ANN ARBOR—Cherish Fields spent many unsettled years moving around in foster care before proudly graduating from the University of Michigan with degrees in sociology and social work.

ANN ARBOR—Efforts to beautify vacant lots in the city of Flint have made neighborhoods more appealing but have also reduced assaults and violent crime by 40 percent, according to a new study by University of Michigan. The study, which builds on other research linking remediation programs to safer neighborhoods, looked at the Clean & Green Read more

ANN ARBOR—Two youth advocacy groups that are focused on ending gun violence will be awarded the 2018 Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan. The winners of this year’s medal will be B.R.A.V.E. (Bold Resistance Against Violence Everywhere) Youth Leaders from Chicago and March For Our Lives from Parkland, Fla. After the medal presentation, representatives Read more

ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan School of Public Health will house a new, multi-institutional center focusing on modeling and predicting the impact of tobacco regulation, funded with an $18 million federal grant from the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. The Center for the Assessment of the Public Health Impact of Read more

ANN ARBOR—As childhood obesity rates rise and physical education offerings dwindle, elementary schools keep searching for ways to incorporate the federally mandated half-hour of physical activity into the school day. A series of recent University of Michigan studies found that two-minute bursts of in-class exercise breaks increased the amount of daily exercise for elementary children Read more

ANN ARBOR—Low-income Michigan residents who enrolled in a new state health insurance plan didn’t just get coverage for their health needs—many also got a boost in their financial health, according to a new study. People who gained coverage under the state’s expanded Medicaid program have experienced fewer debt problems, bankruptcies, evictions and other financial issues Read more

ANN ARBOR—Incentives for hospitals to improve their quality and reduce costs do work, according to a new University of Michigan study. The research shows that hospitals that participate in such programs benefit not only from direct payment from patients’ treatment but also the good scores they get from patients on the treatment they receive. “Hospitals Read more

ANN ARBOR—Some kindergartners and first-graders suspended from school can find it challenging to reverse the negative trajectory in their academic life, says a University of Michigan researcher. These young suspended students—especially boys—are likely to be suspended again later in elementary school, according to Zibei Chen, a research fellow at the U-M School of Social Work, Read more

ANN ARBOR—A majority of officials in Michigan oppose medical marijuana facilities in their jurisdiction, according to a new survey by University of Michigan researchers. Almost 75 percent of Michigan cities, townships and villages report that they have chosen to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries in their areas. “Local leaders from all types of jurisdictions report low Read more