Dr. Jenna Honan writes op-ed in support of science as part of national initiative
Jenna Honan, PhD, a public health researcher who grew up in Kingman, AZ, recently published an opinion piece, "Science is not the enemy," in the Kingman Daily Miner as part of a national initiative in support of science called The McClintock Letters.
Jenna Honan, PhD, who grew up in Kingman, AZ, recently published an opinion piece, Science is not the enemy, in the Kingman Daily Miner as part of a national initiative in support of science called The McClintock Letters that recruited scientific researchers to publish 1000 Letters to the Editor on the same day as a way to promote science communication.
Dr. Honan earned her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the Zuckerman College of Public Health in 2024 and now works as a researcher at the college’s Center for Participatory Prevention, Evaluation, and Action Research. Her op-ed piece was published in the Kingman Daily Miner (her hometown newspaper) on June 16, 2025, and we are pleased and proud to share it with you here.
Jenna Honan: Science is not the enemy
By JENNA HONAN
Former Kingman resident, Jun 16, 2025
I didn’t love science as a child. Instead, I grew up fearing the natural world. I lived near Centennial Park, where the nearby wash would occasionally bring flash floods to my street. My dad was constantly warning me about the shocking power of rushing water. “Even ankle deep can knock you down, and then you’re a goner!” I was taught that flash floods happen when you least expect it, so I thought that always expecting it was the only way to stay safe.
Nevertheless, I was always outside. At the library, I checked out books about deserts because I already knew all about them, and I thought I could convince my mom that I had read the books when she asked what I had learned. But moms shall not be fooled, and when I actually started reading, I was hooked. I learned that the cracks in our dirt were caused by swelling during rains followed by shrinking while drying, and that creosote can survive for years without water. Incredible!
I now have a master’s degree in Soil, Water, and Environmental Science and a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences. While in school, I met others from Kingman who also studied health-related topics (shout out to Drs. Savanna Weninger and Sana Khan). I never had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Paul Kalanithi, who grew up in Kingman a generation before me, but I highly recommend his book, “When Breath Becomes Air.” What is it about our small desert town that nurtures such scientific curiosity around health?
Like many, my family has struggled with poor health. Diabetes is rampant, obesity is common, and many of us have experienced reproductive issues. I started menstruating at 9 years old and needed a hysterectomy by the age of 30. Yes, genetics matter. But so might the fact that Lake Mead was polluted with endocrine disrupting chemicals for more than fifty years (NDEP, 2020). Exposure to endocrine disruptors can lead to imbalanced hormones and metabolism (Baldridge et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2017; Peralta & Lizcano, 2024). Was I exposed to these chemicals as a child? Could my reproductive issues be related? What about my family’s health? I now study the health effects of pollution.
I remember my first days of graduate school. As an undergrad, my instructors had told me exactly how to conduct my experiments. My painful transition into research started when my graduate professors said, “You must write the protocols to answer your own question.” I was suddenly afraid of science again. I couldn’t write a protocol. Heck, I didn’t even have a question!
Eventually I realized that it’s called research because sometimes we must search, and search, and search again for answers. At this stage, saying, “I don’t know,” is not only acceptable, but expected. Now, instead of not having a question, I have a million.
Once I fell for science again, there was no going back. But now, it seems, there is going back. My research, primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been gutted. Recently, Dr. Bhattacharya, the Director of the NIH, gave an interview where he stated,
“...[T]he NIH has as its mission the research that advances the health and longevity of all Americans, meaning everybody. It doesn’t matter what your race is, it doesn’t matter what your age is, it doesn’t matter what your sex is, it doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation is... If you are a human being, ...I’m very interested in supporting research that advances your health.” (Röhn, 2025)
My colleagues and I are also very interested in supporting research that advances your health. The sentiment among some that health researchers have some hidden liberal agenda simply isn’t true. We focus on those most susceptible to health problems, not only because that’s where we can have the greatest impact, but also because when we learn how to protect the most vulnerable, we learn how to protect everyone.
Dr. Bhattacharya believes dissenting voices need a bigger seat at the table. He’s right. The ability to voice dissent is crucial in research. But paralysis by analysis can lead to inaction, and inaction can lead to worse health outcomes. It’s not a perfect system. Sometimes we must make decisions based on incomplete or imperfect information, because that’s what’s available at the time. And then we continue to search. As information becomes available, we pull up our anchors, redirect, and collectively try to move forward.
Researchers aren’t the enemy. We certainly don’t know everything, but sometimes we know enough. Other times all we have are questions. Often times we’re adjusting course. But no matter what, we’re endlessly searching for ways to move forward. We can’t expect flash floods to happen at any moment, but we do want to be prepared for when they do. To be prepared, we have to build our protocols. To build our protocols, we have to do research.