BCHS News
Hoffman and Christensen awarded Research!America microgrant
Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, and Janelle Christensen, PhD, MPH, project manager, Department of Medicine, were recently awarded a 2025-26 Public Engagement Content award from Research!America.
The $3,000 microgrant will fund Hoffman and Christensen’s curriculum, training health science students to counter misinformation. Students, in partnership with the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, will teach seniors in the community these skills.
What declining vaccination rates mean for families in Allegheny County
As measles remains a concern, herd immunity in Allegheny County is declining. Kar-Hai Chu, associate professor, and Maggie Slavin, research program supervisor, both in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, discuss the drop in measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates and what it means for public health.
Alumnus Roderick Harris returns to Pitt Public Health to discuss purpose, mentorship
During National Public Health Week, alumnus Roderick Harris (DrPH, BCHS ‘13) returned to the School of Public Health with a message shaped by both experience and passion: build a career grounded in purpose and help others do the same.
Pitt Public Health rises in latest U.S. News rankings
The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health continues to be recognized among the nation’s top programs in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The school rose to No. 14 overall, advancing two spots from last year.
Cairo to Pittsburgh—then back again
Behavioral and community health sciences doctoral candidate Rabab Ahmed, MD, has expanded her work beyond research into workshops for parents and teachers and a YouTube storytelling initiative led by deaf children themselves. Looking ahead to a postdoctoral fellowship, she hopes to strengthen and scale the infrastructure she has built across Egypt and the Arab world.
Deakings honored as Distinguished Research Alumnus, joins Fab 40 Under 40
Jason Deakings, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences and associate director of the Center for Health Equity, recently received separate honors highlighting his research accomplishments. He was named to the 2026 New Pittsburgh Courier’s “Fab 40 under 40” list and, on behalf of Meharry Medical College, chosen as a Distinguished Research Alumnus.
Drnach-Bonaventura honored with Distinguished Early Career Award
Grace M. Drnach-Bonaventura (EdD ’24), assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, received a Distinguished Early Career Award from her alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, where she earned her doctorate in social and comparative analysis of education. At Pitt Public Health, she teaches undergraduate and graduate students and studies the intersection of public health, health equity and education.
8 Pitt people made the New Pittsburgh Courier 40 Under 40 list
Jason Deakings, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, is one of eight University of Pittsburgh affiliates named to the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 Under 40 list for 2026. Each year, the publication honors young African American professionals across the region.
Public Health faculty selected for Leadership Academy
Firoz Abdoel Wahid, MD, PhD, MPH and Jiebiao Wang, PhD, MS, have been selected to join the newest class of the Health Sciences Leadership Academy for Early Career Faculty, a yearlong professional development program designed to cultivate a generation of transformative academic leaders through shared leadership training.
Doctoral student selected for AJPH fellowship
BCHS doctoral student Aubree McMahon has been selected to join the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) Student Think Tank Fellowship for the 2026–2027 cohort. This highly competitive program brings together a small group of graduate students from across the U.S. to serve as an advisory cohort for the journal, contributing to special calls for papers, newsletters and student engagement initiatives.
Dignity is in the details: Pitt Public Health student challenges assumptions about homelessness
The most important thing Arabella Johnson brought with her on outreach visits with Street Medicine at Pitt was not a medical kit. It was a willingness to listen.
What TV gets wrong about CPR (video)
A University of Pittsburgh study looked at 169 episodes of American TV shows, all made after hands-only CPR became the standard. And, well, TV didn't exactly get the memo.
What ‘The Office’ and other TV shows get wrong about CPR
“...one thing we saw a lot was compressions that are not deep enough on TV,” said Ore Fawole, an author of the paper and a research coordinator for a lab at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. “We really want to push back against this fear that people have, and it’s a reasonable fear, but unless you’re an Olympic bodybuilder, there’s probably no way for you to do CPR too hard.” (Subscription may be required.)
Storytelling meets science
Pitt double-major Ore Fawole has long been passionate about film, an interest she shared closely with her dad and one that shaped how she thinks about storytelling and its influence. When he received a kidney and liver transplant during her junior year of high school, that connection between narrative and health took on new meaning, eventually inspiring her first scientific publication as a lead author, guided by BCHS faculty member Beth Hoffman.