Priscilla Colon

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now reporting 982 confirmed measles cases in the United States as of February 19, 2026 — an increase of 72 cases (7.9%) week-over-week. Despite this representing a slower growth rate compared with the 24% surge reported the previous week, transmission remains widespread. We now have 26 US states reporting cases, with 7 new outbreaks. Notably, cases among international visitors remain unchanged, suggesting current spread is largely domestic and outbreak-driven. Read the full update from Contagion_Live: https://lnkd.in/ey_aWCv5 #Measles #PublicHealth #OutbreakResponse

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New research from The City University of New York (CUNY) reveals that children may play a key role in driving household #mpox #infections. The study, led by Raoul Kamadjeu, a doctoral student at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, together with Ferdinand Nsengimana, Manassé NIMPAGARITSE, Edna Moturi, MD, MPH, and other researchers, provides valuable insights into how mpox - particularly the Clade Ib strain - spreads within families. The findings, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, highlight the importance of understanding household transmission dynamics to strengthen #publichealth responses. This publication broadens the lens on mpox beyond adult networks and into everyday family settings. If kids are key introducers or amplifiers at home, public health responses need to adapt: earlier case detection in #pediatrics, guidance for households and caregivers, smarter contact tracing that includes schools/daycare, and vaccine access plans that consider families - not just individual risk. It also helps reduce stigma by highlighting routine, close-contact transmission dynamics and gives policymakers evidence to target resources where they’ll curb spread fastest. 🗃️ See comments section for source.

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Could Maryland expand access to obesity treatment for low-income residents? New legislation (SB0496) aims to do just that — offering coverage through Medicaid for a range of treatments while highlighting broader debates over weight-loss drug access and health equity. Tap to read how this could impact communities and care across the state ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q042v_s00 #FYHN #NMQF #FYHNews #Maryland #glp1 #sb0496 #NovoNordisk

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Three donors have joined forces to contribute $13 million to our Center for Microbial Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This generous gift empowers our researchers to improve pediatric health through the lens of the microbiome — the complex community of organisms that live in and on the human body. Please join us in thanking The McCausland Foundation, the Chappell Culpeper Family Foundation, and another generous donor for supporting the country’s premier pediatric center focused on translational microbiome-based medicine. “We have spent the past year recruiting fantastic scientists and building the Center’s infrastructure,” said Joseph Zackular, PhD, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Microbial Medicine. “These philanthropic gifts will allow us to more quickly bring our discoveries to the clinic to improve the lives of children.” Read more about how this support empowers our science on Cornerstone: http://ms.spr.ly/6042sqyO2

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I was at #FiercePharmaWeek 2025 last week, where I had the pleasure of moderating the panel, "Redefining Success: Achieving Communications Impact in the New Healthcare Ecosystem." A big thank you to Carrie Fernandez, Heather Stamatacos and Assal Hellmer for their invaluable contributions and insights. Our conversation was rich, and here are some key takeaways that really resonated with me: • Impact Over Impressions: While quantitative metrics are important, we need to broaden our definition of impact to include the qualitative – what's resonating, the conversations sparked, and the deeper understanding fostered. As communicators, we have a responsibility to educate on why these "intangibles" are vital indicators of success. • Authenticity is the Cornerstone of True Impact: In a world saturated with information, genuine connection cuts through the noise. The greatest impact is created when our communications are authentic, human, and transparent. People are savvy; they can discern when a story isn't genuine. Building trust and confidence requires consistent, honest communication at every touchpoint, from internal stakeholders to social media. • Empathy and Understanding are Our Tools Against Disinformation: Addressing misinformation and disinformation isn't about being defensive or combative. Instead, it's about meeting people where they are, understanding their concerns, and approaching conversations with empathy. As one panelist shared, “we don't need to confront a ‘nervous parent who has questions.’" By humanizing our stories and building narratives over time, we can create a dialogue and start to address complex challenges, rather than fueling division.   Thank you to Fierce Pharma for sparking these important discussions—looking forward to continued dialogue!

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Thrilled to welcome Steve Moscoe to the Board of Directors of NTMir. Steve brings deep experience across pharmaceutical operations, cell and gene therapy, and healthcare strategy and, just as importantly, he shares a genuine commitment to the NTM patient community and a clear sense of urgency around advancing treatment options. As Steve noted, NTM is often misunderstood. While it can be grouped alongside rare diseases, its impact is anything but rare, especially for patients living with bronchiectasis and other serious conditions that can be life-altering. His focus on helping identify and support therapies in development is exactly the kind of leadership we need as we continue working to accelerate progress toward better treatments and, ultimately, cures. Looking forward to the impact we’ll make together.

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Today at Milken Institute "Future of Health" in DC, this session "The Next Generation of Tech-Enabled Health," brought together Verily's Chief Clinical Officer Vindell Washington, Matthew Callstrom, M.D., Ph.D. (Mayo Clinic), JehanZeb Noor (Zimmer Biomet), Renee Wegrzyn and Axios' Peter Sullivan as moderator to discuss the rapid technological transformation sweeping healthcare. The panel dove into the most promising advances—from predictive analytics to at-home care platforms—and debated the critical policy and infrastructure changes necessary for scalable adoption. The room illuminated with varying ideas and visions on how to harness innovation to build smarter, more proactive, and more equitable health care pathways. It was an essential conversation for anyone interested in the future of care delivery. Check the replay here> https://lnkd.in/gGGmjniE #MIHEALTHSUMMIT #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #AIinHealth #FutureofCare #VerilyMe #HealthData #PrecisionHealth

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The February UCSF Innovation Ventures newsletter dropped today, featuring my recent interview with Kotsonis Peter — inspired in part by conversations with lifelong colleagues at UCSF and Harvard Business School. We reviewed innovation in the context of patient care — and the lessons Peter has learned bringing life-changing products to market. What became clear is that these management lessons extend beyond medicine. They apply across sectors wherever science/tech, capital and human need intersect. A few takeaways that stayed with me — made especially powerful through Peter’s storytelling: 🟢 This work genuinely delights him — but he approaches it with seriousness and discipline. Behind every successful product is a structured creative process that includes rigor, risk-taking, curiosity and persistence. 🟡 Patients and families are waiting. Innovation is not abstract; it carries urgency and responsibility. These (customer) voices are embedded in the process and are essential to success. 🔵 Progress is built on shared knowledge and teamwork. In addition to patient partnerships, Peter highlights institutional resources — including the UC Regents’ recent recommendations on innovation — and the university thought leaders helping move this work forward. If you’re interested in how ideas move from concept to real-world impact, I hope you’ll take a look. David Morris, MD Aenor Sawyer Sean David Karlin University of California, San Francisco #innovation #entrepreneurship #productmanagement #newproductdevelopment

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Real-world evidence is reshaping how we think about health economic modeling, especially in areas where utilization patterns and downstream costs can vary significantly outside controlled study settings. On Monday at ISPOR 2026, I will be presenting our work along with colleagues from EVERSANA and iRhythm Technologies: “Budget Impact of Continuous Ambulatory ECG Monitoring: A Real-World Data Model.” Many budget impact models are still built primarily from published literature and assumptions that may not fully capture the realities of clinical practice. While literature-based models are valuable, they can miss important dimensions of care delivery such as patient complexity, adherence patterns, acute care utilization, and real payer burden. That is particularly relevant in ambulatory ECG monitoring, where the question is not only whether earlier arrhythmia detection is clinically valuable, but whether it changes healthcare utilization and costs in meaningful ways across real patient populations. To address this, we developed a budget impact model delivered on an interactive platform. We used EVERSANA administrative claims data from 2018–2025. The analysis included more than 20 million patients with major arrhythmias and 650,000 patients who underwent ambulatory ECG monitoring. What makes this work especially meaningful is the opportunity to move beyond theoretical projections and evaluate economic impact using actual care patterns and utilization data, and reimursement data across all line of business (commercial, medicare, medicaid). Real-world data can help make budget impact models more relevant for payors, ACOs, and health systems making practical coverage and implementation decisions. Thank you to my colleagues and coathors: Ramaa Nathan, Ken Boyle, Erik Hendrickson, and Brent Wright. Looking forward to the conversations this work may spark around real-world evidence, value assessment, and the future of healthcare decision-making. #ISPOR #RealWorldEvidence #RWE #HealthEconomics #BudgetImpactModel #Cardiology #OutcomesResearch #HealthcareInnovation #ValueBasedCare #Arrhythmia; # EVERSANA; # iRhythm

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Great recap of our session at #LiverForum. The conversation about what's hiding in plain sight in clinical trial data really resonated with the room. I'm increasingly convinced that this is the right pattern to drive this field forward fast -- train AI models on large, diverse real-world data then validate them on smaller, more controlled clinical trial data we have already collected. Thanks for the kind words and for moderating a fantastic discussion!

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What should #GenAI guidelines for medical publications include? At #ISMPP Annual, our team explored this question through a survey of experienced HCP authors. They called for transparency, plagiarism prevention, human oversight, and clear boundaries for #GenAI use. As #GenAI adoption grows, these insights are critical for shaping responsible practices. What do you think #GenAI guidelines for medical publications should include? Share your thoughts in the comments! #AI #parexel #MedicalPublishing #medcomms #medicalcommunications

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🎙️ New Podcast Alert from Fortrea! 🎙️ Don't miss the second episode of our Project Optimus podcast series! 🎧 In this episode, Dr. Shanthi Sundaramoorthy, Ph.D, Senior Director of Fortrea's Strategic Growth and Delivery Team in Oncology discusses the real-world impact of the shift to optimized doses in oncology drugs and what it means for early-phase trial design. 🎧Listen: https://gag.gl/hT6mtS #Oncology #ClinicalTrials #Podcast #Fortrea

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New Jersey isn't just watching the AI revolution in healthcare—we're leading it. 🚀 From AI-powered tools helping 7,000 clinicians at Hackensack Meridian Health spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, to Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson using AI to revolutionize drug manufacturing—the Garden State is at the forefront of transforming life sciences. BioNJ CEO Debbie Hart makes a compelling case: our unique combination of world-class universities, leading health systems, and pharmaceutical giants, paired with strategic investments like the NJ AI Hub and Microsoft's new Discovery platform, positions us to define the future of healthcare innovation. But this leadership isn't guaranteed. As Hart writes, we must balance fostering innovation with responsible AI governance—protecting patients while allowing breakthrough ideas to flourish. The question isn't whether AI will transform healthcare. It's whether New Jersey will continue leading that transformation. Read Debbie Hart's full perspective on how the Garden State is turning cutting-edge AI into real-world impact for patients ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eZ66aJ6G #AIinHealthcare #LifeSciences #NewJerseyInnovation #BioTech #HealthTech #DrugDiscovery

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💸 NEW: Portal Innovations, a Chicago-based life sciences investor and incubator, is raising $100 million for its third fund. Founder and CEO John Flavin tells me raising the new financing was inspired, in part, by a desire to help fill any funding gaps left by recent threats to NIH grants. "The early-stage environment for funding is shifting pretty dramatically as we see the current administration pull back on NIH funding, or at least create uncertainty in that area." More in Axios Pro Deals: https://lnkd.in/gyaaNyAi

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At Johns Hopkins, the Hopkins Business of Health Initiative (HBHI)–Truveta User Community is exploring new frontiers through research—studying everything from maternal health, Alzheimer’s treatment, platelet transfusion inequities, to responses to emerging drug threats. With Truveta Data, researchers dig deeper into outcomes, system efficiencies, and equity in ways that just weren’t possible before. Exciting to see this partnership in action. Learn more: https://tr.vet/3Ilx5pc

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The hardest part of a breakthrough? The translation. As the global oncology community prepares for #ASCO26 in Chicago, the theme, The Science and Practice of Translation, strikes a chord. Dr. Eric Small’s focus on moving science from 'bench to bedside to society' highlights a critical truth: a medical breakthrough only truly matters if it is accessible, understood, and implemented in the real world. In my work across oncology comms, I have seen this challenge daily. Whether it's the rise of ADCs, precision immunotherapy, or AI-driven diagnostics, the data is only half the battle. The other half is the narrative - translating complex clinical success into clear, empowering information that arms patients and clinicians to make better decisions together. Science is advancing at historic speeds. Our job as communicators is to ensure that every patient, everywhere, can keep up. #Oncology #ASCO26 #HealthComms #PatientEmpowerment

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At #AMCCBS2025, one session made it clear: the future of cancer care isn’t just about innovation—it’s about collaboration. In the Strategic Oncology Partnerships and Affiliations session, leaders from across the country shared how smart partnerships are helping cancer programs expand access, improve quality, and stay financially sustainable in a rapidly evolving landscape. From academic-community affiliations to equity joint ventures and ACOs, the message was clear: no one can go it alone anymore. Whether it’s bringing clinical trials to underserved areas, sharing infusion capacity, or co-developing navigation and supportive care services, these partnerships are redefining what’s possible in oncology. As one panelist put it: “Our goal isn’t just to grow—it’s to grow together.” Want to see how cancer programs are building stronger futures through strategic collaboration? Read the full 2025 Trending Now in Cancer Care: Part 1 report: https://lnkd.in/eDfde4Hm Association of Cancer Care Centers Marcy Cent, MBA Tynan Kugler, MBA/MPH, CVA Lisa Serig The University of Kansas Cancer Center The Christ Hospital Health Network #CancerCare #OncologyLeadership #HealthPartnerships #ACCC #TrendingNowInCancerCare #ValueBasedCare

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Sounds like a very interesting partnership, Salvatore Giovanni Viscomi, MD and Elise Wilfinger. I wonder how you see it contributing to the central challenge of making screening and preventative care for kidney disease a nationwide standard in the USA, along the lines of mammography and colorectal screening? Clearly that must be the endgame, as CKD and CKM surge and the costs, both human and financial, of kidney failure continue to skyrocket.

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What happens when oncology leaders from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. come together to tackle one of cancer care’s toughest challenges—rural access? At ACCC’s second Global eXchange panel, the conversation was clear: geography should never determine the quality of care a patient receives. The session revealed striking realities: patients flying hundreds of miles for treatment, Indigenous communities facing language barriers, and fragmented health systems delaying diagnoses for months. Yet, it also showcased hope—shared solutions that transcend borders. From patient navigation programs and culturally tailored outreach to telehealth and rotating clinics, these strategies are proving that collaboration works. The ACCC Global eXchange isn’t just a discussion—it’s a movement to share lessons across health systems and empower oncology professionals to build equitable care models. Whether you’re in a rural U.S. county or a remote Canadian territory, these insights can help you close gaps and improve outcomes. Read the full article and discover how global collaboration is shaping the future of rural oncology care: https://lnkd.in/eTqAHeVt? Association of Cancer Care Centers Rania Emara Enrique Soto Perez de Celis

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