News
Pennsylvania tick season can hide a second dangerous infection
“There is some evidence that your symptoms will be more intense if you've got both of the infections,” said Danielle Tufts, assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, about co-infection with Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis, the state’s second-most common tick-borne illness. “You can get co-infected with them, but... if you get a treatment of doxycycline, it should take care of both.”
5 practices behind sustained organizational success
Rick Anderson (HPM '71) earned his MPH in healthcare administration from Pitt Public Health in 1971. He went on to become president and CEO of St. Luke’s University Health Network, where he has led the organization for 41 years, making him the longest-tenured healthcare executive in the U.S.
Jarlenski awarded NIDA grant to study substance use treatment during pregnancy in rural, under resourced communities
Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPH, professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effects of innovative treatment models for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Vaccine enforcement gaps in Pennsylvania charter schools put thousands of children at risk
For the state's 14 cyber charter schools, where children take classes remotely, the risks of transmitting diseases are just as serious, the experts say. "They are just as contagious," said Mary Krauland, faculty member in health policy and management at Pitt Public Health, who tracks measles outbreaks in communities. "As long as you have these mixed groups, you are still likely to spread."
One Health promised, not delivered: Pitt Public Health researchers publish commentary on Ebola outbreak
In a correspondence published Aug. 20 in The Lancet, Suresh Kuchipudi, PhD, MVSc, MBA, professor and chair of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt Public Health, and an international team of global health experts argue that sustained investment in One Health systems is needed to detect and contain emerging diseases before they become larger outbreaks.
From high school project to publication: Anna Apetrei-Pandrea explores the health impacts of climate change
What began as a high school summer project for Anna Apetrei-Pandrea (BSPH ’29) eventually became a published review examining how climate change can affect human health in ways that extend far beyond rising temperatures. The narrative review, published in June in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, examines the interconnected effects of global warming and climate change on public health, from the spread of vector-borne diseases to neurological and mental health concerns.
Emma Camps: Studying global health and sustainability in Switzerland
Emma Camps, a student enrolled in Pitt Public Health's accelerated 4+1 program earning her MPH in epidemiology, always knew she wanted to study abroad—and exactly where she wanted to go: Switzerland. “It made sense for me to go to Switzerland because it’s a hub for humanitarian action and sustainability, and the programs available there focused on global health and public health,” she said.
Positive social media posts may normalize nicotine pouch use among youth
A Pitt Public Health study analyzed 1,809 Instagram and TikTok posts containing the hashtag #Zyn to better understand the messages users encounter about nicotine pouches. Researchers, including senior author Jaime E. Sidani, PhD, professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, evaluated each post for sentiment, themes, youth appeal and potentially misleading health claims.
Pitt Public Health researchers study alcohol-cancer risk communication
“Social media has become a major source of health information, so understanding what messages are—and aren’t—being shared is important for public health,” said Joseph Alejandro, a PhD student in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, about a new study in the journal Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research.
Wu receives NIH R01 grant to study brain aging in severe mental illness
Qiong Wu, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics and health data science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received an R01 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health — part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health — to develop new statistical methods for studying brain aging in people with severe mental illness.
These fresh classes, majors and certificates open new possibilities
The School of Public Health is expanding its curriculum with four new innovative courses.
When Climate Becomes a Health Crisis
In this episode of Global Health Frontlines, Dr. Maureen Lichtveld, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, discusses the ways climate is already reshaping human health. Dr. Lichtveld also shares the experiences that led her to public health, including helping increase childhood immunization rates in communities in Suriname, and explains why the next generation of public health professionals gives her reason for optimism.
Pitt Public Health researchers study uterine fibroids in African Caribbean women
Women in Tobago with uterine fibroids had higher concentrations of arsenic and arsenic-related compounds in their urine than women without fibroids, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. “Our goal was to better understand whether environmental metal exposure might play a role in uterine fibroid risk in an underrepresented population — African Caribbean women,” said first author Alexis Kiyanda, MS, a second-year doctoral student in environmental and occupational health at Pitt Public Health.“
Kyaien O. Conner brings a public health perspective to Pitt’s School of Social Work
Trained as both a social worker and public health researcher, Kyaien O. Conner (PhD, SSW ’08, MPH, BCHS ’07), has developed a career focused on understanding how individual health is connected to families, communities and the broader systems around them. Now, as dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and a Pitt Public Health alumna, she sees an opportunity to bring those perspectives together in new ways.