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.
Provost’s awards recognize those who impact student success
Emily Snyder, undergraduate advisor for Pitt Public Health’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health program, received the 2026 Provost Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Student Success in the Professional Staff Academic Advisor category. The award recognizes staff, faculty and administrators who positively impact the student experience through collaborative, holistic advising and student success practices. Each award consists of a cash prize of $1,000 and a grant of $1,500 to support professional development activities. All awardees will be honored publicly at a reception event on March 26.
Public health, close to home
What starts as a month-long summer program is quickly becoming a powerful pipeline: the Public Health Science Academy is helping Pittsburgh students discover public health and continue that interest into Pitt’s BSPH program.
Pitt Public Health student pays it forward
Emily Thomas, an MPH student at Pitt Public Health, draws on her family’s experiences with transplants and health challenges to advocate for organ donation and public health, turning personal lessons into community impact.
Empowering communities to save lives: UPMC and Pitt’s commitment to cardiac arrest survival
When someone experiences cardiac arrest, every second counts. Survival often depends on more than advanced clinical care—it begins in the community. Recognizing this, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh have partnered with community groups to break down barriers and empower everyday people to become lifesavers. The initiative also invests in future public health leaders. Undergraduate students from Pitt’s School of Public Health serve as trainers, gaining hands-on experience and mentorship.
Students launch resource locker to support Pitt Public Health community
When Grace Osborne, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, noticed peers struggling to access basic necessities, she decided to act. Through her involvement with Pitt’s Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Osborne was initially interested in supplying Narcan to the school. As she explored that idea further, the conversation expanded to include other ways to support students’ day-to-day needs.
People put off giving CPR by unrealistic TV depictions, researchers say
“People are watching thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of television every single year, but people go to see their primary care physician once a year. So a lot of people are gaining most of their health content from the stuff that they watch on TV, the stuff that they experience on TV,” said lead author Ore Fawole, a student at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Public Health and Medicine.
BSPH Spotlight: Kaylah Fleming
BSPH student Kaylah Fleming is studying how genetic conditions affect African American communities and how research can better serve them. “I like the science,” she says, “but I always come back to the person behind the data, the person who’s suffering.”
8 Pitt undergraduates earned Gilman Scholarships
Pitt Public Health sophomores, Ariana Kamugisha and Emily Truitt, are among eight Pitt undergraduates awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for the October 2025 cycle. The U.S. Department of State program supports students of limited financial means as they study or intern abroad, offering opportunities that strengthen global skills and future career paths.
First-generation students find community and purpose at Pitt Public Health
From navigating college on their own to discovering confidence and community, first-generation students at Pitt Public Health share stories of resilience and connection.
Pitt Public Health student selected for Elsie Hillman Honors Scholars Program
Pitt Public Health senior Melena Mastrostefano was recently selected as one of nine students across the University to join the Elsie Hillman Honors Scholars Program, a yearlong initiative through Pitt’s Institute of Politics that engages undergraduates in civic leadership and community partnership. Mastrostefano is partnering with the Birmingham Foundation, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that funds health and social programs in the city’s Hilltop neighborhoods.
Public health student wins APHA poster award
Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) student Simon Fisher received the Best Student Abstract Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) Pharmacy Section for research conducted through the University of Pittsburgh Vaccination and Health Connection Hub.
Undergrads embrace public health at Pitt
The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is proudly celebrating the rapid growth and success of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program Since its launch in 2022, the program has expanded to a current enrollment of 499 students, including both internal and external transfers. In April 2024, the first class of nine students graduated, with a second graduating class of 35 students in May 2025.
Student Affairs earns Pitt Sustainability recognition
The Office of Student Affairs at Pitt Public Health is celebrating a new milestone: recognition from Pitt’s Office of Sustainability as a Green Office at the Sapling level. That makes Student Affairs the first office in the school to earn the designation.
