"I chose to pursue a doctoral degree after working for many years with a community-based program focused on improving birth experiences and maternal health outcomes for women in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. In my previous work, my staff and the women we served were often invited to participate in maternity care research, yet the reseach questions under investigation did not always align with our interests or our needs."
In a letter to the community, Chancellor Gallagher shares his outrage, grief, and anger. He challenges us all to demonstrate solidarity by standing with Pitt’s African American students, faculty, staff, and alumni in a shared commitment to realizing meaningful change. "How many times must we witness these blatant examples of injustice, hatred, brutality, and discrimination before we resolve to change things?" We must plot a path forward.
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Congratulations to Justin A. Dutta (IDM '19, HUGEN '23) who was recently awarded a Critical Languages Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Portuguese. With an acceptance rate of less than 10%, the Critical Language Scholarship is one of the country's most competitive scholarships and the most prestigious language program for U.S. citizens.
Assistant Professor Ryan Minster (HUGEN ’11) is attending the 14th Meeting of the H3Africa (Human Heredity and Health in Africa) Consortium in Accra, Ghana. H3Africa facilitates fundamental research into diseases on the African continent while also developing infrastructure, resources, training, and ethical guidelines to support a sustainable African research enterprise—led by African scientists, for the African people. Minster is heading the bi...
The Peace Corps showed Alyssa Amendola that she wanted to pursue public health. She chose Pitt because of our focus on global health, eclectic research interests, and strong faculty. Her time in the Peace Corps also helped prepare her for graduate school. "I gained a new perspective that I would not have otherwise [and] I am getting more out of my graduate experience than I would have if I had not volunteered with the Peace Corps."
Pitt Medicine and Pitt Public Health graduate, Eva Chernoff (MMPH '19, MD '19) was honored with the 2019 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award in recognition of her commitment to advocacy, education, and service for marginalized and underserved populations, and leadership in policy change in public health. The award recognizes visionary medical students who are public health champions advancing the service's mission to “pr...
Laurenia Mangum worked within the children, youth, and family sector in the Philippines while in the Peace Corps. “The BCHS program compliments my social work background and serves as a great transition from the Peace Corps. It meets my needs without compartmentalizing the studies into one particular focus…but rather provides the opportunity for the student to customize his or her own studies.”
CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA IN NEW YORK -- In observance of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disability, Sunita Dodani (EPI ’06) shares her story of overcoming polio and thriving in life. After experiencing paralysis in all four limbs, Dodani met the challenges of growing up as a woman with a disability to become a two-time Fulbright scholar, completing both her MD and a PhD from Pitt Public Health.
Faculty and alumni spoke on a panel to highlight the public health impact on global communities, including immigration crises, planetary health, climate change, and the importance of health systems. KELLY SALDANA (BCHS ’01) talked about creating resiliency and figuring out what that means both at the individual level and the systems level to help lessen negative effects of climate change.
JESSICA SALERNO (IDM '20) has been selected to participate in Red Tree Study's Academic Summer Program at the Institute of Public Health at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. In this program, students learn from experts while helping to ensure the health of Colombian citizens as the country transitions towards peace.
As an international student, LYCIA NEUMANN always had the intention to take the skills she has learned at Pitt Public Health back to her home in Brazil. Because of the scholarship, she was able to study the profile and unmet needs of cancer patients' family caregivers in Brazil. Her experience has taught her important lessons, such as, " Go with a good plan and a contact. Don't wait to develop your project until you get there."
“Pittsburgh is a great city,“ said BRENDAN DECENSO. “But take opportunities to go work elsewhere – it will change you for the better.” After seeing frustrating inequalities among countries related to HIV, he was inspired to practice medicine internationally. He organized a project for himself in Lima, Peru and says that h would not have been able to have the experience he had without the aid from the scholarship.
MICHELE BUZZELLI (BCHS ’15) is putting her MPH to work this fall teaching courses in global health at the Northampton Community College’s Monroe Campus in Tannersville, PA. Buzzelli will also teach a required first-semester course for incoming students entitled College Success which helps students navigate the college environment.
Amber Chaudry, an MPH student in Pitt's Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, shares some of her passion for a career in public health and how helping those around her is integral to her own vision of success.
Rosa De Ferrari, an MPH student in Pitt's Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, describes her "viviencias" (life experiences) in Ecuador and Nicaragua. She soon realized that immigrants in this country long for the kinds of social support inherent to their native communities. As she continues her journey at Pitt Public Health, she most appreciates the ready accessibility of faculty and the variety of research areas she can choo...
WRCT PITTSBURGH / BARRIO LATINO - Camilo Ruiz, student in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health's Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, discusses "Ojo Latino" on Pittsburgh's Spanish-language radio program. The community photographic project was led by Pitt Public Health's Center for Health Equity to displays daily life aspects of Latino women and men living in Pittsburgh. On display through April 24, 20...
INSIDEUPMC.UPMC.COM -- Pitt’s Global Health Student Association recently traveled to Lima, Peru, on a week-long service trip. GHSA is composed of grad students who share an interest in global health and believe health care should be available to everyone. The students collaborated with MedLife to help provide preventative screening, health care and service to community members living in poverty.
MELISSA KNORR (BCHS ’16) is the operations manager at The Open Door, Inc., where she first interned in 2014. During her time at Pitt, Melissa was an Evans Fellow, pursuing the joint MPH/masters in social work. She also served as an administrative intern for Bridging the Gaps and a board member of the Global Health Student Association. Previously, Knorr served in the Peace Corps in Zambia, Belize, and Costa Rica in the health, education, and youth...
Even before completing her MPH and global health studies, TAYLORDAPHNE MORSILLO (BCHS ’16) began working on the Plan for a Healthier Allegheny at the Allegheny County Health Department where she also supports the epidemiologist and manager of special projects. Previously, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique where her assignment focused on community and local hospital health presentations and direct work with an I-NGO, a provi...
Vice president for education, KATHARINE HOROWITZ (BCHS ’12) has been with Planned Parenthood of Western PA for nearly five years. She is a born-and-bred Pittsburgher, driven to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes for everyone in the dynamic communities that make up our city. Horowitz has worked in youth development for eight years, having started her career leading summer trail crews with the Student Conservation Association. While pu...