UCLA Fielding's Dr. Robert Kim-Farley on what will happen in 2026 in public health?
After a tumultuous 2025, what’s in store for 2026? UCLA Fielding's Dr. Robert Kim-Farley weighs in on what the new year may hold.
For Americans who felt 2025 was a ceaseless storm of norm-challenging change, there may be balm in the celebrations of the republic’s 250th birthday on July 4. Bruin experts, including UCLA Fielding's Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a physician and professor in the departments of Community Health Sciences and Epidemiology, cast a light on the path ahead.
" ... As health costs continue to rise, largely due to government cuts to the Affordable Care Act, Kim-Farley foresees a much-needed discussion about just how health care is paid for in the United States.
He also sees great social benefit emerging from the current range of anti-obesity drugs if they can be widely distributed following new agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers that will translate to more affordable medicines. 'Right now, they look like a boon,” he says, “but medical science is always learning. And who knows what we might learn in 2026?' ”
