BBC - "We do not yet know which came first - the social media use or the perceived social isolation," said co-author and BCHS associate professor ELIZABETH MILLER. "It's possible that young adults who initially felt socially isolated turned to social media. Or it could be that their increased use of social media somehow led to feeling isolated from the real world."
UNIVERSITY TIMES - A research idea submitted by School of Pharmacy faculty member and Pitt Public Health alumna INMACULADA HERNANDEZ (HPM '16) was one of four selected among 200 submissions for an AHA/PCORI researcher and clinician challenge. Through this challenge, the American Heart Association and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute hopes to generate research ideas that address evidence gaps in the treatment of cardiovascular dise...
I graduated in 2015 from the University of Florida with my Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science. I am currently a DMD student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine as well as an MMPH student at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. I aspire to help underserved communities through my talents, skills, and compassion.
TELEGRAFT -- The International Society for Cellular Therapy newsletter cited MARK ROBERTS's "particularly interesting" demonstration of emergent disease modeling using Pitt Public Health's FRED (Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiological Dynamics) at the FDA workshop on "Identification and Characterization of the Infectious Disease Risks of Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-based Products."
ABC NEWS - Pitt Public Health's DAVID FINEGOLD discusses both the research and cost challenges s associated with so-called "rare diseases" with ABC News' chief health/medical editor, Dr. Richard Besservia his TwitterChat @abcDrBchat. Click for a Storify summary of this national #RareDiseaseDay event.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE - Epidemiology faculty AKIRA SEKIKAWA (senior author) and RHOBERT EVANS, with then-students VASUDHA AHUJA (EPI '15) and ABHISHEK VISHNU (EPI '14) clarify in the British Journal of Nutrition why eating soy foods provides a protective benefit only to some people.
Japanese men who are able to produce equol—a substance made when certain “good” gut bacteria metabolize isoflavones in soy—have lower levels of a risk factor for...
EPI's ANDREA KRISKA has been honored with a 2017 Provost's Award for Excellence in Mentoring. As a committed and effective advisor, she has served as the primary advisor and committee chair for 14 doctoral students, 22 master’s students, and 11 post-doctoral trainees.
Warhol-inspired "Cathedral Cookies" created by CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR (EPI '10) were selected for the finals of the Cathedral Innovation Challenge, which dares community members to create artistic replicas of Pitt's iconic tower.
Inspired by Pittsburgh artist Andy Warhol, Taylor's set of four depictions are created on 3 x 5-1/2-inch vanilla shortbread cookies using royal icing and food-color paint, making the piece entirely edible.
Doctoral student LAUREN BALMERT (BIOST '17) has been selected to present her research on accidental poisoning mortality to our elected leaders and alumni at Pitt Day in Harrisburg on March 21, 2017.
FORBES - Young mothers are being prescribed opioid painkillers, placing their children—even those less than a year old—at risk for an overdose.
A study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology co-authored by HPM's MARIAN JARLENSKI found that 12% of women filled a prescription for an opioid within five days of their baby’s birth....[Of them] 14% filled a second opioid prescription 6 to 60 days after delivery.
Professor Steven Albert, Chair of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, is the newly appointed Philip B. Hallen Endowed Chair in Community Health and Social Justice, recognizing the exceptional quality and importance of his career-long commitment to conducting research intended to improve the health and functioning of vulnerable populations, his teaching, service and leadership, and his dedication to health equity.
Assistant professor TODD BEAR has been appointed to the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) national workgroup which provides oversight for the BRFSS through annual reviews and recommendations concerning the content of the survey, sample design modifications, and protocol adjustments. Congratulations, Todd!
POETS & QUANTS - In an uncertain healthcare landscape, the two schools are teaming up to address an overwhelming national need for quality health care managers. “The synthesis between the two areas is pretty important, because of the increased competitiveness in health care and the uncertainty of federal funding programs,” says WES ROHRER, director of the MHA program. Says department chair Mark Roberts, “From the business school, it’s hard to i...
NEWS-MEDICAL - According to an in-depth computational analysis published in the JOURNAL OF SCHIZOPHRENIA and co-authored by VISHWAJIT NIMGAONKAR, professor of psychiatry and human genetics, variants in eight genes implicated in both schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis may explain why susceptibility to one of the disorders could place individuals at lower risk for the other. "We wondered if individual genetic variants may exist that could have ...
KNOWRIDGE - “Adults with severe obesity often have difficultly following national guidelines to participate in at least 30 minutes per day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for health benefits,” says lead author WENDY C. KING, associate professor of epidemiology.
On February 24, 2017, the Pitt Public Health Commons buzzed as 56 students practiced networking skills and 32 alumni shared career experiences, all to equip the next generation of public health professionals.
PASTE - “TV programs that show more high-risk behavior—whether it’s risk taking, violence, or using alcohol or drugs—seem to increase risk of injury in people predisposed to hostility,” according to a 15-year study of television viewing and hostile personality traits led by the EPI Data Center's ANTHONY FABIO. “We think it desensitizes folks to these behaviors, so the notion [of engaging in dangerous behaviors] becomes less high-risk.”
U.S.NEWS - Speaking from experience, HPM Chair MARK ROBERTS says there are lots of things doctors can do beside taking care of patients. A nonclinical route as medical researcher allows those with a passion for innovation to have enormous influence on the future by discovering a drug or increasing understanding of a disease.
EVA CHERNOFF (MMPH '18, MD '19) received her BS in psychology and neuroscience with a minor in human development and family studies at Penn State University where she researched how ADHD impacts juvenile, higher level brain function and emotional regulation. She worked for the Child Attention Learning Study at Penn State, coordinating research efforts including participant recruitment, student training, statistical analysis, grant finances and I...
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH - In its March 2017 edition, AJPH takes a closer look at academic public health and the firearm crisis. Click to view featured articles and plan to attend the Food for Thought screening and discussion of Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA on Thursday, 2/23.