Saturday Night Live is keeping up with School of Public Health research! The late-night comedy show referenced an SPH-led study for the second time, during the October 14 episode, which was the first new airing of SNL since the end of the five-month Hollywood writers strike.  

During the show’s Weekend Update news segment, co-anchor Michael Che highlighted a new study about canine vaccine hesitancy, led by Matt Motta, assistant professor of health law, policy & management.

Published in the journal Vaccine, the study reveals that more than half of people who own dogs in the United States have some level of skepticism about vaccinating their pets against rabies and other diseases. Nearly 40 percent of dog owners believe that canine vaccines are unsafe, 30 percent believe that these vaccines are unnecessary, and about 37 percent believe that vaccines could cause their dogs to develop autism—or as Che quips, “paw-tism.” 

Despite growing anti-vaccine sentiments in the US, no scientific data has linked vaccines to an increased risk of autism (or paw-tism) for our furry friends, or for humans. 

Motta’s study has received substantial media attention since it published in late August, with coverage in Reuters, The Washington Post, USA Today, and NPR, among other outlets.

Che previously referenced another vaccine-related SPH study during a Weekend Update segment on SNL early last year. That study, led by Lauren Wise, professor of epidemiology, and Amelia Wesselink, research assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, found that COVID-19 vaccines do not affect fertility outcomes.

Which SPH research will land on SNL next?