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Robert Marten

@robertmarten.bsky.social
638 followers 228 following 113 posts

Work @alliancehpsr.bsky.social @WHO.int on #HealthSystems, #NCDs, #HealthTaxes, #ClimateCrisis. @LSHTM PhD. Former @RockefellerFdn @WHOSierraLeone @WHO India.

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Reposted by Robert Marten
WHO FCTC @whofctc.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
At the #UNITEGlobalSummit in the Philippines, the WHO FCTC Secretariat engaged with parliamentarians & health leaders to highlight how tobacco taxation and sustainable financing can advance tobacco control and the SDGs. 🌍💰 #FCTCSavesLives 🔗 fctc.who.int/newsroom/new...
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"The wider global health lesson is simple: evidence makes policy defensible, but power determines when it becomes possible."
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Great post on #sugartax in #Germany #healthaxes habibbenzian.substack.com/p/what-took-...
habibbenzian.substack.com
What Took Germany So Long?
How Germany turned voluntary action into a decade of delay on sugar regulation
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Starting soon
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Most governments are not using #alcohol taxes effectively to reduce consumption or raise revenues---find out more in the the upcoming release of the inaugural Economics for Health Alcohol Tax Scorecard on 3 September. Register here: vitalstrategies.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
vitalstrategies.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How Well is the World Taxing Alcohol? Country Findings from the Inaugural Alcohol Tax Scorecard. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email ab...
Health taxes are powerful policies to reduce the consumption of harmful products such as alcohol. Well-designed alcohol taxes that are set high enough to raise retail prices substantially can help gov...
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Dolly Parton’s America was one of the best podcasts I listened to in recent years. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dol...
wnycstudios.org
Dolly Parton's America : Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts
The story of a legend at the crossroads of America’s culture wars.
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
New UN plastic treaty is going backwards, experts say
NGOs say agreement held back by tenuous human health commitments and lobbying from plastic industry
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Glad to see this new piece from @AllianceHPSR grantees--->The political economy of novel food taxes and subsidies in #India: insights from stakeholder interviews and a scoping review and congrats to Amit Summan, Divija Samria , Seshadri Dutta, Ramanan Laxminarayan academic.oup.com/heapol/advan...
academic.oup.com
The political economy of novel food taxes and subsidies in India: insights from stakeholder interviews and a scoping review
Abstract. Fiscal policy tools are cost-effective for curbing unhealthy consumption, but unlike the extensively studied cases of tobacco and alcohol, the po
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Proud to have contributed to this new publication-->"From knowledge accumulation to transformative action: research to catalyze progress on social determinants of health equity" with @gavinyamey.bsky.social @monikakosinska.bsky.social and others link.springer.com/epdf/10.1186...
link.springer.com
From knowledge accumulation to transformative action: research to catalyze progress on social determinants of health equity
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Wish this new @bmj.com article on artificial intelligence as a new commercial determinant of health was open access www.bmj.com/content/394/...
bmj.com
Artificial intelligence as a new commercial determinant of health
Itai Bavli and colleagues argue that the growing use of AI by commercial industries is creating new opportunities to influence health, and an AI commercial determinants of health framework may help to...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Love this story! Bogotá, Colombia, aims to achieve gender parity in cycling by 2039, as women currently account for only 28% of daily bicycle trips. The city is addressing barriers such as safety concerns and lack of cycling skills by building more protected bike lanes and offering cycling lessons.
theguardian.com
‘They were told bikes were for men’: how Latin America’s city of cycling is breaking gender barriers
With less than a third of cycling journeys taken by women, Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, is installing bike lanes, teaching cycling and making sure ‘stereotypes are left behind’
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Merchants of doubt and death continue to profiteer www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...
theguardian.com
Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis
Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"It travels in order to see. But there is a problem. We travel, but we rarely unpack the assumptions we carry with us." from Habib Benzian on Dépaysement, mobility, and the practice of #globalhealth habibbenzian.substack.com/p/we-travel-...
habibbenzian.substack.com
We travel. But do we unpack?
Dépaysement, mobility, and the practice of global health
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Sarah Dalglish @sarahdlish.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Essential, and damning, read. The authors’ experience in francophone west Africa serves them well, as this has been a playground for harmful neoliberal health financing “ideas.” gh.bmj.com/content/11/7...
gh.bmj.com
Making experts accountable in global health
International donors are transnational actors that pursue various strategies to influence policy decisions in Global South countries. In addition to conditionality, which typically involves imposing p...
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Recommended reading-->Application of #tobacco control experience to #alcohol consumption measures in the @WHO Bulletin iris.who.int/items/cd4cc6...
iris.who.int
Application of tobacco control experience to alcohol consumption measures
This policy and practice article examines the growing alcohol-related public health burden in low- and middle-income countries and analyses how lessons from tobacco control can inform the development ...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
More people died from heat between April 1, 2026 thru July 19, 2026 than in the ten entire preceding years combined
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Daniel D. Reidpath @dreidpath.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
"We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Scorching US heatwave to hit 70 million people with third ‘heat dome’ in month
Temperatures of 95-105F (35-40C) are expected, spanning Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 22/07/2026
#OnThisDay 80 years ago – 22 July 1946 – nations emerging from the devastation of the World War II chose cooperation over division. They signed the @who.int Constitution, founded on a bold idea: that health is key to peace & security, & that health is a human right: www.linkedin.com/pulse/80-yea...
linkedin.com
80 years strong: the WHO Constitution
On this day 80 years ago – 22 July 1946 – nations emerging from the devastation of the Second World War chose cooperation over division. They signed the Constitution of the WHO, founded on a bold and ...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Emily Atkin @emorwee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This. This is the correct, science-backed, responsible framing. Wish more news outlets did it like the CBC.
cbc.ca
'Just stop burning fossil fuels.' Scientists stress that our smoky skies only have one true fix | CBC News
Smoky skies in Toronto have led to new scrutiny of government efforts to fight fires and manage forests. But scientists say the realistic way to tackle the smoke is fighting climate change itself.
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Reposted by Robert Marten
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Do we hold the cartels that produce fentanyl and those who supply it responsible for harm, or do we blame the users? Now replace “fentanyl” with “oil and gas”.
euobserver.com
As Europe swelters, Paris judges say consumers aren’t to blame — TotalEnergies is
A Paris judicial tribunal has just ruled on a case brought against TotalEnergies by environmental groups and the City of Paris. The judgment does not halt the company's fossil-fuel expansion. But it d...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
This heat wave brought to you by ExxonMobil and Chevron.
nytimes.com
Without Climate Change, U.S. Heat Wave Called ‘Virtually Impossible’
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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Opportunity at Uni of Oxford: Professorship of Global Primary Health Care. Working in our vibrant department with many international links. Clean slate to develop your own programme of research. Global South applicants especially welcome. #academicsky #healthpolicy www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRW338/d...
jobs.ac.uk
Dr Sadok Besrour Professor of Global Primary Health Care at University of Oxford
Apply for the Dr Sadok Besrour Professor of Global Primary Health Care role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Tolib Mirzoev @tolibmirzoev.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Interested in the #HPSR? Check out our reflections on its thematic, methodological and value trends from @hsglobal.bsky.social and @alliancehpsr.bsky.social. @lucygilson.bsky.social @dinabalabanova.bsky.social @robertmarten.bsky.social @hsr-lshtm.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Health Policy and Systems Research: Where Are We and What Does the Future Hold?
Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is a relatively young and multidisciplinary field of applied and policy-relevant science. It bridges the worlds of research, practice, and advocacy, and is...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
When it comes to climate change, these are the folks who should guide us Not con men & Big Oil and Gas lobby
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Sarah Dalglish @sarahdlish.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
This, here, is one of the most devastating statistics in global child health:
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Every child deserves to be protected by a wall of immunity
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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 09/05/2026
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Karolinska @ki.se has now launched the first version of its own journal list, KI-JL, in which scientific journals are level-graded based on peer review. the list is intended to support researchers in decisions about publishing and journal quality news.ki.se/ki-launches-...
news.ki.se
KI launches its own journal list
Karolinska Institutet has now launched the first version of its own journal list, KI-JL, in which scientific journals are level-graded based on peer review. The list is intended to support researchers...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 05/05/2026
While the world’s eyes are on fashion’s biggest night, we’re turning ours to the garment, retail, and warehouse workers who keep the industry running. From true love found on the picket line to a free tailoring school out of a Brooklyn basement — meet the New Yorkers who make it all possible.
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/c...
nytimes.com
In Permissive Amsterdam, Ads for Fossil Fuels or Meat Are Now Verboden
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Health Policy Watch - Global health news reporting @healthpolicywatch.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
healthpolicy-watch.news
UN Deadlock And Iran Oil Shocks Push 54 Nations To Chart Fossil Fuel Phase Out - Health Policy Watch
More than 50 countries are gathering this week on Colombia's Caribbean coast to launch a coalition for phasing out fossil fuels, as a fourth month of war in
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Pollution levels in Paris after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Resist www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/t...
nytimes.com
5 Resistance Museums Recall the Bravery of ‘Ordinary People’
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
France 🇫🇷 doubles electrification support to €10bn/year through 2030 — EVs, heat pumps, industry. The reason? The Strait of Hormuz crisis making fossil fuel dependence impossible to ignore. Geopolitical shocks don’t just raise prices. They change what’s politically possible.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Catherine Kyobutungi @ckyobutungi.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
2026 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 📢📢📢 54 Paid Internships ✅Deadline: 13th April 2026 ✅Two step application process ✅️Hybrid format ✅️No DM please 🙏🙏 aphrc.org/career/2026-... More details on the @aphrc.bsky.social Careers page #IkoKaziKE
aphrc.org
2026 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES - APHRC
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan […]
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
How Paris swapped cars for bikes – and transformed its streets
Under Anne Hidalgo – mayor for 12 years until last week – the French capital added bike lanes, cut traffic and reclaimed public space, but not without resistance
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Naomi Oreskes @naomioreskes.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Another example of refusing to collect data whose results you don’t like: Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/c...
nytimes.com
Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Wow! www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Mapping pesticide mixtures to cancer risk at the country scale with spatial exposomics - Nature Health
Using an integrative spatial Bayesian framework that merges high-resolution environmental pesticide risk modelling with comprehensive cancer registry data, this analysis reveals spatial patterns of pe...
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Reposted by Robert Marten
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
The White House will ask Congress for $1.5 trillion for defense in 2027, its highest level in modern history The (h)arms industry is a critical obstacle to world peace and global health
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Germany is considering common sense health taxes www.euractiv.com/news/berlin-...
euractiv.com
Berlin weighs ‘sin taxes’ to stabilise strained health insurance system | Euractiv
Plans include new taxes and scrapping free spousal coverage to plug funding gap
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Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research @alliancehpsr.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
A new qualitative study supported by the Alliance documents how communities are adapting to climate change impacts in #Uganda. 🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
doi.org
Community experiences of the impacts of climate-induced extreme weather events in Uganda: A qualitative study
Climate change is impacting health, social systems and livelihoods of populations across the world with sub-Saharan Africa being particularly hard-hit. Lived experiences of the impacts of climate chan...
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
"It is time to respond with resolve by restoring the capacity of a reformed United Nations to act, so that it no longer remains a mere spectator to events that affect us all." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The security council has allowed unchecked power and brutality. To protect peace, we must reform the UN | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
A world without rules is an insecure world. It’s time for multilateralism that truly reflects the global order, says the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
why good research fails: sciencepolitics.org/2026/03/17/w...
sciencepolitics.org
Why Good Research Fails - Science Politics
Most research fails not because the science is poor, but because the systems surrounding it are misaligned with how scientific evidence is produced, used, and sustained.
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Megan Kate Nelson 📚 @mkn.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
A white poster board sign sporting a checklist - NO KINGS but green checks for books, art, empathy, love, and tacos
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Or…ride a bicycle.
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
From crisis response to country control: Restoring agency and sustainability in global health journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...
journals.plos.org
From crisis response to country control: Restoring agency and sustainability in global health
Global health architecture as we know it is at a structural inflection point. In this Perspective, Ebere Okereke discusses priorities for sustainable progress, including restoring country agency, stre...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The real insanity isn’t how much oil prices have spiked, it’s that we’re still burning oil for energy.
Price of Crude Oil WTI (USD/Bbl) over a five-year period, spanning from 2021 to early 2026. The chart shows a significant price peak in 2022 reaching over $120, followed by a general downward trend with various fluctuations, eventually hitting a low near $55 in late 2025 before a sharp vertical spike to the current price of 90.900. This recent surge represents an increase of +23.880 (+35.63%), highlighted in green text above the blue line graph.
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WHO FCTC @whofctc.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
📢@alliancehpsr.bsky.social opened a🆕Call for Proposals: “Realizing health taxes:co-producing knowledge & strategies to implement health taxes” 🗓Deadline26/03/26 23:59CET Eligible countries:Cambodia,China,Kenya,Indonesia,Nigeria, South Africa,Sri Lanka,Thailand&Viet Nam ahpsr.who.int/funding-oppo...
ahpsr.who.int
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The @alliancehpsr.bsky.social has a new call for proposals on #healthtaxes in #Cambodia, #China, #Kenya, #Indonesia, #Nigeria, #SouthAfrica, #SriLanka, #Thailand, and #VietNam deadline 26 March ahpsr.who.int/funding-oppo...
ahpsr.who.int
Funding opportunities
The Alliance HPSR issues calls for research proposals and bids on a regular basis targeted towards institutions from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Previous calls can be accessed in the Arc...
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Robert Marten @robertmarten.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/b...
nytimes.com
Life in Plastic: It’s Not Fantastic
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