HUGEN News

Eli Harter

Student Spotlight: Eli Harter

Talking to Public Health Genetics MPH student Eli (Eh-lee) Harter is an engaging experience—be ready to think deeply and take notes. Harter’s perspective is both insightful and thought-provoking, shaped by a diverse research background in genetics and applied sciences.
junk dna

A 'junk DNA' mutation that prevents a disease

"The function of gene silencers is only now being understood and in this case, it is allowing us to tell some patients who previously would have been given a fatal prognosis that they will not die of a cruel and debilitating disease," said senior author Quasar Padiath, professor and chair of human genetics.
abstract graphic of researchers in a lab

Public Health and Engineering team up on five research projects

Pitt’s School of Public Health, Swanson School of Engineering, and Clinical and Translational Science Institute have joined up to award $450,000 to five transdisciplinary pilot investigations focused on precision public health, a field that uses data science to develop targeted interventions by person, place and time. 
Afshin Bahramy

Human Genetics student earns American Heart Association Fellowship

Afshin Bahramy, a pre-doctoral student in the Department of Human Genetics at the School of Public Health, has been awarded the American Heart Association (AHA) Pre-doctoral Fellowship for his groundbreaking research on hippocampal sclerosis (HS).
Robin Grubs

Grubs received Pitt Public Health Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination

​​​​​​​Robin E. Grubs, MS, PhD, LCGC, class of 2002, received the Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination. Grubs is an associate professor of human genetics at Pitt Public Health.

Poster presentations

Event promotes school-wide practice projects

Sixteen graduate students from four departments at the School of Public Health took part in the first-ever Public Health Practice Showcase held Friday, Nov. 15, at the Community Engagement Center in the Hill District.
alumni award winners

Pitt Public Health honors alumni at awards ceremony

The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health will recognize seven alumni for their outstanding service to the field of public health at an awards ceremony on Nov. 22.
The winning team posing for a photograph

Pitt’s 2024 Global Health Case Competition Winners

Pitt’s 2024 Global Health Case Competition awarded first place to an interdisciplinary team that included students from Pitt’s Schools of Public Health and Nursing and the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.
Kathryn Ryan

HUGEN MPH candidate investigates genetic links to childhood dental health

Kathryn Ryan, a Master of Public Health candidate in the Department of Human Genetics, is leading a project to uncover genetic factors tied to early childhood caries (ECC).
HJS Scholar winners

Introducing the 2024-2025 Health Justice Scholars

Pitt’s Center for Health Equity welcomes a new cohort to the Health Justice Scholars Program.
Michael Deem

2 Pitt faculty published a book on nursing ethics

Michael Deem, associate professor of human genetics, co-edited a new book, “Nursing Ethics: Normative Foundations, Advanced Concepts, and Emerging Issues” (Oxford University Press).
three generations in a family

Cracking the genetic code on facial features

“We know some parts of the genome that influence facial features, but our understanding is far from complete,” says John R. Shaffer, professor of human genetics. 

Leah Gruss is seen above setting mosquito traps as part of her work with the Pittsburgh Summer Institute.

Learning by doing

Students thrive at Pittsburgh Summer Institute.
Members of the Pitt Staff Council

Public Health staff take more than a few seats at the Pitt Staff Council table

Pitt Public Health staff take leading roles on the University of Pittsburgh Staff Council.
HUGEN alums Jacqueline Cohen and Elizabeth Roy

Human Genetics alums receive fellowships from ASHG

Two Human Genetics alums receive distinguished fellowships from American Society of Human Genetics.