As we have all jumped into the high energy of the fall semester and our summer fun fades into memory, I want to wish you a wonderful new academic year. This is an exciting time for the School of Public Health as we observe our tenth anniversary year with activities and events to bring our community together. Let’s celebrate and have fun, recognize our accomplishments and envision our next ten years and beyond. While our heritage actually dates back much further, with the creation of the Department of Physical Culture (Kinesiology’s predecessor) in 1898, the School of Public Health officially launched on September 26, 2007. This month, we have ten days of events planned, culminating in our Tenth Anniversary Bash on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. But, the fun doesn’t end there – look for tenth anniversary events throughout the year. I encourage you to RSVP to the bash and other upcoming events so we can count you in! Read more>>
Free, emergency dental and health care will be provided to adults in need on Friday, 9/8 and Sunday, 9/10 at the UMD XFINITY Center. The Mid-Maryland Mission of Mercy and Health Equity Festival, a partnership between the Maryland Center for Health Equity and Catholic Charities, will provide stopgap care and connect local community members with resources to support their ongoing health. Read more>>
While our heritage actually dates back much further, with the creation of the Department of Physical Culture (Kinesiology’s predecessor) in 1898, the UMD School of Public Health officially launched on September 26, 2007. What's your relationship to the SPH? Share your memories and stories with us! Tenth Anniversary events are scheduled throughout this month and academic year to celebrate, recognize our accomplishments and envision our next ten years and beyond together. Read more>>
Could young adults who regularly consume highly caffeinated energy drinks be at risk for future substance use? A new study by University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, suggests that there is reason for concern. Read more >>
Health Services Administration Associate Professor Jie Chen has received a $2.25 million National Institutes of Health RO1 grant to examine system-level care coordination and estimate how it impacts African American and Latino patients with mental illness. “Racial and ethnic minority patients experience a disproportionate burden of common physical health conditions associated with mental illness, largely due to the lack of health care access and social stigma,” Dr. Chen said in her summary. She will study ways to best integrate coordination in a more cost-effective way. Read more >>
Food insecurity – the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, safe, nutritious food – is a serious problem for many Americans, including young adults at college campuses across the country. Two new publications by Assistant Professor Devon Payne-Sturges shine a bright light on this growing public health problem. Read More>>
What are your fondest, sweetest, most profound or funniest memories from your days as a Public Health Terp? As we celebrate 10 years as a School of Public Health, we want to share stories not just of our major accomplishments, but also about what makes us unique and what keeps us in your heart. We need your memories, stories, and photos. Whether you are a graduate of the School of Public Health or one of its legacy departments, please take our survey. We want to hear from you!
A group of students from Public Health Without Borders traveled to Sierra Leone this summer, expecting to teach students about hygiene and infectious diseases, but learned some lessons of their own along the way when confronted with a language barrier. In Sierra Leone, the official language is English, but Krio, an English-based Creole language is the most common language spoken by most people living in the country. “We learned a lot about how to adjust and adapt,” Singh said. Read more>>
Dr. Patricia Davison Mail (PhD ’96), a retired commissioned corps officer for the United States Public Health Service and a past president of the American Public Health Association, has established a new fellowship fund to support future University of Maryland School of Public Health doctoral students. With $250,000 bequeathed in her estate to the SPH, the fund will eventually provide annual support for a PhD student who has achieved candidacy, with preference given to a student pursuing a career in public health education. Read more>>
Third-year Maternal and Child Health doctoral student Laura Drew has been selected to be a student representative on the University of Maryland Research Council for the coming school year. This is the first time a Family Science student has been on the Council, which reviews and updates university policies on research to meet the needs of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and the broader community. Read more >>