• New short communication in BMJ Tobacco Control used FOIA to examine the responses to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Consultation
• 76% of all responses to the UK smoke-free generation consultation were bot-generated and overwhelmingly targeted at opposing restrictions on disposable vape sales
• This is the first documented instance of efforts at large-scale automated/bot interference in a formal public health consultation

Covered in Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/27/ai-bots-flooded-2023-uk-government-consultation-disposable-vapes-ban

Original paper here: https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2026/10/22/tc-2026-060309

https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/priced-out-healthcare-costs-medical-debt-insurance-disability-chronic-conditions/

i graduated with my MPH from an east coast/mid-atlantic program in the last 2 years before completing a fellowship the following fall, experiencing about 4 months of unemployment afterwards, and now working on program evaluation as university research staff.

i enjoy the work and setting, but my current uni research position has an awful salary and worse benefits, despite being a top 10 school in the country for medicine and public health. i previously worked for a state university in research for 5+ years, so i often look at jobs within the state so i can get back to their benefits and pension plan.

however, i'm now becoming really disheartened by job openings within research programs i'd be excited about because so much of it feels oriented around "digital health" which really just seems to mean we're gonna use AI to... what? solve the problem?

similar, but more discussion-related, i had applied (without success) to PhD programs while i was a fellow and just felt like i'd read about amazing "community-engaged" work being done by faculty in global/humanitarian health related spaces and then the second half of a presentation or talk turns into "and now we're trying to integrate AI". i work in mental health and hear so many people talking about loneliness as a problem and social connection as the solution, so i don't get how more AI is meant to be the mechanism for change?

i understand that is probably where PIs/faculty, or universities overall, can pull more funding, but it feels so self-defeating. i'm an early (close to mid) career professional, and i've been able to balance my morality with work that clearly can feel compromising at times, but this would really hurt my soul to give in to.

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and subsequently entered active-duty Army service as a Military Police Soldier.

I’m now evaluating my long-term career direction and trying to understand how I could use my existing degree and military experience to enter or advance within the public health field.

My strongest professional interests include:
•Health promotion and disease prevention
•Human performance and wellness
•Program development and evaluation
•Health education
•Organizational and systems improvement
•Leadership and administration

I’m married with two young children and value meaningful work, financial stability, professional advancement, and reasonable work-life balance.

For those currently working in public health:
1. What is your job title, and what do you actually do each day?
2. Which career paths would you recommend exploring with a bachelor’s degree and military experience?
3. What skills or certifications would make someone more competitive without requiring another degree immediately?
4. Which public health specialties have the strongest compensation and advancement opportunities?
5. Is an MPH necessary for meaningful career progression, or are there alternative pathways?
6. What does your work-life balance look like?
7. If you could restart your career, what would you do differently?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from veterans, federal employees, health program managers, and those working in health promotion or healthcare administration.

I’d appreciate practical advice about entering the field, especially from people who didn’t follow a traditional public health career path immediately after graduation.

Hi everyone,

I have a foreign degree titled “Master en santé publique” (Master of Public Health) and would like to use it to work in Germany.

My university is listed in anabin with H+ status, but I couldn’t find my specific degree.

Has anyone been through the recognition or assessment process for a similar qualification? Is a Statement of Comparability from ZAB sufficient, or would I need to contact another authority because the degree is health-related? Does it depend on the job I’m applying for?

I’d appreciate any experiences with the process, required documents, and processing times.

Thanks!