December 2025 Apothek Dispatch + 2025 Roundup
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
Welcome to the December 2025 Apothek Dispatch, where we decode the signal from the noise on health, environment, and technology.
This month’s dispatch will be a recap of 2025, and six months of posts on Substack. Ideas shared here have been featured by Science, STAT News, and Ars Technica. This publication is now reaching 126 subscribers across the US, India, UK, Canada, and Ireland. Thank you all for being part of this journey!
Looking ahead to 2026, I’ll be experimenting with the Substack “chat” feature and sharing more short-form Substack “notes” to connect with others on the platform. All long-form posts will remain free for everyone, but I’m excited to offer something new for paid subscribers: a one-on-one annual consulting session through my LLC, Apothek Advisory, to discuss career transitions, startup ideas, or any other projects you’re working on. Over recent months, I’ve provided advisory services to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a silicon valley AI startup, and the University of Colorado. Founding members receive an additional two sessions as a thank you for your early support!
Back to the Dispatch. After the 2025 recap, we’ll close with current opportunities: jobs, consultancies, fellowships, and grants for those working at critical frontiers.
It’s all below. If this sounds useful, hit subscribe or share it with your network.
2025 Year in Review
The Long and Short of Things
This collection of longform essays, short reports, and videos examines the moments that defined the year.
Let’s start with the global health sector, and the destruction of USAID:
This NY Times exposé revealed the chaos and confusion over the early days of the Trump administration, culminating in the dissolution of USAID. The abrupt termination of America’s global development and humanitarian programs broke thousands of international commitments and cut off millions of vulnerable people around the world from lifesaving support.
Dr. Craig Spencer, in his NY Times op-ed, reflected on the moral argument for global health in this haunting personal essay.
A review of USAID’s work in the Lancet projects an additional 14 million deaths over the coming years as a result of the shutdown of the agency. Dr. Atul Gawande’s short documentary, Rovina’s Choice, and this Pro-Publica investigation into cholera deaths in South Sudan put human faces to these numbers. Both reveal the devastation stemming from the abruptness of the program terminations, which left local clinics and other partners no time to prepare for the loss of resources or secure alternative means of support.
On the domestic front, new leadership at the CDC is undermining the integrity of America’s public health infrastructure, just as millions are poised to lose their health insurance coverage:
Dr. Paul Offit shared his own interactions with HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, and how that foreshadows what lies ahead for the public health sector.
My article in STAT News, co-authored with Alison Hoover, reveals how emotions like fear, anxiety, and frustration override rational decision-making when choosing health coverage. An estimated 17 million Americans are on track to lose their insurance over the coming decade and will face this same challenge (paywall free link here).
Now on to the technology sector, where we’ve witnessed the onward march of artificial intelligence:
My article in Ars Technica, co-authored with Luke Shors, describes how AI hallucination and sycophancy interact to threaten health knowledge and research.
This more recent publication in Rolling Stone reveals how fake academic citations hallucinated by AI platforms are infiltrating published research. Even worse, these fabricated references have spread through citation chains and have now become embedded in research databases.
And finally, you may have noticed strange phrasing and punctuation in the articles you’ve read online this year. Things like excessive use of the em dash and “negative framing.” This NY Times article dives into the the AI chatbot writing style that seems to be infiltrating all forms of written content.
“AI chatbot writing style seems to be infiltrating all forms of written content—and it’s not just a quirky trend, it’s a fundamental shift in how we communicate online.” [See what I did there! ;)]
Odds & Ends
Sharing two more longform articles that lie outside of the usual focus of this newsletter:
Slate editor Tony Ho Tran shares his experiences visiting Vietnam with his parents 50 years after the war’s end, exploring how his refugee parents navigate a country still celebrating its victory.
In another longform article from Outside Magazine, a writer embarks on a years-long quest to return a Japanese katana his grandfather found on an Okinawa beach in 1945. He traces the 500-year-old blade back to the owner’s family through persistent research, expert sword appraisers, and the willingness to confront the complicated legacy of war.
Here are a few standout books and films from 2025, some new, others just new to me:
Books: The Body Digital (2025, which I reviewed in Science), On Tyranny (2017), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984). The first is a new book that explores how tools, machines, and technology have shaped the human experience. The latter two books I re-read this year to reflect on rising authoritarianism.
Films: Rental Family, Homebound (see also this NYT essay on which it’s based), and Mickey 17.
Ending with a positive story on the American chestnut tree making a comeback. Once billions strong, a blight rendered this tree functionally extinct. Now, a multi-generational effort to breed a resistant tree is restoring this species to the forest:
Opportunity Signals
“Any school boy can do experiments in the physics laboratory to test various scientific hypotheses. But man, because he has only one life to live, cannot conduct experiments to test whether to follow his passion (compassion) or not.”
-Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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).
Fellowships & Grants:
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.
Oxford Fellowship in AI Ethics: For an “...established scholar in an AI-related field who graduated with their doctorate at least 5 years ago.” Deadline January 5, 2025.
DC Department of Energy and Environment: Green Fellows Leadership and Development Program. Applications open now and the program will start in February 2026.
Hoover Institution Post Doc Research Fellowship in Bio-Strategies & Leadership (Stanford University) Applications open now to individuals with a relevant PhD. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis, fellows onboarded in summer or fall 2026.
Senior Roles:
Kenya Country Director (inSupply Health) Deadline January 4, 2026.
Howard University Joint Faculty Appointment: AI, Health Disparities, and Environmental Health Screening begins on December 1, 2025, to continue until the position is filled. Start date is August 1, 2026.
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.
Senior Communications Consultant (Vistra Staffing) No deadline specified.
Director, Food is Medicine (The Rockefeller Foundation) 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.
Audubon Society: Vice President, Conservation Action No deadline specified.
VOW for Girls: CEO No deadline specified
Evidence Action: Global (Senior) Director, Accelerator No deadline specified.
Mid-Career Roles:
Senior Program Officer, Infectious Diseases, Epidemics (PATH) Deadline January 5, 2026.
Freshwater Policy Advisor (The Nature Conservancy) Anticipated start date mid-February 2026.
Program Officer (Super Pollutant Action Alliance) Soft deadline November 15, 2025 but may be open for longer.
Global and Community Health, Assistant/Associate Professor in Epidemiology (George Mason University) Open till filled (initial deadline was November 14, 2025).
mHealth Systems Consultant (Gorilla Doctors) No deadline specified.
Senior MCH Advisor - Cote d’Ivoire (ZemiTek) No deadline specified.
Research Scientist - Global Health (SURGO Health) No deadline specified.
Strategic Communications Consultant, Global Health (MitraTech) No deadline specified.
Bilingual Sr. Associate (Johns Hopkins Medicine) No deadline specified.
Food is Medicine (FIM) Pooled Fund Project Manager No deadline specified.
Senior Program Officer/Program Director (The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts) No deadline specified.
Policy Advisor, U.S. Climate Alliance (UN Foundation) 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.
Early Career Roles
2026 Spring Internship Application (TRUTH Initiative) No deadline specified.
Intern - Quality Assurance (InteleHealth) 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.
Special Projects Associate (GovAct) 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.
Conferences / Training
Prince Mahidol Awards Conference January 26-31, 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand
Stanford Global and Planetary Health Research Convening January 28, 2026.
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.
ICT4D Conference 2026 May 20-22, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.
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.Thank you for joining Apothek Dispatch. I'm excited to share this journey with you! This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow Apothek Dispatch members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: