Education: Practice Makes Perfect

One project, one partnership and one community at a time

By Amber Curtaccio

At the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP), momentum is building around a renewed vision of what public health looks like in action. Under the leadership of Tina Ndoh, PhD, MPA, director and associate dean for public health practice in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, the center is expanding opportunities for students, strengthening community partnerships and elevating practice as a defining pillar of public health.

"In academia, people understand research and teaching," Ndoh said. "Practice is harder to define. For us, it's about the work that touches the community, where we're partnering with organizations, local governments and residents as co-creators."

That philosophy is inspiring new and growing initiatives designed to connect learning with real-world impact. Among them is the Goldstein Award, which supports students engaged in practice-based projects. Given yearly, the awards are intentionally flexible, allowing students to fund travel, supplies and other resources needed to bring their work to life in community settings.

Miranda Aman, MPH, a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, received the 2025 Goldstein Award for her research on asthma and indoor air quality, and will present her work this fall at the National Environmental Health Association conference in Kansas City, Mo., using the award to connect with researchers and practitioners focused on environmental exposures and public health.

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The center's commitment to applied learning is also on display through the Public Health Practice Showcase, now in its second year. The event highlights student practice work from across all departments in the school. As part of the practice-focused requirements of the Master of Public Health program, all MPH students are placed in community settings where they tackle public health challenges firsthand.

The showcase offers space to celebrate this work, along with the partnerships that make it possible. "It's a moment to pause and recognize what practice looks like in action," Ndoh said.

This year's Environmental Health Summit represents one of CPHP's most ambitious efforts to convene communities, researchers and policymakers. Developed in partnership with the Cancer and Environment Network of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the three-day event took place in April and reached Pittsburgh neighborhoods like Hazelwood, the Hill District and Homewood. The summit is part of a deliberate effort to bring conversations directly into the communities most impacted by environmental health issues.

Rather than a traditional conference, the summit is designed as a collaborative, community-informed experience. Sessions centered on themes of science, justice and healing, blending research with dialogue, workshops and creative expression. Included during the event were interactive discussions and a live collaborative art piece to underscore the role of lived experience in shaping public health solutions.

The center is also expanding its academic and professional offerings. A new disaster preparedness certificate program, led by Elizabeth Felter, DrPH, MCHES, will equip students with practical skills for disaster response, while an ongoing speaker series will explore complex public health systems and policy changes. In addition, Sarah Krier, PhD, MPH, recently joined CPHP as associate director, strengthening the center's leadership and expanding its capacity to advance practice-based initiatives. "I look forward to highlighting the important practice work of the Pitt community and also cultivating new opportunities to support local practice efforts in addressing complex population health challenges," said Krier, who is assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology.

At the same time, CPHP is increasing its visibility and reach. A newly launched LinkedIn presence is already helping to amplify student work, share opportunities and connect with partners beyond the University. These efforts reflect a broader goal of ensuring that practice-based work is not only impactful, but also visible and valued.

The center's vision extends beyond Pittsburgh. A developing partnership with the University of Lagos in Nigeria is creating opportunities for global collaboration in environmental health research. Through join programming and shared initiatives, the partnership highlights how community informed approaches can translate across different cultural and geographic contexts.

Across all of these efforts, a clear theme emerges. Public health practice at CPHP is not confined to classrooms or conferences. It is collaborative, community-centered and action-oriented, grounded in both scientific evidence and lived experience.

For Ndoh, that focus remains at the heart of everything the center is building. "We're here to serve, and that means working with communities, not deciding for them," she said.

As new programs take shape and partnerships develop, the Center for Public Health Practice is creating a dynamic model for how academic public health can engage with the world beyond campus—one project, one partnership and one community at a time.