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Rutgers Office for Research promotes excellence in research and provides oversight for the education of next-generation researchers. #RutgersResearch

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A Rutgers-led study examined two years of participation data from ArtsRx, one of the nation’s largest arts prescription programs.

🔍 Researchers found that better tracking tools may help organizations understand who participates, where people lose interest, and what keeps them engaged.

💬 “Our findings show that technology can play a critical role in helping programs evaluate their impact, strengthen participation and support the integration of arts and culture into broader health and well-being efforts,” said Kristen D. Krause, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead author of the study. Krause is also deputy director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies.

Swipe to learn more. ➡️

ArtsRx, led by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), connects participants with free arts and cultural experiences throughout Newark and the surrounding area. The researchers examined records for 498 people referred to the program between 2023 and 2025 through a customer relationship management technology platform.

📊 KEY FINDINGS
→ People who completed the ArtsRx program attended 78.2% of the activities they registered for. Many participants who left never attended an event at all.

→ Participants referred through community organizations and educational institutions tended to stay engaged at higher rates than those referred through conventional health care channels.

→ Researchers found few differences in engagement across race, ethnicity, or gender.

💡 WHY IT MATTERS
While these programs are becoming more common in the United States, researchers still know little about how people use them. The findings demonstrate that customer relationship management technology can provide real-time insights into how participants engage with arts prescription programs, helping organizations identify opportunities to improve retention and expand access.

🔗 Learn more about the study: link in bio.

#RutgersSPH #PublicHealth #ArtsAndHealth #ArtsRx Research graphic from the Rutgers School of Public Health titled "How Better Data Could Help Arts Prescription Programs Reach More People." Quote from Kristen D. Krause, PhD, MPH, assistant professor and deputy director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies: "Our findings show that technology can play a critical role in helping programs evaluate their impact, strengthen participation and support the integration of arts and culture into broader health and well-being efforts." Background photo: a group of people seated around a long table at an ArtsRx activity, with craft supplies on the table.

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We're kicking off the 2026–2027 Governor's STEM Scholars year at Rutgers University!⁠
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Today, our Class of 2027 is coming together for STEM in Government, the first of four conferences where Scholars will connect with STEM leaders, explore career pathways, and discover the many ways STEM shapes New Jersey.⁠
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A special thank you to the Rutgers University–New Brunswick Chancellor's Office and the Rutgers Office for Research for their support in making today's conference possible!⁠
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#GovernorsSTEMScholars #STEMinGovernment #RutgersUniversity

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Lead contamination in soil tracked inside homes can cause dangerous indoor lead dust levels, even in homes with no interior lead-based paint, according to researchers.

The study was conducted in East Trenton, New Jersey, by researchers at the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with community scientists: members of the general public who participate in data collection under the direction of scientists.

⚠️ The researchers found that nearly 94% of soil samples exceeded screening levels for multiple sources of lead exposure.

💬 “This is especially concerning because all samples were collected from bare soil at the surface, which is the most likely to be accessed by children or tracked into homes,” said Sean Stratton, PhD, a recent graduate of the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead author of the study.

Swipe to learn more. ➡️

In 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added East Trenton to the Superfund National Priorities List after determining there was lead contamination in soil from 19th-century pottery manufacturing plants.

Working with the East Trenton Collaborative, a community organizing and development initiative, researchers recruited and trained residents to collect soil samples from 122 homes. In total, 242 bare surface soil samples were collected. Researchers then collected interior dust samples from floors, windowsills, and window wells in 42 of those homes.

📊 KEY FINDINGS

→ 86% of the 242 bare surface soil samples exceeded the EPA’s 200 parts per million residential soil lead hazard level.

→ 80% of floor dust samples exceeded the safety threshold in homes without any interior lead-based paint.

→ A house’s age doesn’t rule out lead dust, even though the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-based paint in 1978.

💡 WHY IT MATTERS

According to the EPA, lead poisoning can affect brain development in young children, damage vital organs, and cause lasting behavioral and neurological damage. Indoor lead exposure has historically been attributed to flaking lead-based paint.

The work builds on the team’s earlier collaboration with the Newark Water Coalition, which helped t Research graphic from the Rutgers School of Public Health titled "Contaminated Soil Poses Hidden Lead Threat Inside Homes." Quote from Sean Stratton, PhD, SPH’26, alumnus and lead author: "This is especially concerning because all samples were collected from bare soil at the surface, which is the most likely to be accessed by children or tracked into homes." Background photo: a shoe with a dirty sole on a carpet.

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“Beauty TikTok” is changing what teens put on their bodies, and Emily Barrett from Rutgers University is digging deeper into how algorithms are now a real driver of chemical exposure during adolescence. Many of these products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and parabens.

The study of 143 students found that teens who watched hair or beauty tutorials used 40% more personal care products in a day, and those who followed influencers with their own product lines used 30% more.

Girls reported a median of 14 products a day compared with 7 for boys, and only 19% regularly read ingredient lists.

Led by Emily Barrett and published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

#healthcare #epidemiology #influencers #beauty #tutorial
@RutgersHealth @rutgerssph @rutgersu

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Infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms immediately after delivery had a higher risk of dying before their first birthday, according to a Rutgers-led study of more than 414,000 births in New Jersey.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, used results from the depression screening that the state’s hospitals are required to conduct after delivery and before patients go home. Researchers linked those screening results, recorded in birth records from 2016 through 2020, with infant death records through 2021.

💬 “We found an association between maternal depressive symptoms and infant mortality across many different groups of mothers and infants,” said Rebecca Woofter, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at #RutgersSPH and lead author. “These findings don’t mean that maternal depression is causing infant deaths, but it does tell us there is an important relationship here that we need to understand much better.”

Swipe to learn more. ➡️

📊 KEY FINDINGS

→ Infants whose mothers reported depressive symptoms had an infant mortality rate of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with 2 per 1,000 among infants whose mothers didn’t.

→ The association was consistent across many different groups of mothers and infants.

→ Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with higher risks of infant deaths related to prematurity, perinatal conditions, congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

💡 WHY IT MATTERS

The findings point to maternal mental health as an important part of the larger conversation about infant health. The study also points to gaps between depression screening and mental health care. Even when symptoms are identified, screening doesn’t necessarily lead to a diagnosis, referral, or treatment.

📰 IN THE NEWS

Woofter spoke with @newsweek about the findings and said mothers who are struggling may want to talk with their health care provider, such as an OB-GYN, who can refer them for mental health care. Organizations like @postpartumsupportinternational can also help parents find mental health resources in their community, she added.

🔗 Read about the study and the Newsweek story at the link in our Research graphic from the Rutgers School of Public Health titled "Perinatal Depression and Infant Mortality." Quote from Rebecca Woofter, PhD, postdoctoral associate and lead author: "We found an association between maternal depressive symptoms and infant mortality across many different groups of mothers and infants. These findings don't mean that maternal depression is causing infant deaths, but it does tell us there is an important relationship here that we need to understand much better." Background photo: hands resting on a pregnant belly.

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This week, co-leaders of the newly formed Rutgers Health Institute for Scientific Excellence in Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Well-Being (RISES), directed by Tamara Taggart, Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair for Advancing LGBTQ+ Public Health and associate professor, came together at #RutgersSPH for the Fall 2026 RISES Hub Meeting.

The meeting marked a first step in building and launching a new collective at Rutgers focused on advancing sexual and gender minority health and well-being, made possible by the generous support of James F. Dougherty and Rutgers Health.

The group reflected on the Institute’s progress, reviewed and refined its strategic plan, and identified priorities and opportunities for the next 1–2 years. Co-leaders also discussed the upcoming pilot award program, including mentor roles and application review, and continued planning for the Institute’s launch event and website.

#RutgersImpact #Research #PublicHealthLeadership

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Have you heard of the RU Health Hack? This year it’s happening at The HELIX, hosted by the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Returning for its 4th installment, the RU Health Hack is a 48-hour event and will be held on October 9th through 11th. The event event brings together students, postdocs, young professionals, healthcare experts, and tech enthusiasts to tackle pressing healthcare challenges. Real interdisciplinary teams working to solve real world problems.

Visit RUHealthHack.com for details and to register as a participant.

Images via RU Health Hack

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It's more than a pizza and wine shot.

Open Table emailed wanting to know what I thought of Razza last night. Well, it's very personal. Why I do what I do, talk about, post about, write about, work in and around, collaborate with and advocate for, was reinforced last night on a spontaneous stop there. It is the people. It is the connectivity and the passion. It is the real stories.

First, I have known Dan Richer for a few years, let's say. We have done videos together, I have written about some of his projects, I've had a few glasses of wine with him. I have without hesitation recommended his place. I started with a glass of the house pet-nat, a project between Razza and Beneduce Vineyards that I have posted about (and pitched unsuccessfully). I have collaborated with and written about Mike Beneduce for some time now. I am sure I told Dan and Mike about each other well before their wine collab.

Looking at the menu, I zeroed in on the hazelnut pizza, the Rutgers hazelnut program something else I have written about. (I even did harvest there a few years back!) That article talked about Dan's involvement in the project, too.

I then ordered a wine from Jupiter Wine Company. Back in May, I ate at Razza with Jupiter winemaker Tom DeBiase and Mike Hoffman who moves the wines for them here. Even used one of the wines for my monthly wine club.

There were other personal connections up and down the menu too which reminded me of two sayings. Food makes friends. Wine is personal, wine is social, wine is connective. The latter one--that's mine.

#wine #winewriter #foodwriter

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How do courtroom actors justify decisions to punish or rehabilitate?

Professor Andres Rengifo’s current research draws on more than 1,600 court cases across ten U.S. and Latin American jurisdictions to answer that question.

He's collaborated with the Vera Institute of Justice and Harvard's Kennedy School on police stops, prisoner reentry, and drug treatment policy.

Read his research on our website!

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