HPM News

Pitt is part of a national effort to advance long COVID treatments

Professor of Health Policy and Management, Howard Degenholtz, will lead the evaluation component of the project, monitoring patient outcomes as well as the success of its overall implementation.

Allegheny County's school-age immunization report shows a downward trend that worries vaccine experts

Vaccination rates are going down, and they don’t have to go down much further for things to be problematic,” said Mark Roberts professor of health policy and management.

Nurturing a Living Legacy

Before long, Kevin Altomari (a self-proclaimed “easy cry”) is doing just that while speaking affectionately about his late wife, Dawn Gideon (HPM ’83). Known by many at the School of Public Health as the namesake of an annual seminar and scholarship program in the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM), Gideon was a committed health care executive and inspirational leader.

Car crashes, alcohol consumption and vet visits: How legal recreational marijuana has changed Michigan, Illinois and more

Coleman Drake, assistant professor of health policy and management, cautions that alcohol consumption during the pandemic changed because people’s daily habits changed.

Policies favoring high-volume hospitals may disadvantage rural cancer patients

With a shortage of experienced surgeons in rural America and rural hospital closures, providing appropriate surgical care to rural patients can be challenging.

More adults think marijuana safer than tobacco despite similar health dangers, study finds

A recent flood of cannabis advertising makes it harder for officials to explain the different risks of marijuana smoking, vaping and edibles, said Coleman Drake, assistant professor of health policy and management.

Homeless Pittsburgh seniors struggle to find accessible housing, with shelters filling gaps

"It’s a slippery slope for aging residents," said Evan Cole, research associate professor in health policy and management.

Equality isn’t equity: Raising minimum wage linked to growing health disparities gap, despite health improvements

“We need to rethink wage policies in this country from the bottom up and bring in a level of nuance that wasn’t in the original policy,” Dr. Brittany Brown-Podgorski said.

FDA approves first daily over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill – a pharmacist and public health expert explain this new era in contraception

On July 13, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drugmaker’s application for the first daily over-the-counter birth control pill for people seeking to prevent pregnancy.

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.

Draconian laws deter pregnant women from treating drug abuse

Marian P. Jarlenski, says that this care can fall through the cracks because many obstetricians are less inclined to treat addiction than they are a pregnancy.

Doctors call for changes to laws that criminalize drug use during pregnancy

"The intention of the law may not have been punitive, but the way it plays out in any particular community or in any particular child welfare office can sometimes feel punitive," said Dr. Marian Jarlenski. 

U.S. overdose deaths plateau in 2022, but still exceed 100,000

“Anybody looking at this with historical trends in mind, and a bit of statistics in mind, will probably say it’s not going to go down,” said Dr. Burke.

Pitt Health Policy Institute names new director of Medicaid Research Center

Evan S. Cole, PhD, MPH, has been named director of the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute’s Medicaid Research Center (MRC).

Student accolades and honors