Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

We Create Healthier Communities

We prepare students to apply theories, concepts, and methods of the various social and behavioral science disciplines to the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs that prevent illness and promote health.

Degree Programs

BCHS offers a master’s degree program which prepares students for careers in public, voluntary, and private organizations and two doctoral degree programs.

Admissions

Applications for admission to the BCHS department are processed through the Office of Student Affairs at Pitt Public Health. Learn how to apply.

Research & Practice

BCHS has an extensive array of funded research and training projects and is well known for its community-based participatory research strategies.

K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship for doctoral students

The Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences is actively recruiting doctoral students for the K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship, which supports outstanding and diverse graduate students and prepares them for academic and/or research careers. Each year, the School of Public Health selects distinguished doctoral applicants to participate in this prestigious program, which provides five years of financial support, plus academic guidance and cohort-based mentoring.

Interested applicants must apply to the doctoral program by the deadline; award recipients matriculate as full-time students in Fall 2025.

Highlights

BCHS Newsletter

Get the latest news and accomplishments from BCHS faculty, staff, and students.

Highlights

Our Mission

We seek to improve and promote health and equity by engaging individuals, communities, and systems through our research, teaching, and practice.

News

Off ramp: Why it's important to plan for retirement from driving

Steven Albert, professor of behavioral and community health sciences, said in an interview that, while individuals face better emotional and psychological outcomes if they plan ahead to retire from driving, most people don’t do it.

Finding purpose in public health, one frame at a time

Lindsey Palmer’s journey from photographer to MPH student in behavioral and community health sciences and public health advocate is anything but traditional, yet it's deeply intentional. Every experience has brought her closer to work that feels meaningful.

Enhancing health in Mozambique

Earlier this spring, Jessica Griffin Burke, associate vice chancellor for global affairs, health sciences, and professor of behavioral and community health sciences, traveled to central Mozambique as a representative of the University of Pittsburgh as it solidifies a new relationship with the Gorongosa Restoration Project (GRP).

Events

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