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

Join our One Book, One Community program with The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here

The Pitt Public Health community is invited to join together in reading and discussing a shared book - The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren. Confronting the dire threat of climate change and its impact on global health is a priority for our school. I selected this book to encourage us to reflect on how our multidisciplinary expertise can best contribute to climate and health action.

School and University Updates

Call for Papers - Reflecting on Health Inequities in a Global Pandemic: Public Health Students' Perspectives and Experiences

The American Journal of Public Health in collaboration with the AJPH Student Think Tank invites students to contribute lived experiences and perspectives on new and/or preexisting health inequities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As public health students, we are inheriting the responsibility to promote health equity for current and future generations. 600-1200 words by October 22!

Graduate Financial Aid, Oct. 21

This virtual presentation will discuss the steps to apply for Graduate Financial Aid. Thursday at 3 p.m.!

Street Medicine student organization seeking members and officers

Introducing Pitt Public Health's newest student organization: Street Medicine! Street Medicine is a student club seeking to raise awareness and provide outreach to homeless, unsheltered patients. If you are interested in joining this club, or applying for one of the available officer positions, email Nicole Alindogan.

Remaining EPCC course deadlines for 2022

Materials for new fall 2022 courses will be due October 28, 2021 for the November 4, 2021 EPCC meeting. Check out the EPCC webpage for more details.

Two student-led journals seeking submissions: Pitt Pulse and Pitt Policy Journal

Join The Pitt Pulse, a creative health and science magazine at Pitt by writing articles, creating infographics, graphic design, podcast production, and more! In addition, GSPIA's Pitt Policy Journal is looking for research papers up to 5,000 words, policy briefs, and short-form articles on any topic related to public policy and international affairs from any discipline - accepting for next issue until December 17!

Explore Our Neighborhood Series Update!

We hope you're planning to join us this Friday for a walk in Schenley Park. Mark your calendars for our November event at the Heinz History Center and the December event at Phipps Conservatory!

Career Services

Public Health Careers—Explore The 10 Essential Services: Session 1, Assessment Function, Oct. 22

Do you like connecting with diverse people? Do you enjoy technology and data? Researching evidence, questioning witnesses, and developing logical inferences- these are the skillsets of the people-smart and tech-savvy detectives in the assessment function of public health. Unlocking mysteries and derailing threats at their source make for satisfying careers for public health sleuths. Register for this virtual panel!

Navigating Work Authorization as an International Student, Oct. 20

Join Immigration Specialist Caitlin Dawson from the Office of International Services (OIS) for a presentation for F-1 students to discuss the types of employment authorization available, both as an international student and after graduation. Learn about your options and get answers to your questions about OPT and CPT. Open to all staff, faculty, and students. Register on Handshake.

Federal Resume Writing and Interviewing Workshop, Nov. 3

Join HR Specialist, Leah Kurz, from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for an overview of the federal hiring process, including what a federal resume must include to be accepted. The session will be relevant to all federal jobs with a focus on public health and related positions. Learn helpful tips for navigating USAJobs.gov and learn about the government’s unique interview process. Wed, 11/3 from 12:30-2pm in 1154 Public Health.

Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows Program (PSFP) - Virtual Info Sessions

PSFP is a 14-month leadership training program that combines direct service and interdisciplinary learning to at-risk communities and underserved populations in the SW PA region. Fellows complete the paid program with skills that prepare them to work with and advocate for marginalized people in both for-profit and nonprofit arenas. Discipline-specific sessions will be held from Nov 2021-Jan 2022.

DHS Local Government Case Competition: Registration Now Open

The annual DHS Case Competition brings together interdisciplinary teams of graduate students from around the region to solve a real-world problem related to human services delivery. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other students and prominent local leaders. The competition is hosted by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) and will take place from Nov 10-13th. Register by Oct 29.

Job, Fellowship, and Internship Opportunities

This section appears in every edition of Things to Know and summarizes opportunities from alumni/faculty/staff/employers, jobs recently posted in Handshake, and upcoming fellowship and internship deadlines.

Grant, Scholarship, Internship, and Conference Opportunities

The Air We Breathe - 2021 Asthma Summit

On behalf of EOH Chair Sally Wenzel, consider attending this regional summit on air pollution and asthma with a focus on the impact of air pollution in the Pittsburgh region, including health outcomes with an emphasis on asthma. The summit will present the latest findings on the relationship between local air pollution and asthma prevalence and disease severity and address public health measures and policies to improve health outcomes.

Call for Applications: Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy

Funding for aspiring PhDs in support of research that is innovative and addresses urgent social policy issues. Awards are for $7,500 with additional funds and awards available. Doctoral students must be U.S. citizens or residents and must have dissertation proposals approved by their committees to be eligible to apply for this year's awards by December 1. Read more from the Horowitz Foundation...

William T. Green Jr. Award in Public Health Studies

If you're looking for some extra funds to support things like research costs, books, travel, or professional memberships, consider applying for this award by December 6. All degree-seeking students are eligible to apply for this award designed to support special student projects and honoring alumnus Bill Green (MMPH '01).

Russell Rule Rycheck Award for a Promising MPH Student

Defray costs of things like travel to a conference, membership in a professional organization, textbooks, courses in public speaking or scientific writing, or other opportunities that would enhance your training as a public health practitioner with the Rycheck Award. Apply by December 6!

Call for Applications: Bernard D. Goldstein Award in Public Health Practice

If you’re working or studying in an area related to public health practice and with a faculty member with an association with the Center for Public Health Practice, apply for a $2,000 scholarship to help defray the cost of opportunities to enhance your training as a public health practitioner.

Faculty Focus

Schools of Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship

Developed as a direct response to students' calls for change at Pitt, faculty committed to social justice are invited to apply for six awards of $10,000 for a February-December 2022 award period. Fellows will address structural inequity and racism while engaging in experiential learning opportunities centered on health-related social justice-racial equity issues partnered with a community organization. First deadline: November 12.

Teaching Tips

Implementing feedback from mid-term evaluations

Administering mid-term evaluations for your course is the first step to incorporating student feedback into your curricular design. Find out how to take the next steps.

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 dates for fall term 2021:

9/21
10/5
10/19
11/2
11/16
11/30