who turns toward anti-democratic political movements? In a new review for WHO, we emphasize that people's health is central to these questions. 🧵 1/8
Cover page of WHO/European Observatory Policy Brief 67, "Health as a driver of political participation and preferences: Implications for policy-makers and political actors," by Nolan M. Kavanagh and Anil Menon.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
The RAND health insurance experiment randomized percentages of coinsurance, albeit binned.
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
but where will i get my fill of far-right bots??
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Nolan M. Kavanagh @nolankavanagh.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
so far, this place is much better than the dumpster fire. who’d’ve thought!
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