EOH News
Pitt study uses urine samples to map metal exposure in Caribbean adults
Urine tests—commonly used to detect infections or metabolic conditions—can also offer insights into environmental exposures that may shape long-term health.
In a new study, epidemiology and environmental and occupational health researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health analyzed urine samples from nearly 900 adults on the Caribbean island of Tobago to better understand metal exposures and what factors are related to those exposures.
Pitt Public Health faculty member Iliya Lefterov named 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar
Iliya Lefterov, MD, PhD, faculty in the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, has been named a 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar and will travel to Bulgaria for the upcoming academic year.
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.
Strong showing for Pitt Public Health at American Heart Association conference
Early-career investigators from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health were well represented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention Scientific Sessions, held March 17-20 in Boston.
Aman named 2025 winner of Bernard D. Goldstein Student Award
Miranda Aman, MPH, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Bernard D. Goldstein Student Award in Environmental Health Disparities and Public Health Practice. A doctoral student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Pitt Public Health, Aman focuses her research on asthma and indoor air quality.
West Coast visit brings Pitt Public Health alumni together
In March, Pitt Public Health Dean Maureen Lichtveld joined University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel and Provost Joseph McCarthy on the West Coast for a series of alumni events that brought the Pitt community together in California. “The West Coast events were a chance to reconnect with alumni and strengthen relationships across the Pitt Public Health community," shared Dean Lichtveld.
A civic science conversation with Maureen Lichtveld
The transdisciplinary One Health approach underlines the complexity of interactions between natural and human environments and health—an area where Dr. Maureen Lichtveld says artificial intelligence is becoming an important tool for combining and assessing a vast array of data sources. It also makes data collection in partnership with vulnerable populations—where funding is “less than minimal”—all the more important, she says.
How to take a climate and health history
Researchers led by Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, propose a practical approach for integrating climate-related health risks into routine clinical care in a new article published in the Annals of Global Health.
Pitt’s CESF awards community impact in the Health Sciences
Tina Ndoh, associate professor of environmental and occupational health and associate dean for public health practice, School of Public Health, was recognized with a Pitt’s Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF) Collaboration Champion award. These individual awards are given to Pitt community members and partners who’ve made significant contributions to Pitt’s culture of collaboration.
Introducing the 2026 Community Engaged Scholarship Forum awardees
Tina Ndoh, associate dean for public health practice and associate professor of environmental and occupational health in Pitt’s School of Public Health, was honored at Pitt's Community Engaged Scholarship Forum for her deep commitment to community partnerships and meaningful collaboration rooted in trust-building, healing and a sustained commitment to equity.
Climate Alert: Warmer temperatures worsen kidney disease
A gradual rise in global temperatures that has intensified over the past decade is associated with a higher risk of kidney disease, according to a study published in the journal Kidney Medicine.
How biologic insights are refining severe asthma care
Environmental and Occupational Health Department Chair Sally Wenzel discusses the complexity of severe asthma management within Type 2 inflammation and the limitations of relying on a single biomarker assessment. She also differentiates childhood-onset allergic asthma from adult-onset disease, underscoring how age of onset—along with underlying biology—can inform therapeutic strategy.
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.
Study: Air pollution in Pittsburgh region responsible for 3,500 deaths in 2019
Jim Fabisiak, associate professor of environmental and occupational health, warned that the role of pollution in children’s IQ is still an evolving corner of public health science. “There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to IQ in terms of the effects of air pollution,” Fabisiak said. “What’s the appropriate exposure window for the effects of pollution on IQ? Is it prenatal? Is it something in early childhood?”