Dignity is in the details
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 to people experiencing homelessness.
Johnson, an MPH student in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, joined the Street Medicine team nearly a year ago as part of her practicum. The clinical outreach program provides care directly to people living outdoors or in unstable housing. She quickly learned that dignity-informed items are just as essential as medical supplies.
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.
As Seen on TV: Bystander CPR way behind the times
"We know that TV depictions of health topics can influence viewers," said Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences. "We've also seen news stories about people saving lives because of the CPR they learned from watching it on screen. Considering the sheer number of people who watch TV, it's important to think of how to leverage this to improve the likelihood that people will perform CPR and save lives."
Pitt PUnCh funding expands arts-based mental health initiative
A team of faculty and students affiliated with Pitt Public Health’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS) has received new funding through the Pitt Un-Challenge (PUnCh) grant to expand an innovative, arts-based mental health initiative that connects students to community arts experiences as a pathway to healing and resilience.
2025 Public Health Practice Showcase
The 2025 Public Health Practice Showcase featured 15 graduate students representing each of Pitt Public Health’s seven departments, who presented work done in collaboration with community partners. Awards were also presented to faculty, staff and community partners who exemplify public health practice excellence.
In her opening remarks, Dean Lichtveld spoke of the importance of “making sure our science works for communities. Otherwise, our science doesn’t work.”
Pitt Public Health honors alumni at awards ceremony
The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Alumni Awards, honoring graduates whose achievements exemplify the school’s mission to advance health and well-being locally and globally.
‘Entertainment does have the power to move audiences’: USC study unpacks the real-life impacts of ‘The Pitt’
Beth Hoffman, an assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, knows the power of television to influence medical decisions. In February 2023, after her sister, Emily, was gravely injured when she was hit by a car while walking home in Point Breeze, her family felt at peace removing her from life support and donating her organs – not only because the organ donation box was checked on her driver’s license but because Emily had discussed the issue with her sister while watching an episode of “ER.”
Promotores create a bridge between healthier living and a growing Hispanic population
Patricia Document, former Behavioral and Community Health Sciences associate professor at Pitt Public Health, says the city’s growing Latino population includes a mix of people with roots in various Spanish-speaking countries. Documet, a pediatrician from Peru, said that when she arrived in Pittsburgh during the 1990s, programs were lacking for Hispanic residents, but local government and community organizations have slowly begun to address their needs.
Pittsburgh doctors bring real medicine to Emmy-winning drama 'The Pitt'
For two Pittsburgh-based health professionals, when "The Pitt" took home five Emmys this year, the moment wasn’t just a win for television — it was a triumph for accuracy in storytelling, thanks in part to their real-world experiences "The Pitt" brought to the screen. Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, who collaborated with producers on the show, said, “When medical dramas work with experts, they can improve public understanding of health, reduce misinformation, and even influence policy. 'The Pitt' shows that entertainment can also be education.”
Unfiltered: What “Big Vape” viewers really think
Buried in hundreds of social media comments is a candid record of how people think and feel, often in ways that surveys and focus groups can’t capture. Pitt Public Health’s Beth Hoffman, PhD, and Arpita Tripathi, MA, used this material for their study of the Netflix docuseries “Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul,” analyzing YouTube comments to understand how viewers responded to the series and the broader conversation around vaping. Their findings appeared in the September 19 issue of JMIR Formative Research.
Meet the 'Queen' of 'The Pitt'
Pitt School of Medicine's Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD, credits BCHS's Beth Hoffman, PhD, for getting her connected to HBO Max's hit medical drama, "The Pitt," where she's served as a physician consultant.
New Pitt classes and programs launch in fall 2025
Pitt Public Health is offering new courses for fall 2025, including a Disaster Preparedness Certificate and a course in AI in Health Data Science, as well as training opportunities through the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health.