We’re an evidence-driven interdisciplinary research lab studying how laws, policies & economics shape the public's health.
Joined November 2024
- Tweets36
- Following24
- Followers15
- Likes19
1/ ~20,000 vape, smoke, and cigar shops.~50 million monthly visits. SIL affiliates built a national database linking specialty tobacco retailer locations to foot traffic.Their new paper shows that: shops cluster hardest in low-income areas and density rises as edu levels fall🧵
2/ +Findings from the new specialty tobacco retailer database: cigar and smoke shops are less common in areas with more 15–24 year-olds but each additional shop nearby is linked to more total visits across shop types. Spillover effects,not just competition.
Read the full results and findings in @TC_BMJ here 🔗 buff.ly/YZ6y5vP
#TobaccoControl #TobaccoTax #TobaccoTaxation #TobaccoRegulation #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #TobaccoResearch
Nicotine pouches are a relatively new, and regulators are working through many of the same classification and oversight questions past novel nicotine products have raised. New insights from @Lauren_Tonti & @mikepesko dig into pouch regulatory uncertainty buff.ly/fvJJi0J
1/ New in @TC_BMJ: SIL affiliates translate heterogeneous state and local tax structures into standardized per-unit equivalent rates for little, large, and premium cigars. Check out their dataset standardizing 15 years of state cigar taxes: buff.ly/QBtXfel🧵
4/ Those numbers reflect increases since October 2010 of 31.2% (little), 19.2% (large), and 8.3% (premium)
Can AI reliably code law into structured data? Scott Burris, Jon Larsen (@PHLR_Temple) & @CasonSchmit walked us through their pilot test — what worked, where the gaps are, and the questions it raised. Testing AI in policy coding? Tell us more.
Coming up July 29 @ 12PM EST — Legal Epi in the Age of AI. Guest speaker Cason Schmit, JD (Texas A&M University) joins us to explore how AI is reshaping the way researchers turn law into structured data for public health research 🧵👇Register: buff.ly/lN5OHnJ
Kicking off next week - a brown bag series from SIL's Law & Policy Core: Using AI in the Creation of Legal and Policy Variables. Two free virtual sessions this July exploring how AI is reshaping how researchers turn law into structured data for public health research. 🧵👇
🗓️ July 13 — Scott Burris & Jonathan Larsen (@PHLR_Temple): "Using an AI Tool to Code Law"
🗓️ July 29 — Cason Schmit (Texas A&M): "Legal Epi in the Age of AI"
Free & virtual, 12–12:45pm EST. Register:
→ July 13: umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/reg…
→ July 29: umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/reg…
Policy windows open quickly. Evidence needs to be ready. We produce rigorous, reproducible research that helps answer the population health questions decision-makers face.
#HealthPolicy #PolicyResearch #PopulationHealth #EvidenceBasedPolicy #SocialImpactLab
21 researchers. 4 institutions. 3 sessions of research speed dating.
That was the Social Impact Lab's first IDEAS Workshop — cross-disciplinary feedback when it matters. Read more about the first round 🔗buff.ly/yEjqWj0 @MizzouEcon @YaleSPH @JohnsHopkinsSPH @universityofk
“The goal is to create a space where researchers can efficiently get honest, useful feedback before projects are fully developed" — @mikepesko
“Sometimes that means strengthening a promising idea. Other times it means identifying barriers early or reconsidering whether a project should move forward in its current form.” — @mikepesko
Most research papers start as half-formed questions muttered at water coolers, showerheads, or very patient cats. Your coffee mug can only do so much. Bounce your ideas off experts instead. #IDEASWorkshop space exists to let that happen —early and across disciplines.
Have a great idea, but stuck on research design? Hammer out your next great research question with us. Introducing the Social Impact Lab's IDEAS Workshops. Bring early-stage research to an interdisciplinary team for honest feedback (long before Reviewer 1!). Link in bio.
Good research doesn't happen in silos. The Social Impact Lab brings together economics, law, and public health experts to study how policies shape health outcomes. Guided by open dialogue, rigor, and the belief that better evidence leads to better decisions. #EvidenceMatters