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Mosquitoes and Malaria: Could the U.S. Be at Risk?

A mosquito sucks blood from a person.

Mosquito habitats are rapidly expanding in the United States due to climate and environmental changes, exotic species, and urbanization. This raises new concerns about malaria’s re-emergence.

Published November 24, 2025

By Collins Mamudu, MS

Image courtesy of anake via stock.adobe.com.

The United States is experiencing a swift expansion of mosquito habitats. Contributing factors include; invasive species, urbanization, climate change, and man-made changes to the environment. Warmer weather, shifting rainfall patterns, and less severe winters allow the Anopheles mosquito to breed and live in more places, and for longer periods of time. This problem becomes more serious as cities expand.

Because mosquito larvae thrive in standing water, which can be found in plenty in urban areas near construction sites, stormwater systems, and containers, mosquitoes are able to plague even the most densely populated urban areas. Another concerning issue is the discovery of a new invasive urban-adapted malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi, in the U.S. Their ability to survive in artificial water sources raises the risk of malaria transmission in previously low-risk areas.

Recent U.S. Malaria Cases Signal a Changing Landscape

In the summer of 2023, there were reports of ten cases of malaria that were locally acquired in the U.S.  These were the first cases like this in 20 years and the largest cluster in 35 years.  Seven of them happened in Sarasota County, and Florida, indicating focal transmission by local Anopheles mosquitoes.  The last three cases were found in Texas, Maryland, and Arkansas. This shows that transmission can happen in places that are far apart when the right conditions are met.  

The U.S. records about 2,000 cases of malaria each year, mostly among international travelers and recent immigrants from areas where the disease is common.  The ten states that have been hit the hardest are New York, Maryland, California, Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.  The risk of local spread is higher in the summer because more people travel internationally, which is when mosquitoes are most common.

A Changing Climate Reshapes Disease Risk

Climate change makes the planet warmer and changes ecosystems.  These changes affect how mosquitoes reproduce, live, and spread diseases.  Since 1951, malaria has been eradicated in the United States.  But because of rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, competent mosquito vectors now have improved chances to thrive.  Recent reports of malaria cases in the United States that were acquired locally remind us that getting rid of the disease doesn’t mean we will be safe from it in the future.

Why Temperature Matters for Malaria Transmission

Mosquitoes need warm places to breed.  As temperatures rise, Anopheles mosquitoes, which are the main carriers of malaria, can now live in more parts of the country.  In the U.S., the number of days with conditions favorable for mosquito activity has increased over the years by an average of 16 days.  These changes let mosquitoes live in places that were once too cold for their entire life cycle, which raises the risk of malaria.  The Plasmodium parasite needs heat to grow during the mosquito stage of its life cycle. Even small increases in temperature can speed up the growth of parasites in mosquitoes, increasing the likelihood of transmission.

Could Malaria Re-Establish in the U.S.?

In the U.S., malaria can still be spread by mosquitoes, especially when cases brought in from other countries are met with favorable environmental conditions.  For re-establishment to happen, there must be three things: competent mosquito vectors, favorable climate, and people who are infected with malaria.  The U.S. has strong protective systems, such as constant monitoring, quick case detection, vector control programs, and easy access to healthcare. These systems make it less likely that the country will become a malaria-endemic country.  But even with these protections, it’s still important to be careful. To stop a resurgence, there needs to be sustained surveillance and rapid public health action.

Climate Change Makes Global Health Everyone’s Business

Changes in climate are changing how diseases spread around the world.  Health risks that used to be limited to tropical areas are now spreading to new places.  This change impacts how countries, communities, and people must get ready.  The U.S. can’t ignore the signs that malaria might come back, even though it probably won’t come back as bad as it did a hundred years ago.  Warmer weather, mosquitoes spreading to new areas, and occasional local cases show that we still need to be careful.  Acting on climate change protects public health, ecosystems, and infrastructure.  Taking climate change seriously is important for many reasons, including protecting communities from diseases spread by mosquitoes.

Also read: New Insight into the Evolutionary History of Urban Mosquitoes

Vaccines Gave Us Back Our Tomorrows. We’re Squandering Them

A medical professional gives a patient a shot/vaccine.

More than half a century of vaccine progress, dubbed the “immunization era,” is swiftly being undone because of politics and propaganda.

Published November 19, 2025

By Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP, CHEP

Image courtesy of InfiniteFlow via stock.adobe.com.

In public health, most victories arrive quietly. No headlines mark the measles case that never happened, or the child spared from polio paralysis. But a landmark analysis released 50 years after the Expanded Programme on Immunization gives voice to those silent triumphs: since 1974, routine immunization has saved 154 million lives and added 10 billion years of human life, making vaccines the single biggest driver of infant survival in the modern era.

For those of us who have worked through outbreaks the study confirms what we already knew:  vaccines are the closest thing we have to a time machine. They don’t just prevent death in the present – they create futures, unlocking on average 66 additional years of health.

Courting Amnesia

As a public health and healthcare leader, I’m moved by the evidence. As a mother of four, I’m grounded by something simpler: peace of mind. My kids are up to date on every recommended shot. That doesn’t make our family special; it makes us fortunate to live in a place and time where protection is possible.

And yet we are courting amnesia.

Just a couple months ago, Florida announced plans to become the first state to ban all vaccine requirements, including for schoolchildren. Earlier this year, the United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO). In June, it pulled back funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance that helped vaccinate a generation of children and built outbreak stockpiles for cholera, yellow fever, meningitis and Ebola. These reversals, paired with rhetoric that clouds evidence-based policy at home, are eroding the infrastructure that protects vulnerable families abroad. When the U.S. steps away, the ripple effects are felt immediately: in last-mile clinics, health workers are left to decide whether limited cold boxes hold lifesaving measles doses or nothing at all.

The Impact of Preventative Services

As a board member of Project HOPE, which operates in many of these communities abroad, I’ve seen the consequences firsthand. When routine immunization falters, measles resurges first, then polio eradication gets harder and already strained health systems lose the “tugboat” that pulls in preventive services. Vaccines create the scaffolding on which stronger health systems are built, expanding capacity to tackle everything from cancer care to ensuring safe deliveries. Remove that foundation, and decades of progress can collapse almost overnight. 

This is not an abstract budget debate. Gavi’s most recent replenishment fell short of its goal. Without U.S. support, an estimated 75 million children will miss out on routine vaccinations and 1.2 million children in low- and middle-income countries will die over the next five years.

I welcome counterarguments so long as we follow where the data leads. The world’s most comprehensive modeling shows vaccines save lives at scale across continents and generations. Since the introduction of polio vaccines in 1955, worldwide cases have dropped by over 99% – from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to just 6 reported in 2021. This massive reduction has saved millions of lives and spared countless children from lifelong paralysis.

Rigorous economic analyses demonstrate that immunization pays for itself. In low- and middle-income countries, returns on investment range from roughly 16:1 to more than 26:1, depending on how you count the benefits, a yield greater than any other health intervention.

A Call to Action

So here is the call, from a public health leader, a humanitarian, and a mom:

  • Congress should restore sustained U.S. support for Gavi and codify predictable funding for outbreak stockpiles. This is low-cost insurance against pandemics we’d prefer never to fight.
  • The Administration should reverse course on WHO. Walking away from the body that coordinates global monitoring, and response doesn’t make Americans safer; it makes us blind.
  • States should align with evidence-based recommendations and invest in trusted messengers to rebuild vaccination confidence.
  • The CDC must be insulated from politics and provide public health guidance anchored in science, communicated with clarity, and humility. If Americans lose trust in our own health agencies, compliance will erode, inequities will widen, and we’ll be more vulnerable when the next crisis strikes.

Fifty years into the immunization era, the proof is irrefutable: vaccines are time restored, measured in millions of children reaching birthdays they would have otherwise missed. My kids’ protected tomorrows are no more precious than those in Kinshasa, Karachi, or Kansas City. For decades, U.S. support helped eradicate smallpox, drive polio to the brink of extinction, and build the global vaccine architecture that made those tomorrows possible. We should not be the ones to dismantle it home or abroad.

* The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The New York Academy of Sciences.*

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New Insight into the Evolutionary History of Urban Mosquitoes

A mosquito.

A new ‘Science’ paper by a Leon Levy Scholar on the London Underground Mosquito suggests that their ability to adapt to urban environments dates back further than previously thought.

Published October 31, 2025

By Nick Fetty

Magnified image of the Cx. pipiens body. Image by David Barillet-Portal via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed via CC BY-SA 3.0. No changes made to the original work.

Culex pipiens form molestus, more commonly known as the London Underground Mosquito, has long been an example of the potential speed and complexity of urban adaptation.

Through years of underground habitation in the subways and cellars of northern Europe, the species is thought to have evolved from its bird-biting ancestors to an  urban form, called molestus, that bites humans and other mammals. This is of interest to scientists because this characteristic within this species is thought to have contributed to the spread of West Nile virus in the United States and southern Europe over the past 20 years. While previous research has suggested that the mosquito evolved human-biting and other human-adaptive characteristics over the previous two centuries, new research published in the journal Science now shows this evolutionary history could date back more than 1000 years.

The paper was published in Science on October 23rd by a team of researchers, including first author Yuki Haba, PhD, a 2025 Leon Levy Scholar in Neuroscience. Named for the late philanthropist Leon Levy and administered by The New York Academy of Sciences, the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience aim to promote groundbreaking neuroscience research in New York City. The scholarship supports the most innovative young researchers during their postdoctoral research, which is a critical stage of their careers.

Analyzing Population Genomics

Dr. Haba built upon the research he did as a doctoral student at Princeton University. He applied his expertise in population genomics to the recent paper.

“As a behavioral and evolutionary scientist, I have been very much interested in the evolution of mosquitoes – whose human-biting behavior and the ability to vector deadly diseases are a threat to millions of people,” says Dr. Haba, who also serves as a postdoc at The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University. “I, together with my advisor Lindy McBride and more than 200 collaborators across the world, generated and analyzed the first global population genomic dataset of Culex pipiens, an important human-biting species. My expertise in population genomics was particularly helpful in analyzing large-scale datasets as well as in deciphering ecological contexts in which the human-biting mosquito originated.”

The research team sequenced the whole genomes of approximately 350 contemporary and historical Cx. pipiens mosquitoes from 77 populations across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. They then used population genomic analysis, focusing on population structure, derived allele-sharing, phylogeny, and cross-coalescence, to better understand molestus’ evolutionary history.

“Our genomic data also provide a major revision to our understanding of gene flow between bird- and mammal-biting forms,” the researchers write. “We found that genetic signatures researchers previously ascribed to between-form hybridization instead reflect ancestral variation within bird-biting populations.”

Continuing to Evolve

The researchers now believe that molestus first started adapting to human environments more than 1000 years ago in the Mediterranean basin, likely Ancient Egypt or a similar early agricultural society.

“Rather than benchmarking the speed and complexity of urban evolution, this updated history highlights the role of early human society in priming taxa for colonization of modern urban environments,” the researchers conclude. “Our work also revises our fundamental understanding of gene flow in this important vector and opens the door to incisive investigation of the potential links between urbanization, hybridization, and arbovirus spillover to humans.”

Even though the researchers have shown that molestus has ancient origins, that doesn’t mean evolution has stopped. Once these mosquitoes moved underground, they faced a very different set of challenges — including the scarcity of hosts. In those settings, females that can lay eggs without a blood meal (a trait called autogeny) have a big advantage. This behavior and physiology are almost universal in northern underground populations but much less frequent in Egypt and surrounding regions.

“One exciting question for future research is whether that’s a bona fide recent, rapid adaptation to underground life, and whether it evolved just once or multiple times independently,” says Dr. Haba. “We think our study also has important and exciting public health implications, because molestus isn’t just a fascinating evolutionary story, it’s also a major vector for disease.”

New Avenues of Research

Aboveground molestus was once the primary carrier of a human-specific filarial parasite in Egypt, and it’s been implicated in the transmission of West Nile virus and other pathogens across Eurasia and North America. The researchers found that hybridization between bird-biting pipiens and human-biting molestus — which allows viruses to jump from birds to humans (referred to as ‘viral spillover’) — is much rarer than previously believed. What earlier studies interpreted as “mixing” often reflects shared ancient ancestry instead. But where hybridization does occur, it’s linked to human population density — meaning it happens more often in urban areas.

This finding gives researchers a new framework to explore how urbanization, gene flow, and disease transmission are all connected.

“By disentangling ancient variation from true hybridization events, we may be able to better predict where mosquitoes capable of bridging bird-to-human transmission might emerge,” says Dr. Haba. “We suggest future surveillance should incorporate as much genomic data and analyses as possible, so that we can better understand the links between urbanization, gene flow, ancestral variation, and viral spillover.”

Read the full paper.

Chikungunya on Long Island: A Warning Sign of Our Changing Climate

A mosquito bites a person.

The recent confirmed case of Chikungunya virus on Long Island marks a significant public health moment for New York. While a single confirmed case is not cause for alarm, it is cause for attention. Climate change is altering disease dynamics faster than many systems are prepared for.

Published October 27, 2025

By Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP, CHEP

New York health officials have confirmed the first locally transmitted case of Chikungunya virus in the United States since 2019, after a Nassau County resident on Long Island tested positive for the mosquito-borne illness. The patient, who developed symptoms in August, had recently traveled within the country but not abroad.

While one confirmed case does not constitute an outbreak, it marks a notable shift in public health realities and a reminder that the changing climate is influencing disease patterns in ways that demand attention and preparation.

Understanding Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral illness transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. First described in Tanzania in the early 1950s, its name derives from the Kimakonde language meaning “that which bends up,” describing the stooped posture caused by severe joint pain.

Typical symptoms include fever, rash, and intense joint pain that may persist for weeks, months, or even years. Although rarely fatal, Chikungunya can cause long-term disability and severely impact quality of life. The United States has reported no locally acquired Chikungunya cases since 2019. Historically, local transmission has been rare, confined to cases in Florida in 2014 and Texas in 2015. Each year, roughly 80 to 100 travel-associated cases are reported nationwide, primarily among individuals returning from the Caribbean, South America, and Asia. Before 2006, the virus was seldom detected in U.S. travelers, but since becoming a nationally notifiable condition in 2015, surveillance has documented a steady trickle of imported infections.

A First for New York

State officials have verified that the Nassau County case represents New York’s first known local transmission of Chikungunya. Prior to this, all infections detected in the state were travel related.

In August 2025, the Department issued a Health Advisory on Chikungunya virus, reminding healthcare providers of testing and reporting protocols and noting that while the virus is not routinely found in the United States, it can be imported into new areas by infected travelers. The advisory also highlighted Level 2 CDC Travel Health Notices for regions including Bolivia, the Indian Ocean area, and China, where outbreaks have recently occurred. The mosquito vector Aedes albopictus is well established in downstate New York, including Long Island.  Its northward expansion, facilitated by warmer temperatures and wetter summers, is a direct reflection of our changing climate.

Climate Change and the Expanding Reach of Disease

Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and longer warm seasons are allowing disease-carrying mosquitoes to thrive in new territories. Climate change doesn’t only warm the planet, it transforms where and when pathogens can circulate.

Around the world, Chikungunya has re-emerged with surprising reach, with local transmission reported this year in parts of France, Italy, and China, in addition to ongoing outbreaks in tropical regions. The Long Island case should therefore be read not as an isolated incident, but as a signal of growing vulnerability. Public health agencies will need to adapt surveillance and prevention systems to meet a future where diseases once considered “tropical” may no longer stay that way.

What New Yorkers Should Know

The risk to the public remains low, according to state health officials, but prevention remains essential — especially during the warmer months when mosquitoes are active, typically from late spring through early fall. New Yorkers can reduce exposure by using EPA-approved repellents such as DEET or picaridin, wearing long sleeves and pants during peak mosquito hours, and eliminating standing water around homes where mosquitoes breed. These precautions should continue until cooler temperatures and the first frosts bring mosquito activity to a halt, usually by October or November. Clinicians are urged to remain vigilant and to consider Chikungunya in patients presenting with unexplained fever and severe joint pain, even in the absence of international travel, as locally acquired infections are now possible.

Preparing Clinicians for a Changing Health Landscape

As climate change reshapes patterns of vector-borne and infectious diseases, clinicians have a vital role to play, not only in diagnosis and treatment, but in public communication. A group of us developed the Climate Health Champions training program to prepare healthcare professionals to recognize and respond to the health impacts of climate change. This initiative helps providers integrate climate-informed care into clinical practice, while equipping them to discuss with patients how rising temperatures and changing ecosystems are affecting their health and well-being.

Clinicians are trusted messengers. By engaging in meaningful conversations about the connections between climate and health, they can empower communities to understand that climate change is not a distant environmental issue, it is a present and growing public health concern. Learn more about this initiative here.

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Autoimmunity Meets Innovation: Cell Therapies

Joining leading experts at the forefront of cell biology, immunology, and autoimmunity research for a one-day event on April 30th, 2026, in New York City. The New York Academy of Sciences invites you to Autoimmunity Meets Innovation: Cell Therapies, where top researchers from academic institutions and industry professionals, as well as regulatory experts, will explore the scientific and implementation opportunities for advancing cell therapy approaches in autoimmunity. Autoimmune diseases affect a significant portion of the population, imposing substantial economic and societal burdens due to their chronic nature and profoundly impacting the quality of life for those affected.

Cutting-edge cell therapies, including CAR-T cells, CAR-Treg cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-MSC cells, have the potential to transform the landscape of autoimmune disease treatment. Early-stage clinical trials are already underway for a range of autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and others.

This symposium will highlight progress in the development of disruptive scientific approaches and game-changing technologies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases in both pre-clinical and clinical contexts. Don’t miss the chance to engage in dialogue and collaboration with renowned experts who will pave the way for an ecosystem that supports future scientific breakthroughs in autoimmunity research and treatment.

Sponsors

Presented By

The Biochemical Pharmacology
Discussion Group

Lead Supporters

Pfizer logo

2026 Annual Symposium for the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience

An orange and white graphic.

May 7, 2026 | 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM ET

The 2026 Annual Symposium for the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience is the flagship event for this highly competitive program. Presented by The New York Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Leon Levy Foundation, this Symposium is open to esteemed members of the local neuroscience community by invitation only. Current Leon Levy scholars from the 2025 cohort will be introducing their research proposals, while scholars from the 2023 and 2024 cohorts will be presenting updates on their research. Attendees will have ample opportunity to network with scholars, mentors, PI’s, program alumni and other prominent New York City based neuroscientists.

The Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience aim to promote groundbreaking neuroscience research in the five boroughs of New York City. The scholarships support the most innovative young researchers at a critical stage of their careers—their postdoctoral research—as they develop new ideas and directions to help establish them as independent neuroscientists. To learn more about the program or request an invitation, click here or contact us at leonlevy@nyas.org.

Download the Agenda

Sponsor

Keynote Speaker

Mary E. Hatten, PhD

Mary E. Hatten, Ph.D. is the Frederick P. Rose Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology at the Rockefeller University and Co-Director of the Shelby White and Leon Levy Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior at Rockefeller. She has made landmark discoveries on the mechanisms underlying glial-guided migration, a critical process in brain histogenesis. Her lab discovered the Astrotactin gene family, which function as neuron-glial ligands in migration and are implicated in a broad range of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD. In recent work she developed robust protocols to differentiate the two principal human cerebellar neurons, Purkinje cells and granule cells from human pluripotent stem cells or patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells. To model cerebellar circuits, she has engineered a microfluidic system in which to culture purified human PCs or GCs in laminae that mimic the layered architecture of the cerebellar cortex.

Dr. Hatten received a B.A. from Hollins College, a Ph.D. from Princeton University and postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. Among other awards, she is the recipient of the Ralph W. Gerard Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Society for Neuroscience and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences USA, the National Academy of Medicine USA and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Abstract

In early phases of mammalian brain development glial-guided neuronal migration establishes the laminar organization of cortical brain regions. The Astrotactin gene family provides a neuron-glial ligand for glial migration with ASTN1 serving as an adhesion protein and ASTN2 regulating the turnover of ASTN1 and trafficking of synaptic proteins.  Recent studies on human patients ASTN variants show severe neuro-developmental disorders (NDDs) in both cerebellum, cortex and hippocampus with migration deficits.  A loss of Astn2 in the mouse results in a range of behavioral deficits that mimic those seen in patients with ASDs, including a marked decrease in separation-induced pup ultrasonic vocalization calls, hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors, altered behavior in the three-chamber test, and impaired cerebellar-dependent eyeblink conditioning. Current work in the lab focuses on the use of our described method to generate human pluripotent stem cell and iPSC-derived PCs and GCs. To generate a laminar system that mimics the laminar structure of the cerebellar cortex, we have bioengineered a novel microfluidic system suitable for both molecular and ephys studies. We are using this system to discover gene expression changes as well as deficits in cerebeller circuits involved human cerebellar disorders.

Let’s Talk Genetics: A Workshop for Educators and Science Communicators

A graphic with a DNA helix.

December 2, 2025 | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

How does your health relate to your genes? What can (and what can’t) commercial ancestry testing tell you? How does law enforcement use DNA in criminal investigations? Join Personal Genetics Education and Dialogue (PGED) for an interactive workshop about genetics advances and their applications, including how to foster conversations about these topics in classrooms and community spaces.

Participants will learn about how genetics can intersect with personal and societal interests, including the use of genetic information in health, ancestry testing, and law enforcement. They will participate throughout the workshop, including in an online game, and will be encouraged to ask questions and share their perspectives with other attendees. Although this interactive workshop is geared towards educators and scientists interested in public engagement, anyone interested in genetics is welcome to attend.

Please note that the workshop is limited to live attendance and will not be recorded.

Sponsor

Personal Genetics Education and Dialogue (PGED) is a public engagement with science program based in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. For over eighteen years, they have raised awareness and inspired curiosity, reflection, and dialogue about genetics. They create resources and offer programs that explore the relevance and impact of genetics in people’s lives. By highlighting the “personal” in genetics, they strive to help people build knowledge and confidence to speak up, ask questions, and make informed decisions based on their needs and values.

Speaker

Rob O’Malley, PhD

Strategic Engagement Lead, Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue (PGED), Harvard Medical School

Rob is a biological anthropologist who shifted from a career studying wild chimpanzees to one focused on public engagement with science. Rob has expertise in evidence-based public engagement approaches, with a particular interest in how history, culture, and worldview (including faith and spirituality) inform peoples’ perspectives on genetics and related sciences. He helps to develop and facilitate workshops, co-creates and edits formal and informal education resources, and identifies and pursues grants and other funding opportunities to support PGED’s work. Rob is also the education committee co-chair for the American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA).

Pricing

All: Free

Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy

Now in its 13th year, Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy brings together leading researchers, clinicians, and industry innovators to explore the next generation of therapies that are transforming cancer treatment. The field of immuno-oncology has achieved remarkable breakthroughs over the past decade. Yet, many challenges remain—from understanding the biology of resistant tumor types to identifying novel therapeutic targets and strategies. This year’s symposium will showcase cutting-edge research and highlight promising approaches in areas such as cancer vaccines, bispecifics, modulation of the tumor microenvironment, AI-driven discovery of immunotherapy, and cell-based therapies for solid tumors.

In addition to keynote lectures and plenary talks, the program features industry updates, short talks selected from abstracts, and a panel discussion on moving discoveries from the bench to the clinic. Ample networking opportunities will give participants the chance to connect with peers, collaborators, and leaders shaping the future of cancer immunotherapy.

Join us in New York City to share knowledge, foster new collaborations, and be part of the conversation driving the next breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

Sponsors

Presenting Partners

The New York Academy of Sciences logo

Presented By

The Cancer and Signaling
Discussion Group

Lead Supporter

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Examining Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy

A pregnant woman eats a salad.

By utilizing an individual participant data meta-analyses, researchers were able to shed new light on prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation.

Published September 24, 2025

By Nick Fetty

The cover of the July issue of Advances in Nutrition.

A multi-year research project by The New York Academy of Sciences’ Nutrition Science Program has resulted in promising findings for positive birth outcomes based on when supplementation is started during pregnancy and how consistently it’s taken.

Findings from the project were published in the July issue of Advances in Nutrition. The international team of researchers assessed the impact of timing of initiation and adherence on the effectiveness of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS). The researchers conducted a two-stage individual participant data meta-analysis that included 15 randomized trials with 61,204 pregnant women.

The findings showed that higher adherence to MMS was consistently linked to better birth outcomes, highlighting the importance of early initiation and program strategies that support sustained use. For example, women who had adherence to MMS of 90% or better had babies that were on average 56 grams heavier than those who took iron and folic acid alone, and the risk of delivering babies with low birthweight (i.e. weighing less than 2.5 kilograms) was reduced by 12% in this high adherence group. On the other hand, those who took less than 60% of the supplements had no difference in birth weight.

“The Academy has been working on prenatal MMS since 2017,” said Filomena Gomes, PhD, a former program manager for the Academy’s Nutrition Science Program. “The expertise and network created since then enabled the coordination of this complex project with 37 co-authors.”

The Strength of an Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis

Part of what made this research different from similar, past projects is that it conducted an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis in a new way. The advantage of the IPD is that it provides the researchers with data from each participant in the trial.

“Other methods, such as the Cochrane reviews, use the averages from the trial so you lose a lot of detail and information,” said Megan Bourassa, PhD, the former Associate Director for Nutrition Science at the Academy. “For example, there was a wide range in the number of pills consumed in some trials, and we are able to parse that information, rather than relying on single data points from each trial.”

While IPD meta-analyses have been used in this field of research in the past, the approach on this project was different.

“Other individual participant data meta-analyses have been conducted previously to assess the benefits of prenatal MMS on various outcomes, but this is the first individual participant data meta-analysis to assess and examine the timing of initiation and adherence of MMS,” said Dr. Gomes.

A Team Effort

The researchers gave special acknowledgement to the efforts of all 15 of the trial groups. These trial groups either provided raw data or analyzed their previously collected data based on this project’s protocol. Support was also provided by JBJ Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on the “most cost-effective ways to create impact for the world’s poorest.”

The Academy partners with other organizations to explore solutions across the nutrition spectrum. By convening diverse groups, synthesizing evidence, building consensus, designing roadmaps, and preparing scientific manuscripts for publication, the efforts build solutions that use nutrition science to support and advance public health.

“This work is important for implementing supplementation programs for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries because we can now show how much starting early and taking it consistently matters for the health of the mother and baby,” Dr. Bourassa said.

Also read: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Address Inadequate Calcium Intake

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Address Inadequate Calcium Intake

A glass of milk.

By combining scientific depth, data translation, and policy navigation, researchers hope to improve calcium intake across the globe.

Published September 24, 2025

By Nick Fetty

A screenshot from the Global Calcium Map Dashboard.

A research effort involving The New York Academy of Sciences’ Nutrition Science Program aims to provide governments and policy advocates with accurate information that can support policy change for better health outcomes.

The team of researchers led systematic reviews, integrated diverse datasets, and applied nutritional epidemiology to map global patterns of calcium intake. They then built an interactive platform that turns complex data into a living decision tool.

“With our cross-disciplinary approach, we connected the lab, the dataset, and the policy table, ensuring calcium is no longer an invisible nutrient in the global health conversation,” said Ziaul Rana, PhD, a former Program Manager for the Academy’s Nutrition Science Program.

As part of this effort, the Academy launched the Global Calcium Map Dashboard, an interactive, living atlas of calcium health and nutrition. More than a data platform, it illustrates patterns of dietary calcium intake, preeclampsia and preterm birth rates, and interventions. Calcium intake during pregnancy is especially important because it is associated with lower rates of preeclampsia, which is a significant contributor to preterm birth.

The platform’s country typologies make the invisible visible, categorizing nations by urgency, and highlighting where interventions can have the greatest impact. For policymakers and researchers, the map functions as both a compass and a call to action, guiding efforts to close critical gaps in maternal and child health.

The Issue of Calcium Accessibility

The accessibility of calcium rich foods, such as dairy products, vary greatly depending on location and traditional diets. While dairy products are generally accessible in places like the United States, this is not always the case abroad. 

“In other parts of the world, dairy products can be very expensive or are just not commonly consumed and often the result is a much lower intake of calcium,” said Megan Bourassa, PhD, the former Associate Director for Nutrition Science at the Academy. “There are other sources of calcium, for example fish bones, generally consumed from small fish, or from certain vegetables, but in plant-based sources we have to worry about the bioavailability of the calcium. Often our bodies can’t efficiently use the calcium that is there.”

By spotlighting the role of calcium in health, this initiative seeks to reset priorities and drive action through supplementation, fortification, or tailored food-based solutions.

“Its innovation lies not just in what we built, but in how it can be used: a shared evidence base for countries, advocates, and global agencies to push for more equitable health outcomes,” said Dr. Rana. “Our goal is to help catalyze a shift so that adequate calcium intake becomes a core pillar of maternal and child health programs worldwide.”

An Advocacy Tool for Policy Change

The researchers hope the online dashboard can be an advocacy tool for policy change.

“When we put together the information from the maps, we can see areas that might benefit more from an intervention. Groups can use this information to approach policy makers to encourage change. It can also be helpful to see how other countries perform in a particular region,” said Dr. Bourassa.

For example, if a neighboring country has a well implemented calcium fortification program and lower preeclampsia rates, this might be a good rationale to implement calcium fortification in a country, assuming diets and other risk factors are similar.

The research team acknowledged the Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for supporting the systematic literature reviews. The team also utilized publicly available data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, known as the Global Burden of Disease Study, and from the Global Fortification Data Exchange. These data sources provide information for a wide array of contexts, and the researchers extracted information relevant for calcium to include in the dashboard. Support was also provided by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

“We hope this work can enable policymakers, donors, and public health organizations to strategically allocate resources where calcium interventions could achieve maximum health impact and save the most lives,” said Dr. Bourassa.

Also read: Examining Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy

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