BCHS News

Sharing stories and creating space

Experts in community engagement share insights at Pitt Public Health symposium  

When asked for words of wisdom gleaned from conducting community-engaged work, experts from academia and public health advocacy spoke of truth telling, finding joy, being present, remaining flexible and showing compassion.

Off target? Mount Washington youth sports group offers AR-15 as raffle prize.

“If they’re going to raffle off something, raffle off something positive,” Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Garland said. “Maybe books or a scholarship to a university.”

2 Pitt Public Health professors led a Collaborative Filmmaking study on grief

Vice Dean Jessica Burke and Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Sara Baumann led a study on parent bereavement journeys, which resulted in the film “Visualizing Loss.”

BCHS’s Maria Salazar honored with the 2023 Bernard D. Goldstein Student Award

Dual master’s student Maria Salazar has been announced as the 2023 winner of the Bernard D. Goldstein Student Award in Environmental Health Disparities and in Public Health Practice.

Online Training on Substance Abuse Offered to all Health Sciences Students

An online training curriculum focused on addressing opioid and other substance use disorders is now available for all University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences schools. Centered on destigmatizing patient substance use and integrating cultural humility, the curriculum establishes a framework for patient care and delivery in clinical experiences and addresses racial and ethnic inequities in substance use treatment and care. The course was piloted in the fall by Mary Hawk in her Harm Reduction course.  

6 OTC Drugs That Can Be Dangerous for Older Adults

“We need better consumer education, more involvement of physicians and pharmacists in OTC consults, and better packaging of the products themselves," says Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Steven Albert. 

BCHS partners with ACHD and CDC to curb the opioid overdose epidemic

Mary Hawk, DrPH, MPH, professor and chair; James Egan, PhD, MPH, assistant professor; and staff member Molly Eggleston, MPH, will evaluate the performance of and efficacy of the $14.5 million project, which is an extension of the ACHD's Overdose Prevention Program.

"Community service is integral to what we do as a department and school," said Hawk. "Given the devastating impact of opioid overdose in our region, particularly on Black communities, we are proud to work with the health department on such an important endeavor."

Pitt Public Health honors alumni at awards ceremony

The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health recognized nine alumni for their outstanding service to the field of public health at an awards ceremony.

Paying it Forward

Patricia Documét celebrates Pitt Public Health

Compassion in Action

Theresa Kaijage  (BCHS ’04) used her social work skills and empathy to trailblaze support systems for people with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.

Anti-violence teams surge as $50 million in Allegheny County funding flows

When a victim of gun violence is brought to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland, a nurse in the trauma center might rush to their station and pick up a business card from Richard Garland. 

Pitt honors longtime staff employees at ceremony

30 Pitt Public Health staff with long tenures at the University were honored during the Chancellor's Annual Staff Recognition Ceremony.

TV dramas effectively prompt middle schoolers to talk about vaping dangers

“Something surprising, which we wouldn’t have known without these focus groups, is that although all of the students knew the term ‘vaping,’ several said they did not know what e-cigarettes were,” said Hoffman.

A nurturing and ever-evolving path

A year after graduation, BCHS alumna Monica Henderson reflects on her personal and professional journey.

When viewed as public art, gardens grow mental health

“This is a critical space to explore because it impacts people at individual levels, but also how we relate to others and build community," said Sara Baumann.