Opioid overdoses
Opioid overdoses will continue to be something we grapple with in 2026, including why rates have been declining. The drug supply is poised to make marked shifts in 2026, and our lab has tested 20,000 drug samples to understand the complexity. Collectively, we’ll need to continue to provide resources that address people’s full health needs, including harm reduction options, treatment, food, shelter and more.
— Nabarun Dasgupta, senior scientist at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and innovation fellow at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Naloxone accessPopulation trends and the aging economy
The demographic reshuffling is underway. We see record-low birth rates, an aging population and potential changes to immigration patterns following political influence. This change in demographics will have lots of implications for 2026 and beyond, especially in terms of labor markets, financial and caregiving support for older adults, rural population shifts and young adults’ futures.
— Karen Guzzo, professor at the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ sociology department and director of the Carolina Population Center
Autism
We are living at the intersection of unprecedented autism visibility and also unprecedented misinformation. For decades, autism has been unfairly pulled into vaccine debates and politicized activism, despite overwhelming scientific consensus — leaving lasting impacts on public trust, stigma and the lived experiences of autistic people and their families. Today, social media accelerates both awareness and distortion, amplifying fear-based narratives alongside genuine advocacy. At the same time, autistic people are increasingly shaping public life as students, workers, creators and leaders.
— Brian Boyd, professor at the UNC School of Education and director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
Youth mental health and well-being
In 2026, youth mental health will command national attention as we’re seeing how profoundly technology use, including social media and AI, is shaping emotional development, brain development, sleep patterns and overall well-being. Parents, educators and clinicians are increasingly confronting a reality in which digital environments often outpace the safeguards meant to protect young people. As the pressure grows for stronger guardrails — both from tech companies and policymakers — youth well-being will remain one of the most closely watched public health issues of the year.
— Mitch Prinstein, professor at the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ psychology and neuroscience department and director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development
Food access and SNAP benefits
Economic volatility may push more households to depend on public benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka SNAP), yet policies may create new barriers for families to access or maintain these benefits. Additionally, some populations may experience more distrust of governmental entities, creating new barriers to accessing benefits even when they’re eligible. 2026 is a year to watch for how public benefits are utilized and the trickle-down impacts of their use or not.
— Molly De Marco, research associate professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Food and nutrition policy
Policies that shape our food environment — from agricultural subsidies to labeling standards and school meal regulations — are coming under sharper scrutiny. After a year of heightened bipartisan attention to the links between diet and chronic disease, 2026 will be a critical test of whether federal momentum translates into meaningful policy shifts. The decisions made this year could fundamentally reshape how healthier foods become accessible, affordable and normalized in households across the country.
— Lindsey Smith Taillie, professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
