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Welcome to the April 2026 Apothek Dispatch, where we decode the signal on health, environment, and technology.

Earlier this month via the dispatch, I co-published an article with exploring a 2025 conference presentation on the health benefits of coffee. The interesting part about that wasn’t the research itself, but how a one paragraph abstract was widely reported as a “landmark study.” Almost a year later, the full manuscript has yet to be released. Read on via the link below for our reflections on science communication:

Alongside thousands of colleagues from USAID, I also marked a year since receiving my termination letter. This New York Times piece explores the collective trauma of seeing the work we cared about twisted to fit the narrative of those that dismantled it. Many of us have strived to continue our work through project-based and consulting roles. In fact, public health consulting was the topic of my inaugural SubStack post. This LinkedIn article reinforces the ups and downs of that portfolio career path, from the search to the squeeze and everything in between.

For this month’s April dispatch, topics cover your choice of snacks, the ocean floor, and your ability to trust artificial intelligence. In health, mounting evidence links ultra-processed foods to elevated cardiovascular risk. We also explore the case for why every nation needs a dedicated (and trustworthy) public health agency. On the environment front, the race to mine critical minerals from the deep sea threatens ocean ecosystems, while rising global temperatures are negatively impacting food systems for vulnerable populations. We revisit the Green New Deal through a modern lens: one focused on affordability. And in the technology sector, a startling new study reveals just how easily false information can contaminate large language models, raising terrifying questions about the trustworthiness of the AI tools increasingly woven into our daily lives.

We’ll close with current opportunities: jobs, consultancies, fellowships, and grants for those working at critical frontiers.

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Health: Global Vital Signs and Personal Wellness

A new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology tracked a large, multiethnic cohort and found that each additional daily serving of ultra-processed food was associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular disease risk. Individuals in the heaviest consumption group faced a risk nearly 67% higher than those who ate the least. These findings pair well with a recent article in Think Global Health, which traced the origins of ultra-processed food marketing back to the playbook of big tobacco. Think products engineered for rapid absorption, proprietary flavor signatures, and maximum addictive potential. Through this analogy, there is a compelling case to deploy the same policy toolkit for ultra-processed foods that worked to reduce smoking rates: taxation, marketing restrictions, litigation, and honest labeling.

This month, the global health community is grappling with a long-awaited and deeply contested PEPFAR data release. After over a year without official reporting, new figures are leading U.S. government officials and independent analysts towards opposite conclusions. Officials highlight stable treatment numbers as a sign of resilience and “African health sovereignty,” while researchers point to a 24% drop in frontline health workers and HIV diagnosis rates falling by up to 30% in areas where services were interrupted. The real story lies with the missing health workers and the patients whose diagnoses were delayed, and it is one we will continue to follow.

Finally, another piece from Think Global Health, authored by leaders from the WHO, makes the case that every country needs an effective national public health agency. From the authors: “when it comes to the ground-level work of detecting diseases, identifying pathogens, training experts, and communicating with the public, nothing can substitute for having a robust and accountable coordinating organization for the national public health system.” Only half of all countries currently have such an agency, and building this infrastructure is a global imperative before the next crisis arrives.

Environment: Climate Risks and Planetary Solutions

The world may soon be too hot to feed itself. According to a new report by the World Meteorological Association and the Food and Agriculture Organization, covered by Grist, extreme heat is reducing crop yields, stressing livestock, disrupting fisheries, and exposing over a billion agricultural workers to dangerous conditions. The report traces impacts from Brazil to India to the Pacific Northwest. Critics note that the health of agricultural workers is included in the diagnostic, but seems to be excluded from the solution.

Meanwhile, the race to build a cleaner grid is fueling deep-sea mineral mining. Are we trading one environmental harm here for another? An article in Science Politics argues that the smarter path runs through reducing battery demand, right-to-repair laws, and recycling the critical minerals we already have. On the wider policy front, Grist reports on the successor to the green new deal: a green economic populism platform bundling carbon-cutting measures with working-class affordability.

Technology: Innovation and Evolving Frontiers

This last one is a wild read. A researcher at the University of Gothenburg invented a fake disease, gave it an absurd name, uploaded two preprints riddled with obvious red flags including fictional funders and acknowledgements to Starfleet Academy, and then waited. Within weeks, major AI chatbots were telling users it was real. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot all described “bixonimania” as a legitimate emerging condition, cited the fake preprints as sources, and in at least one case a citation to the fabricated research made it into a peer-reviewed journal article before it was retracted. The experiment exposed how easily misinformation can infiltrate and contaminate LLMs. As AI becomes a primary source of health information for millions of people, we need better safety mechanisms governing what these systems ingest, and what they confidently repeat.

Opportunity Signals

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

For RIF’d public servants from the foreign affairs community, the DACOR Bacon house is offering free “privileges of the house” that includes access to events at member pricing, the ability to reserve guest rooms, and “stop by/in” rights to the house during business hours.
Looking for a co-working space in DC? Former Gov and Eaton House are providing a weekly co-working space for the former government and military community on Tuesdays from 9a-5p. This is also a chance to connect with colleagues from for resume review or a mini-coaching session. Sign up here. [EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 2026]

Fellowships & Grants:

American India Foundation AI Impact Fellowship: For US citizens and permanent residents or citizens of India. Program dates: September 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.

VA Tech School of Public International Affairs: Scholarships offered for displaced federal employees.

Georgetown University School of Health: Resources (including tuition discounts) for displaced federal workers and contractors.

Senior Roles:

Director, Core Countries (GAVI): Deadline April 29.

Senior Manager (Instiglio): (Kenya based) No deadline specified.

Sr. Director Humanitarian Advocacy (CARE): No deadline specified.

Suicide Prevention and Postvention Subject Matter Expert (Vistra/DoD): No deadline specified.

Endowed Chair - Center for Urban Health Equity (Morgan State University) No deadline specified.

Director, Tobacco Control, Africa Region (Vital Strategies) No deadline specified.

Mid-Career Roles:

The AI Access Initiative, Program Manager (Evidence/Action): No deadline specified.

Health and Nutrition Advisor (World Relief): No deadline specified.

Multiple mid-career contractor roles with the State Dept-GHSD Bureau: No deadline specified.

Consultant, Program Management (Last Mile Health): (preference for candidate in the EAT time zone) No deadline specified.

Manager, Public Policy Support, Safer Chemicals Project (Pew): No deadline specified.

Senior Associate, Private Sector, Safer Chemicals Project (Pew): No deadline specified.

Senior Advisor, Clean Energy (NY City): No deadline specified.

Senior Associate, Communications and Digital Media, Global Health Advocacy (UN Foundation): No deadline specified.

Regional Infectious Disease Surveillance Advisor (PATH): (open to candidates in the US, UK, Switzerland, Senegal, Kenya) No deadline specified.

Sr. Program Officer (Population, Family and Reproductive Health) (Johns Hopkins U): No deadline specified.

Technical Advisor, Health Financing, Data.FI (Palladium): No deadline specified.

Technical Director, ACHIEVE Liberia (PACT): No deadline specified.

Early Career Roles

Climate Ambition Internship (WRI): Deadline May 7.

Development & Grant Coordination Intern (International Rescue Committee): Deadline May 22.

Intern, Federal and External Affairs, U.S. Climate Alliance (UN Foundation): No deadline specified.

Policy Intern (World Relief): No deadline specified.

Research Associate, International Economics (CFR): No deadline specified.

Sr. Research Project Coordinator (Epidemiology) (Johns Hopkins U): No deadline specified.

Johns Hopkins U: Developer II (International Health) [req some comp sci skills] No deadline specified.

Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine: Program Analyst (Clinical Affairs) PMP certification preferred. No deadline specified.

Conferences / Training

Second Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure (Center for Global Development): June 3-4, London, UK and livestreamed

International Conference on Urban Health, October 13-17, 2026 in Mexico City. Submit abstracts before May 17, 2026.

Global Digital Health Forum conference December 2-4, 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Planetary Health MOOC (free)

Next Steps for Nature Webinar Featuring Prof Doug Tallamy Click link for recording link! The presentation is titled “How Can I Help? Saving nature with your yard.” See also this Gardenista article on lowering your carbon footprint in your outdoor space.

Help us strengthen the signal. Share any opportunities you've found this month in the comments below.