Celebrating new frontiers, questioning old barriers
This health newsletter covers the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for optogenetics research. It also highlights systemic issues in Indian healthcare, specifically citing a recent incident of alleged discrimination against a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh.
Why it matters
It juxtaposes high-level scientific achievement with the persistent reality of social and healthcare inequality in India.
On the Nobel Prize, healthcare inequities, mental health, new research, and more
(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Zubeda Hamid writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
This week began with a bang: the Nobel Prizes are being announced, and first in the line-up was the prize for medicine or physiology. Additionally this week, we’ve looked at access to, and affordability of healthcare in India, mental health and research developments.
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