Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

Billions of people live with parasitic worm infections — yet most of us never hear about them. In this episode, Dr. Neima Briggs explains why neglected tropical diseases stay neglected, how worms outsmart the immune system, and why making vaccines against parasites is far harder than for viruses. From unexpected allergic reactions in vaccine trials to the promise (and limits) of mRNA technology, we explore the science, global inequities, and future of fighting infections that thrive in poverty but increasingly affect a warming, interconnected world.

How can we leverage the legal system and the medical system to best support the communities these systems should be serving? In this episode, our hosts Shivani and Shakeri interview the dearly admired Dr. Suzi Ruhl, a lawyer and epidemiologist who shares her expertise on equitably building individual and community resiliency by tackling highest priority conditions created by health, economic and environmental challenges. In this lively and enlightening conversation, Dr. Ruhl expresses the link between environmental justice and public health, the disproportionate impact of environmental, economic and health burdens faced by minority, low-income and tribal communities, and the legal, medical, and environmental dimensions to providing equitable healthcare. Links to Initiatives Mentioned in this Episode: An Environmental Justice Mapping Tool: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen The Elevate Lab: https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/services/community-and-schools-programs/elevate/ Yale’s Child Study Centre: https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/

YJBM Science News is back with Part 1 of our very first Special Episode! Join Hanna, Majo, and Roxanna as they sit down with Dr. Diyendo Massilani, a researcher and professor at Yale investigating evolutionary genetics. We’ll hear from Dr. Massilani about the challenges and ethical considerations of working with ancient DNA, as well as the incredible doors it has opened to what we can interrogate and what we know about extinct human populations. Keep an eye out in the new year for Part 2, which will dive into the groundbreaking work of Dr. Massilani’s former mentor and 2022 Nobel prize winner Dr. Svante Pääbo. Keep up with Dr. Massilani’s work: https://massilani-lab.com/ https://x.com/Diyendo Related links: https://news.yale.edu/2024/08/26/seeking-ethical-approach-ancient-dna-analysis Read more about YJBM at: https://medicine.yale.edu/yjbm/ Follow us on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/theyjbm/

In this episode, we’ll learn more about the work that the Anti-Eugenics Collective at Yale (AECY) dedicates itself to. Our host, Stella Park, sits down with Modupe Karimi and Hanifah Ouro-Sama, Yale College seniors and student members of AECY, to discuss their work in the collective, particularly on AECY’s undergraduate biology curriculum project and their recent anti-eugenics workshop in London with our partners at University College London. Read the “History of Medicine” issue: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/explore-yjbm-september-2025-issue-history-of-medicine/ Read more about YJBM at: https://medicine.yale.edu/yjbm/ Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/theyjbm/

In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Reem and Adriana, the deputy editors who led the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine’s special issue on Epigenetics. Our hosts Isha and Delyar discuss the editors’ experience in facing new frontiers in scientific publishing, including developing protocols to detect AI-generated content and ensuring manuscripts contribute meaningfully to the scientific consensus. Read the “Epigenetics” issue: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/explore-yjbms-june-2025-issue-on-epigenetics/ Read more about YJBM at: https://medicine.yale.edu/yjbm/ Follow us on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/theyjbm/