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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES

@rachelhoopsick.bsky.social
2.4K followers 680 following 208 posts

First Gen Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at University of Illinois | Studying drug use & mental health | UB alum🤘🏼🌹🌈🍉

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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs @jsadjournal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Social Media Portrayals of Nitrous Oxide Normalize Use and Encourage Youth Exposure (new in @jsadjournal.bsky.social 87/5) R. Andrew Yockey, Bria Singleton, Elise Devier... @yockeyandrew.bsky.social @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social @news.illinois.edu @olemiss.bsky.social www.jsad.com/doi/full/10....
jsad.com
Social Media Portrayals of Nitrous Oxide Normalize Use and Encourage Youth Exposure: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 87, No 5
Objective: Recreational nitrous oxide use is an emerging public health concern in the United States, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Given its status as a legal marketable product and...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Life is so short and so precious.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Sophia Stuart is also working with Professor Hoopsick and a mentor from CUPHD on a study examining nitrous oxide misuse among young adults.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Emily Depke and Gurneer Sidhu are working with Professor Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) on a study examining how to best support healthcare worker well-being.
Emily DepkeGurneer Sidhu
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
🎉🎊Join us in celebrating our inaugural cohort of Illinois-Substance Use and Mental Health Mentored Experience and Research (I-SUMMER) scholars🎉🎊 IHSI's new summer research experience focuses on substance use and mental health comorbidities. Learn more: healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
If you’re a healthcare provider or community health worker and you’ve worked with women who use drugs, consider participating in my PhD student’s dissertation research to understand more about the barriers and opportunities for working together: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Collaboration Between
Healthcare Providers and
Community Health Workers to Address Methamphetamine or Other Substance Use in Womer
SCAN THE ELIGIBILITY
FORM BELOW
Eligibilty Criterias:
• At least 18 years old
• Fluent in English
• 1+ year of experience as a Healthcare Provider (HCP) or
Community Health Worker (CHW)
• Experience working directly with women of reproductive age who use methamphetamine or other substances (currently or in the past)
HCPs include doctors (family medicine, addiction medicine, OBs/GYNs), nurses (LNPs, RNs), psychiatrists
MORE INFORMATION
Email: thsauda2@illinois.edu
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs @jsadjournal.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Social Media Portrayals of Nitrous Oxide Normalize Use and Encourage Youth Exposure (just accepted in @jsadjournal.bsky.social) by R. Andrew Yockey, Bria Singleton, et al. @yockeyandrew.bsky.social @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social @news.illinois.edu @olemiss.bsky.social www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
jsad.com
Social Media Portrayals of Nitrous Oxide Normalize Use and Encourage Youth Exposure: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 0, No ja
Background: Recreational nitrous oxide use is an emerging public health concern in the U.S., particularly among adolescents and young adults. Given its status as legal marketable product and varying l...
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
I never thought Leana Wen would spend an entire interview talking about my research, but here we are: www.cnn.com/2026/05/15/h...
cnn.com
The dangerous teen drug trend that parents may not recognize | CNN
CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen explains why some teenagers are turning to inhalant use and why this trend can be dangerous.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
HealthDay @healthday.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Two new studies find widespread social media exposure to inhalants is impacting young teens, especially girls. youtu.be/sOW_d-jreJM #InhalantAbuse #NitrousOxide #LaughingGas #TeenDrugUse #SubstanceAbuse #Huffing
youtu.be
Social Media Videos, Easy Access Raise Risk of Teen Inhalant Use
YouTube video by HealthDay
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
D. Yates @yatester.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Social media promotes use of, access to nitrous oxide inhalants. Adolescents are at risk. New research from @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social reported in @healthday.bsky.social and @usnews.com
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
D. Yates @yatester.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
"Reducing restrictions [on marijuana, psychedelics] is not enough... If you pull back prohibition without building strong consumer protections and a real public health framework, you simply trade one set of harms for another," says Rachel Hoopsick. go.illinois.edu/hoopsickEV @news.illinois.edu
Portrait of the researcher in a classroom.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Sharing Principles of Epidemiology: A Primer, an open-access textbook I had the opportunity to co-author with an amazing group of colleagues. We developed this book to make introductory epidemiologic information more accessible, understandable, and useful for (undergrad) students and professionals.
doi.org
Principles of Epidemiology: A Primer | Windsor & Downs Press
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The definition of “veteran” quietly determines who gets care and who doesn’t. With the release of the VA’s latest suicide prevention report, I’m sharing a new op-ed in Stars and Stripes, co-authored with Jeni Hunniecutt as a part of The OpEd Project:
stripes.com
The VA’s definition of ‘veteran’ Is out of step with modern military service
Never deploying, or never serving on federal active duty, does not mean never being affected by military service.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The real work of equity is not expanding opportunity within unchanged systems but interrogating the systems themselves — especially when those systems quietly reward conformity.
commondreams.org
The Other Side of Opportunity: What Immigrants Contribute to US Institutions | Common Dreams
​We often talk about immigrants as beneficiaries of American opportunity. But in higher education, healthcare, research and beyond, immigrants are also architects of institutional improvement.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
A great summary of our recent work with reservists on PTSD and alcohol: www.psypost.org/hyperarousal...
psypost.org
Hyperarousal symptoms drive alcohol problems in male soldiers, new research suggest
A new longitudinal analysis suggests that specific PTSD symptoms, particularly hyperarousal, drive hazardous drinking in military reservists. The findings indicate that male soldiers are uniquely at r...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
This is shameful. The man spent years working to undermine faith in public health, amplified by right-wing think tanks backed by big money to oppose anything big business doesn’t like. His contribution to our discourse was a declaration that we should let people get mass infected for herd immunity.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
The nursing home industry donated $4.8m to MAGA, Inc. Soon after, HHS withdrew a proposal to set standards on nurse-to-patient ratios. By the data, abandoning standards means more nurses and more nursing home residents will suffer. And god forbid another pandemic... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
nytimes.com
After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Our latest paper, published in @acerjournal.bsky.social, suggests that specific PTSD symptom clusters, rather than overall PTSD severity, may influence hazardous drinking among military reservists, with greater risk observed among male soldiers experiencing hyperarousal features of PTSD.
dx.doi.org
Longitudinal associations between PTSD symptom clusters and domains of hazardous drinking among a cohort of United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers
Among Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers, PTSD symptom clusters, particularly hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative cognitions and mood, were linked to hazardous drinking over time. Findings re...
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Sharing this piece I wrote on “Dry January” and stigma published in @medpagetoday.com as a part of my fellowship with The OpEd Project: www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
medpagetoday.com
Opinion | 'Dry January' Offers a Shot of Stigma
It's meant to celebrate abstinence, but it also adds to substance use judgement
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Our latest study shows that methamphetamine-related mortality has intensified nationally, with pronounced geographic variation in timing and magnitude. Recent indications of stabilization in some divisions have occurred at historically high levels. journals.lww.com/journaladdic...
In 2023, the highest mortality rates were observed in the Pacific, East South Central, and Mountain divisions.From 2005 to 2023, methamphetamine-related deaths increased across all divisions, with the highest cumulative deaths in the Pacific, South Atlantic, and Mountain divisions. Mortality rates were lowest in New England and Middle Atlantic but grew rapidly in recent years. Several divisions demonstrated sharp increases during the 2010s (eg, East North Central and East South Central), followed by stabilization in some regions after 2021.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
And as with all wars, the war on drugs sustains itself through its failures. Every overdose, every new cartel, every surge in trafficking is treated not as evidence of policy collapse but as justification for more of the same. thehill.com/opinion/crim...
The Hill

The war on drugs was always a war on people — that’s why it doesn’t work
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
‘Tis the season to resurrect the epicookies from #EpiTwitter circa 2021
Assorted triangular sugar cookies on a blue plate representing confounding, mediation, moderation, and the epi triad
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Andrew Yockey, PhD @yockeyandrew.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
One of my team’s newest articles highlighting suicidal behaviors among LGB+ youth. Check it out! Collaborating with the excellent @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social is always a plus! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Bob Shull @bobhasathought.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
This is not good news if you believe we need a steady supply of public health experts in occupational health and safety. aspph.org/department-o...
aspph.org
Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition
Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
The real threat to the "dignity of work" isn’t entitlement benefits like Medicaid — it’s the policy failings that continue to leave jobs unsafe, wages flat, and healthcare out of reach. theopinionpages.com/2025/11/real...
theopinionpages.com
Real Threat to Dignity of Work?  Not Medicaid, It’s Policy | The Opinion Pages
As the federal government is poised to end the longest shutdown in history, it is noteworthy that Rep. Erin Houcin (R-Ind.) recently claimed that reinstating Medicaid work requirements would restore t...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Miquel Porta @miquelporta.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
The new, 7th edition of 'A Dictionary of Epidemiology' will be published in April 2026. As previous editions, it is sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and published in New York by Oxford University Press. The book will be published online on www.oxfordreference.com.
oxfordreference.com
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
The deepest wounds don’t always come from combat. Sharing this piece I wrote in @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social on the National Guard as a fellow of The OpEd Project and the @uofilsystem.bsky.social: thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
thefulcrum.us
Guarding What? The Moral Cost of Militarizing Our Cities
A federal judge recently blocked plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. But the battle over militarizing American streets is far from over. On Monday, a federal appeals court lifted a temporar...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Oni Blackstock, MD MHS @oniblackstock.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
No surprises here - removed or altered data sets include health data, and other data related to climate change, air pollution, etc., which enable threats to health and wellbeing and health inequities to be tracked and intervened upon.
talkingpointsmemo.com
A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed
The scale and scope of federal data and statistics that have been...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Christen Rexing, PhD, MPH @christenrexing.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
The CDC was destroyed last night. Our federal public health infrastructure will no longer exist. It has major & long-lasting repercussions that will impact the health of everyday people in the U.S. &beyond💔 Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers during government shutdown - CNN
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
I'd love to hear from anyone who has been at agencies protecting public health this year (eg CDC, HHS, HRSA, HUD, NIH, OSHA). Privacy respected. Signal is AmyMaxmen.25 🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
No pizza party or company swag is going to fix the reality of what it’s like to be a healthcare worker in the US. Our pilot data suggest that moral injury is prevalent among HCWs and may affect suicidal thoughts and behaviors doi.org/10.1080/1555...
ABSTRACT
Research suggests that moral injury (i.e., perpetrating, witness-ing, or failing to prevent acts that transgress one's moral beliefs, values, or ethics) is associated with a range of adverse psychological sequelae among military-connected populations, including suicidality. However, little is known about how moral injury is associated with suicidality among healthcare workers or if these associations differ by gender. We collected self-reported data from a sample of United States healthcare workers (N= 200), including a modified Moral Injury Events Scale and items related to suicidality (i.e., past-year suicide thoughts, suicide plans, suicide attempts). We examined the cross-sectional relationships between moral injury and these measures of suicidality using separate logistic regression models and examined for differences by gender. Greater moral injury was significantly associated with higher odds of past-
year suicidal thoughts (aOR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.09) and
associated with suicide planning (aOR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.12) and suicide attempt at a trend-level (aOR = 1.07, 95%
Cl: 0.99, 1.16). There were no statistically significant differences in these associations by gender. Results suggest that suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts of healthcare workers may be driven, in part, by morally injurious events experienced in the workplace.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
I wrote for @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social about the need for public health. The dismantling of public health that is unravelling in real time may feel like political theater, but the stakes are measured in lives. thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
thefulcrum.us
Take the Shot: The Country’s Future Hangs on Public Health Support
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met this week at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It linked 25 unverified reports of child deaths to COVID-19 vaccines as they consider further limiting access to this and other immunizations, like those for hepatitis B and...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Anne Sosin @annesosin.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
A kind reminder that a "politics of you deserved this" (cancer, vaccine-preventable disease, natural disaster, etc) has no place in public health. We can hold bad actors to account without punching down on the groups most harmed by their actions and/or resorting to shame, blame, and stigma.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Atul Gawande @agawande.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American." It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Dave Larsen @dalarsen.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Across New York State local health departments are using wastewater to track infectious disease trends. Wastewater data complements case and hospitalization data. Our group's write-up on how local health departments use wastewater data here. link.springer.com/article/10.1... #EpiSky 🧪
link.springer.com
How local health departments use wastewater surveillance data for public health planning and intervention in New York State - BMC Public Health
Wastewater surveillance presents a novel data stream for local health departments to understand infectious disease risk in their communities. We conducted a survey of local health departments in New Y...
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Lorenzo Lorenzo-Luaces, PhD @lluaces.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
rwjf.org
Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research
The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
i don’t write opinion pieces, but i felt compelled to write this one with @colincarlson.bsky.social after my friends and former colleagues at CDC had 500 bullets fired at them.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Census API Tracker @censusapitracker.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Hello, Bluesky! This account automatically posts updates when the Census Bureau APIs add or remove datasets. See the full tracker at www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...
hrecht.com
Tracking Census Dataset Changes
See when the U.S. Census Bureau adds or removes datasets.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Jerome Adams was President Trump's Surgeon General. He is calling out the current administration for its dehumanizing language and tying it to the shootings at CDC last week. This isn't a partisan issue. Violence against public health workers is wrong full-stop. www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/c...
statnews.com
Former surgeon general: The CDC shooting must be a wakeup call
“When influential figures amplify falsehoods, they legitimize the anger that leads to violence,” writes former Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
ACLU @aclu.org · 11/08/2025
Homelessness is a policy failure, not a personal one.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
“People in public health care too much about our country to stop. Because we care about our kids’ futures. Because we believe in a better life. Better community. Better health. We will serve our neighbors even if they don’t understand what we’re doing or why it matters.“ - @kkjetelina.bsky.social
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
The MS thesis of PhD student Sylvia Okon is now a peer-reviewed journal article! We found that compassion fatigue was associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors among healthcare workers, underscoring the need for systems-level support and targeted interventions to protect worker well‑being.
Associations between compassion fatigue and suicidality among healthcare workers in the United States (abstract)
Background: The psychological well-being of healthcare workers affects not only their own health but also patient 
care quality, making it critical to examine the mental health needs of the healthcare workforce. While 
compassion fatigue (i.e., depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and career dissatisfaction) and suicidality 
have been studied separately among healthcare workers, their relationship with each other remains understudied. This study investigates the associations between compassion fatigue and past-year suicidal thoughts, 
suicide planning, and suicide attempts among a diverse sample of healthcare workers.
Methods: We collected cross-sectional data from a sample of U.S. healthcare workers (N = 200). Logistic 
regression models examined relationships between compassion fatigue and past-year suicidal thoughts, planning, 
and attempts, separately. Final models controlled for gender and occupational setting (hospital vs. other).
Results: Suicidality was prevalent: 14 % of participants reported past-year suicidal thoughts, 6.0 % reported 
suicide planning, and 3.5 % reported a suicide attempt. Greater compassion fatigue was significantly associated 
with increased odds of past-year suicidal thoughts (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.16), suicide planning (OR = 1.10, 
95 % CI: 1.02, 1.19), and suicide attempts (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.01, 1.21). After controlling for gender and 
occupational setting, these associations remained significant for suicidal thoughts (aOR = 1.09, 95 % CI: 1.04, 
1.16), suicide planning (aOR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.19), and suicide attempts (aOR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.01, 
1.21).
Conclusions: Findings suggest that higher compassion fatigue is linked to increased suicidality among healthcare 
workers, highlighting the need to address compassion fatigue as a potential risk factor
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Whitney Zahnd @whitneyzahnd.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
We at the University of Iowa College of Public Health are hiring for a tenure-track, open rank faculty position with a focus on cancer prevention and control. jobs.uiowa.edu/faculty/view...
jobs.uiowa.edu
Faculty Requisition Details - Jobs@UIOWA: Search and Apply for Jobs at The University of Iowa
Jobs@UIOWA: The official place to search and apply for jobs at The University of Iowa.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
JAMA Network Open @jamanetworkopen.com · 30/07/2025
From 2010 to 2023, nitrous oxide (“whippets”) poisoning deaths in the US rose from 23 to 156 annually, with significant increases until 2018 and a plateau from 2019 to 2023. ja.ma/40KDYql
Figure
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
College of AHS at Illinois @ahsillinois.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
New research co-authored by a Health and Kinesiology professor reveals an alarming rise in U.S. fatalities from misuse of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. Read about this emerging public health issue: go.illinois.edu/nitrousoxidestudy @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social @yockeyandrew.bsky.social
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Our latest paper, led by @yockeyandrew.bsky.social, examines CDC mortality data and shows that nitrous oxide poisoning deaths, though relatively few, have risen dramatically in the US in recent years. We are at the bottom of a hill with a steep ascent, and now is the time to act.
jamanetwork.com
US Nitrous Oxide Mortality
This cohort study describes national trends in nitrous oxide poisoning mortality in the US from 2010 to 2023.
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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Our latest paper presents the findings from a pilot study to understand why PWID access contactless harm reduction services. People who used a vending machine did not differ in their ability to engage in harm-reducing behaviors compared to those who used in-person services. doi.org/10.1186/s129...
Harm reduction self-efficacy and motivations for contactless supply access among a sample of syringe services program participants

Background Contactless harm reduction supply methods (e.g., vending machines, mail order, mobile delivery) have
become prevalent in the United States. However, this approach has faced some criticisms, including the notion that,
unlike staffed syringe services programs, contactless methods do not provide face-to-face support, education, or
referrals to treatment, potentially limiting their overall impact.
Methods We collected self-reported data from a sample of people who inject drugs who accessed a syringe services
program (N=50), including their demographics, harm reduction self-efficacy (i.e., confidence to employ specific
health-preserving coping skills in high-risk drug using situations), and motivations for contactless harm reduction
supply access via vending machine. We explored differences in the participants' demographics and harm reduction
self-efficacy by usual method of harm reduction supply access (in-person vs. vending machine).
Results Participants accessed the harm reduction supply vending machine primarily out of convenience (66%) and
limited syringe services program hours (56%). Fear of being seen by someone they knew (28%), law enforcement
(34%), and social services (22%) were also motivators. Overall, harm reduction self-efficacy was highest for safer injection practices but lowest for reducing drug use. We did not find any significant differences in participants'
demographics or harm reduction self-efficacy by access method.
Conclusions People who access harm reduction supplies in person and through contactless methods may not meaningfully differ in terms of their demographics and harm reduction self-efficacy, and contactless harm reduction supply methods are more convenient than in-person services. Findings support continued reductions to barriers of harm reduction services.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Jessie Seiler @jessieish.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Hello @societyforepi.bsky.social SER members! Is epidemiology inherently political? We are looking for epidemiologists in the US to take a brief survey about how we use the concept of solidarity in our work. Please take a few minutes to help us with this research. Thanks! bit.ly/4nkxFmU
bit.ly
Solidarity Sentiment among Epidemiologists
A survey exploring the concept of solidarity among epidemiologists.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
I confessed to my friend, who works as a psychiatrist, that at the moment I’m feeling rather depressed and anxious, and in response my friend, who works as a psychiatrist, replied: that depression and anxiety are perfectly healthy ways to react to this moment.
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Reposted by Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Kerry Keyes @epikerrykeyes.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
"It should go without saying that scientific inquiry cannot flourish in a society dominated by fear, censorship and hate." @danielmalinsky.bsky.social says all the things that should go without saying this week in the Guardian
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