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Abstract image depicting a DNA strand, a leaf, and a computer chip. — Image created with Gemini AI.

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

This month marks one year since the foreign assistance freeze that led to USAID’s dissolution, a decision with devastating consequences from cholera outbreaks in South Sudan, lives lost when health programs shuttered overnight, and the unraveling of trust built over decades worldwide. Pete Epanchin’s op-ed reminds us that the benefits of foreign assistance never stopped at partner country borders; Americans gained too, and “...unmanaged risks abroad don’t stay abroad.”

This month’s dispatch reflects on this moment and explores what comes next, informed by my own travel to Kenya with the Financing Alliance for Health (more on LinkedIn) to witness how global health practitioners are adapting to this new reality. I’ll also share my recent publications in Science on the ethical implications of AI and in ICTworks on digital therapeutics.

While recent events in Minneapolis weigh heavily on my mind, the focus of this dispatch remains on the global health landscape and the paths forward. As usual, we’ll close with current opportunities: jobs, consultancies, fellowships, and grants for those working at these critical frontiers.

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The landscape of global health continues to shift beneath our feet. This month, the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization marks another rupture in international cooperation. Peter Singer’s article in Think Global Health explores a few reforms the WHO could take that might motivate US reengagement, and previews the election of a new WHO director general in 2027.

My recent travel to Kenya with the Financing Alliance for Health offered a ground-level view of how practitioners and country ministries of health are navigating the collapse of donor assistance. Our work supporting over a dozen countries across Sub-Saharan Africa received an endorsement from the former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose message in her Lancet Primary Care commentary article was clear: it’s time to finance Africa’s frontline through government leadership and aligned partnership, not through the now crumbling and always fragmented aid architecture. You can read more about this work on my LinkedIn post.

Meanwhile, the American health system faces mounting pressure. Proposed Medicaid cuts threaten to push an already stressed system past its breaking point, as detailed in Nicholas Kristof’s NYT op-ed. At the same time, rising distrust in vaccines is fueling a measles outbreak with 2,724 cases reported over the last year. See this measles dashboard to track local impacts in your state, courtesy of the JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Last month, a landmark glyphosate safety study was retracted (NYT) by its publisher following evidence of significant author conflicts of interest. The retraction raises questions about what we thought we knew about one of the world’s most widely used herbicides, and about the integrity of the research that shapes our chemical exposure safety guidelines. This article in Undark summarizes the problem: “In short, the paper was ghostwritten — a clear violation of any imaginable standard of scientific ethics.”

Meanwhile, the economic case for environmental protection is clear. A compelling Foreign Affairs analysis estimates that every dollar invested in global and domestic climate-resilience measures yields between $2 and $10 in avoided losses. Cutting these programs is a false economy, leading to high costs in the form of natural disasters, forced migration, and the vacuum we create for other global powers to fill.

Finally, the emerging field of “exposomics” is rewriting our understanding of disease causation. A Wired magazine exploration of the toxic contributors to Parkinson’s disease concludes that toxins in our air, water, soil, and food play an outsized role in diseases that emerge decades after exposure. Related research on microplastics exposure adds another alarming data point: people who drink bottled water daily ingest an additional 90,000 microplastic particles every year.

Digital therapeutics are a promising yet underexamined frontier in health innovation. In my recent article for ICTworks (co-authored with Dr. Biswas Shrestha), we describe how these therapeutic interventions delivered through software are reshaping health paradigms. We also explore their relevance and potential for resource-constrained settings where traditional healthcare infrastructure remains limited. Our conclusion? “Before this revolution can scale, it must first be evaluated, negotiated, and reimbursed.”

Extending into deeper philosophical territory, I’m sharing a paywall free link to my book review of “The Body Digital,” published in December in Science (also sharing a companion substack article below). The book by Vanessa Chang, and my review, grapple with the ethics and philosophy of emerging technologies like AI as they mediate our relationship with health, identity, and embodiment.

And speaking of AI, this timely NPR On Point episode examines what the next generation of doctors needs to know about this technology. This discussion concludes that modern day and future physicians alike must become fluent not just in the use of AI tools, but in their limitations and biases. The future meaning of clinical “judgment” will increasingly involve knowing when to trust the tools and when to override them. This is a similar conclusion to my recent Ars Technica publication on AI and health research, co-authored with Luke Shors (companion Substack piece below).

Looking ahead beyond AI, the field of quantum computing may represent our next technological horizon. Moore’s Law gave us 50 years of exponential computing growth, but it’s now hitting its physical limits. Quantum computing could be a path forward toward continued growth, with the potential to solve problems that classical computers never could. Think complex planetary climate modeling or cancer treatment protocols personalized at the molecular level. Whether quantum delivers on this promise remains uncertain, but the high stakes of the problems it aims to solve ensure we’ll keep trying.

“Every time you victimized someone... you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”
-Andy Weir (The Egg)

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 coworking space for the former government and military community on Tuesdays from 9a-5p. This is also a chance to connect with colleagues from Career Pivot for resume review or a mini-coaching session. Sign up here. [EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 2026]

A month-long art exhibition titled “Remembering USAID Through the Arts“ will take place in March 2026 at the Compass Atelier. The exhibit will showcase works that tell the story of USAID employees, implementing partners, and their families who dedicated themselves to saving lives and global cooperation. For anyone seeking more information on themes, submissions, and registration, see this prospectus document (submission deadline January 31, 2026).

Emerging Voices for Global Health 2026: Application deadline March 20, 2026. Focus will be on applicants from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), providing an opportunity to attend the HSR 2026 conference in Dubai in the fall.

Associate Fellow (Center for New American Security): Fellowship on artificial intelligence (AI) security and stability.

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.

DC Department of Energy and Environment: Green Fellows Leadership and Development Program. Applications open now and the program will start in February 2026.

Colorado State Govt: Climate Program Manager - MGMT (Denver) Deadline February 1, 2026.

Kenya Country Director (inSupply Health) Deadline January 4, 2026 but the application appears open.

Oracle Health Physician Executive, Patient Safety and Compliance No deadline specified.

US Pharmacopeia: Project Director: Pharmaceutical Stability and Climate Resilience No deadline specified.

FleishmanHillard Share: Senior Vice President, Healthcare Public Affairs No deadline specified.

Hive Fund: Director of Operations and Culture No deadline specified.

CHAI: Associate Director, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programs Lead No deadline specified.

Astra Zeneca: Senior Global Medical Affairs Leader No deadline specified.

US Pharmacopeia: Project Director: Pharmaceutical Stability and Climate Resilience No deadline specified.

Project Hope: VP of Global Programs and Operations No deadline specified.

ECG: Principal, Healthcare Consulting No deadline specified.

Surgo Health: Senior Director, Healthcare No deadline specified.

Kelly: Senior Medical Advisor for HIV Clinical Trials No deadline specified.

Washington University School of Public Health Call for Leadership and Faculty Positions Multiple positions open.

Technical Director, Immunization (Jhpiego) No deadline specified.

Director School of Global Development and the Environment (Cornell University): No deadline specified.

Public Health Professor of Practice (Columbia University) No deadline specified.

Executive Director (Children First) No deadline specified.

Project Director – CDC Health System Strengthening Activity (CORUS) 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.

Senior Program Officer, Digital Health and AI (12-month LTE*) (Gates Foundation) No deadline specified.

Director, Public Policy & Advocacy (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) No deadline specified.

Evidence Action: Global (Senior) Director, Accelerator No deadline specified.

Evidence Action: Senior Program Manager, Syphilis-Free Start No deadline specified.

Palladium: Technical Advisor, Government to Government (G2G) Partnerships No deadline specified.

Ipsos: Senior Consultant, Healthcare No deadline specified.

CHAI: Senior Associate, Artificial Intelligence (AI) No deadline specified.

UN Foundation: Policy Advisor, U.S. Climate Alliance No deadline specified.

UN Foundation: Senior Campaign Associate, Global Health Advocacy No deadline specified.

Booz Allen: Health and Life Sciences Action Officer No deadline specified.

Analytica: Management Consultant No deadline specified.

Unknown Oncology Biotech: Sr. Clinical Research Associate No deadline specified.

TechChange: Call for Subject Matter Experts Direct link to application form here via TechChange and Nick Martin.

mHealth Systems Consultant (Gorilla Doctors) No deadline specified.

Research Scientist - Global Health (SURGO Health) No deadline specified.

Senior Program Officer/Program Director (The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts) No deadline specified.

Senior Program Officer- Market Shaping (R4D) No deadline specified.

CHAI:Technical Advisor, New Vaccine Introductions, Global Vaccine Delivery Preference for location within CHAI program countries (Africa/Asia). No deadline specified.

Congressional Research Services: Research Assistant (Domestic Social Policy) Deadline February 6, 2026.

ECG: Consulting Internship, Healthcare No deadline specified.

UN Foundation: Intern, Global Health No deadline specified.

Johns Hopkins U: Research Assistant (International Health) No deadline specified.

Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies: Congressional Intern Deadline February 1 for summer program, March 31 for fall program.

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

ASTM International: Intern, U.S Public Policy No deadline specified.

UMD: Intern, Center for Injury Prevention and Policy No deadline specified.

Pyxis Partners: Intern, Health Policy Advocacy No deadline specified.

Axle: Clinical Trials Operations Specialist No deadline specified.

National Governors Association: Policy Analyst (Health) No deadline specified.

2026 Spring Internship Application (TRUTH Initiative) No deadline specified.

Associate Public Health Consultant (BME Strategies) No deadline specified.

Community Engagement & Program Associate (The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts) No deadline specified.

Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Cardiology, Internal Medicine, School of Medicine (VCU) No deadline specified.

Program Associate, Tobacco Control (Vital Strategies) No deadline specified.

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

Stanford Global and Planetary Health Research Convening January 28, 2026.

A Biomedical Engineer’s Journey to tackle Neglected Tropical Diseases Free virtual talk on January 30, 12p EST.

The Ethics and Politics of Gun Violence (GWU) February 4.

Advancing Public Policy & Opportunities in Health (US Capitol Visitor’s Center), February 11.

India AI Impact Summit 2026 February 19-20, 2026 in New Delhi, India.

2026 Our Planet, Our Health Convention Feb 28-March 3, 2026. Arlington, VA.

Hopkins India Conference April 1-2, 2026. Call for speakers now open.

Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference April 9-12, 2026.

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.”

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

January 2026 Apothek Dispatch

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