Things to Know

A twice monthly e-newsletter featuring updates and announcements for students and faculty from the Office of Student Affairs, the Graduate School of Public Health, and the University. To view in your web browser, visit publichealth.pitt.edu/things-to-know.

From the Dean

COVID-19 updates

Pitt Public Health COVID-19 updates (8/7)

School leadership provides some new information about fall educational plans. Plan to join in a student town hall on the evening of Thursday, August 13, and stay tuned for further updates this week.

Return to Campus Information

David DeJong, who heads Pitt's HR and business operations, shares updates on returning to campus, including staff COVID-19 response training, the Pitt Community Compact, daily COVID-19 Health Checks, face-covering requirements, building access, and facilities readiness.

More COVID-19 news, announcements, and resources

School and University Updates

One Book One Community Program needs your input!

We are stronger together. Shared experiences draw people together. For the past 11 years, Pitt Public Health's One Book One Community has invited students, faculty, alumni, and friends to read and discuss books that draw attention to contemporary concerns in public health. Given the current public health crises, we’d like your suggestions for this year's OBOC. Please send book recommendations to rehak@pitt.edu by August 14th.

Make introductions easy by using NameCoach

Avoid having to repeat how to say your name over and over or learn the correct pronunciation of your colleague’s long name using the NameCoach program now available from the My Pitt page.

New Course Alert: The Emergence and Global Spread of COVID-19

Learn about the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in November 2019 and its global spread to the present date in a new 2-credit course—IDM 2019: The Emergence and Global Spread of COVID-19. This is public health in real time!

Career Services

Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Informational Webinars

During the month of September, the PMF Program will be hosting an informational webinar every Tuesday for potential applicants of the upcoming PMF Class of 2021. The webinars will provide a general overview of the program and details about the application cycle. Several of the sessions will have a specific focus related to strategic recruitment goals, including STEM (9/8), public health (9/15), and diversity and inclusion (9/22).

Upcoming Career Development Workshops from the NIH

The NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) will be hosting two upcoming webinars on professional and career development topics: "Building Mentor Networks" on Aug 12th from 2-3:30pm and "Talking Science: Designing and Delivering Successful Oral Presentations" on Aug 13th from 2-3pm. Find more information and links to register on the OITE upcoming events page.

Getting to Know Pitt Public Health Career Services

Our career services office offers an array of programs that support career development for both master's and doctoral students. Attend this virtual session (Tues, Aug 25th from 5-6pm) to get to know us and learn about what we offer. We will end with a brief “how-to” for using the Handshake career platform and job board. Log into Handshake using your Pitt username and password and RSVP under Events.

Grants, Scholarships, and Conference Opportunities

Ben Barres Fellowship Accepting Applications

The National Organization for Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Professionals (NOGLSTP) is accepting applications for the Ben Barres Fellowship, a merit-based $2,000-$5,000 award for the professional development of trans, intersex and non-binary graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in STEM fields. Applications are due by September 30. Learn more and apply online

Professional Development

Get to know Canvas!

Effective this fall, the University will use the Canvas learning management system (instead of Blackboard). Both instructors and students are invited to get acquainted with the new learning management system! Download the app and consider registering for an upcoming training session offered by the University Center for Teaching and Learning.

Faculty Focus

EdTech & IT open drop-in hours

Click for the EdTech & IT open drop-in schedule and Zoom links. These virtual sessions are to be held in the weeks leading up to the start of the fall 2020 term.

Teaching Tips

Videos make your course interesting; Canvas makes it easy!

Recording short videos for your class is a simple way to add that human element into your class—even if it is online. Find out how some best practices for making short videos and how to incorporate them into your course Canvas.

View more teaching tips

Visit publichealth.pitt.edu/calendar for a detailed, searchable list of events at Pitt Public Health Keep an eye out for Things to Know, featuring twice-monthly announcements from the office of student affairs for students, faculty, and the entire Pitt Public Health community. For past issues, view the calendar archive or announcements archive.

Things-to-know Submissions

Staff from student affairs and other authorized content editors can directly enter/edit items for “Things to Know” by clicking below.

Others should email phcomm@pitt.edu with the announcement details by Thursday prior to publication. The newsletter format allows for a headline, brief text (~55 words), an optional thumbnail image, and a URL for more information.

Enter announcements

Upcoming issues

Things to Know comes out every-other Tuesday, including these upcoming dates:

8/11
8/25
9/8
9/22
10/6
10/20
11/3
11/17
12/1
12/15