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We just lived through a pandemic caused by a tiny virus floating in the air. Now we are experiencing wildfires that not only devastate communities and landscapes but also send out gigantic plumes of smoke that can affect millions of people downwind, as the Northeast is experiencing now. If the pandemic was whispering to us about air quality, the wildfires are screaming to us about it. Add to that concerns about gas stoves and longer allergy seasons, and it’s clear we should be on the precipice of a new public health movement to improve the air we breathe. (Linsey Marr, 6/7)

Congenital syphilis rates are soaring. Are we doing everything we can to prevent it from affecting our community? (Kelly Duink, 6/8)

Doctors, data scientists and hospital executives believe artificial intelligence may help solve what until now have been intractable problems. AI is already showing promise to help clinicians diagnose breast cancer, read X-rays and predict which patients need more care. But as excitement grows, there's also a risk: These powerful new tools can perpetuate long-standing racial inequities in how care is delivered. (Ryan Levi and Dan Gorenstein, 6/6)

This week, the LGBTQ rights group Human Rights Campaign (HRC) declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans, the first time the organization has ever done so. And they’re right. (Jill Filipovic, 6/7)

Caregivers are right to be concerned that social media use and, in particular, troubling posts can be detrimental to their kids and teens. But given that this technology is here to stay, we should be supporting children in developing their internal motivation to make good choices whether or not we’re watching. (Ana Homayoun, 6/5)

The last year since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade has furnished too many horror stories — about doctors refusing care to violently ill pregnant women, of a Texas man who sued his ex-wife’s friends for helping her obtain abortion pills — to believe otherwise. (Joel Mathis, 6/8)