BCHS News

vote here sign
November 4, 2024

Grappling with stress over the election? Here's how to address it.

Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, teaches her students that getting involved and meeting other volunteers can provide a sense of community that can improve mental health.
HJS Scholar winners
October 24, 2024

Introducing the 2024-2025 Health Justice Scholars

Pitt’s Center for Health Equity welcomes a new cohort to the Health Justice Scholars Program.
Kar-Hai-Chu
October 23, 2024

Current tobacco use trends in Pennsylvania

Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Kar-Hai-Chu join Fox 8 (Johnstown) to talk about some vaping and smoking issues in Pennsylvania.
BCHS Assistant Professor Beth Hoffman
October 21, 2024

Election and truth: Health misinformation in 2024

Part of media literacy, said BCHS's Beth Hoffman, is knowing when to unplug. She makes time every day to go outside, even just for a short walk. She also sets limits on consuming online media, which can be done easily with phone timers or restrictions within a specific social media app. 

Jessica Burke and Sara Baumann
August 23, 2024

New funding to empower youth in Madagascar through comprehensive sexuality education

Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Professor Jessica Burke, PhD, MHS, and Assistant Professor Sara Baumann, PhD, MPH, have received $400,000 in funding from the Spencer Foundation.
Abi Fapohunda
August 9, 2024

Doctor's work in Nigeria supported by Monroeville Rotary

“I knew I had to give back, to do something,” said Abi Fapohunda, assistant professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences.
Leah Gruss is seen above setting mosquito traps as part of her work with the Pittsburgh Summer Institute.
July 30, 2024

Learning by doing

Students thrive at Pittsburgh Summer Institute.
Pirates infielder Connor Joe. Photo credit: PG
July 22, 2024

Amid TikTokers erroneously linking sunscreen to cancer, here’s what dermatologists want you to know

“This doesn’t mean all sunscreen is harmful or that all science in this field is discredited,” said Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences.
Parks township nuclear waste dump. Photo credit: Louis B. Ruediger
July 16, 2024

Parks Township nuclear waste cleanup faces awareness gap

Preliminary results from a survey sent out by Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences master’s degree candidate Ariana Scott suggest a startling lack of awareness, with a majority of respondents indicating they aren’t attending community information meetings.
Beth Hoffman
July 12, 2024

Class explores how media impacts perceptions of health issues

“For better or worse, media is such a large part of our lives,” notes Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences who started a new class this spring, “Entertainment Media and Health.” The challenge is to harness it for good, she says.
Vice Dean Jessica Burke and Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Sara Baumann
May 17, 2024

Media project gives families outlet to help process grief of losing a child

Vice Dean Jessica Burke and Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Sara Baumann developed the collaborative filmmaking model as a research tool to let people tell their own stories.
Cindy Le, Dylan Kurian, Christina Yi, Lauren Angus, Harper Segal and Namita Mahajan
April 23, 2024

Center for Global Health-sponsored team takes second at Global Health Case Competition

A team of six University of Pittsburgh juniors placed second in Emory University’s 2024 Emory Morningside Case Competition held March 21-23. The team was sponsored by the Global Studies Center and the School of Public Health’s Center for Global Health, headed by Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Assistant Professor Cynthia L Salter, PhD.
Art Heals Exhibit
April 22, 2024

ART Heals Pittsburgh showcases the role of community art in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Through the collaboration of professors Sara Baumann and Jessica Burke, ART Heals Pittsburgh showcases 27 artists from the greater Pittsburgh region.
Sara Baumann
April 17, 2024

Comprehensive sexuality education benefits youths, schools and communities

The team led by Dr. Sara Baumann, assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, examined the effects of a unique program working with school communities in rural Madagascar.
Photo credit: Grusho Anna/ Shutterstock
April 2, 2024

How a new medical TV show could influence public perception

I think this [new show] will be a really good opportunity to promote health messages, create dialogue and ultimately inspire people to join medicine and get involved in health and their communities,” says assistant professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Beth Hoffman.