Each year that I’ve written an end-of-year newsletter for the health and medicine desk since I took this job in 2021, I’ve been awed looking back at the breadth and gravity of topics scholars have helped readers understand here at The Conversation. And 2025 is no different.

But this year, the stakes for public health seem particularly high. Institutions that people have long relied on for accurate health information have been transformed by the Trump administration’s priorities, with the staffing of critical programs drastically reduced. Long-standing, evidence-based, effective vaccine recommendations have been rewritten. Public trust in science is declining, and people are uncertain where to go for clear, unpoliticized information.

This makes our job as health editors more challenging – and more important – than ever.

This year we strived to deliver stories that build trust and connection with readers, in part by encouraging scholars to weave in personal connections to their work. We aimed to enrich readers’ understanding of how public health decisions get made and to develop a more nuanced view of the research process behind them.

Here are a few stories that stood out:

A deep dive into cardiac health tied to celebrity pro wrestler Hulk Hogan’s death resonated with readers. Reminders about the critical importance of regular exercise for physical and cognitive health are certainly not new. But the tie-in to Hogan’s life presumably made these public health messages more personal for readers, illustrating the value of old-fashioned explainers on topics that we may take for granted.

Psychoactive mushrooms are having their moment. One of our most-read stories this year centered on the steep rise in emergency room visits from the growing practice of “microdosing” with psychedelic mushrooms.

An explainer on the recent recall of atorvastatin, a generic version of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor – the most prescribed medicine in the U.S. – also drew a lot of eyeballs. Alla Katsnelson, who joined our team as health and medicine editor at The Conversation in January and edited the piece, says that along with offering clear guidance on which products were affected by the recall, it also “offered broader perspective about the oversight of drug manufacturing and drug safety” in the U.S.

Another story that hit the mark with readers explored the health claims some prominent wellness influencers have made about a substance called methylene blue. Health and wellness is an area in which consumers are increasingly susceptible to misinformation, so The Conversation’s model of bringing academic expertise to bear on complex science provides a critical service to readers.

We take this responsibility seriously and are grateful to our readers and supporters for staying curious, seeking to be more informed and appreciating evidence-based news and research analysis. Here’s to a healthy, joyful holiday season and a less tumultuous year ahead.

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